Another warm day

Today was another one of those days where I'm glad I don't have a job working outside.

Aside from the heat, there were large clouds of pollen blowing around my neighborhood and it's everywhere. Everything is a yellow/green color including all the furniture on our porch and any room where we had the windows open.

I went out and hosed it off my car this afternoon.

Out of all the things that have changed in me as I age, if I could pick one to not have changed, it would be my reaction to pollen.

Growing up, I never had problems with itchy eyes, sneezing or coughing. Pollen never bothered me at all. I could hang out in field playing nine innings of baseball and never once think about sneezing or rubbing my eyes. 18 holes of golf? Not one sniffle or a sneeze.

Now, all I have to do is sit near an open window and I start sneezing & my eyes start watering like I'm crying.

I hate this crap.

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The Red Sox got their collective ass kicked last night, getting beaten senseless by the Orioles 10-0. That means the Orioles win the series and move one game closer to the Red Sox in the standings.

As things look right now, the Orioles are in last place in the ALEast, 2½ games Red Sox. What that means to me is that the Red Sox are less than three games away from being in last place. I don't even want to think about how far out of first place they are (10½ games) in the ALEast.

Fortunately, they are playing the MLB's cellar-dwellers today and tomorrow. The Reds come into town tied with the Royals in last place in all of the MLB. The Red Sox better win both games...

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Okay, here's a thought: How about all you idiots just stop posting pictures of your guns and making stupid comments.

No, wait... On second thought, please, by all means, post pictures of your guns and make all the comments you want. You'll make it that much easier for the cops to find you and lock your ass up. Or, at the very least, they'll start paying special attention to you.

Morons.

You have never seen a picture of me with a gun. You know why? Waving a gun around in public is a stupid thing to do.

The best advice I was given about firearms was an instructor at the Mass State Police Academy telling us, "Keep it concealed. This ain't the old west. Anyone out of uniform, walking around with a gun slung off their hip, is looking for trouble and they are likely to find it."

I'm not looking for trouble. I don't like trouble.

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While I see if the Red Sox can keep their butts out of last place, you can click on these links:

• I've never heard of it before but now that I have, I want one.



• Key phrase in this story: "...the largest crocodiles on the continent."



• How the hell does this happen?



• The Japanese: They aren't like us.



• Yes, alcohol was involved.



• Australia: What doesn't try to kill ya, tries to kill ya.

It's Memorial Day

Today is the day we think about all those men and women who gave their lives in service to our nation.

I, for one, am grateful for their service and their sacrifice.

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We went outside at 9:00 this morning and worked until 10:30 or 11:00. My wife had one more garden to finish up and I needed to trim the bushes along our property line.

By the time we finished, it was getting hot and my bald spot was feeling kinda toasty. I probably should have worn my hat...

This was the temp at 4:00 this afternoon:

Not terrible but since I don't like doing yard work, I won't do it when the temps are in the upper 80's...

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It looks like the weather is going to hold off and baseball will be played this evening. As I said yesterday, this is the fifth game in their five game series so the winner of this game wins the series.

Tomorrow however, the weather is iffy. There is a 30 to 40 percent chance of rain at 7:00pm in Boston so their game against the Reds may not get played. At least not at 7:00pm.

Since this is the only series they play against the Reds, and it's only a two-game series, they will try their best to get the game in. That means they will delay it until the field is playable. That also means I probably won't be able to watch much of it.

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For the record, I think congress needs to tell Goofy Joe to shut up and stay out of any debate regarding gun control. He is the same boob who told people all they needed to do to protect themselves was to grab their trusty shotgun and randomly fire a couple of blasts off the back porch.

Look, we need some kind of control over firearms. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool constitutionalist and I think each amendment is as important as the next but let's face it, when some kid can get his hands on a lethal weapon without having to prove he is stable and that he has taken some kind of safety course, we got a problem. Congress should debate this. They should work to come up with some means of assuring us that nutcases aren't shooting up grocery stores or running around classrooms acting like little babies are the "VC" it's the freakin' Tet offensive.

If Goofy Joe starts throwing his insane ideas into the pot, you can bet that nothing will get done. And if something does get done that contains his bright ideas, the Supreme Court will shoot it down because, to be honest with you, I've come to the conclusion that Joe has never read the constitution.

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The AC has kept the house at a reasonable temp, dinner is ready to eat and baseball will be played in about an hour and a half.

I didn't have a lot of time left to hunt down links today. The few I did find are here:

• If I was married to her, I would probably get drunk on a daily basis.



• If you are planning a trip to Yorkshire, England, whatever you do, don't sit down on a toilet...



• They have the best record in the American League and the second best record in all of MLB. Why is the media beating up on them?

Nice day for yard work

My wife got some more of her gardens cleaned up & mulched and I got my lawn mowed.

Living in New England is a pleasure on days like today. There were no clouds, a light breeze and the temp was around 75°. If I could find someplace on this planet that had weather like this all the time, I would move there.

Then again, weather this nice just might get a little boring after a while. I like the change of seasons.

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The stock market has been teasing me for the last week:

It's making me think that one of these days, I might actually be able to retire.

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The Red Sox lost last night's game but they won this afternoon's game, beating the Orioles 12-2.

This is a five-game series and it is now tied 2-2. If they win tomorrow's game, they win the series.

I've always said, winning series is what gets them into the postseason. They need to be well above .500 come September if they want to be playing in October and the best way to do that is to win all the series.

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We are going to figure out what to do about dinner and then watch some bad television.

You can visit these links if you want:

• Key phrase in this story: "WTF are you doing? You're on camera."



• Well, as long as there's a full refund I guess it's okay.



• One thing I learned from my mom's brothers, the farmers, is it is a really bad idea to piss off farmers. Farmers do not tolerate idiots who spend their days telling other people how to behave.



• If I'm unhappy with their service, I just leave a bad review.



• Artificial Intelligence and the Assisted Shit-Scanning Apps would be a fantastic name for 1980's German Techno Band



• Line in this story that I call bullshit on: The man reportedly did not pose a threat to anyone, according to police.

Saturday, part two

As promised, here is your update for today with some links.

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The Red Sox beat the Orioles this afternoon 5-3 but what is also good is that Eovaldi went all nine innings. That means the bullpen is ready for this evening's game.

That is assuming they get tonight's game in. The storms we are enjoying here in western Mass this afternoon are currently heading to Boston. If they maintain their energy, Fenway will become a swamp when they hit. As a matter of fact, the grounds crew pulled the tarp onto the field when this afternoon's game ended.

It's never a good indication when they pull the tarp onto the field.

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As I mentioned, it's raining where I am.

Let me rephrase that: It's freakin' downpouring where I am.

The small garden my daughter plants is now a small lake. Her tomatoes look like water plants poking out of pond.

At some point, I need to go into my basement and see what the flood situation is like down there.

Update:

I just went into my basement and it is dry.

This has been your update on the status of my basement.

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I'm kind of hoping the rain ends soon so I can toss some steaks on the grill and sear some scallops. If you've ever seared scallops, you know why I want to do it outside on my grill. It's messy as hell.

Game two kicks off at 6:10 and according to the weather dweebs, it's going to be raining in Boston until 8:00. That probably means I won't be watching more than 5 or 6 innings tonight.

Enjoy these links:

• This sounds like it's either the dumbest idea ever or he's been looking for an out for a long time.



• Blow Back and the Poo Pipes would be a fantastic name for a 1990s grunge band.



• Hey Bob, what's that sound?



• In Montreal, they call this Le Grande Fondue.



• Just so I'm clear on this, I'm going to use capital letters: NO!



• I don't think anger management classes are going to help her.

Oops

I had something all typed up and ready to go yesterday but I got distracted and forgot to finish it.

You'll get two today.

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The Red Sox beat up on the White Sox on Thursday night and won the series 2-1. Unfortunately, the bull pen imploded last night and they lost to the Orioles 12-8.

But that was not the worst part of the last nights game. The worst part was that the game was on Apple TV instead of NESN. That meant I watched baseball on my 15 inch laptop screen instead of my 60 inch television. Plus I got to listen to a couple of yahoos who spent the entire game mispronouncing the players names. Also, the video and the audio were out of synch so it was like watching a 1960's Japanese Godzilla movie that had been doubed in english.

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For the last month I have been sending Pat emails and he has been ignoring me.

He sent me an email yesterday morning and I replied with a question. He ignored me.

I decided to call him just to make sure he wasn't dead on his kitchen floor or something like that and he didn't ignore me. Turns out all of the emails I sent to him in the last few weeks have been dropping into his junk folder. I guess I must have pissed off his email software or something.

So anyways, Pat and I are going to take baby steps back into the world of golf.

During the late 80's, all of the 90's and into the early part of this current century, Pat and I played golf together. We both suck at it so we were good partners. About 10 or so years ago, I had to stop playing because of my back and Pat stopped playing because, well, he's not in any better shape than I am.

So anyways, we decided that we should probably do something other than sit on our ass and watch baseball so we are going to pick a decent day that is not too hot and head over to the driving range.

If it turns out we both remember how to work a golf club, we'll think about playing nine holes every few weeks. I'm not saying my back is any better than it was 10 years ago but my desire to crush the ball a mile is behind me. At my age, I just want to hit it straight. I'll leave the "hit it far" thing to the youngsters out there.

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There is a doubleheader today and I hope to watch both games.

I will post an update, along with some links, between games.

Six Game Winning Streak

The Red Sox lost last night, ending their winning streak at six games. I only watched four innings of the game because there was a rain delay to start and when I went to bed, the Red Sox were up 1-0. Hill was pitching pretty well and I kind of hoped the bats were going to spring to life like they did the night before.

Turns out the Hill gave up a three run homer in the fifth inning and the Red Sox bats never came to life. The game ended with the White Sox winning 3-1.

One more 8:00 game tonight and then it's home to Boston.

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Let's talk about guns for a minute.

First thing I want to say is that there is no such thing as gun violence, there is only people violence.

Second thing I want to say is we have a problem with young white males in this country. I don't know what that problem is but it seems like every mass shooting is perpetrated by a young white male.

I'm not going to argue the gun point with anyone that thinks guns are bad but I will argue with anyone that thinks the problem we have is a gun problem. We have a societal problem and I have no idea what the solution is. Maybe we need to reinstitute the draft and it doesn't necessarily have to be a military draft. Maybe it's a public service draft or a grow up and be respectful draft.

Maybe we need to spend a lot of money training people how to be human beings instead of monsters that shoot 10 year old babies.

What I do know is that if someone has it in their head to kill a lot of people, guns are a convenient way to do it but not the only way. Cars, knifes, bow & arrows, molotov cocktails, etc... Anyone that is evil enough to make the decision to kill people will do it no matter what.

In the state I live in, in order to get a gun you must first go through training in firearm safety, then you must go through both a background check and a mental fitness evaluation. Assuming you pass the course, the background check and the evaluation, then, and only then, will you be issued a license. That license is good for five years and you must go through the background check and mental fitness evaluation to renew it.

As far as I'm concerned, no one should be allowed to possess a firearm without having gone through a thorough background check, a mental fitness evaluation and a training course but I'm also convinced that blaming guns for crimes perpetrated by humans is like blaming birds flapping their wings for causing the wind.

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Enjoy these links:

• Damn. He was great in Goodfellas and Field of Dreams.



• Yet another reason I don't fly commercial.



• What the hell are "gourmet boiled peanuts"?



• Who was the idiot that thought this was a good idea?



• He was "cleansing himself spiritually".



• Oh Canada.

Six Game Winning Streak

The Red Sox stomped on the White Sox last night, beating them 16-3.

Everyone with more than one at-bat got a hit. As a matter of fact, everyone with more than one at-bat scored a run. The only two players that did not have a hit were Plawecki and Dalbec. They were on the bench for this game and they came into the game in the eighth inning - Dalbec as a pinch hitter and Plawecki as a defensive sub. Dalbec struck out in the eighth and Plawecki grounded out in the ninth

As for tonight's game, I really hope they didn't use up all their runs last night. A seven-game winning streak would be sweet.

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Busy day today.

The Vet had three houses to look at today so we made a family trip to inspect them. Trust me, it takes time to look at three houses.

In the case of these three, one was a hard no pretty quickly. It was a flip of an old house that they kind of screwed up. One rom had a chimney going right through the middle of it which made the room pretty much unusable for anything other than storage of stuff. Also, there was water leaking from a refrigerator ice maker line into the basement. I did them a favor and turned the water line off.

The other two were okay but in my old guy opinion, not worth the money they are asking. Then again, I don't think anything is worth the money they are asking.

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So anyways, the houses have been looked at, the dinner has been consumed and the news has been watched. Now I'm going to watch some bad game shows and then some baseball.

While I do that, you should visit these:

• I would order a pizza from them.
  And for the record, it is a real website.



• Australia: What doesn't try to kill ya, wacks you upside the head with a musical instrument.



• This is why I don't play games on the toilet.



• I did not know that giraffes are considered a unit of measure.

Back at it

The Red Sox are in Chicago for a three-game series against the White Sox and I have high-hopes that their hot streak will continue.

Speaking of the White Sox, let's chat a bit about what happened between the White Sox short stop and the Yankees 3rd baseman.

Josh Donaldson, currently the 3rd baseman for the Yankees, has bounced around MLB for a few years now. He's played for the Athletics, the Blue Jays, the Guardians (Indians), the Braves, the Twins and now the Yankees and in all that time, over all those teams, no one has ever said he was a "good teammate" or "a nice guy".

As a matter of fact, he is kind of an asshole and it shows. He's one of those guys who thinks he's funny but he's actually a bully and, as it turns out, he's probably also a bit of a racist. I'm not talking about a KKK kind of racist, I'm talking about a guy who would say something to someone who was of a different race that specifically referenced their race in a less than shiny manner.

Tim Anderson, the shortstop for the White Sox, has played for one team his entire career. He is a bit of a hothead and has been suspended for making contact with an official and unsportsmanlike conduct but his teammates really like playing with him and he is considered a nice guy when he's not competing on the field.

A few weeks ago, Donaldson laid an intentionally hard tag on Anderson and Anderson got a little pissed about it. When the two teams met up again this past weekend, Donaldson thought it would be a good idea to rag on Anderson a bit by calling him "Jackie". (This is in reference to Jackie Robinson, a man who dealt with true racism.) Anderson indicated his displeasure at being called Jackie and Donaldson thought it would be even funnier if he continued to do it. This led to Anderson going after Donaldson, the benches clearing and a small brawl breaking out.

I'm not saying Anderson is right for going after Donalds... Wait, I am saying Anderson is right for going after Donaldson.

As a matter of fact, Anderson would have been right if he beat the shit out of Donaldson. Not because he called him Jackie but because he kept it up after being told to knock it off.

If you want to act like a bully and somewhat of a racist, you should expect to get your ass kicked.

Donaldson did not get his ass kicked but he did get suspended for one game.

My point? Well if Donaldson as anything nasty to say to any of the Red Sox players, I really hope someone kicks his ass until his nose bleeds. That's all.

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As if we didn't have enough problems in our world, now Goofy Joe is trying to get us into a shooting war with China.

For as long as I have been alive, the US policy on Taiwan has been called "One China" and it basically says, "Hey, we recognize that there is one China but we also know that Taiwan doesn't want anything to do with the mainland. We aren't going to defend Taiwan but we will supply them with weapons." This is the first time I have ever heard a sitting president say he would get involved militarily.

Does this now mean that if China decides to invade Taiwan and take control of it, we would intervene and send a fighting force to Taiwan?

This is a bad idea.

A very bad idea...

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I've eaten and I've changed into my stretchy pants. Now I'm going to sit back, watch a bad game show or two and then watch the Red Sox play baseball.

Here are today's links:

• Are these the same polls that said Clinton was going to bet Trump in the 2016 election?



• Key phrase in this story: "It’s a whiz of a discovery."



• And so it begins...



• Seems to me they have the right person in charge of the investigation.



• This is probably the funniest picture of a raccoon you will ever see.



• I wonder how much the fine was.



• Why am I not surprised this happened in Louisiana.

No baseball tonight

The Red Sox are resting up after all those wins they just went through. They are resting because they are going to keep on winning! I fully expect them to return to Boston this coming Friday with an eight-game winning streak under their belt.

I have spoken so it shall be.

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I've been saying that I think Goofy Joe likes the idea that gas prices are rising because it means we will be driving less. When we drive less, there are fewer cars on the road and he'll be able to tell everyone he is doing something about global warming.

Some people believe Goofy Joe when he blames Putin for rising gas prices but I'm convinced this is what Biden wants. Some people think I might be a little crazy for thinking the President of the United States is inflicting financial pain on his constituents.

Turns out I'm right and those people are wrong.

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It's time for me to find some bad television to watch and it's time for you to visit some links:

• Key phrase in this story: "If this was happening in Boston, we’d have solutions already."



• Australia: What does try to kill ya, shows up in a public place wearing only it's underwear.



• I don't want to shock anyone but if you are contemplating an electric car, you should know that every once in a while rechargeable batteries burst into flames.



• This is the kind of thing that happens to me except instead of squirrels, it's usually geese.



• Australia: What doesn't try to kill ya, breaks into your office and tries to kill ya.



• Researchers: Contributing to the betterment of our society or a complete waste of perfectly good oxygen.

Five game winning streak!

Yesterday, the Red Sox came back from a 5-0 deficit when Devers hit a stand-alone home run in the third and a two-run home run in the fifth. Also in the fifth, Dalbec grabbed an RBI single and Story hit a RBI sacrifice fly. That tied the game 5-5.

Then, in the eighth, with Cordera on second, Vazquez hit a line drive out to center that scored Cordero. That gave the Red Sox a 6-5 lead. They managed to hold on to that lead and that is how the game ended.

As I mentioned yesterday, my youngest was at Fenway last night and he got to watch a great game from some great seats.

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As for this afternoon's game, my youngest was not there.

Eovaldi pitched way better than he did during his last outing and he left the game in the sixth inning with the Red Sox up 3-2.

The bullpen did a good job and held off the Mariners through the seventh and the eighth but in the ninth, with two outs, Suarez of the Mariners hit a towering home run off Robles and tied the game 3-3.

Then, in the tenth, the Mariners managed to score again and take a 4-3 lead. This left the Red Sox with a hill to climb in the bottom of the tenth.

Dalbec started the inning as the runner on second. He was almost immediately moved over to third on a single by Vazquez. Hernandez hit a sharp single, Vazquez moved to second and Dalbec scored, tying the game.

With the game tied in the tenth inning, runners on first & second and no outs, Devers came to the plate. He hit a snap single to right field that was far enough to give Vazquez a shot at scoring. He put his head down and ran as fast as he could but he was put out at the plate.

This left runners at second & third and one out, The Mariners opted to walk Bogaerts and load the bases with Story coming up to bat.

Story flied out to right field and the runners had no chance to advance. There were now two outs, the bases were still loaded and Cordero stepped to the plate. He fouled off the first pitch for strike one and swung & missed the second pitch for strike two.

So, with two strikes against him, A kid who up until April 29th was playing AAA ball in Worcester...

...hit a grand slam to win the game and sweep the series.

Now they head off to Chicago for a three-game series against the White Sox with a five-game winning streak under their belts.

The only thing that can make this better is if they sweep the White Sox and come home with a eight-game winning streak.

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It was kind of hot today.

Let me rephrase that: It was damned hot today. Way hotter than I like it. And I have not yet put my AC's in my windows because we have not yet cleaned said windows.

Fortunately, all next week is suppossed to have temps topping out in the 70's. That means we can clean the windows and install the AC without sweating our asses off.

As for today, I have a fan pointed at me as I lounge on my couch so I'm pretty sure I'll live.

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Now I'm going to barbeque some chicken and vegetables on the grill which means I'm going to slave over an open flame.

While I do that, you might want to check these out:

• Okay people, that's enough. The next one of you that gets a virus from an animal is in big trouble.



• The Giant Asteroid is on it's way.



• If I make it to my 80s I hope I'm as active as he is in his 90s.



• Serial Fecal Offender would be a great name for a 1990s punk band.



• Hey, give them a break. It was a BMW.



• I don't know about you but I would never crawl into a hole that's called The Devils Arse.

And life goes on

Today was the service for my wife's mom so that is now behind us.

After the service, it was lunch with the family and then home to cool down a bit.

Then we went to look at a house my daughters realtor suggested she should take a look at. I'm not saying it wasn't a good house but I am saying that my daughter declared it a solid "NO" within 2 minutes of getting there.

I keep telling her to be patient and she is. She is willing to go look at everything but she knows what she wants and she isn't going to settle for less than that.

We're going to go look at two more tomorrow and one of them seems to have her attention.

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The Red Sox finally had a three-game winning streak when they beat the Mariners last night.

Today, things aren't looking too good for them. Whitlock gave up four runs in the first inning, putting the Red Sox in a deep hole to start the game.

Hopefully they can overcome and grab a four-game winning streak.

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My youngest and his girlfriend got a call last night from a friend who had two seats to todays game and wanted to know if they wanted them. They said, "Hell yea!"

Turns out the two seats are on the left field foul line about four rows back.

At some point during the game, he sent me the following text:

He has a good life that kid.

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Enjoy these links:

• I'm not sure I believe this. I believe they sent dick pics but I don't believe they recovered from the hack.



• Key phrase in this story: "...inadvertent backdoor banking..."



• Key phrase in this story: "The horse knows how to get home."



• Apparently the Russians are now shooting toilets.



• Wasn't this how the first Star Trek movie started?



• This just seems like something that would happen only in Mexico.

Still kinda busy

Our youngest and his girlfriend are coming in this evening so they don't have to drive in tomorrow for the service. Our oldest, who lives closer, will be coming in tomorrow morning.

At some point tomorrow, we will have a short, private ceremony and we will bury my wife's mom next to my wife's dad.

After that, we will gather for a family lunch and celebrate my mother-in-laws life.

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The Red Sox beat the Mariners last night, giving them a two-game winning streak.

Story appears to be overcoming his "new guy jitters" because he looks relaxed and he is starting to live up to all the hype surrounding him when he joined the Red Sox. Last night he hit two home runs, driving four runs across the plate. As a matter of fact, the whole team appears to be getting back on the "Let's hit the ball!" bandwagon.

I'm really, really hoping they win tonight because then they are the proud owners of a three-game winning streak.

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So now I'm going to toss burgers and hot dogs on the grill, feed my family and watch baseball.

Here are a few links for you:

• Another case of repeat knife violence...



• Only in Florida.



• Presenting the winner of the Mom of the Year award.



• Pardon me sir, how would you like your lungs? Undercooked please.



• This is actually a pretty good idea.



• Oh Canada.

Pivetta is the man!

Yesterdays Red Sox /Astros game was a true gem to watch simply because Pivetta pitched all nine innings and he did it with authority.

It looked like it was going to be another one of those games when the first batter up hit a home run off him but that was the only hit the Astros got until the seventh inning when the first batter of the inning hit a double. That was it. They only got two hits and scored only one run. Oh, and he walked no one.

That is a hell of an outing.

For the record, there have been a total of 562 games in the MLB this season and in only four of those games has a single pitcher pitched all nine innings. Those four pitchers are:

Walker Buehler of the Dodgers
Patrick Corbin of the Nationals
Reid Detmers of the Angels
Nick Pivetta of the Red Sox

That is less than 1 percent. More precisely, it is 0.7 percent.

If Hill can go six or seven innings tonight, that will be great. If he can go eight, that would be fantastic. If he goes all nine, I will be beyond happy.

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We've been pretty busy this week as we get ready for the service for my mother-in-law. Along with that, we've been finalizing things. That means getting paperwork started for those things that are no longer needed and getting paperwork started for those things that need to be changed.

My wife is doing the majority of the work but I try to do most of the running around for her, most of the scanning/copying of documents, and I attend all the meetings with her just to lend support.

I like to think this will all be over after the service on Saturday but I suspect this will go on for a few more months. But not at the same level as this past week.

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Dinner is made and awaiting consumption. Baseball will be played at 7:00.

You can visit these if you want:

• Yea, I'm thinking they should probably look into this.



• "It’s disrespecting them and it hurts us to see it there."
  You tell them Doris. Keep up the good fight.



• Looks like Goofy Joe and his minions are going to get what they want: fewer cars on the road.



• Great. Just great. First it was bird flu, then it was H1N1, then it was SARs, then it was CoVid. Now it is monkey pox. What's next? A killer asteroid?



• Key line in this story: "Traffic deaths in Massachusetts increased at twice the national rate from 2020 to 2021."



• Some people have very weird hobbies.

I'm still tired

I watched the Red Sox get their ass kicked last night up until the 7th inning. At that point, the score was 13-4 and the Red Sox were playing like they had no chance of overcoming. That was when I decided to go to bed.

I'm currently watching tonights game and Boston is up 5-1 in the bottom of the 4th inning. Hopefully they win this game.

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I've been watching the news about the baby formula shortage and the federal government keeps saying, "We don't recommend you make your own formula or buy formula from outside of the United States. Relief is on the way."

Well, Mr Federal Government Man, I have two questions:

1. What do you recommend parents do? Let their kids starve because you don't think they should buy formula from Canada?
2. When is this alleged relief going to arrive? I ask because when we had babies, they wanted to eat every day, several times a day.

Once again, this is just me being curious...

⧫
The Killer Robin is now a mom.

I'm certain she is a proud mom and I know they will change in the next month but man-oh-man, those are some butt-ugly babies...

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Enjoy these links:

• Key entry from our favorite police log: "5:08 p.m. A woman who tackled a man off of a scooter later told law enforcement they were not in a romantic relationship, but everything was okay."



• H. Elliott Albers and The Aggressive Hamsters would be a great name for a 1990's high school talent show band.



• Key phrase in this story: "By some distance, the best park bench memorial I've ever encountered."



• More proof that there are a lot of idiots living in our world.



• Only in Florida.

I'm tired

Instead of taking my planned nap, I ended up watching the baseball game.

Then, at 10:30, I drove to the airport where I met my daughter at 11:45.

We were home by 12:30, I was in bed by 12:40 and sound asleep by 12:45.

I still woke up at my normal time of 5:30. That means I have a whopping 5 hours of sleep in me right now.

⧫
So the Red Sox won last night and I only got to watch the first 5 innings. The game went into a rain delay at the middle of the 5th and they didn't pick it up until 10:30. If you read the previous paragraph, you will note that 10:30 is when I drove to the airport.

So basically, I listened to the game on the radio on the way to the airport and then paid attention to the game using the MLB GameDay web site on my phone. I also had my youngest sending me text messages about how things were going.

As I noted yesterday, he and his girlfriend went to the game but they left in the middle of the rain delay because, well, they were wet, they were chilly and they both had to work today. He was home watching it on his tv while sending me all those text messages.

So anyways, they won. That's one in a row for them and it's also the start of a sweep of the Astros.

Hey, you gotta keep thinking positive thoughts. I like to think my positive thoughts are the reason they are no longer in last place in the ALEast. As of right now (5/17 @ 3:00pm) they are half a game ahead of the Orioles.

⧫
I am more than willing to face our "far-right extremism problem". I'll do it just as soon as everyone admits we also have a "far-left extremism problem" that we need to face.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: We got Trump as president because Obama pissed off half the country and people were sick of his arrogant shit. We got Biden because Trump pissed off half the country and people were sick of his arrogant shit. We're probably gonna get Trump back or maybe Pence because Biden is pissing off more than half the people. As a matter of fact, I think he might be pissing off ¾ of the people.

I hate political parties and political ideologies. They are no different than street gangs or lynch mobs.

⧫
I'd like to see the Red Sox win another game tonight but based on my lack of sleep, that may not happen.

While I see if I can keep my eyes open to watch all nine innings, you can click on these:

• I had forgotten all abut this guy until someone I know recently decided they were gluten intolerant.
  I think I'll send them the link to that video...



• Key phrase in this story: "The chickens are winning."



• Yes, alcohol was involved.



• I bet he'll be announcing his retirement soon.



• Probably not the most profitable location but give the guy credit for earning a living.



• Mac Callaham and the Voracious Jumping Worms would be a fantastic name for a 1960s rock-a-billy band.

Late night for me

At some point this evening, I will sprawl on my couch, put the baseball game on and hopefully fall sound asleep for a couple of hours.

I hear you say, "But Steve, why would you want to fall asleep during the Red Sox game?"

Simple answer to simple question: I have to pick my daughter up at the airport tonight and it will be way past my bedtime. If my choices are missing a few innings of baseball or noding off behind the wheel, I'll miss the baseball.

⧫
Speaking of baseball, my youngest is at tonights game. They (him and his girlfriend) went to the park early and he sent me this picture of Bobby Dalbec trying to figure out why he can't seem to hit shit lately.

Dalbec is in the blue shirt and white pants. Bogaerts is to the right in the red tank top. I'm not sure who the blonde is but I don't think she is on the team.

⧫
Storms are heading our way so before we lose power, I'll post this.

If you still have power, you can check these links out if you want:

• I imagine the homeowners on the shoreline will be happy.



• Last time we did this, things did not go well.



• So the guy who built a penis-shaped rocket ship and makes his employees pee in bottles is giving advice to Goofy Joe about the economy. If this is what our nation has come to, we are all screwed.



• If you need a beer so badly that you are willing to pay $27.00 for a beer then you are either an idiot or an alcoholic and you deserve to be charged $27.00 for a beer



• Only in Florida.



• Listen up dipshit. If there is none on the shelves at the grocery store, there is a shortage. It doesn't matter why there is none, only that there is none

No more hockey

The Bruins did not overcome the "home ice advantage" and they lost to the Hurricanes last night.

That means they are all on vacation now. Some of them are out of a job because their contract expired at the end of this season.

I guess we'll see who is back on the team next season.

⧫
The Red Sox finally managed to win two in a row but they just couldn't win three in a row.

They lost today and failed to earn what is known as a "winning streak"

They are back in Boston tomorrow to take on the Astros.

Maybe they'll get one of them "winning streaks" then...

⧫
Before the summer rolls in and my yard goes to shit, I thought I'd share this with you.

The grass is green, the red maple is red, the dogwood is in full bloom and the buckeye is doing quite nicely. As a matter of fact, it is in full flower right now.

In two months, it'll probably all be brown...

⧫
Here are some links that you might enjoy:

• Oh Canada.



• Presenting this episodes Brilliant Criminal of the Month.



• I'm betting the smell is extra nasty.



• Only in Florida.



• Key phrase from our favorite police log: "8:05 a.m. A couple got into a heated argument because the boyfriend wanted to steal an abandoned vehicle parked on the side of the highway."

I demand more wins

The Red Sox won last night, beating the Rangers 7-1.

Pivetta had a great outing, going seven innings, allowing three hits and only one unearned run on a wild pitch that brought home a runner from third. More importantly, by going seven innings, he basically gave the bullpen a night off because Crawford came in and pitched the eighth & the ninth, giving up one hit and no runs. That means every other bullpen arm should be well rested and ready to go.

Hill and Hernandez were placed on the 10 day DL last week after they both tested positive for covid. Hernandez was taken off the lists the next day. Hill will be taken off the list today and he's expected to pitch tonight. Hopefully he is still in top form. His last outing was May 5th and he went five strong innings before turning it over to the bullpen. They immediately imploded and the Red Sox lost but not because of Hill. When Hill left the game, the score was 0-0. It was the bullpen that gave up 8 runs in the last two innings...

First pitch is at 7:05 tonight so maybe I'll last more than six innings which how long I lasted last night before falling asleep on my couch.

⧫
The Bruins/Hurricanes game started at 4:30 this afternoon and they are currently half way through the first period with the score 0-0 and the Hurricanes are on a two minute power play.

I'm kinda pissed that it's being carried by ESPN. I may have mentioned in the past that I hate ESPN. They don't even pronounce the player names correctly.

The winner of this game will move on to round two of the playoffs and they will play either the Rangers or the Penguins.

In case you aren't aware, I'm really hoping it's the Bruins that move on. I'm also really hoping they play the Penguins so I can exchange taunting text messages with my cousins in western Pennsylvania.

⧫
The Veterinarian is a member of a bridal party for a future wedding and this weekend they (the bridal party) are all in Florida enjoying a few days of fun at Disney with the bride.

That means my wife and I get to spoil the small main dog without getting in trouble.

We stopped by a pet store yesterday and picked up some of those extra-fancy dog cookies. Last night, when I was cooking the hamburger for our tacos, I took several ounces of unseasoned hamburger & set it aside for her dinner tonight. Also, I can say without remorse that I have been sharing my potato sticks with her.

She really likes potato sticks.

She also likes cheese balls but I don't have any of those.

But if I did, I would be sharing them with her.

⧫
I'm going to watch the rest of my sports. At some point I'll grill up some steaks.

While I do that, you can do these:

• You have to be some special kind of evil idiot to do what they did to that baby.



• I would never build my own aircraft.
  There are way too many things that can go wrong.



• Damn. I missed it.



• Only in Florida.



• This is what happens when someone who grew up in a country that forbids alcohol suddenly gets his hands on some alcohol.



• Here is a bunch of video that I didn't need to see.

There will be a game seven!

The Bruins scored first and never looked back last night. The game ended with the Bruins winning 5-2.

They head back to Raleigh today and puck drops tomorrow at 4:30 in the final game of the series.

⧫
The Red Sox are in Arlington, Texas to play the Rangers. First pitch is scheduled for 8:05 tonight. Since I stayed up late last night, I suspect I won't make it much past the 6th or 7th inning tonight.

Pivetta is on the mound and I'm hoping we get the good Pivetta who throws rocket-like fastballs & breaking balls that snap at the last second and not the shaky Pivetta who throws meatballs & gets shelled in the second or third inning.

Since it's Friday the 13th, I'm hoping it's the Rangers who have a bad day.

⧫
I found out today that a friend of mine passed away two weeks ago.

Rick was a fellow "gun-guy" and he always went out of his way to find things for me. He was technologically illiterate so I was the guy who took care of his computer/network needs.

⧫
Tacos for supper and now bad television.

Enjoy these links:

• I liked him. He was great in Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins and Tremors.



• Isn't this how that 1950's sci-fi movie The Thing started?



• What?!? Who the hell dreams this shit up?



• Consider yourself warned. I have no idea what you can do about it but at least you've been warned.



• I am never going to China.



• So basically I've been getting sexually harassed for the last decade or so.



• This is the most Las Vegas kind of thing you will see today.

Yet another one-game winning streak...

The Red Sox lost last night. They just can't seem to put together back-to-back wins.

They are off today while they head to Texas to play a three-game series against the Rangers.

⧫
The Bruins season is on the line tonight. If they win tonight, both teams return to Raleigh to play game seven. If they lose tonight, the Bruins stay in Boston, pack their stuff and head off on vacation.

I'm really hoping for the first one.

⧫
Busy day today so not a lot of interweb time.

I was able to dig up a bunch of links:

• I'm betting Putin is pitching a fit.



• You gotta love dogs.



• Only in Florida.



• "This one goes to eleven."



• If you don't know how to cook, you probably shouldn't post a video of yourself cooking.



• How screwed up do you have to be to keep a "bucket of pee" in your bathroom?

One win, one loss

The Bruins lost 5-1 to the Hurricanes last night. The Hurricanes now lead the series 3-2. If the Bruins lose tomorrow night, they are done so they can't lose.

Let me repeat that because it bears repeating: They. Can't. Lose.

⧫
Now for the good news: The Red Sox beat up on the Braves last night.

I didn't last the whole game simply because I was exhausted and fell asleep on my couch but I saw enough of it to know they were probably going to win.

As exciting as it was to see Devers hit a grand slam it was equally exciting to see Verdugo get a hit, Story get a hit, Cordero take a walk, Vazquez get a hit & drive in Verdugo, Bradley take a walk & bring in Story. Devers hitting that home run with the bases loaded was just the perfect end to that string of hits..

It's really fortunate that they got all those hits because Whitlock did not have a stellar night on the mound. He lasted only three innings, giving up four hits and three runs. It's also fortunate that the bullpen had a good night, giving up only two hits and one run.

In the end, it was 9-4 in favor of the Red Sox.

I'm hoping that Eovaldi has a good night on the mound tonight and the hitters remember how to hit. I'd like to see them put these one-game winning streaks behind them and start having actual winning streaks. Give me one of them ten-game winning streaks. That would be sweet.

⧫
I'm off to pick up some pizza to enjoy while watching the ball game.

These are the links I found for you:

• Good Job Gentlemen.



• You can add this to the list of things I did not need to know existed.



• You know, when someone at a restaurant screws up my order, I usually just point it out and they correct it. I guess some people take a different approach.



• This is why you should get a generator.



• Key title in this story: "The Mayor Of Pickleball".



• Researchers: Contributing to the betterment of our society or a complete waste of perfectly good oxygen?

Not the best of days for us

We lost my mother-in-law last night.

It wasn't unexpected because the woman was 97 years old and had been declining over the last few months/years but still, it isn't going to be easy for my wife.

She was well-prepared for this but she is an only child which means we (me and the kids) are her only support mechanism through this.

Things will happen and we will all move on.

⧫
The Red Sox are on NESN+ and the Bruins are on NESN this evening and I would love nothing more than to see both teams win tonight.

The Red Sox are taking on the Braves so they have a tough game ahead of them. They are two games behind the Orioles, in last place in the ALEast and only one game ahead of Detroit in last place in the American League. They need all the wins they can get.

The Bruins and the Hurricanes are tied 2-2 in the best-of-seven series and if the Bruins manage to win tonight, they will return to Boston on Thursday with a 3-2 lead, playing the potential winning game on home ice.

⧫
I'm going to watch sports and leave you with these links:

• Oh Canada.



• Australia: What doesn't try to kill ya, tries to get laid on your deck.



• It took me a few minutes to figure out that a "toonie" is a Canadian $2.00 coin.



• More proof that our society is filled with idiots.



• Lucy The Two-Nosed Cow would be a great exhibit at the Eastern States Exposition.

They can't lose tonight.

The Red Sox are off today while they travel to Atlanta to play the Braves. That means they can't possibly lose today.

Hey, I think any non-loss days is a good day.

⧫
I guess they caught the escaped inmate and the guard that helped him escape.

This woman, the prison guard, is now out of a job, out of her house (she sold it and took the cash with her), out of her pension and probably going to prison now. She also appears to have shot herself.

Next time I have a bad day, I'm going to think about that woman because she is about to have a bad day, a bad week, a bad month, a bad year and probably a few bad decades. There is nothing in her future that is going to go well. She going from a state prison supervisor to a state prison resident.

The inmate, however, is no worse off than he was before he escaped.

⧫
I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'm never going to be able to retire...

⧫
Since there are no sports today, I'll catch up on some DVRs and fall asleep early.

While I do that, you can enjoy these links:

• Japan: It's not like where we're from.



• Only in Walmart.



• Meet Wrinkle the Duck who may or may not have a case for animal cruelty.



• Yes, alcohol was involved.



• Oh Canada.

Yes, they lost again

They are now 1½ games behind the Orioles and if the Orioles beat the Royals this afternoon, the Red Sox will be two full games behind the Orioles. What's even worse is the fact they are 10½ games behind the first place Yankees and by the end of the day, they may be 11½ games behind them.

This is not going well.

⧫
What is going well is the Bruins.

The Bruins beat the Hurricanes today, tying the series at two games each.

Both teams are heading back to North Carolina where they will play game five on Tuesday at 7:00. Then they will head back to Boston to pay game six on Thursday (time yet to be determined).

⧫
My wife chose lobster tales for her Mothers Day dinner and that is what we had.

I like that I get to enjoy lobster on Mothers Day.

⧫
Enjoy these links:

• If the Red Sox make this guy an offer, I'll be pissed. He's not worth it.



• Speaking of the Red Sox - When it rains, it pours.



• If you are walking in the left lane of the Mass pike, you are not a pedestrian, you are an idiot. There is a difference...



• Key entry from our favorite police log: 3:37 p.m. A concerned citizen reported a six-inch long rusty combat knife in a storm drain that he suspected was intentionally dropped there and a 'potential murder weapon.' Law enforcement advised he could rest easy as they were not looking for an outstanding blade used in a recent homicide. .



• Key phrase in this story: "At 88 years old, I finally hit a point where I had free time."



• Maybe I'll have to reconsider my retirement plans.

Last place is the worst place

After last nights loss, the Red Sox fell into sole possesion of last place in the ALEast.

As for todays game, it is currently 1-0 Red Sox in the 7th inning, Cora has been thrown out of the game and Pivetta is pitching pretty well.

On the upside, the Bruins won last night. The Hurricanes lead the series 2-1 but at least it's not 3-0.

They will play game four tomorrow (Sunday) at 12:30

⧫
Sometimes I like to show you the best of the spam I get and today is the day.

The first one is from "The World Bank Group World Bank Group":

Tony tells me I am the "confide beneficiary" of $10,500,000.00.

The second one is from "Wells Fargo":

I left the mouse over the "sign on now" link so you can see that apparently Wells Fargo (who I do not have any accounts with) uses the web domain "www.dmd-serigraphie.fr"

I love scammers. They entertain me.

⧫
I'm gonna eat and watch the rest of this ball game.

Here are some links:

• Yet another reason to not fly commercial.



• Turns out being the best at a game doesn't make you the best at real life.



• In about 5 years that is going to look like a package of spoiled hamburger.



• Meet Johnathon Russ, the latest member of the A-Team.



• They have some interesting problems in India.



• At least he cut the grass before he stole the mower.

God Damnit

The Red Sox / White Sox game is not available tonight unless you have or create an Apple TV account.

I admit to creating an account so I can watch the game but this kinda sucks.

I am not a fan of streaming because I'm stuck watching it on my laptop instead of my 55" television.

⧫
As for the Bruins, they are doing okay. They are up 2-1 in the second period.

I'm really hoping they win this game tonight...

⧫
]Given that I met up with some boys for beverages, I'm going to call it a night.

Here's a link:

• This is why I only buy Starbucks and Eight O'Clock coffee.

Win one, lose two.

They lost last night and again this afternoon. I don't even want to talk about last nights 10-5 loss because Whitlock was good but, as usual, the bull pen imploded.

As for today, Hill pitched a great game and the Red Sox were out-hitting the Angels. He made it through five innings with the score 0-0.

Houck came in and pitched a great 6th inning but gave up a two-run homer in the 7th.

In the 8th, he fell apart and gave up five more runs before Cora pulled him.

Next up was Crawford who also gave up a home run, making the final score of the game 8-0 Angels.

They really need to do something about the bull pen. They also need to start scoring runs.

⧫
Let’s see if I got this straight – Our state legislature, which is primarily made up of democrats, took way more money from us than they thought they would and now they won’t give it back because, well, you never know?

Are they saying they might need it later on for some meaningless program that won't benefit me or my family or my friends or anyone else I might meet?

If a bank accidentally deposits $1,000 into your bank account and you withdraw the money, can you keep it? No, you can’t keep it because according to the law, taking that money and not giving it back is theft and they will arrest you.

Maybe we need to arrest the legislature.

⧫
Everybody is yapping about how the SCOTUS overturning Roe v Wade is a bad thing for abortion.

Take a deep breath people because all Roe v Wade did was tell the states they don’t have the right to impinge on an individual’s personal freedoms.

In other words, the subject of the debate was not whether or not abortion was legal, the subject of the debate was if the states had the right to enact any law that dictated what a human being could and could not do within their own body.

You wanna get your knickers in a twist over this? Then by all means twist away but focus on the real issue. By overturning Roe v Wade, SCOTUS has told the states they have the constitutional right to legislate what you can and can’t do within your own personal space.

That, to me, is a problem.

⧫
My wife prepared her world-famous meat loaf this afternoon so I'm gonna go eat.

While I do that, you can venture into the interwebs here:

• So in other words, they did the right thing.



• Well, in their defense, it does look like a lion.



• Finally, a man who knows how to protest.



• Australia: What doesn't try to kill ya, just wants to get a covid test.



• Only in Florida.

Winning is better than losing

The Red Sox managed to beat the Angels last night. They scored four runs and didn't allow the Angels to score any.

Wacha didn't make it past the 6th inning but that's okay. Diekman, Brasier and Sawamura came in for the last three innings and they also held the Angels to zero runs.

They are back at it again tonight at 7:00 on NESN+ because game 2 of the Bruins vs. Hurricanes series is on NESN.

Guess I'll be doing the flip-back-and-forth thing again tonight.

⧫
Not much more to prattle on about so let's move on. It's time to put dinner together and then settle in to watch sportings.

Here are some links that you might like:

• Key phrase in this story: "Lake Mead was a popular dumping site for murderers."



• Presenting this episodes Brilliant Criminal of the Week.



• Great, just great. First we got bird flu, then we got legionnaire's, then we got covid and now we got this.



• This, ladies and gentlemen, is what is known as "an idiot".



• I agree with Goofy Joe as long as he also admits that the liberal socialists are equally extreme.



• When I was in school, they used to serve us something we called "gravy train". I kinda liked it.



• Key entry from our favorite police log: "3:05 p.m. A truck driver trying to make a delivery to a school was stymied by all the 'no truck' signs and couldn’t find a way around."

Not good

The Bruins lost game one last night. The Hurricanes kicked their ass 5-1.

I gotta tell you though, I thought they played a damn good game. They made a lot of shots on goal but the Hurricanes goalie, Raanta, was a wall with 36 saves. The Bruins goalie, Ullmark, wasn't too shabby with 24 saves.

They pick it up again tomorrow night and I really hope they fare better.

⧫
The Red Sox take on the Angels this evening with Wacha on the mound. Hopefully he can go at least seven innings because in my opinion, the bull pen sucks.

They need to start winning and keep winning. They can't just win one game and then lose two or three. That makes for a shitty record and an unsuccessful team.

⧫
Time to put the ball game on and yell at my tv.

You might want to check thee out:

• I can tell you what's gonna happen. You're going to see a lot of democrats getting elected, that's what's gonna happen.



• I love when the courts let these guys out and they get locked up again in less than a week.



• I suspect he's doing this because as things stand right now, the Russian troops participating in the attack on civilians can be declared terrorists by the U.N.



• Only in Florida.



• The Red Sox should pick this guy up. There is no hit to the payroll because the Mets are paying his salary and when he's on a streak, he hits the ball a ton.



• I like to watch hockey but this does not sound like a good idea.