Back in second place

The Red Sox managed to recover in the tenth inning last night and beat the Blue Jays 6-5. That meant they avoided the sweep and they also moved back in to second place in the ALEast.

They are off tonight while they travel to Chicago to play a three game series against the Cubs. From there it's back home to Boston to start the grueling no-days-off-fourteen-games-in-a-row stretch against the Rays and the Yankees.

We are fast approaching the half-way mark in the season (also known as the All-Star Break) and I gotta be honest with you, I'm kind of impressed with the turn-around the Red Sox have managed to do. When you look at things, they went from being, "Man, they suck!" to "Man, they are kicking ass!" in half a season. If they can improve their bullpen, either through trades or call-ups from the minors, they stand a real good chance to taking the first place spot away from the Yankees.

Now I know what you are saying. You are saying, "Steve, the Yankees are unstoppable! There is no way the Red Sox can take them!"

Hear me out on this one...

Historically, the two best hitters on the Yankees run into health issues in the second half of the season. Judge and Stanton usually end up on the DL for a month or so and I expect that to happen again this season.

When that happens, the Yankees will be lucky to win one out of every three or four games they play.

⧫
Time for an update on my monkeypox situation

Nope, I don't have monkeypox. Just a blood blister from when I pinched my finger between the edge of my grill and the house.

This has been your update on my monkeypox situation.
⧫
Since we once again have a working refrigerator, we also once again have leftovers. That is what we will be having for dinner this evening.

While I microwave my food, you can click on these:

• On Tuesday, I called bullshit on the White House aide claiming Trump tried to grab the steering wheel of his limo. Turns out I was right.



• Well, I guess that means we're gonna have high gas prices for several years.



• To be honest with you, I didn't understand this at all.



• I don't like anchovies.



• Moose: They are everywhere.



• We need more judges like William Culver.



• Australia: What doesn't try to kill ya, get's into an argument at your funeral.

Another loss

I'm wondering whether or not I should be pissed off at Houk for not being available to close last night. He's not available because he's not vaccinated and can't go to Canada.

I firmly believe that each of us is entitled to their own version of health care but dammit, the Red Sox kind of rely on Houk to close out games. Last night, the Red Sox went into the ninth inning with a 5-4 lead and the bullpen gave up two runs in the ninth to give the Blue Jays a 6-5 win.

I'm not saying Houk would have prevented those two runs but he stood a better chance of closing out the game than the bullpen did.

I guess I'll just say what I always say - He has every right to personalize his medical care but goddammit, that shot hasn't caused a lick of trouble for any other player on the team.

So anyways, they are now ½ behind the Blue Jays in the ALEast. a win tonight would but them back in second place.

⧫
I hung out with the boys at Tommy's place this evening so I'm done typing now.

Enjoy these inks:

• I'm okay with this.



• Oh Canada.



• My advice is to replace the entire bathroom.



• No thanks.



• If you happen to know a Linda Skeens, the world would like to know.

Tough loss

The Red Sox called up Seabold to pitch last night and he got lit up. When we saw him in Worcester the other day, he was throwing pretty well but his 2022 debut in the majors didn't go as well as he would have liked.

Prior to last night, the kid had pitched a total of 3 inning in the majors and that was back on Sept 11, 2021 so to say he had almost no experience at this level is an understatement.

Hopefully it hasn't destroyed his confidence because from what I saw, he's a good pitcher.

First pitch of game two in this three-game against the Blue Jays is at 7:00 tonight. Wacha is on the mound and I hope he continues his dominance. As I said the other day, it is important that they win these games if they want to maintain a lead in the ALEast.

⧫
Turns out there is nothing good in the news today.

They threw the "Epstein Associate" chick into prison for 20 years for rounding up little girls for Jeffy the Molester to fondle.

Someone found a tractor trailer filled with dead bodies in Texas. They used to be alive but now they are dead because they were locked in the trailer and they slowly cooked to death in the heat.

Someone claimed that Trump tried to grab the steering wheel of his limo in order to force the Secret Service to take him to the Capital during the riot.

I call bullshit on the last one. I seriously doubt that anyone in the rear compartment of the Presidential limo can reach the steering wheel. I also question whether Trump actually knows how a car works. I'm willing to bet he's never driven a car.

⧫
Dinner is done. Time for some ice cream and some baseball.

Enjoy these links:

• I can't imagine being a coach and having these parents helping me out with the team.



• This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs.



• If I recall, Windows 98 went end of life about 15 years ago.



• Potential (pəˈten(t)SHəl) -adjective:
  Having or showing the capacity to become or develop into something in the future.

They are in second place

With the Blue Jays loss to the Brewers yesterday, the Red Sox are now a 1½ games ahead of both the Blue Jays and the Rays in the ALEast.

This is a far cry over their standings back on May 12th.

Here's then and now:

Let's hope they keep on winning.

⧫
For the record, I have a problem with this.

I don't want any city, state or federal employee talking to me or my family about their religion. Not only that, I don't want them performing their religion in front of me or my family.

I don't want muslims, catholics, buddhists, druids, protestants, satanists, etc... using their government positions to proselytize. This is specifically prohibited by the constitution in the First Amendment with the phrase "respecting an establishment of religion".

Keep your invisible friend to yourself.

⧫
Time for dinner (flank steak pinwheels with provolone and spinach) followed by baseball.

You can check these out if you want:

• Key phrase in this story: "Wow, what's that?"



• Maybe this is what happens when Krazy Kim misses the ocean.



• I'm old which apparently is proof that I am not a reptile.



• Only in Florida.



• Australia: Holy Shit...

Seven game streak

The Red Sox beat the Guardians this afternoon, giving them a seven game winning streak and their second sweep in a row.

They are heading to Toronto to play a three game series against the Blue Jays. I realize it's a bit much to expect but I really hope they take all three from the Blue Jays.

After that it's three against the Cubs and then it's a 14 game stretch against the Yankees and the Rays.

That string of 14 games will probably determine what the Red Sox will be doing come October.

⧫
Time for a finale update on the new appliances:

The new appliances are functioning nicely.

Notwithstanding some major emergency or malfunction, this has been your final update on the new appliances.

⧫
Now that the Red Sox game is over, I need to figure out what to do about dinner.

I also need to figure out what I'm going to do for entertainment this evening.

If you would like, you can visit these links:

• I've been to Oklahoma and I believe this is normal behavior out there.



• Burger King sounds like a shitty place to work.



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



• Australia: What doesn't try to kill ya, is hilariously uncoordinated.

Appliances are at 100 percent

We got a call last night informing us that our refrigerator would be arriving between 3:00pm and 7:00pm today.

At 3:30, our refrigerator arrived and is currently making every effort to reach a good operating temperature.

For anyone interested here is the before and after.

⧫
The Red Sox manage to beat the Guardians 6-3 last night. Pivetta pitched a hell of a game, going seven strong innings but the big story was the return of Christian Arroyo.

Back on June 15, Arroyo went on the 10 day DL with covid. Usually when guys come back from the DL, they take a few games to get back into the swing of things. Not Arroyo.

He came out like a house afire.

In four at-bats, he had three hits and three RBIs. He also got plunked once to get on base.

First pitch for tonight's game was 6:10. That means that unlike last night when I only made it to the eighth inning, I will probably make it through all nine innings tonight.

⧫
Tonight was chinese food night.

And now that I'm full of crab rangoons, chicken fingers and teriyaki steak, I might not make it through nine innings...

While I watch this game and digest, you can visit these:

• No wonder they laugh all the time.



• Only in a Walmart in Florida.



• Key entry from our favorite police log: "11:59 a.m. A woman wanted to report that she ran a red light in 2010, and did it again yesterday, but understood what she did was wrong."



• This sounds extremely unsafe.

66 percent is better than 0 percent

Today we took delivery of two appliances. Unfortunately, neither one of those appliances was a refrigerator which is something we need very badly. It is the one appliance in our house that is not working.

We have been assured that we will receive our refrigerator tomorrow afternoon. If that goes as planned, I will be a happy guy who can once again have a cold glass of juice in the morning.

⧫
The SCOTUS made it official today and they have overturned Roe v. Wade. This means that states are now allowed to create anti-abortion laws if they are so inclined.

Too be honest with you, I'm pretty sure that was the intent of the Founders - let each state decide what it wants to do. If Texas wants to lock pregnant rape victims up for trying to get an abortion, then good for Texas. Anyone that doesn't want to live like that can move to New York.

Now if the federal government tries to enact legislation that makes abortion illegal on a national level, I'm gonna have a problem with that.

Just sayin' is all.

⧫
I'm going to try and figure out these new cooking machines and then watch some baseball.

You are invited to visit these

• If you ever decide to go to Guadeloupe, stay out of the mangrove swamps.



• First covid, then monkeypox and now this.



• Initially, I thought to myself, "This is kinda creepy..." But the more I think about it, it would be kinda cool to hear my dad yell, "Hey! Turn that crap down for christs sake..." from the other room just like when I was a teenager.



• Presenting this episodes Brilliant Criminal of the Month.



• You gotta love dogs.



• If you are planning a trip to London in the near future, you might want to rethink that.

No baseball tonight

With last nights win against the Tigers, the Red Sox completed another sweep and are now 1½ games ahead of the Rays. They are still ½ a game behind the Blue Jays and 12½ games behind the Yankees but they are slowly making there way to the front of the ALEast. They may not make first place but they stand a good chance of landing in second place and staying there.

All things considered, I'm not unhappy with their play since mid-May when something happened and they suddenly started hitting the ball.

They are on their way to Ohio to play a three-game series against the Guardians. After that, it's up to Canada for a two-game series against the Blue Jays.

These five games are important because the Guardians are a tough team (they are in first place in the ALCentral) and those games are going to be a toss-up. The Blue Jays are the team currently in second place in the ALEast and any win against them means picking up a game on them.

⧫
Busy afternoon because today was the house inspection. My daughter asked if I would be there so I was. I will always be there.

The report will be available in a day or two but the inspector found no show-stoppers. There are a few things that need to repaired but it looks like this is going to go ahead and my daughter will become a homeowner.

⧫
Found this on the interwebs and thought it was funny as hell:

Mike is probably going to be in trouble for most of his maried life...

⧫
The SCOTUS ruled that state laws designed to prevent someone from carrying a concealed weapon are unconstitutional. Specifically, they ruled that New York's law requiring people to have a special need to carry a concealed weapon was unconstitutional.

Here's what I think - I think if you are carrying a concealed weapon, you are asking for trouble. You are looking for a reason to use that gun and you will probably end up dead or in prison.

You want a gun, get a gun. Learn how to use that gun and enjoy the sport of shooting but don't carry it around like you live in 1882 Tombstone.

I've been around guns my entire life and only once have I carried one concealed. I was going to a range in Ludlow but I wanted to stop into a McDonalds to get something to eat. Since leaving a gun in your vehicle is against the law, and really stupid, I put it into a holster, put on my jacket and went in to place my order.

Please don't walk around like you're Wyatt Earp or Harry Callahan.

⧫
I'm going to watch some minor league baseball and then fall asleep early.

You can visit these if you want:

• Key phrase in this story: "...there’s no guarantee that oil companies would pass the savings on to consumers."



• Phase 6A of the Dick and Willie Passage would be a great name for a 1990s porno movie



• Key phrase in this story: "It is not currently known whether the goat survived the incident."



• Be proud Massachusetts. Be proud...



• Only in Florida.

Furniture moving

The department my wife runs at the school lost two professors this spring and that means everyone gets to change to a new office. The office choices are based on seniority.

Even though my wife liked her office, she decided she would move so one of her professors could move out of the lower level and up to the third floor with the rest of the department.

Normally, these moves fall to the facilities department but they have lost several guys this year and the ones that are left are pretty busy trying to do all the normal summer repair work that needs to get done before students return in August.

That means that my wife and her co-workers have been moving stuff out of old offices and in to new offices themselves. Today was no different but she asked if I would lend a hand, so I did.

We moved several large tables (thank goodness for hand trucks) down three floors (also, thank goodness for elevators) to a room that is slated to be a research area. Then we moved a desk into the office we just took the aforementioned tables out of.

To finish things off, my wife went in to her new office and started hanging pictures while I went for my traditional Wednesday walk with our department admin.

For the record, my wife now has a very nice corner office on the top floor.

⧫
The more I read about the handling of the shooting in Uvalde, Texas, the more I get a real bad feeling that a massive coverup is being laid out.

I understand that there is a law that says, and I'm not directly quoting the law here, law enforcement does not have to release any records if the criminal is dead. I'm not sure what that is supposed to do but it seems the Texas Law Enforcement at the local, county and state levels are all withholding information from each other and the media.

I'm beginning to think that if I lived in Uvalde, I would have zero respect for anyone on the city or state police or the county sheriff's office.

From where I stand, it appears that no one had the balls to protect those kids. Don't talk to me about waiting for someone to take charge. That's not a situation where you wait for someone to take charge. You go protect those kids. If your boss yells at you for doing that, he's an asshole.

⧫
The Red Sox managed to win again last night, beating the Tigers 5-4.

Tonight it appears the Devers will be off with Downs playing third in his first-ever major league baseball game.

It should make for an interesting game.

⧫
Here are some links you can click on:

• Key phrase in this story: "...astronomers across the world are eagerly waiting to get the first data back from the most powerful space telescope ever built.



• It's going to cost me a lot of money just so the overpaid yuppies from Boston can come out here and drive up our cost of living.



• You gotta love dogs.



• Phuket and the Tuk-Tuk Driver Brawl would be a fantastic name for a 1950's children's book.



• How, exactly, are they going to enforce this?



• Apparently there are bugs shitting on your face.

Happy Summer Solstice!

To all my druid friends, please do not sacrifice any virgins. Not only is it against the law, I'm pretty sure it does nothing to appease whatever gods you are trying to appease.

⧫
The Red Sox had me a little worried in the ninth inning last night but Houck came in and shut down the Tigers.

The Red Sox won 5-2 which means they are now ½ a game ahead of the Rays and 1½ games behind the Blue Jays in the ALEast. The Yankees are still steamrolling everyone they play and are currently 13½ games ahead of the Red Sox.

Tonight's game against the Tigers is at 7:00 and Hill will be on the mound. I'm not sure if any of my children will be at the game.

⧫
Time for an update on the grandchildren:

They are the most beautiful little angels on the planet.

This has been your update on the grandchildren.

⧫
We still do not have a large refrigerator and the little dorm fridge is filled to overflowing. That means we plan our dinner based on the premise that we cannot have any leftovers.

I'm going to eat and watch Red Sox baseball. You can click on these:

• Gronkowski has retired again.



• This image of the sun taken by SOHO shows a massive sunspot known as AR3038. It has doubled in size over the last 24 hours and if it erupts while facing Earth, we will get hit with a massive solar flare and we will probably have to deal with internet outages and really bad television reception.



• This sounds disgusting.



• Guys being guys.



• This man is amazing.

I stand corrected

When it was announced that the AAA affiliate of the Red Sox was moving out of Pawtucket to Worcester, I said it was the dumbest move they could make. I said Worcester is congested, I-290 is the worst highway in the state and the city itself is a shithole.

I stand corrected...

Yesterday my youngest persuaded his sister, my wife and myself to meet him in Worcester for a Worcester Red Sox game. For the record, I am now a fan.

It took about fifty minutes to get from my driveway to the McGrath municipal parking lot in Worcester. After parking, we walked over to the train station to meet my son who had taken the commuter rail in from Boston.

From there it was a pleasant five minutes to walk to the 110 Grill where we had a very nice lunch before the game.

After lunch, it took five minutes to walk to Polar Park where we waited in line for about five minutes to get through security and into the park.

We had great seats and they didn't cost $300 each. I believe my son paid $27.00 each for them.

After the game ended (the Red Sox won), we walked back to the parking lot and paid the $12.00 parking fee. We piled into my car and I drove my son back to Boston. We were going to go to dinner out there but we were all too full from lunch and ballpark snacks so we said our goodbyes and headed home.

All toll, it probably cost a bit over $200 for the four of us to have a great meal and enjoy a good baseball game. On top of that, we were home by 7:00 at night even after driving to Boston and back.

Believe me, I will be doing that again. I don't even want to think about how much that same experience would cost in Boston at Fenway...

⧫
Dinner is done and the Red Sox are on. And for the record, my youngest will be at the game. Seems that one of his friends works at Beth Israel and gets a deep discount on tickets.

While I scan the crowd behind home plate in Section 18, Row 17 looking to see if I can spot my son, you can click on these:

• Why do I have a feeling this is going to end up costing me money...



• I watched him play yesterday in Worcester and tonight he's in Boston.



• Rock Snot and the Manistee River would be a fantastic name for a 1990s grunge band.



• Those Liberty Mutual commercials are really getting bad.



• Key phrase in this story: "Despite being among the creepiest of your internal organs, your intestines play a crucial role in your everyday life."



• Australia: What doesn't try to kill, just wants to be fashion model that tries to kill ya.

Happy Fathers Day

The Red Sox got their ass kicked by the Cardinals last night 11-2.

Like I said, the Cardinals are a tough team.

Hopefully today goes a lot better.

⧫
As I said yesterday, there would be a short post today. This is because I'm busy being "dad" today.

Truth be told, I'm busy being a dad every day but since today is Fathers Day, I'm extra busy.

Anyways, enjoy your day today.

⧫
Here's a link or two:

• Oh Canada.



• Key phrase in this story: "Hinds had animosity toward the family of the person in the casket."



• I kinda wish they would do this in my town but instead of the kids, they should focus on the adults in spandex

They almost blew it

The Red Sox went into the 9th inning with a 6-1 lead over the Cardinals and you would think that would be more than enough.

You would be wrong.

Austin Davis came in to start the ninth, got two quick outs and then proceeded to give up a double, then a triple and then hit a batter. All this resulted in 3 earned runs. That was when Cora decided he'd seen enough and he put Houck in.

Tanner Houck immediately gave up two doubles that resulted in one more earned run before he managed to strike out the final batter and end the game before I had a stroke.

Like I said yesterday, the Cardinals are playing some good baseball. This series is going to be a tough one. Hopefully tonight's game doesn't cause me to have a stroke.

⧫
In house hunting news, it looks like The Vet may be on the verge of becoming a homeowner.

Her bid on a house was accepted and pending the outcome of house inspection and title 5 certification, she will have a place to call her very own.

Once that happens, my wife and I will become day care for The Dog because we've decided she is not staying in a house by herself all day long while our daughter is working.

Exciting times.

⧫
Busy day tomorrow so I'm not sure when, or even if, there will be a post.

You should enjoy these links:

• After the Trump shit-show on January 6th last year, seems to me that when the Capital Police tell you to leave, you should leave.



• More proof that some people have too much time on there hands.



• The man has trouble walking. Who the hell let him ride a bicycle?



• What the hell does Bezos require from his employees that there are lose vials of blood lying around?



• I guess this explains why he is the ex-husband.

The Yankees need to start losing

Eventually they will fall apart and go on a losing streak but it might be too late for the Red Sox to overtake them. They are at least thirteen games ahead of the Red Sox.

The Rays are one and a half games ahead of the Red Sox and the Blue Jays are three and a half games ahead. Hopefully they start to falter as well and the Red Sox move up in the wild card race. They are currently half a game out of the wild card, behind Terry Francona and the Guardians (Indians).

Tonight's game against the Cardinals starts at 7:00 and it will be a tough game for the Red Sox. The Cardinals have been playing some pretty good baseball and are in first place in the NL Central.

⧫
Our refrigerator decided to stop being a refrigerator this morning and we ended up shopping for a new one.

Apparently the only style of refrigerator being manufactured anymore is stainless steel. My wife does not like stainless steel.

Fortunately, they have what she wanted in black and she likes black. As a matter of fact, we already have a black dishwasher. She likes black so much that not only did we buy a new black refrigerator, we also got a new black stove and new black microwave/convection oven to replace the white ones we currently have.

Now, in her defense, the stove needed to be replaced simply because it think when we said we wanted it to cook at 375°, it decided that 300° was close enough. If we tried to compensate by setting it to 400° it decided we wanted it to be 500°

Also, the microwave/convection over was starting to have numerous little issues and it was starting to make a lot of grindeeee noises that to my untrained ear sounded like every bearing inside of it is starting to go.

So anyways, sometime next Friday, we should have all new appliances. In the meantime, all I can say is thank goodness we kept one of the many dorm refrigerators we've purchased over the years.

⧫
I'm going to watch some baseball.

You can click on these:

• Steve Owens sounds like my kind of guy.



• Hey, if congress is gonna tell the social media sights to police themselves, they're gonna police themselves.



• Attention dudes and dudettes: Our next stop is right here.



• Meet Altha Williams, the newest member of the A-Team.



• Key phrase in this story that I can confirm from past experience: Cows also poop…A LOT!

Insert Title Here

The Red Sox beat the Athletics last night, winning the series.

This afternoon, the Athletics managed to avoid the sweep by beating the Red Sox 4-3.

Still, it's the second time in two weeks that the Red Sox have won a series against the Athletics.

Hopefully the Athletics don't go crazy and fire Kotsay because it is not his fault that the Athletic infielders can't seem to catch or throw a ball and that the Athletic batters can't seem to hit the ball.

⧫
Time for another update on my retirement plans:

Nope. Still never going to be able to retire...

This has been another update on my retirement plans.

⧫
Back in 1988, my cousin Dan and myself called our Uncle Marino and asked if he was covering the US Open out in Brookline. He said yes and asked if we wanted to go. We, of course, said yes and, thanks to my Uncle Marino, we were given full-access press-passes to The US Open at The Country Club in Brookline, MA.

It was kind of boring because, well, it's golf. It's not the most exciting sport to watch in person.

Still, we went on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, I gave my pass to my brother-in-law and I stayed home to watch the final round on television.

Marino no longer covers sports for a regular publication but he still writes because it's his life. It's what he does.

And yes, he's the uncle from Pennsylvania that calls me every time the national news talks about the northeast having weather like a snowstorm or a rainstorm.

⧫
Tonight is leftovers. After that, it'll be a Gold Rush kind of night.

While I do that, you should enjoy these links:

• I have no words.



• Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.



• Mom of the Year.



• Old time hockey! Eddie Shore!



• We have District Attorney's in this country that don't enforce existing laws and people are getting murdered because of it.



• Attention all you white supremacist assholes: Stop saying you are doing things on my behalf.

No post today

I spent time enjoying my day instead of surfing for news.

That means there is nothing here for you.

Okay, well maybe there are few things for you...

• Only in Florida.



• Just another Walmart regular.



• Welcome to the club.



• This is what happens when stoners drive.

It's Flag Day

Yes, I remembered to put my flag out:

Now I just have to remember to take it in before nightfall.

⧫
House hunting continues.

She thought she had a winner but missed out when she was outbid. And for the record, she was outbid by a very small amount.

She is being patient but I can see the frustration on her face. She will find the house she wants and she knows that but I can tell it's getting old for her.

I have faith in her.

⧫
Apparently there is a chipmonk with the audacity to wander around in our backyard:

You can't see the rodent in the photo because the post between the screens is blocking it.

⧫
While I watch baseball at the normal hour of 7:00, you can click on these links:

• Yes, but did they find any lint?



• Key phrase in this story: "Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s deputies say they recovered about 40 casings from the firefight, no one was reported injured."



• More proof that our society if filled with idiots.



• The last time they did this, we had world war II.



• If you ever visit Thailand, you should order the chicken.



• Remember, electric cars are the future.

No baseball

Fortunately I have several Gold Rush'es and a couple How the Universe was Made's on the DVR so my entertainment is set for the evening.

⧫
Time for an update on my retirement plans:

I'm never going to be able to retire...

This has been your update on my retirement plans.

⧫
I'm going to order some pizza and watch bad television.

You might want to check these out:

• Key phrase in this story: "The mayor was definitely intoxicated."
  (From what I can tell, this is true all the time.)



• Sounds to me like he doesn't like being in prison and he's trying to minimize the amount of time he'll serve.



• Seriously, just stay the hell away from me.



• I'm still waiting for my son to give me some seeds.



• You gotta love dogs.



• They need to bring back that motivational poster: "Keep Calm and Carry On".

One loss, one win.

Once again, I didn't watch any of last nights game and as it turns out I'm kinda glad I didn't.

The Red Sox had a lead going into the ninth inning and the Mariners managed to tie the game and then win it off Robles.

As for this afternoon, they beat the Mariners 2-0 and took two out of three in the series.

They are off tomorrow while they fly back to my timezone. On Tuesday they take on the Athletics at the decent, and normal, hour of 7:00pm.

⧫
We did some furniture moving today because my wife likes to change things every so often.

Today was the living room furniture be rearranged.

It'll be a couple of weeks before I can walk into the living room and know where anything. Fortunately, the printer stayed in the same location so I'll be able to find my output.

⧫
Here's a thought:

If the pride parades upset you so much that you feel the need to gather up 30 of your buddies, put on what looks like Klan masks & tactical gear and drive three or four states over to intimidate or possibly injure the participants, then I can tell you that you are an asshole. Get some therapy.

If you don't like people dressing up and marching down the road, stay home. Pretend it isn't happening. What do you care about their parade? Particularly when that parade is hundreds of miles away from you.

Get a life and get some mental help.

⧫
Here are some links:

• Key phrase in this story: To say our country was on the right track would flagrantly depart from reality.



• How do you lose your tater tots?



• I wonder if she can still see Russia from her house.



• You just gotta love dogs.



• Presenting this episodes Brilliant Criminals of the Day.

We survived.

Pat assures me that he managed to survive the night and he woke this morning feeling not as sore as he thought he would.

As for me, my back is normal - it hurts but it's not debilitating.

After that experience, I predict that more golf may be in our future. Hell, I'm ready to go see what the senior citizen discount is at the local municipal "big boy" golf course.

Before I set foot on a course with holes longer than 100 yards, I have to get a golf glove. I noticed yesterday that the club kept slipping in my hand and I credit that to not having a glove on to improve my grip.

⧫
The Red Sox won the first game of their three-game series against the Mariners last night.

I'd like to tell you how the game went but I didn't even make it through the first inning. Just as the game was starting, I fell asleep on my couch. I woke up in the bottom of the first inning, turned the tv off and went to bed.

Maybe I'll make it through two innings tonight.

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Here are some links you might enjoy:

• I'm beginning to think that the mayor of New York City is more than a little bit crazy.



• Canada and Denmark: The two most polite nations on the planet.



• Sounds like maybe someone made up a story to cover up their kink.



• Oh Canada.



• Key phrase in this pictorial: "The Tourists Love It."

We are no Arnold Palmer

Pat and I tackled the par 3 golf course today and I can say with all honesty, we don't suck.

Don't misunderstand me - we aren't good but we don't suck. I don't want to embarass myself or Pat by sharing our scores so let's just say we both broke a hundred and leave it at that.

I think the best way to describe it is we know the theory of how golf clubs works but we just don't quite have the ability yet.

Suffice to say, my back hurts and I'm pretty sure I inhaled a bunch more pollen than I needed to but, all-in-all, it was a good time that got us both off our asses, out of our houses and walking farther than a trip from the couch to the fridge.

And for the record, I got my very first senior citizen discount today. Pat, however, is still a child and had to pay full price.

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The Red Sox lost last night, breaking their wining streak at seven.

That's not a bad streak.

Tonight they start a three-game series against the Mariners. Hopefully they also start a new winning streak. A ten or twelve game winning streak would be nice.

I will not be awake to see tonight's game because it doesn't start until 10:00.

There is no way I'll be awake at that hour. I'm exhausted from all that golf I played today.

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Did you watch any of the coverage of the hearings on the attack on the Capital?

I didn't watch any of the coverage and boy am I glad I didn't.

I've decided that every time anyone associated with either the federal or state government opens their mouth, they are lying.

The committee is lying, Trump and his ilk are lying and the witnesses are lying.

I don't know about you but I've had more than enough bullshit in the last ten years and I don't need any more.

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I've taken three ibuprofen and I'm getting ready to make dinner. Once that is done, I will try not to fall asleep on my couch.

You can visit these links if you want:

• Didn't the Terminator have living human skin over his metal frame?



• Cedar Rapids: City of Excitement.



• I guess he raps about what he knows.



• What kind of weirdo dreams shit like this up?



• I don't know who Helga Van Leur is but she's got baboon butt.



• Like they say in the marketing biz, "sex sells".

Seven games and counting

Eovaldi pitched five good innings and then the bullpen took over. Four of them worked the remaining four innings and in the end, the Red Sox won 1-0.

Their one run came in the sixth when Verdugo worked a walk and Dalbec smoked a line drive down the first base line into right field. Verdugo nver hesitated, turned on the juice and ran as hard as he could to score from first.

Tonight is their final game against the Angels and while I want them to win, I'm happy with the fact they won the series.

They are currently 2½ games behind both the Rays and the Blue Jays. They are now 10½ games behind the Yankees.

In other baseball news, the Angels are currently on a 14 game losing streak. Their last win was on May 24th. That's a long time to go without a win.

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They started televising the hearings about the January 6th attack on the Capital and, for the record, I'm not watching them.

I remember the Watergate hearings as being a bunch of pompous old guys trying to get their faces on camera as much as possible. I imagine this will be much of the same.

I'll read about it on the internet in a day or two.

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I am ready to go play some golf if I ever hear back from Pat. For all I know, my emails are still being directed into his spam bucket.

My lawn is mowed, my clubs are clean and I have a brand new bottle of ibuprofen. I'm about as ready as I can be.

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I'm going to eat some dinner, watch two innings of baseball and then go to bed.

Here are some links for you to click on:

• Touché Twitter. Touché...



• I have a feeling that the PGA just made a mistake. No players means no tour. No tour means no television revenue. No revenue means they go out of business.



• From now on, everyone just stay the hell away from me.



• Man, they got world record categories for everything.



• Remember, when seconds counts, the police are only minutes away.



• Only in Florida.

Six game winning streak!

Even after ownership fired Maddon and put Nevin in charge of the Angels, they still couldn't put together enough runs to beat the Red Sox.

Even with good players like Syndergaard, Ohtani, Trout and Suzuki on their roster, the Angels just seem to be failing. Like I said, ownership decided that Maddon wasn't doing a good job and they fired him yesterday.

Personally, I don't like Joe Maddon. I didn't like him when he was managing the Rays. I didn't like him when he was managing the Cubs. Hell, I never liked him. He's a pompous ass. I really disliked him back in April of this year when he decided to walk a batter with the bases loaded because he felt it would "shake up his team" and make them want to win.

All it did was embarrass them.

Anyways....

Tonight is game three in their four-game series and if the Red Sox win tonight they will have won 3 out of 4, winning the series.

If they win the series tonight, I will be happy.

If they sweep the series tomorrow, I will be ecstatic.

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I'm going to watch bad television and fall asleep early tonight.

You can enjoy these links:

• Perseverance has a pet rock.



• This is why Al Gore invented the internet.



• Key phrase in this story: "...wanted to do something to get arrested."



• It should be legal to hit activists in the face with a 2x4.



• Key line in this story: "Be the cheese."
  Here's the video of her big win.



• I like to think that I'm that guy.

Five game winning streak

With last nights win over the Angels, they now have a five game winning streak and are 6½ games ahead of the Orioles. More importantly, they are fast sneaking up on the both the Blue Jays and the Rays. They are only 3½ games behind the Rays and 4½ behind the Blue Jays.

Once again, tonights game will start after 9:30 so there is almost no chance I'll be watching more than an inning or two. I made it through two full innings last night but that was it.

I'll be glad when next week rolls around and they are back in the same time zone as me and the games start at a reasonable hour.

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I've avoided this because, well, I wasn't there and I have no idea what happened. But reading all the news stories from witnesses and the constant barrage of ever changing "facts" coming from the authorities, I have something to say:

It's going to be a very long time before the people of Uvalde, Texas trust their local and state police again. And rightfully so. Those people weren't just let down, they were abandoned in their hour of need.

I gotta be honest with you, I can find no reason why all those heavily-armed "men" stood around listening to gun shots coming from a classroom and not one of them decided to say to the chief, "Screw you. I can't listen to this anymore. I'm going in. You can fire me later."

Those are "men" with either no intelligence, no compassion or no balls. I look at them and I see a bunch of fools playing soldier but when the real shooting starts, they are cowards, afraid to step up and do the right thing.

I get it, no one wants to put themselves into danger and no one knows how they will react when faced with that type of danger but how can anyone with a heart not want to protect little kids.

Oh, and before I forget, I have one other thing to say to school authorities everywhere: STOP HOLDING ACTIVE SHOOTER DRILLS FOR YOUR STUDENTS!

You are accomplishing two things - you are frightening the kids and you are teaching the future murders what they can expect when they enter the school. That asshole that shot all those little kids was fresh out of high school and it's a pretty good bet he had been given the complete game plan on what the teachers and students would do when he entered the school. He knew what to expect and it probably worked to his advantage.

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Well, that was depressing.

Here are some links that hopefully aren't such a downer:

• In order to make Krazy Kim think we are just as crazy as he is, we are now also shooting the ocean with missiles.



• For the record, this is some pretty huge news.



• If this woman gets elected, we are screwed.



• How about if all you people just stop doing these things.



• Nerds are taking over the world and I couldn't be prouder.



• Oh Canada.

Order of the Day

On May 28, 1944, General Dwight Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of Allied Expeditionary Forces, recorded a Order of the Day message that was going to be played for the troops on May 31, 1944. That was the original launch date of Operation Overlord but the weather had other plans and "D-Day" was pushed back to June 6, 1944. That was when the message was played for the troops who were boarding their landing craft.

Within hours, tens of thousands of young men landed on the beaches along the coast of Normandy in France and fought their way east into the countryside. Thousands never made it off the beach. They died in the water or on the sand.

We should make it a point to remember the men who fought on D-Day.

We should make it a point to remember to men who died on D-Day.

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With yesterdays win, the Red Sox completed their sweep of the Athletics, achieved a .500 record and took over the last slot in the wild card race.

Yes, I know the season is only ⅓ over and there is still a lot of baseball left to be played but I'm still happy to see the Red Sox winning more than they are losing.

Tonight they start a four-game series against the struggling Angels. Hopefully the Angels don't decide to figure things out this week and go on a winning streak...

And yes, the game doesn't start until after 9:30 so I'm pretty sure I won't see more than an inning or two.

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I'm going to warm up some leftovers and watch some bad television.

Here are today's links:

• Key phrase in this story: "They accidentally turned the air conditioning off..."
  I've owned dogs all my life and the one thing I know about them is if you leave them in a car, they will figure out how to lock the doors, start the car, drive around the block and run over cats. In other words, don't leave dogs alone in a car.



• I'd probably divorce her after two or three days.



• Another case of crossbow violence.



• When my back hurts, I stand straight for about 10 minutes and that seems to relieve the pain a bit. Does that mean I'm exercising?



• Presenting this episodes Brilliant Criminal of the Month.

Another win

The Red Sox beat the Athletics yesterday afternoon, taking the series and setting themselves up to sweep the Athletics should they win todays game.

What is more important, in my opinion, is that if the Red Sox win today's game, they will be at .500 with 27 wins and 27 losses.

The last time they were at .500 it was April 22nd.

Right now (5:15pm), the score is 1-1 in the 4th inning and Hill is pitching pretty well. Hopefully he keeps it up and the Red Sox batters manage to step on home plate a lot more times.

⧫
We (The Vet, My Wife and myself) looked at another house today. This one was built in the 90s and is in good shape but they want way more than it is worth. It sits on a postage-stamp sized lot and has no garage. Because the lot is so small, there no room to build one. She is going to make an offer but expects it to be declined.

She has an appointment to look at another one tomorrow that seems to have a lot of promise. It is valued correctly and it will need work but nothing that prevents occupancy. It is on a large lot so The Small Main Dog will have room to roam.

We'll know more tomorrow after looking at it.

⧫
My broccoli is about ready to plant in the garden.

For some reason, I thought broccoli would be less vine-like and more like little trees.

Guess we'll see what happens over the next month. If we are lucky, maybe we'll have 2 or three pounds of broccoli to eat. Or maybe we'll have dead plants. Who knows. I'm not really a gardener...

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I'm going to toss steaks on the grill and have some dinner while watching the rest of this ball game.

Here are some links:

• If he runs and wins, there will be no living with him.



• Like I said back on May 30th, "I think congress needs to tell Goofy Joe to shut up and stay out of any debate regarding gun control". Turns out maybe I'm not the only one who thinks that.



• Krazy Kim is continuing his assault on the ocean.



• Key phrase in this story: "That’s what I did, and then I went to rehab."



• Is this the birth of SkyNet?

Clean and in the trunk

My golf clubs are as clean as I can make them. They aren't shiny but they're servicable. There is only one or two spots of rust on two of the clubs. The funny thing is there were three putters - the one I have always used, one that belonged to my oldest son and a third one that I believe either belonged to my son or it was mine. Either way, it doesn't matter because when I picked it up and dropped it in the bag, the head snapped off and fell on the ground.

If the heads are snapping off the clubs simply by putting them in the bag, I can't wait to see what happens when I actually hit a golf ball with one...

Also, it turns out I lied when I said I had a glove. There were two of them in the bag but I put one on and it fell apart. I put the other one on and it also fell apart. Guess I'll have to look into buying a new one.

Now we wait for a nice cool, dry day and we'll see what we can do. I voted for the Par 3 to start with and see how that goes. If Pat fixed his email platform and my email isn't in his junk/spam folder, I might hear back from him with his preference.

⧫
The Red Sox managed to win last night without me and my sage coaching advice.

As for this afternoon's game, they are up 4-0 in the 6th inning. Pivetta is pitching really well.

⧫
Goofy Joe said he was going to the middle east to ask them to pump more oil but now it looks like he isn't going.

Here's the problem: Biden spent a lot of time trying to gain political capital by beating up the House of Saud over the killing of that journalist. As a matter of fact, the Biden administration released a report that essentially accuses the Crown Prince of complicity in the murder.

Well, guess who he needs to ask to pump more oil...

Back in March he tried to talk them into pumping more oil but they wouldn't even take his calls.

In the meantime, we are fast approaching $5.00 a gallon for gasoline...

We are screwed...

⧫
I'm going to continue watching baseball.

Here are some links:

• NASA is still doing cool stuff.



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



• Key entry from our favorite police log: "1:59 p.m. A person called 911 to say that the police officers currently with him were trying to 'unofficially' arrest him and he wanted new ones."



• Oh Canada.



• Maybe I shouldn't play golf with Pat...



• Have these people not seen or read The Andromeda Strain?

90% rust free

I pulled all of the golf clubs I have out of the rafters and managed to form one complete set. They need to be cleaned and one or two have some rust on them that I think I can get off with a scrubby.

Then I dug out all of the golf balls I have and it turns out I have a box of Calloway and a box of Top Flights. I admit that those golf balls are probably 20 years old but they are shiny new to me. I also have a shitload of tee's, an equal number of ball markers, and a couple of golf gloves.

Of the two golf bags I have, one is crap and it's back up in the rafters. The other isn't terrible but it could stand for a good washing. Years of rafter dust has accumulated on it and after touching it, my hands feel sticky.

All-in-all, I have the equipment to play golf. It won't be the fanciest or newest equipment on the course but, what the hell, I'm not joining the PGA, I'm just looking to whack a ball in a hole.

Besides, there is a real possibility that once I do this, I'll decide it's not a good idea, shove everything back up into the rafters and go back to sitting on my ass watching baseball.

⧫
Once again, it appears that Goofy Joe is making shit up in order to convince us we should listen to him.

Look Joe, this is shit bad enough that you don't have to make stuff up. Start speaking the truth and maybe people will listen to you. You're as bad as Trump when it comes to bullshitting us. And that's saying something because Trump lies every time sound comes out of him.

Stop it. Stop lying to us.

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There will be baseball tonight but I won't be watching it. Instead I'll be watching bad television or maybe the youtubes.

I hate it when the Red Sox play on the west coast because that three hour time difference makes it next to impossible for me to see more than an inning or two.

Tonight starts a three-game series against the Athletics. Eovaldi will be on the mound for the Red Sox.

The Athletics have a worse record than the Red Sox. As a matter of fact, they have a worse record than the Orioles which should give you an idea as to why I say I hope the Red Sox sweep the series. At the very least, they should take two of the three games.

In other baseball news, the Phillies fired Joe Girardi today.

Joe just didn't get the players to give their all and I don't think he saw eye-to-eye with ownership.

I'm betting he'll be back on MLBtv soon, picking up the broadcast career he started after the Yankees fired him back in 2017.

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Here are todays interesting interweb tidbits:

• Key fake agency in this story: "Department of the INTERPOL".



• Because everybody needs a set of hostage negotiation phones.



• People are disgusting.



• I thought Massachusetts had screwed up politicians. Turns out we got nothing on Utah.



• Key phrase in this story: "It is kind of a paradise, but if something goes wrong it can go real wrong."



• Only in Florida.
  (I can't help but wonder if the "unspecified injury to his groin" has anything to do with teeth...)

Cleaning golf clubs.

Step 1 has been completed: I have found my golf clubs and Pat thinks he knows where his are.

Step 2 is for both of us to clean the 10 years of dust, grime and probably rust off the aforementioned clubs.

Step 3 will be to pick a day next week when we venture forth and attempt to use those golf clubs to strike golf balls in a straight line, preferably in the forward direction.

It's nice to have goals.

⧫
This afternoon I spent a good hour or so vacuuming pollen off our porch. This includes not just the floor but all of the chairs, the tables, the screens and any other surface that managed to accumulate all that crap.

Once I was done doing that, I spent a good ten minutes blowing my nose and wiping the tears out of my eyes.

Finally, I sat down and created this posting for you.

You're welcome.

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Remember when this guy said he was going to run for president?

Turns out he's a thief.

An actual thief. You know, someone who steals money from people. The only difference between him and the kid who robs a gas station is the kid has the balls to face his victims. That guy did it by being sneaky and slimy.

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The Red Sox beat the Reds last night and I managed to watch eight innings before doing the head-bob thing and going to bed.

They are off today while they travel to start a west coast trip where they will play the Athletics, the Angles and the Mariners before returning home on the 14th. With the exception of one Saturday game and two Sunday games, all of those west coast games will start after 9:30pm my time.

That means I won't be watching very much baseball over the next two weeks.

⧫
Dinner has been consumed and I'm going to find some bad television to watch.

Here are some links:

• Older Boozer and the Teetotallers would be a great name for a 1970s lounge band.



• Presenting the winner of The Best Mug Shot award.



• Not all heroes wear capes.



• Didn't he already do this?

Welcome to New England

Yesterday it was 90°. Today it is

You gotta love this place.

⧫
Today marks the start of the Atlantic Hurricane season.

Here is the list of storm names:

Alex

Bonnie

Colin

Danielle

Earl

Fiona

Gaston

Hermine

Ian

Julia

Karl

Lisa

Martin

Nicole

Owen

Paula

Richard

Shary

Tobias

Virginie

Walter

I'm sorry but I just don't find the names "Owen" or "Lisa" all that intimidating.

This is the current satellite image of the Gulf of Mexico and the western Atlantic. It shows two disturbances.

Disturbance #2 is off the coast of the Bahamas with a 10% chance of forming into a cyclone and it's going to move east towards the middle of the Atlantic, away from the U.S.

Disturbance #1, which has a 50% chance of forming into a cyclone, is the remnants of Pacific hurricane "Agatha". If it reforms, as a cyclone, will they call it "Agatha" or will it become "Alex"?

If it changes from "Agatha" to "Alex", does that mean hurricanes are gender-fluid?

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I found this interesting.

Looks like Goofy Joe is about as popular as Slimy Donald:

⧫
The Red Sox managed to lose to the worst team in MLB last night.

To be honest with you, they seem to lose at home more than they should. When they are at Fenway, they should win.

Let's see what happens tonight.

⧫
I went out this afternoon and hung out with a friend. That means I didn't spend a lot of time looking at the interwebs.

Here are a few links:

• Well, I guess there is no reason to go to Vegas anymore.



• Trust me, if you are going 147 mph on a motorcycle, you should pay attention.



• Key entry from our favorite police log: "5:57 p.m. A neighbor was shooting gophers off his deck."
  (I wonder how far you can shoot a gopher. They aren't very aerodynamic...)



• Only in Florida.
  (And probably also Texas...)