Republican State Legislatures Assume Leadership of Insurrection.

Home from the first night of the reunion. Grilled 72 hamburgers and 4 dozen hot dogs. Now I have the squirrel on to boil and the brisket smoking. Will finish things up in the morning.

Watched the Mets and Pilllies tonight after I got home. Big series for both of them. Now have switched to Yankees and Mariners … tied at 1 in the bottom of the 9th. Gardner up, 2 away, runners at 1st and 2nd.

Popped out to shallow right. Free baseball.

It was great to see my aunt and uncles tonight. A few cousins were there too. My favorite uncle and I hung out at the tailgate of my truck discussing COVID and golf. We’ve both had COVID and don’t want it again and it’d be nice to play a round of golf with him. He’s 80 and tees off from the old man tees now. We used to do a lot of quail hunting together when I was a young man. I always looked forward to him and his family coming to visit.
 
leaningright said:
It was great to see my aunt and uncles tonight.
Click to expand...

I may be almost 75, but I do have one uncle left, my dad's baby brother who lives at the Villages in Rhonda Santisville.
He has fifteen years on me.

I had a total of one blood aunt [aahnt] and six blood uncles, their spouses, and several great aunts and uncles growing up. Cousins too, few of which have remained in touch among the living ones.
When i was young, family was everywhere, but it doesn't last forever.
This is especially true for people like my wife and I who were only children without siblings and have no grandchildren now.

I guess what I'm saying is something that leaning already knows: enjoy the family reunions. They don't last forever.
 
Boston is not a populist town at heart.
Boston, like most of the East Coast, is elitist in nature.

Right now, the Red Sox are in freefall because ownership avoided the payroll luxury tax.

That will work in Kansas City.
That will work in Pittsburgh, Cleveland, or Cincinnati.
But in Boston, it's nothing less than throwing the middle finger to loving, supporting fans.

Ownership quit on the team.
The local media eviscerated ownership.
The fans are in revolt.

You can't run the Red Sox like a small market team.
Not with ticket prices that require selling organs to catch a game.
Not with fans who worship the team from cradle to grave.

Red Sox fans would rather have no team that be insulted with a small market type organization.

If ownership cares more about their Premier League club in Liverpool than their baseball club in Boston,
why call the holding company The Fenway Sports Group?

This ownership team brought us World Series wins in 2004, 2007, 2013, and 2018.
We appreciate that. But if they no longer care, sell to somebody who does.

The Patriots, Celtics, and Bruins are amusing, cold weather pastimes.
The Red Sox are our religion.
Don't screw with them.
l
 
I'm babying myself today.

No strenuous activity.
Got a "guest-walker" for the dog.

Lots of ice application on just about every part of my body.
I reek of Bengay [formerly Ben Gay], too.

Eating light not to get bloated.

Tomorrow, I want to get back on the golf course, and I want to swing the club hard without anything hurting.
I'm afraid that even that part of my life may be on slippery ground.

What comes next is only getting out of my recliner to eat and go to the bathroom,
and assisted living comes after that.

Are you in a good mood too?
 
I had a good weekend. Great times with the family, some I hadn’t seen in more than 2 years. We had a large crowd at church services this morning and a good lunch at my dad’s house following.

I didn’t watch the Red Sox today but I did watch a good game between the Phillies and the Mets (huge series win for the Phillies) then the end of the Yankees/Mariners game. Then I watched the front runners in the St. Jude’s Invitational collapse and almost saw Abraham Ancer win the thing in a playoff … but ran out of time and had to leave for evening services. I know he’s from Mexico but he went to OU so … BOOMER!

Speaking of OU, tonight will be the last night for my son in our house as a permanent resident. We move him into the dorms On the campus in Norman Tuesday morning but will be driving up there tomorrow evening. The folks at church all administered their hugs and gave him their well-wishes this evening then we met his roommate and his parents for a send off supper for the two young men. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t sad … but at the same time I’m excited for him.

Good luck in calming the pain, Mr. Niblick. Hopefully you can play for another 15-20 years. One of my favorite guys to golf with back in the mid 90’s was in his early 90’s. He was a hoot and not a bad golfer.
 
Not that I hold football in the same esteem as baseball--
it's good but just another attack and defend goals under a clock game--
but this year's Red Sox remind me of the 2019 Patriots.

The latter, with the soon to be departing Tom Brady at the helm,
started the season at 8-0.

The rest of the season looked like a train wreck with no survivors.

The Red Sox had a solid lock on first place during the first half of this season.
Now, if they win even one game, the official scorer demands a recount.

Failing to do anything to prop up the team before the trade deadline--
all to avoid the payroll luxury tax--
did the trick.

The local media gave up on the team.
The fans gave up on the team.
The team gave up on the team.
But it all started with the ownership not caring about the team.

I'm feeling better today, but not quite good enough to risk golf.
I may need a few more days of icing down, but I am feeling better.
Thanks for the good wishes, leaning.
 
Want to know what's good about Mondays and Thursdays?
The Red Sox will probably have one of those two nights off as they do tonight.
I'll be spared from a night of soul crushing spastic baseball.

My son was by earlier this afternoon. We were bemoaning the fate of the 2021 Red Sox, but as usually happens, we also talked about seasons past.
He recalled a story I had told him about the 1959 edition, a truly mediocre team that drew fewer than a million fans at home and finished with an 80-74 record [they played 154 games back then].

In spring training, Red Sox centerfielder Jimmy Piersall stupidly told the press that he should get half of the aging Ted Williams' salary since he had to cover half of Ted's position in the field.
[As a quick tangent, that salary was $135,000 and it was, unbelievable as it may be today, the highest in MLB at the time.]

Owner Tom Yawkey didn't have that kind of sense of humor, especially when it came to his Hall of Fame superstar., to this day the last man to hit .400 for a season [.406 in 1941].

The words were no sooner out of Piersall's mouth when he was immediately traded to the Cleveland Indians for a box of scoreboard light bulbs.

That box remains unopened today.
Fenway Park famously had and still has a manual, not electric, scoreboard--the last one in baseball.
 
NiftyNiblick said:
I'm babying myself today.

No strenuous activity.
Got a "guest-walker" for the dog.

Lots of ice application on just about every part of my body.
I reek of Bengay [formerly Ben Gay], too.

Eating light not to get bloated.

Tomorrow, I want to get back on the golf course, and I want to swing the club hard without anything hurting.
I'm afraid that even that part of my life may be on slippery ground.

What comes next is only getting out of my recliner to eat and go to the bathroom,
and assisted living comes after that.

Are you in a good mood too?
Click to expand...

did you double up on gay pills?
 
I hear a gnat flying around somewhere…

Put in my first day at school with students. Gave one homework assignment and two pre-tests. We’ve sure got some good kids.

Checked into the hotel in Norman tonight. Move the boy into his dorm at 8:30 in the morning.

Before we got here the head coach back at the high school was calling wanting my son and I to set up Gamechanger (a baseball scoring app on an iPad that not only scores the game but keeps track of pitch count…a relatively new rule in OK) for him for this Fall. We got the schedule put in after we got settled in our room and the coach has decided he’ll try to put in the roster himself. Y’all that pray might say a little prayer for him as he is technologically deficient. ;)

Got to have the boy to Lloyd-Noble Center at 8 in the morning and start the process. I’m excited for him and will definitely be coming up for a Sooner football game or three.

New chapter of our life is upon us. One positive thing is the wife and I won’t have to be sneaking around or staying up so late to … vodee-oh-doh-doh. Now if we can just remember how.
 
You're almost there, leaning.
The best part of my life was that part when I had no more mortgage and kids' tuitions.
We weren't kids ourselves any more by a long stretch, but we could travel and spend a little money on ourselves.
Unfortunately, dotage follows so soon after that brief period of revelry.

Check this out:

old and new.png
Here is a comparison of my old and new golf sets. Click to enlarge.

First of all, I'm down to a legal 14 clubs. That's a start right there.
I couldn't hit my old driving iron from the fairway.
My stronger lofted hybrid is playable from tee and turf alike.

Second, I'm finally trying a huge titanium driver.
So far, I can only use it to play big bananas either left or right.
If I try to hit it straight, it's like letting the club choose which banana I'm going to get.
Surprise me, Big Dog.
Fortunately, I can hit the matching fairway wood long enough off the tee.

Finally, I've got a new putter that seems OK so far.
I can't guess how many putters tried and failed to get the 1977 Ram Zebra out of my bag.

What do you think?
 
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11:30 … We’re home. Got work in the morning but it’s not much past when I normally hit the hay.

I like the “upgrades.” I use a “midsize” driver myself but I do like the oversized ones. I used my son’s a few times and told him it looked like a frisbee on the end of a stick. I hit it relatively well though. Had to borrow some of those taller tees to use with it.

I keep a 5 wood in my bag. Some days I just can’t hit anything longer than a 5 iron so I fall back on the 5 wood to replace my long iron (3 & 4) shots. As I get older I’m going to have to add some more hybrids.

My putter is an old Dunlop that I’ve been using off and on (mostly on) since 1996. I haven’t found anything yet that I stroke with confidence.

Good luck with the new clubs.
 
leaningright said:
11:30 … We’re home. Got work in the morning but it’s not much past when I normally hit the hay.

I like the “upgrades.” I use a “midsize” driver myself but I do like the oversized ones. I used my son’s a few times and told him it looked like a frisbee on the end of a stick. I hit it relatively well though. Had to borrow some of those taller tees to use with it.

I keep a 5 wood in my bag. Some days I just can’t hit anything longer than a 5 iron so I fall back on the 5 wood to replace my long iron (3 & 4) shots. As I get older I’m going to have to add some more hybrids.

My putter is an old Dunlop that I’ve been using off and on (mostly on) since 1996. I haven’t found anything yet that I stroke with confidence.

Good luck with the new clubs.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I was only good for nine this morning, but it felt great to finally be back out there.
The super muggy heat helped keep my old bones loose.
If it had been a raw day, I might not have tried it yet.
 
Had a great day at school today. I love seeing the lightbulbs come on as the kids really start to get what I’m pedaling.

Ball practice was short and sweet today. Won yesterday while I was taking my son to his dorm…9-0. Good first game. Have tournament play tomorrow. Today we just cycled through the two batting cages and rested arms. We always let the kids go early on Wednesdays as more than half will be in church of some kind that evening.

If the wife decides to work on Friday I’ll likely head to the golf course and meet an old friend there. She’s having a rougher time than me with this empty nest stuff so if she decides to stay home I’ll stay home with her. It’s nice to have options.

Nine’s a start. “Muggy” doesn’t do,our weathers here justice. It’s really hot…100 today, 112 heat index. My least favorite time of the year … but getting ready to be my favorite. Autumn.
 
Among the decorations in my man cave are two big buckets of baseballs, almost forty years old.

They are a reminder of my son finding me inadequate as a batting practice pitcher
and my thus having to spend endless rolls of quarters in the automated batting cages.

I hold myself blameless that the little prick couldn't hit my devastating slider.

Son, however, tells a different story. By the age of eight, he could clear out anything I could throw at him; that's his recollection.
He just didn't like, he claims, the time that it took for us to retrieve all the balls.

This has, as one would immediately suspect, caused a major family division.

His mother is always going to remember things in a way that favors her son, not her husband.

The dog clearly believes me, but then confesses to not having been there since she's going to turn seven this month.

That leaves the deciding vote to his younger sister, our daughter, a Boston police detective sergeant, who refuses to cast it.
Instead, she opines that her father, mother, brother, and my dog all belong in assisted living.
 
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Lost our game yesterday 9-4. The school we played is 3 times our enrollment but we’re not in this for moral victories. Too many errors on routine plays. Oh well, we play again today. An opportunity for redemption.

Went to Best Buy and picked up a couple of new PC’s. My son needed one for his dorm and ours at my office in my house is 10 years old. Ancient but working. Anyway, I have to learn something new now.

Gonna mow my yard this morning. Light dew so I can get an early start. Ballgame at 4.

I’m glad at least the dog agrees with your side Mr. Niblick. Even if she’s just operating on hearsay at least you’re not on the island alone. ;)
 
Won today 15-4. Play tomorrow at 11 am. It was just 93° here today … an Arizona 93 so that’s good. Rain moved in this evening so could be muggy tomorrow. Hopefully we get finished before it heats up.

Mowing done, scrap metal hauled to the transfer station … got the place cleaned up pretty well. Put my golf flag back up. I have room for about a 120 yd golf shot so I can practice a bit. If I cut down a few pine trees I’d have room for a longer shot. I also have a driving net so I can get a few swings in during the week.

Watching the Field of Dreams game even though I know who won. Probably won’t watch all of it but I hate that I had to miss it. Best sports intro since Whitney Houston’s rendition of the National Anthem at Superbowl XXV in ‘91. Both gave me chill bumps. Glad the Sox won. I’m rooting for LaRussa because I like old school baseball. Almost every article I have read about since he took over in Chicago refers disparagingly to his age and “old fashioned” approach to managing.

My son called me old fashioned because I griped about major league pitchers not being able to throw strikes the other night after my Cards walked in the tying and winning runs. But what good is it if you can throw 100 mph but can’t get it over? I couldn’t stand the Braves in the 90’s-2000’s but I sure can recognize good pitching. Greg Maddux was a good pitcher.
 
Prior to 2000, when the American and National Leagues ACTUALLY EXISTED and were not mere brand names owned by MLB Inc, the National League umpires had huge strike zones down and away and wouldn't call high strikes at all,

When the Braves pitchers had to face AL umpires in the World Series, they'd get hammered when forced to throw actual strikes.

I dislike instant replay on the base paths because it takes up time and the umpires are really good there. Also, instant replay makes things too technical. It's really hard to see if a tag connects or just misses, so if the throw clearly beats you, the umpire called you out. If the pivot man dragged his foot close to second base on a ground ball double play, that was good enough. I was fine with that. Plus I miss the fun arguments and ejections.

I WOULD like to see electronic strike zones with umpires merely having to monitor foul tips, check swings, and hit by pitch.
The electric strike zone would be the same for José Altuve and Aaron Judge. A light on the scoreboard would tell the umpire what to call.
I hate umpires being given latitude to have their own strike zones, because truly elite hitters know the strike zone and should be rewarded for that.

I grew up with Ted Williams. He made the pitcher pitch
and didn't swing at what he wasn't sitting on until he had two strikes on him.

Then, despite being a pull hitter, he'd just push borderline line strikes foul until he finally did get something to hit.
He wasn't afraid to take a walk and thus still holds the all-time MLB record for On Base Average. Second to Ruth in Slugging and OPS.

Years later, we had Nomar Garciaparra.
He was a good hitter, but his on base average was the same as his batting average.
He had no idea how to take a walk.
Seeing a relief pitcher for the first time, he'd end a rally hitting into a first pitch out.
I wanted to strangle him.

Why couldn't he have 12 pitch at-bats like Wade Boggs and bloat the pitcher's pitch count?

Anyway, I love baseball most. Everything else is attacking and defending goals under a running clock.
Baseball is above all that.
 
I agree with all of that. Take a few pitches, fight off the bad/good ones and get one to hit. If a walk happens along the way, great.

We won 4-2 today against a school that is quite a bit larger than ours. It was a good win. One of our better players got cleated pretty badly on a play at third in the 3rd inning so we had to finish without him.



He’s released and could play Monday but we won’t let him.

I’m just going to chill out and rest for the rest of this day. Got Baltimore at Boston on the tube. Poor Boston pitcher just gave up back to back homers i think. At least he had a 6 run cushion.

Edit: Game was a blowout. Good for Boston. You gotta plat the Oriels of the league on occasion. During it I got word that my friend who has been in a ventilator died. Took a 2 mile walk (according to Map My Walk) with the missus to de-stress. I’ve got to preach a funeral Monday for a guy who graduated a year before me. This friend that died today was 6 years older than me. Sometimes it seems that death surrounds me.
 
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It’s been a good Sunday. Had a good crowd at church again and enjoyed a meal with my dad. Did some funeral,arranging for both funerals I have to preach this week. The one on Saturday will be more of a celebration of life.

After school tomorrow we travel to a town about 100 miles South of us to play a HS and JV game. Loving baseball to keep me occupied. My wife and I’ll drive down after the funeral.

My Cards are 10 back of first, but on the positive side of things they’re 8-2 in the last 10 games.

I’m enjoying the latest episode of The Hatcher Family Dairy with my favorite gal tonight. She grew up on a dairy so she really likes this show. I just like farms. If I had been born rich instead of good looking I’d probably have bought a farm of some sort.
 
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