Hot and sticky

My wife, a woman who loves the hot weather, says it nice out.

I, a guy who hates the hot weather, say it sucks out.

Fortunately, it doesn't matter because we have a screened-in porch where she can enjoy the heat & humidity and an air conditioner that I can enjoy the cool, dry air in.

It doesn't suck to be either one of us!

*

Not much to prattle on about so how about some links to click on:

• Key phrase from the judge in this story: "That makes me somewhat cynical..."



• Here's your Naked Guy in the News story.



• I know I'm probably going to hell over this but this headline made me laugh out loud.



• There is nothing more entertaining than a drag queen brawl.



• How has our species managed to survive as long as we have?



• Since when does the U.S. have anything to do with the African electrical grid?

150 miles is a long way for a flood to travel

Charter Cable has decided that I need to know when the National Weather Service announces a flood alert anywhere in the country.

Three weeks ago, I was watching television and they popped up an "Emergency Alert" for a flood alert in Saratoga Springs, NY. I was caught a little off guard by that emergency alert because Sartoga Springs is about 120 miles away from me. And there is no river connecting them to me.

Today, they popped off another "Emergency Alert" for a flood alert in Chittendon, VT. Once again, I was a little dismayed because Chittendon is about 150 miles away from me and there is no river connecting them to me.

And these alerts aren't just a scrolling message. No sir, they are the full deal. Beeping horns, flashing text, no sound from the tv, recorded NOAA voice over alerts, etc... They get your attention.

It's like when they used to test that "The Ruskies Are Attacking!" system when I was a kid only instead of hearing, "This has been a test of the Emergency Broadcast System. Had this been a real emergency, you would have been instructed to tune to a broadcaster in your area." I get to hear, "There is a flood. Don't drive in it. Don't try to walk in it. As a matter of fact, run for the hills."

I'm pretty sure that any flood waters in Chittendon, VT are not going to have any effect on me.

No effect at all.

*

Here are some links you can click on:

• It's my favorite judge - Judge John "Jay" Hurley.



• Hah!



• Somebody is gonna get sued.

We have a full house.

All three of our offspring are once again in our house.

Well, for at least a few hours....

The youngest is off on another jaunt to play a gig with his band up in New Hampshire or someplace like that.

The other two are with us until tomorrow morning when they will go on another jaunt to hike the backwoods of western Mass.

My wife and I will remain here with The Dog being lazy and stuff.

*

So when did we decide that $3.45 was a good price for a gallon of gasoline? No one asked me if I thought $3.45 was a good price because if they had asked me I would have said, "No, $3.45 is a crappy price for a gallon of gasoline. Gasoline should be $1.00 a gallon."

That's what I would have said.

*

The Red Sox won again last night and hopefully they'll win again tonight. They are on a fairly good run with winning 6 of their last 10 games.

This is what I was talking about at the beginning of the season when I said they need to win series. They don't have to go on 12 game winning streaks, they just have to win more than they lose.

*

Here are some links:

• Oh man, it kinda sucks to be him...



• You should be impressed by this. I know I am.



• Key statement that I can't possibly imagine is true: "...he managed to get free, run away and hide behind a tree." (That must have been one hell of a big tree.)

Another retirement that isn't mine.

I had another co-worker retire yesterday.

He's a quiet, decent guy who worked hard and never made a stink about anything. He never worked directly with me so his departure doesn't make my job any  harder but he was funny as hell.

So I guess, yea, maybe his departure does make my job a little harder or at least a little less fun.

*

It looks like Aaron Hernandez either shot Odin Lloyd to death or got another one of his friends to shoot Lloyd to death, because he didn't like who Lloyd was talking to at a club one night.

How can anyone be so incredibly stupid...

The man had been handed $12,000,000.00 of signing bonus money and a five year contract worth more than $8,000,000.00 a year. And now, instead of playing a game and living like a king, he is going to jail.

Talk about throwing your life away.

Moron...

*

While I watch the Red Sox take on the Blue Jays, you can click on these links:

• Only in Florida.



• You have got to love minor league baseball.



• We should bring back the stocks and public flogging and as a means of punishment.

I hate humidity.

My air conditioners are working just fine, thank you very much. My house is a comfortable, and dry, 74 degrees. I notice that when I came home from work, The Dog was quite comfortable - sprawled on my couch, sound asleep - so I know he's appreciative of the air conditioning.

And that is really all that matters...

...to him.

*

The Red Sox beat the Rockies this afternoon and they are once again in sole possession of first place in the American League.

As I may have mentioned one or two times in the past, this is a good thing.

*

Here are some links that I found:

• Key government lie in this story: "...that money would go to fund projects in western Mass. only."



• Loving family of the year...



• Key phrase in this story: "These cops needed this image burned into their minds like a fish needs a bicycle."



• Only in Pennsylvania.

Thus ends the Bruins run for the cup.

I fell asleep in the middle of the second period last night and when I woke this morning, I was greeted with the news that the Bruins had lost and the Blackhawks were the winners of the Stanley Cup.

Since I'm not a real hockey fan, I don't feel any great loss over this. I mean, let's face it, while I enjoyed watching the games, I couldn't even stay awake long enough to see the third period in most of them.

So now I can once again focus on what is really important in this life and that, as I'm sure you all know, is baseball.

*

Speaking of baseball, the Red Sox will be playing the Rockies in Boston this evening. That means my eldest may have an interesting and traffic-filled drive back to his apartment.

Oh well. At least it's not me...

*

I am now going to watch the aforementioned baseball game.

While I do that, you can click on these links:

• I'm no expert but it's my opinion that someone has anger issues...



• You gotta love The Sun! I never thought I'd ever hear anyone called a "bike bonker"



• Only in Florida.



• My daughter recommends that you watch this news story.

Just a bit warm today

Yes, that says 101°...

*

So today was kind of a long day and I have some hockey to watch.

That means you get kind of a short post.

*

Here are some links you might enjoy:

• Thanks goodness they allow law abiding citizens to own firearms down in Georgia. I bet they can own fireworks too!



• I certainly hope "standardized security sweep" is code for "we watched him clean that sh!t up!"



• The correct answer to this headline is, "No. That is not what 'men' will be wearing."

Power up the air conditioners!

It got a little warm today but thankfully I have air conditioning.

I hope you have air conditioning too.

*

We are getting ready to elect an interim senator here in the socialist state of Massachusetts. Our previous senator, a guy named Kerry, went and got himself appointed Secretary of State or something like that so he's off messing up our nation's foreign policy and our relationships with other countries.

For this upcoming election, we have two choices.

The first choice is a guy named Markey and everytime I hear his name, all I can think of is malarkey. As far as I know, malarkey is some kind of Irish word for "screwing around" or something like that.

The other guy is named Gomez and all I can think of when I hear his name is Gomez Addams from the Addams family.

Personally, I think Gomez Addams would make a hell of a good politician and we already have enough malarkey in the senate.

*

Well, the Red Sox lost last night and then they lost again today. They are still in first place in the American League but only by half a game. Still, not a bad thing. With the season fast approaching the half-way point (we are 78 games into a 162 game season), first place is the place to be, even if you are sharing it with another team

I've always thought that it is easier to maintain first place than it is to move up. Then again, I also think I should be able to shoot off fireworks without going to jail.

*

Here are a few links you might want to click on:

• It's the old, "I thought she might be drunk" defense.



• I have always had a healthy respect for English humor.



• It's only a matter of time before they ban those things.



• Here's your Naked Guy in the News story.

Another waste of our tax dollars

I drove my youngest up to Northfield / Mount Hermon today where he will be teaching youngsters at a week-long summer camp.

During the drive, I saw at least four electronic signs on I-91 that our state government installed over the last year. These are not those wheeled solar panel signs that you see when there is construction. No sir, these are permanent fixtures erected on the side of the highway.

Every sign on the way up and back said the same thing:

FIREWORKS ARE ILLEGAL
PUNISHMENT IS JAIL OR FINE

Thank goodness my government is one of the few left in this country that care about me and my safety. You have no idea how good I feel living in one of the four states (Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York) in the union that protect their residents from those evil firecrackers and sparklers.

And not only is my government willing to go out of it's way to babysit me, they are willing to spend millions of my tax dollars on electronic highway signs so they can tell me that they are babysitting me and if I misbehave, they will punish me.

By the way, after I dropped him off, I continued up route 10 into Winchester, New Hampshire where I bought a box of ammunition at a gun shop. Ammunition that is capable of doing great damage or causing death. I did not stop at State Line Fireworks and buy any sparklers or fountains because, hey, I might burn myself or something.

*

Tonight is another dual-sport kind of night. The Red Sox will be playing the Tigers at 7:00 and the Bruins will be playing the Blackhawks at 8:00.

I will be watching both courtesy of my special coaching TV and it's Picture-in-Picture settings.

I will be watching until I fall sound asleep in my recliner.

*

Here are a few links you can visit:

• This one has it all but I think I'll go with my favorite: It has Judge John Hurley laying down the law.
  (Watch the video)



• Presenting this episodes Brilliant Criminal of the Week.



• Yes, alcohol was involved.



• Here's an interesting take on our current, and future, government.



• If you have a $10,000.00 to spare, this looks like it might be kinda cool.

Another retirement party that wasn't for me...

Two friends of mine are getting ready to retire and I went to their retirement party this evening. I went so they could lord their permanent not-working status over my head.

As a result, I didn't get home until later than I like and have no desire to read the news let alone try to understand it....

I did, however, manage to find a few links:

• Good job there anti-gun people. Good job.



• The whole reason they invented the internet is so we could watch things like this.



• You gotta love small town politics and a lawyer with a sense of humor.



• This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs. Any questions?

They both lost...

The Red Sox just couldn't muster the runs to sweep the Rays and they ended up losing 6-2.

The Rays were up 3-2 in the 6th inning when Farrell pulled Dempster. The bullpen just didn't have it in them and the Rays grabbed 3 quick runs in the seventh and that was the end of that.

Tonight they are in Detroit to start a four game series with the Tigers.

*

As for the Bruins, what can I say. The game ended with a 5-5 tie and the Blackhawks managed to take it in OT when they scored a goal 10 minutes into the period.

The series is now tied 2-2 and it's beginning to look like this thing is going to go seven games. If anyone doubts that these two teams are evenly matched, just take a look at the scores and the fact that every game except one has been won in overtime.

The next game is at 8:00 on Saturday and hopefully I'll be awake to see it.

*

Try these links:

• Damn. I always liked him. He was great as Bear in the movie Get Shorty.



• Her father was a catcher too.



• I'm gonna start carrying....



• Here's your Naked Guy in the News story



• Woman: You can't live without 'em, you can't escape from jail with 'em.

Why do they care so much about Jimmy Hoffa?

Once again, the FBI is digging up something, somewhere based on a "credible tip" from some old senile former mafia guy.

Why?

For those of you that don't know, Jimmy Hoffa was the corrupt Teamsters president from the 1960s who was convicted of fraud and bribery. He served several years in federal prison until his sentence was commuted in 1971 by President Richard Nixon. Upon his release from prison, he was given a one-time $1,700,000.00 pension payout from the Teamsters as a "welcome home Jimmy" present and he immediately began the process of attempting to get reelected as the Teamsters president.

During his first presidency, Mr. Hoffa had a lot of ties to what was known back then as "the mob". His fraud conviction stemmed from illegal loans he made to various mafia types from the Teamsters pension fund.

During his attempt to get reelected, he made it clear to the mod that he didn't want anything to do with the mob and he began to distance himself from them.

The mob did not take this very well because they liked the idea of having a huge pool of money (the pension fund) they could draw from whenever they wanted.

And this is where things get fuzzy....

The best bet at this point is that a bunch of large men with mustaches and last names that ended in a vowel got together in a small room in Detroit and decided that perhaps Mr. Hoffa might need a good firm talkin' to, if you catch my drift. Within a few days of this meeting, Mr. Hoffa told his wife that he was going to have a sit down with "Tony Pro" and "Tony Jack" at a small restaurant in Bloomfield, Michigan and not to worry, he would be back soon.

He was never seen again.

This was back in 1975.

Let me do the math for you: 2013 - 1975 = 38 years.

The federal government has been searching for Jimmy Hoffa for 38 years.

They search for him by flying 20 or 30 highly paid FBI agents out to Michigan or Indiana or Illinois or someplace like that, on a private jet. That's right, a private jet. None of that "economy-class with the peasants" stuff for our federal employees, no sir. Nothing but the best for our G-Men.

Immediately upon arrival they collect their gear and hit the ground running by checking into some five-star hotel and having a four hour meeting in the bar to strategize the upcoming search.

The very next day, or maybe the day after that, depending on how bad their strategizing hangover is, they hire a few heavy equipment operators, rent a couple of large party tents and start the process of digging up some field or farm that is probably owned by the same senile ex-mob guy that gave them the tip in the first place.

If, during this search, they happen to run across a barn or a house, they don't stop, they keep right on "searching" by tearing down the house or the barn or the swimming pool etc... that is in their way because nothing will stay those gallant FBI agents from their appointed task.

After a few days or weeks of paying all these agents their high salaries, paying the contractors their inflated fees and paying the rent for those giant party tents, they declare the search over, pay the land owner (ex-mob guy) a huge amount of money to rebuild the barn or house or pool etc... and they all go back to Washington, meet in some bar and write lengthy, rambling reports on what they accomplished.

The cost for these searches has been averaging just over $1,000,000.00 each time and they have been doing them for 38 years.

Can someone tell me why they are searching for a thug who stole millions from hard working people? What are they going to do if they find him? Dig him up and bury him someplace else?

You gotta love our government...

*

I guess I was a little "ranty" there. I'll stop now and give you a few links:

• Slim Whitman, our best defense in the event of a martian attack, died today.



• Apparently British politicians are just as crazy as ours.



• I don't see any problem with this commercial.



• Only in Russia.

Will they play a double header today????

The Red Sox and the Rays are supposed to play a double header today. The first game started at 1:00 and the second game was scheduled to start at 7:00.

The first game got started right on time but then  the rains came and they went into a rain delayed in the fifth inning with the Red Sox up 4-1 and the bases loaded, 2 out. Aceves was pitching a pretty damned good game and the batters were hitting up a storm.

If they decide to call the game after 5 innings, the Red Sox will be the winners so I'm hoping the decide to call it.

As for me, I'm heading to Boston to drop my eldest off at his place. His car suddenly decided to display one of those infamous "check engine" light and I decided that it would be a pretty shitty night if his car died somewhere on the pike.

*

While I'm driving out to Boston and back, you can click on these links:

• And the winner of The Idiot of the Day award is....



• This, my friends, is why I don't go into Springfield for anything other than work.

Update:

As it turns out, the problem with his car was a simple fix and I did not have to drive him back. Thank goodness for that because I'm freakin' tired of driving to Boston...

Short Day = Short Post

Once again, I only worked a half day today but once again I had to make a run out to Logan Airport.

This trek was to pick up my youngest and his girlfriend after their fun and exciting week in Tennessee at Bonnaroo.

I did not sit in massive traffic congestion but I did stop and feed them. This means I didn't have a lot of time read the news or surf for interesting stuff

I did manage to find these:

• Wait. Are they saying that almondjeanniehead isn't the president of Iran anymore?



• Good for you Jayden. Stick it in their face.



• I guess the bear didn't like barbecue.



• Meet Dorothy Baker - the latest member of the A-Team.

Update:

• I just had to post this link.

The Bruins won last night.

Yes, the game went into overtime. No I did not stay awake to see the entire game.

The Bruins and the Blackhawks played some pretty damned good hockey. The Blackhawks took 34 shots at Rask and he managed to stop 33 of them. The Bruins took 28 shots at Crawford and he managed to stop 26 of them.

This entire series is going to come down to those two goalies. They are pretty amazing to watch because I have no idea how they see that puck coming at them. Most of the time there are three or four guys standing in front of them when the shot is taken and they still see the puck in enough time to get their glove or stick up to block it.

And just so you get the full picture, the fastest shot ever recorded in the NHL was taken by Zdeno Chara. It was recorded at 108 mph. The fastest shot ever recorded is held by some guy with a lot of consonants in his name who plays in Russia's KHL. It was recorded at 114 mph.

That is fast. Very, very fast.

Try seeing a small black object coming at you at 100 mph while four guys wearing multi-color clothing move around in front of you.

*

The Red Sox managed to lose this afternoon. John Lester is not having a good month but you can't blame him too much. I've always said, it's the number of ties you step on home plate that matters and they just didn't step on home plate was many times as the Orioles.

The kid, Iglesias, has a 17 game hitting streak which is pretty damned impressive for a guy that couldn't hit anything last year. They say that when he came up this year, Pedrioa told him that there was no way he should be missing the baseball. Then he asked him if he ever played pepper.

For those of you that have never heard of pepper, that's where two guys hit a baseball back and forth as many times as they can. Sort of like tennis but with a hardball and baseball bats.

It's not easy to do and it can be dangerous as hell. As a matter of fact, most major league ball parks have signs that say, "No Pepper" around home plate. That means there is no playing pepper during batting practice because you might kill someone.

The goal of pepper is to improve your hitting skill and it appears to have worked with Iglesias. He is hitting pretty well and I like the fact they are keeping him on the team.

*

While I complete my Fathers Day, you can click on these links:

• Happy Fathers Day.



• Only in Florida.



• Key phrase in this story: "It doesn't make sense to listen to those people..."

Yes, the Red Sox won.

They are currently in first place in the American League and the only team in the American League above .600

If you think about it, after 70 games they are still above .600.

That is pretty damned good baseball.

*

Now we watch the Bruins and hopefully they will take game two from the Hawks. They lost the first game after triple overtime and there was no way I was going to stay awake long enough to see the end of that game. I'm kind of hoping tonight's game only goes three periods and it's over with by 10:00.

I might be able to stay awake until 10:00....

*

Here are a few links:

• Only in Florida.



• I like lists like this one.



• Here's an interesting read on the NSA spying thing.

Today I worked from home.

My car went into the shop for some much needed new tires, a brake job and some repairs to the emergency brake system and since my wife and daughter both had to work, I was without a car. That left me with two options: Find someone to give me a ride into work or work from home.

I chose to work from home and I gotta admit, it wasn't a bad gig.

I got a lot done and I was still able to take the dog for a walk. As much as I hate the idea of turning my house into my work, I think I might just do this every once-in-awhile. No morning commute, no listening to people whine about the changes going on and no interruptions.

*

So now that my car is once again safe for operations, I won't worry when one of my children borrow it.

Car maintenance is expensive but it's a hell of a lot cheaper than buying a new car. Besides, I like my car. I'm not in any hurry to replace it.

*

Here are some links you might find interesting:

• Only in Massachusetts.



• Amazingly enough, no one was arrested.



• Only in Florida.



• I can assure you that there is no way I will ever get in a plane powered by farts.

I love "Picture in Picture".

I was able to flip back and forth between the two sporting events last night while never actually taking my eyes off of either one.

Charter does PIP correctly because they give you the ability to move the sub-picture around. I put it in the upper right corner if I was watching the Red Sox and I put it in the lower right corner if I was watching the Bruins. That way it never covered any of the pertinent data displays such as number of outs or pitch location or minutes left in the power play.

That stuff right there? That is some important stuff...

*

These links are for you:

• Here is some data that you can use. Print it out and keep it by your phone.



• All I can think of is Bill Murray saying, "Correct me if I'm wrong, Sandy, but if I kill all the golfers, they'll lock me up and throw away the key."



• If you don't know who Frank Abagnale is, let me introduce him to you.

Once again we find ourselves at Wednesday.

I've avoided talking about the whole James Bulger thing because I think it's a joke. He was a thug who murdered little girls and then managed to avoid the law for 30 years. They should have shot him instead of capturing him.

As it stands, we are going to spend millions of our tax dollars on lawyers & security people so we can take this 83 year old punk and lock him up for the rest of his natural life. Which, by the way, is probably only another year or two.

What an incredible waste of time and money.

*

Once again, I will be flipping between hockey and baseball this evening.

The Bruins are in Chicago to play game one of the Stanley Cup against the Blackhawks and the Red Sox are in Tampa to play game three of their series agains the Rays.

Crazy Alfredo Aceves will be pitching tonight so it should be an interesting ball game. After last nights loss, the Red Sox will be looking to recover and take the series. They are still in first place in the American League but the Rangers are playing the Indians tonight and will probably win. That means the if the Red Sox lose tonight, they'll be tied for first place in the American League.

Once again, I feel compelled to say, "That ain't bad for a team that sucked so bad last year my 10th grade little league team could have beaten them."

*

Here are some links:

• Meet Jan Cooper, the latest member of the A-Team.



• Here's your Naked Guy in the News story.



• The words "mysterious brown foam" should never be used to describe drinking water.



• In honor of my son being at Bonnaroo, I've started a new category: Only in Tennessee.

Not much to prattle on about.

Too be honest with you, I'm tired and I don't feel like reading the news. I watched way more baseball last night than I should have. No, I didn't stay awake for all 14 innings but I did stay awake for 9 innings and that's a lot of baseball for me.

I did, however, find this little tidbit on CNN...

Between the IRS cherry-picking who it audits, the Justice Department spying on the press, the NSA spying on us, the decision to ignore the pleas for help from Benghazi and now the State Department hiring hookers, I can't help but wonder what's next. Seems that the people that currently infest our federal government are under the impression that they can pretty much do whatever they want to do.

That, my friends, should worry you.

It should worry you a lot...

*

Here are the few links I found:

• Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.



• Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.



• After my drive home from Logan yesterday afternoon, I can say that I agree.

Short Day = Short Post.

I only worked a half day today but that's because I drove my youngest out to Boston so he could catch a plane to Tennessee.

For the next 2 days, he will be working his butt off to help set up the Twelfth Annual Bonnaroo Music Festival down in Manchester, TN. Then, for 4 days after that, he will be attending the music festival, listening to his favorite bands and musicians.

If' you've never heard of Bonnaroo, don't feel bad. Very few people over the age of 30 have heard of it. It's this generation's Woodstock only instead of happening just one time, it's happened every year for the last 12 years.

*

After dropping him off at the airport, I spent the next three hours sitting in really slow moving traffic trying to get home.

I tried to get together with my eldest but he was driving from Bangor Maine and didn't get home to his apartment until I was already in Worcester.

*

So as you can see, I made it home and now I'm going to watch the Red Sox play the Rays. I managed to find a couple of links:

• She'll probably be dead soon.



• Key phrase in this story: "...terrified her husband..."

There are a lot of good people in this world.

Back in 2010,Corey Hahn was a senior in high school and the best baseball player in the California high school athletic system. He was drafted by the Padres but made the decision to pass on starting his career and headed off to Arizona State University to get his education.

In February of 2011, Corey was doing what he loved - playing baseball. He was on first base when the coach called for a steal.

At the first pitch, Corey put his head down and took of for second base. He looked once and saw the catcher throw. He knew it was going to be close and he dove head first for the base. The second baseman took the throw just as Corey arrived.

Corey slide hard, head first, into the second baseman's leg, breaking his 5th vertebrae and leaving him paralyzed from the chest down.

His life of playing baseball was over and his life in general was forever changed.

Flash forward to yesterday and the Arizona Diamondbacks proved to me, and everyone else who has a love of baseball, that they have a deeper understanding of the game than just the business/sport aspect.

The Diamondbacks used their 34th round draft slot to give Corey Hahn something that he thought he would never get: A spot on a major league baseball team.

It's not just some empty gesture on their part. Everyone involved knows that Corey will never be able play baseball at the major league level but the Diamondbacks have a plan. They want to make sure that Corey has a role in Major League Baseball. They drafted him with a plan to use him in an active role with the team.

That, my friends, is a hell of a nice thing for an organization to do and it's just another reason why American baseball is one of the greatest sports organizations on the planet.

*

The Red Sox won last night and then they won again this afternoon. That means they retain first place in the American League.

Not bad, not bad at all.

The first game of the Stanley Cup is scheduled for this Wednesday in Chicago when the Bruins will face off against the Blackhawks at 8:00pm.

The Red Sox will be playing the Rays at 7:00pm that night so you can bet that I'll be flipping back and forth between the two. At least until such time as I fall sound asleep which will probably be in mid-flip....

*

Here are today's links:

• Key phrase in this story: "Upon searching him, police found five folding knives, three zip ties, pliers and a pair of gloves."



• Yes, alcohol was involved.



• Here in the United States, we use formaldehyde. Over in Australia, I think they use gunpowder...

Once again, it's a good time to be a Boston sports fan.

The Bruins won the Eastern Conference playoffs and advance to the Stanley Cup finals.

I should make it clear, in case you haven't already figured it out, I'm not an big hockey fan. I managed to break one of my arms playing it when I was a kid so I have less than fond memories of the sport. Besides, I'm more of a baseball guy than a hockey guy.

All that aside, I do enjoy watching it sometimes and this is one of those sometimes. Unfortunately, I can't stay awake for the entire game so I watch one & a half periods and then fall asleep in my recliner.

So now that the Bruins have taken the Eastern Conference, they will be playing in the finals of the Stanley Cup. The question is who will they be playing. The Blackhawks lead the series 3-1 but no one is writing the Kings off. From what I understand, they are one of those teams that can turn it around and win 3 in a row.

Then again, "they" are always say things like that. I'm just not really sure who "they" are....

*

The Red Sox lost the first game of the double-header in fine style. Hey, if you're gonna lose, you might as well lose big.

Hopefully they'll do better in the second game.

*

This made me laugh...

You gotta love dogs.

*

Here are todays links:

• I thought this was pretty cool.



• So now the damned giant rodents are killing the forests.



• Thank goodness we have the TSA protecting us from these things.



• You gotta love the Swedes.



• Only in Florida.



• This is why I gave up golf - too much violence.

There may not be baseball but there is hockey

The Red Sox won last night so they are once again tied for first in the American League. Unfortunately, the rain has postponed tonights game and they will play a double-header on Saturday.

I like double-headers because it requires some pretty serious strategy on the managers part. He has a limited pool of players and two games to play with very little rest in between. He has to decide who has the stamina to play 18 innings of baseball, who can only play 8 or 10 innings and what does he do so his bullpen doesn't implode.

Anytime a team wins both games of a double header, it's an indication that the manager knows what he is doing and he knows his players strengths and weaknesses.

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Since there is no baseball, I will be entirely focused on hockey tonight.

Well, at least as focused as I can be. Last night I was sound asleep by 9:15.

Based on that, it's pretty safe to assume that I'll be able to watch the first period of hockey but the next two periods are listed as "maybe" on my list of things to accomplish tonight.

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Here are some links you can click on:

• I hate to speak blasphemy here in New England, The Land Of The Dunkin' but I really wish we had a Krispy Kreme nearby.



• You gotta love Fred Rogers.



• So are they saying this wasn't about guns at all? Are they saying it's about some psycho chick getting a divorce?



• Not sure if this is an "Only in Florida" or a "Here's your Naked Guy in the News".

Not a bad night.

The Red Sox lost last night but the Bruins took game three of the series and now are one game away from returning to the Stanley Cup playoffs. I guess that means the night wasn't a total bust.

I wish the Red Sox had won but I can't say they played poorly.

They took game one of the series from the Rangers and lost last nights game by only one run. I thought Lackey pitched a pretty good game and, after his last few outings, I'd have to say that he has redeemed himself in the eyes of most fans.

Not bad for a team that sucked so badly last year that most little league teams stood a chance at beating them.

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It seems that we have a tropical storm named Andrea heading towards us. So while I go clean my gutters and then watch the Red Sox, you can click on these links:

• At what point does the American public scream at the Obama administration and say, "Enough is enough! Stop manipulating us, stop trying to control us and stop spying on us!"



• Only in Florida.



• What do you call a thousand lawyers at the bottom of the ocean? A good start....



• Key viewer comment on this video: "And people think inbreeding in the south is a just a joke."

Long Day = Short Post

I got home from work at a decent hour today but on my way home, I heard the weather on the radio and they said it's going to rain tomorrow, Friday and Saturday.

With that in mind, I decided to mow my lawn.

So now my lawn is freshly mowed, the Red Sox are in the third inning, the Bruins start playing in about 10 minutes and I don't really feel like typing.

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Here are a few links you can click on:

• Start them early.



• Only in Florida. (We do not pay cops enough money...)



• Key phrase in this story: "I went out. I got drunk. I had a bad night."

Sorry about that.

I typed yesterdays posting but I guess I never clicked the "post" button when I was done.

I was busy watching the Bruins take advantage of some high school hockey team from Pittsburgh and I must have forgot.

I posted it this morning so the date says today but it's really from last night.

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It might be time for our esteemed governor to shut up and remember that while he may be entitled to his own opinion, he is not entitled to his own facts.

It seems that both our governor and his staff are questioning the integrity of the state auditor and her staff.

The audit is based entirely on facts that were obtained by months or years of digging into the numbers, double-checking the numbers and then cross checking the numbers against various databases.

They should probably shut up before the state auditor goes and finds even more things they are doing wrong.

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You can click on these links while I watch the Red Sox play the league-leading Rangers. If they win, they will be tied with the Rangers for first place in the American League:

• I don't know his name but allow me to introduce the newest member of the A-Team.



• Rest in Peace Jack Holden. The world is obviously a less-funny place without you.



• I know this is an old story that I probably posted it a year ago but it still kinda pisses me off so I'm posting it again. (For the record, he won the right to keep his name)



• Only in Florida.

Take my picture, my fingerprints and my DNA.

I'm torn on this mornings Supreme Court ruling that says the police can take a sample of your DNA when you are arrested.

On the one hand, the more tools the police have to positively identify a criminal, the better off we all are.

On the other hand, your DNA gets everywhere. You are constantly spewing DNA all over the place. You sneeze, poop, pee, bleed and cough DNA on a daily basis.

Hopefully the courts recognize that and require at least two or three forms of identification before they go and execute some poor homeless guy who happened to take a leak in an alleyway the day before some pimp shoots and kills a drug-adled John who forgot to pay for his good time in the same alley.

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You can give these links a click:

• Only in New York City.



• Only in Florida.



• I would fly on a plane named "Balls-8".

Saturday night was a good night for Boston sports.

The Bruins took game one the divisional playoffs against the Penguins and the Red Sox took game two of their series against the Yankees. It's nice that the Bruins won but more importantly, the Red Sox are once again two games ahead of the Yankees in the AL East.

Let's keep our focus on the correct priorities here people.

Hockey is cool but it'll never be baseball....

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You can visit these links of you would like:

• Presenting this episodes Brilliant Criminal of the Month.



• If it wasn't up to $1,300.00, I'd put a bid in. That would be the coolest "basement fridge" ever.



• It's good to see that socialism/communism is thriving in Venezuela.



• I know what a nipple looks like and that's no nipple.

I think I might have pissed off my neighbors

Last night, the happy-go-lucky weather guy on WGGB told me that today I could expect temperatures above 90° and a 20% chance of rain this evening. With that in mind, I decided that I would mow my lawn in the morning before the temps went up.

I started mowing at 8:30 this morning and I noticed my neighbor across the street staring at me out his front window.

Maybe I woke him up.

Maybe I interrupted his yoga time.

Maybe I could care less because I'm pretty sure he could care less about me and there was no way I was going to wait until it got really hot before I mowed my lawn.

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Here are a couple of links you might enjoy:

• Once again there is nothing I can add that will make this story any funnier.



• Key phrase in this story: "She looked like a spider woman."