Random Notes from a Crank

The word on my Word-of-the-Day calendar on Monday was "claque," which is a noun meaning "1. a group hired to applaud at a performance 2. A group of servile flatterers." 

The second definition is a good word to describe the GOP and its complicity in what Moscow Don is doing. 

The Athletic had an article about the use of "torpedo bats" in MLB. It'll be interesting to how pitchers adjust to these bats. Here's an article by the AP: "Torpedo-Shaped Bats Draw Eyes after Yankees Hit Team-Record 9 Homers in Rout of Brewers." 

I wonder whether metal bat manufacturers are going to experiment with similar designs. 

At work I noticed a packet of Domino's red pepper flakes lying on the stairs I climb every time I come into work. It's been there for at least two weeks. I'm waiting to see how long it takes for someone, the custodian or someone else, to pick it up and throw it away. It's like an ad hoc sociological experiment. 

The folks at Existential Comics are doing some great work. Check out "The Frog and the Scorpion from a Rational Point of View." 

Hit the link and follow them. I look forward to their new comic every Monday. 

I watched an old documentary about Thomas Jefferson on my local PBS station last night. It's the second episode. He takes office as President, so it covers his two terms. 

It also brings up the speculation about Sally Hemings, and a number of historians in the documentary say that Jefferson probably didn't have sexual relations with her. 

Time has proven them wrong. Monticello does history right with the site's "The Life of Sally Hemings." 

Two summers ago the Nasty family visited Monticello and Charlottesville after spending a great deal of time taking in the sights of Washington D.C. We visited Mount Vernon on our way there, which was a lot of fun also. 

If you're into American history, I highly recommend visiting Monticello. In retrospect, I should have bought some of the site's seeds that come from the mountaintop mansion and grounds. Jefferson was obsessed with gardening. 

Random Notes from a Crank

I'm both a fan of football and American football. 

In regard to the latter and in regard to the Super Bowl outcome, it's pretty simple. The team with the best line play is most likely to play. 

Use Occam's razor. 

What we saw in Super Bow LIX is that the Eagles have a great offensive line and a phenomenal defensive line. You win game at the line of scrimmage. It's that simple. 

Or I could showcase my old-guy self and simply say, "Defense wins championships." 

I was rooting for the Eagles because of Jalen Hurts, Devonta Smith, and Landon Dickerson.

I'm not a fan of the Chiefs, but I'm a fan of the Kansas City area. I lived there for a year and enjoyed it immensely. The metro area on Sundays is very much like a college football town. 

And the barbecue. People rave about the barbecue in Memphis, North Carolina, Texas, and various parts of the Deep South. But I prefer KC barbecue. 

As for the Royals, I've always liked them. I grew up as a kid loving the Royals when they were really good in the 70s and 80s: George Brett, Willie Wilson, Hal McRae, Frank White, Amos Otis, Bret Saberhagen, Mark Gubicza, Dan Quisenberry, et al. 

And one of my favorite small breweries in the nation is Boulevard Brewing Company.

Unfortunately, I don't see it around my parts here. 

With all these funding freezes of federal grants by President Adolf, a lot of farmers, some of whom probably voted for the autocrat, are going to get fucked financially. 

Check out the article from The Washington Post: "Farmers on the Hook for Millions after Trump Freezes USDA Funds." 

I don't know much about Kendrick Lamar, but I enjoyed his performance and the choreography of his dancers at the Super Bowl halftime show. 

The article, "The Subversive Genius of Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl's Halftime Performance," covers it well as far as I can tell. 

 

That image above is pretty straightforward and symbolic: the American flag created by the backs of black men. 

Random Notes from a Crank

There's an extensive article in The New York Times about carbon-capture technologies that are being backed my large conglomerates. It's titled, "Can We Engineer Our Way Out of the Climate Crisis?"

The short answer is No. But you can mash the link and read for the various opinions on these ventures. 

Here's a noteworthy statement about these moves: 

“This is a new wave of denial, deception and delay,” said Lili Fuhr, director of the fossil economy program at the Center for International Environmental Law. “You have the fossil fuel industry trying to say we can engineer our way out of this without any major changes to business as usual.”

I discovered that Hulu now has the MLB Network. I'm watching baseball like a drunk on a bender since I haven't had the network since we switched from DirectTV many years ago. 

Of course, I still can't get Marquee Network to watch the Cubs because of Ricketts working with the evil Sinclair Broadcast Group to create the Marquee Network. If I ever switch allegiances to a National League ball club, it'll probably be the Brewers. They were one of my favorite AL ball clubs back when they were in the American League.

Or I guess I could just more closely follow AL teams I like: the Royals and the Twins.

It's hard to switch from the Cubs for me though because I've been so emotionally and intellectually attached to them for so long.

Being a Cubs fan brings with a certain mindset, what one might consider a positive fatalism. You have hope, but you're realistic. The mindset fits with me being a highly skeptical agnostic.

Based on this article in The Washington Post, "Cancun, Cabo, or Puerto Vallarta: Which Mexico Resort Is Best for You," if we go to Mexico again, I'm thinking Vallarta is place to be.

Apostrophe Abuse: Oakland As Cap and a Jesus Bumper Sticker

 

This is a new feature for this blog. There's an old blog that documented "apostrophe abuse" that is no longer available on the InterWebs. So I'm taking up that lost writer's mantle. 

And I'll have another feature that takes after another defunct blog titled The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks. 

I care about the proper care of language. 

The first culprit of apostrophe abuse is the cap for the Oakland Athletics. There's not need for an apostrophe. 

It should be just like this: As

I actually kind of like the Athletics, but I can't stomach buying one of the team's caps with the unnecessary apostrophe. 

The other culprit I saw today when I was running errands. There was a mini-van ahead of me that had this bumper sticker: "Jesus loves you," but the "loves" was spelled with a heart image followed by an apostrophe and an "s." 

Random Notes from a Crank

I finally got around to reading David Frum's fine article in The Atlantic. In the magazine, it's title is "How Much Immigration Is Too Much?" On the Interwebs it's titled "If Liberals Won't Enforce Borders, Fascists Will."

To me, Frum is on the mark about the US immigration policy being supported more by nostalgia and not asking hard questions. As he states, "But immigration needs to be thought of as a system, not a symbol [like a stupid wall]. And the system is not working. No intentional policy has led the U.S. to accept more low-wage, low-skill laborers and fewer cancer researchers. Yet that is what the United States is doing." 

And as he gets to the close of the article, he offers this point: "More than any other area of government, U.S. immigration policy is driven by nostalgia--by ancestral memories of a world long gone. Give me your tired, your poor...

This is no way to think about the problems of today. These are new times, calling for new thinking." 

In another article in The Atlantic, this time in the May issue, a Professor of Linguistics describes how the language is changing in a way that is a bit odd. Check out "Why Grown-Ups Keep Talking Like Little Kids." His analysis brought up some syntactical changes people have been making all the time.  

The last three times I've walked the dog the song below has played with my iPod on shuffle. It is one of my favorite Lucero tunes. However, I'm trying to understand what the universe is trying to tell me.




As I watched the White Sox-Cubs game tonight, I thought about the cities that have two baseball teams, and I asked my son which of the sets of teams he'd root for: 

• New York: Yankees or Mets
• Bay Area: As or Giants

My son went with the Yankees and Giants, and I went the Mets and As. 

Music Friday: "Centerfield"

Baseball starts Sunday night. 

Tomorrow I'll be in St. Louis for my fantasy baseball draft. Draft Day is one of my favorite days of the year. In addition, I'll be bringing back my league's trophy because I won the league last year. 

Roll Schlitzophrenics Roll. 

I'm sure this song will be played at all kinds of ball parks this season. 

Random Notes from a Crank

Chile is investing in alternative energy, building a smarter grid, and using a carbon tax, all to be sustainable but also to have an economy that grows in a smart way. Check out "Solar Power Lights the Way to a Cleaner Economy in Chile" if you're intrigued. 

Over at The Atlantic, Sarah Boxer published a detailed and interesting article about Peanuts: "The Exemplary Narcissism of Snoopy." I'm not a hater of Snoopy like some critics, but for me Charlie Brown was the best character of that strip even though I started reading the comic during the heyday of Snoopy. I also always checked out Peanuts books from the library that had the older strips from the 50s and 60s. 

I'm surprised about Coach Spurrier's immediate retirement. I agree with Ryan Nanni's sentiment from the EDSBS thread that "if he's leaving, I'm gonna miss the gel out of Steve Spurrier. Were not getting another one, and I suspect he knows that." The search of South Carolina head coach job will be a high-profile one, and it'll be a search that will probably make some current coaches get pay raises. 

After watching a bunch of MLB games over the past couple of weeks, I'm really tired of all of these pecker-pill commercials. 

Stay Positive: Vladimir Guerrero

The international signing period is underway. The Cubs inked a number of players to contracts, but another fact that got my attention is that the Mets signed Gregory Guerrero, who is Vladimir Guerrero's nephew. 

During his peak playing days, I coveted Vlad as a player, but I never could seem to draft him in my fantasy baseball league. He had a cannon for an arm. He'd hit like crazy and drive in rbi. And back in his younger days, he stole some bags. 

Let's take a look at his numbers. 

He played for 16 years ('96-'11). Here are his career numbers (thanks to Baseball Reference):

• 2,590 hits
• 477 doubles
• 449 home runs
• 1,496 rbi
• .318 batting average
• .379 OBP

When he was with the Expos and early on with the Angels, he raked. 

Check out these stat lines per year when he was at his peak:

• 1998: 108 runs, 38 home runs, 109 rbi, .324 ba,.371 obp
• 1999: 102 runs, 42 home runs, 131 rbi, .316 ba, .378 obp
• 2000: 101 runs, 44 home runs, 123 rbi, .345 ba, .410 obp
• 2001: 107 runs, 34 home runs, 108 rbi, .307 ba, .377 obp
• 2002: 106 runs, 39 home runs, 111 rbi, .336 ba, .417 obp
• 2003: 71 runs, 25 home runs, 79 rbi, .330 ba, .426 obp (112 games played and last year with the Expos)
• 2004: 124 runs, 39 home runs, 126 rbi, .337 ba, .391 obp
• 2005: 95 runs, 29 home runs, 108 rbi, .317 ba, .394 obp
• 2006: 92 runs, 34 home runs, 116 rbi, .329 ba, .382 obp
• 2007: 89 runs, 45 home runs, 125 rbi, .324 ba, .403 obp

Guerrero was one of the best players of his era, and I hope he gets into the Hall of Fame on his first ballot, which will be 2017. 

If you want to read more about this fine ball player, check out Jonah Keri's "Vladimir Had Hubris, And He Had Balls." 

While you'll have to put up with hearing crappy music, below is a highlight video for Vlad. 

Random Notes from a Crank

While I side with the folks who think the Washington D.C. national football league team should change its stupid mascot (a more appropriate mascot would be "Lobbyists," "Super PACs, "Corporate Shills," or "Dark Money"), I also tend to agree with Jerry Seinfeld's recent comments on the Collin Cowherd show. Strangely enough, I saw a number of solid comedians ~ Seinfeld, Rock, and George Wallace ~ on my college campus when I was an undergrad. But that was back in the early 90s. 

Monday's post on Bleed Cubbie Blue is a fair evaluation of the Cubs after a third of the season in the books. With Javier Baez now on the DL because of dumb face-first slides, we certainly aren't going to see him anytime soon, so there's been some wild speculation that they might bring up Kyle Schwarber, who is raking at AA right now, to play DH when they play interleague games. I doubt that happens though. 

This has to be one of the best headlines I've seen in a while. It's about an "amphibious" pitcher. I bet he likes water.

Random Notes from a Crank

If recent hiring practices in MLB are any indication, in the distant future maybe I can become a major league baseball manager. Good luck Marlins. 

This week I planted a number of plants that repel mosquitoes. On the back patio I have a little garden that has rosemary, lemon thyme, mint, and basil. Then in a couple of medium-size pots, I have some lavender. In the big pot right now I only have rosemary, but I'm waiting for when the citronella plants hit the stores. The bonus of the little garden spot is that I can use those herbs in dishes. Might have to try my hand making a mint julep. 

Tonight when I was driving IL backroads I got nostalgic about the old foot clicker that cars used to have for turning on and off the brights. I'd pay extra for that feature on a new car. 

Minor league baseball put on a "Clash of the Caps." The El Paso Chihuahuas won, but I'm partial to the Montgomery Biscuits, Orem Owlz, Chattanooga Lookouts, Hillsboro Hops, and Lansing Lugnuts. 

Random Notes from a Crank

Though it's a bit bombastic, the article "Independent Study Finds That Every Republican Prediction About Obamacare Was Wrong" is an interesting read if you like facts trumping fear mongering. 

So this bit of satire, "Scientists: Earth Endangered by New Strain of Fact-Resistant Humans," seems appropriate.

The Pew Research Center study says that in the US, the number of Christians has gone down 8% since 2007, and atheists and agnostics have gone from 25% to 31%. Huzzah for freedom from religion. 

In general, I'm a fan of Anthony Bourdain. If you're so inclined, check out "23 Brilliant Life Lessons from Anthony Bourdain." I'm partial to numbers 1, 3, 6, 7, 8, 11, and 22. 

I would imagine many folks are fans of the eephus pitch. If you are one of those people, check out Alfredo Simon throwing two eephus pitches to Torii Hunter.

Music Friday: "Go Cubs Go"

I'm sad to hear about the passing of Ernie Banks. 

On a more positive note, I offer "Go Cubs Go."

My Hall of Fame Ballot

I recently watched MLB Network's Roundtable program about the next Hall of Famers to enter Cooperstown. 

If I had a ballot, here are the guys who would be on it: 

• Randy Johnson: The dominant lefty of his generation.
• Pedro Martinez: His numbers are outstanding.
• John Smoltz: Of the big three pitchers for the Braves, I'd take him over Glavine. 
• Craig Biggio: Bill James rates him as the number six all-time second baseman.
• Jeff Kent: The most home runs of any second baseman. 
• Mike Mussina: He was an outstanding pitcher who pitched in the AL East all of his career. 
• Tim Raines: Look at the numbers. 
• Alan Trammell: He has better metrics than Barry Larkin. 
• Mike Piazza: He might be the best power hitter of any catcher in MLB history. 
• Edgar Martinez: One of the best professional hitters of his time.

Random Notes from a Crank

I picked up the well received Sex Criminals the other day. It's an interesting, freaky story so far. The problem is this: Where do you store a R-rated comic book volume (vol. 1 collects issues 1-5) when you have kids? I just can't put it in the stack of comic volumes I have downstairs, which include various old and new versions of Daredevil, Fraction's Hawkeye, Gaiman's The Sandman, Fraction's The Immortal Iron Fist, Neurocomic, and Wood's Star Wars series. I found a hiding spot for the volume though, so it's all good. For a sound review of the series, check out Laura Hudson's "The Man Behind the Comic Book That Finally Got Sex Right" on WIRED. 

And now I'm thinking of checking out The Wicked + The Divine. 12 mythological gods come back every 90 years to inhabit the bodies of humans and then die in 2 years? I might be in. 

The Heisman ceremony is this Saturday. I hope Cooper wins and ends the tyranny of QBs winning the award, but I'm sure Mariota will take home the trophy. 

In the Monday Night Football game, here are the stats from Julio Jones's night: 11 receptions for 259 yards. Roll Tide. 

The MLB winter meetings are being held right now, and a great deal of attention is on which team Jon Lester will sign with. Apparently it's down to the Red Sox and the Cubs. Regardless of whether they sign Lester, the Cubs made some good moves by resigning Jason Hammel and trading for Miguel Montero, a much-need left-handed bat in the lineup.