And they got a win

Abreu hit a home run in the second inning last and that was the only run scored by either team until the 9^th inning when the Red Sox scored 3 more runs, winning the game 4-0.

With that win, the Red Sox are now only 2 games behind the Judges.

There was one very bad event last when Yoshida came up lame while running to 2^nd base. He made it to 2^nd but just barely. He didn't slide into the bag, he kinda fell onto it. He immediately grabbed the back of his left leg and waved to the dugout, calling the trainer out onto the field.

Then he limped off the field and was replaced by Seigler for the remainder of the game.

Gray face 26 batters over 7 innings, giving up 6 hits, zero runs, 1 walk and striking out 7. That is a pretty good outing.

The new guy, Miller, pitched the 8^th and gave up 0 hits. Then came Chapman to close the game and he also gave up 0 hits.

Today's game started at 1:35 with Sandoval getting the start and he got his ass handed to him.

The game is currently in a rain delay after 6 innings with the Pirates up 7-3.

I'm really hoping that when they come back for the 7^th, the Red Sox batters turn into hitters who turn into runners who turn into scorers and they score at least 4 runs.

⧫
Guess who is abnormally dry!

It's nice not being in a drought.

⧫
Here are some links:

• The man who has never served a day in the military says the extended deployment has not been nearly long enough.



• We've got some serious problems in this country. Everyone is pissed off at everyone else.



• Key West: Even Floridians think it's the weird part of Florida.

They need a win...

The Red Sox lost last night. The problem is they lost to the Pirates, a team that isn't all that good.

The wildcard race in the AL is heating up with 4 teams tied for the 3^rd slot. That means those 4 teams are going to play their hearts out to gain ground over the others as well as the Red Sox.

They still hold a 5½ game lead but they need to start winning on a regular basis if they want to hold on to that lead.

They also need to win a regular basis if they want to overtake the Judges. They are currently separated by 2½ games.

Gray has the start tonight and first pitch is at 7:15.

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Things got done today and I did not spend a lot of time surfing the news sites. That means I don't really know what Trump did today but it's a pretty good bet it was either arrogant, self-centered or incredibly stupid.

I'll read news tomorrow.

⧫
Time for an update on our newest grandchild

She is seven months old and growing like a weed. She sems to be taking after her dad because she sure likes sitting in the living room, playing the drums.

This has been an update on our newest grandchild

⧫
Here's a link:

• Things continue to go well for Psycho Vlad...

Preseason tie

Last nights Patriots / Colts game ended in a 13-13 tie which is fine since it was a pre-season game.

I thought DeVito did a pretty good, completing 13 of his 22 passes.

Borregales, however, did not have a good game. He missed 3 of his 5 field goal attempts. He needs to do better.

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This made me laugh:

⧫
Here are some links:

• I don't think I would call Woodland Dell a "thoroughfare". It's more of a "500 yard long dead end"...



• Key phrase in this story: "He’s a marginally failed real estate developer with multiple bankruptcies. He shouldn’t be weighing in on systems, on aircraft carriers."



• When Hugh Heffner accuses someone of molesting women, you know it's bad.

Finally, a win

The Red Sox lost last night but they won this afternoon.

There was one bit of bad news this afternoon when the Red So xannounced that Whitlock went on the IL with elbow inflammation.

So now they travel to Pittsburgh where tomorrow they will start a 3-game series against the Pirates.

Since Pittsburgh is in the same time zone as I am, I will be able to watch those games.

⧫
Yes, I'm watching the Patriots play preseason football against the Colts.

DeVito is the quarterback for this game.

⧫
Here are some links:

• He really, really, really needs his name on that building. What a spoiled little child he is...



• This is an accident waiting to happen.



• Only in Florida.

4 game losing streak

The Red Sox have lost the last four games and are now a full 3 games behind the Judges.

I refuse to panic and the hope-o-meter is still positive but it is a bit of a kick in the ass to see them drop after they worked so hard to overcome the beginning of their season.

Tonight is game 3 of their 4-game series against the Blue Jays and Suarez has the start. First pitch is at 7:07.

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My back is still not in great shape.

This getting old shit kinda sucks...

⧫
I don't care for Mark Kelly's politics but he is an honorable man.

He made me smile with this tweeter:

Trump and Hegseth were together on a small jet while everyone else was unknowingly on the giant target plane.

Cowards indeed.

⧫
Here are some links:

• Maybe they'll give Sean Spicer a call.



• Mr Crappy Pillows is a bigger whiner than Dementia Donny.



• I have no idea how this woman still has a job.

AI aint intelligent

I am sick and tired of hearing about AI and how it's going to change the world.

The last time I heard this much hype about anything it was when the web was invented and everyone who know how to code some simple html was getting rich because investors were certain it was the best thing ever. Then the bubble popped and the financial shit hit the fan. All the small startups that the investors had founded suddenly went belly up everyone lost their money.

With AI, it's no longer just rich investors losing money, it'll be cities and towns being damaged by all the data centers cropping up everywhere. When this bubble pops, those centers will go derelict and the communities will be stuck with giant vacant buildings that make all the vacant Sears buildings look good.

You need to understand that AI is really just a search engine that is sucking up all of the data it can from social media sites and then applying that data to whatever questions you ask of it.

If you carefully read what I just wrote you will see that AI is nothing more than the collective intellect of social media.

In my opinion, on a scale of "moron" to "genius", the total collective IQ of social media is somewhere between "moron" and "idiot". That means AI is basing most of it's data on the opinions of idiots.

Then again, what the hell do I know...

⧫
I'm going to watch some baseball and hopefully the Red Sox overcome their two recent losses and win this upcoming series.

The Judges are off tonight so if the Red Sox win, they will move back to one game behind them in the ALEast.

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Here are some links:

• Looks like BrainWorm Bobby has influenced Dementia Donny.



• Boy, Tulsa is either getting screwed or they need new administrators...



• I guess my town dodged that bullet.



• This is actually kinda funny.

Winning streak ends at nine.

The Red Sox lost 7-3 to the Athletics last night, ending their streak at nine wins.

This is a damned shame because the Judges won last night, opening their lead over the Red Sox to 1½ games.

Todays game wasn't much better with the Red Sox losing 4-3 to the Athletics.

Fortunately the Judges also lost so their lead remains at 1½ games.

Oh well, time to start some new streaks.

They will be in Toronto tomorrow to start a 4-game series against the Blue Jays.

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I was checking in on Dementia Donny's truth thingee today and man, I gotta tell you, that guy sure loves AI image creation.

Here he is lying about being in the military:

Here he is telling Kennedy how he treats women:

Here he is drawing a imaginary hurricane path while Washington and Lincoln's ghosts wish someone would change his diaper because it stinks:

And finally, here he is telling us all that he doesn't care what the constitution says, he'll be running again and if his current work to manipulate the election process is successful, he'll win a third term:

I sometimes wonder what else he is doing with AI image creation. You know, the images he creates that he doesn't post on the internet.

Based on some of his past statements about her, I'm wondering if he's creating porn images of himself and his daughter...

⧫
Yes, my back still hurts but it's not as bad as it was.

Hopefully a few more days of heating pads and ibuprofen get things straightened out.

Until then, no more picking up heavy stuff.

⧫
Here are some links:

• Dementia Donny has stepped in a big pile of shit.



• Nothing good has ever happened on a boat at 10:30 at night.



• Screw those places. Gimme Five Guys every time.

Nine game winning streak

The Red Sox beat the crap out of the Athletics last night, beating them 13-1 and winning their 9^th game in a row.

Tolle was on fire. He faced 20 batters over 6 innings, giving up 1 earned run, walking 0 and striking out 14. That is a hell of an outing.

Since the Red Sox burned up their bullpen on Thursday during the 13 inning marathon game, they had to send Weissert down the Worcester and bring up a guy named Raymond Burgos. He was able to go the last 3 innings, giving up 0 runs, 0 walks and striking out 2.

The Judges and the Rays both won as well last night so there is no change in the top of the ALEast.

But....

Since the New York Judges game was delayed by rain last night, the Red Sox finished their game before the Judges finished theirs. That meant that for a very brief time last night, the Red Sox and the Judges were tied in the ALEast:

Todays game started at 4:10 and Bennett had the start. It is currently 2-0 in favor of the Red Sox after 1 inning.

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With all the rain we've had lately, we are no longer in a "moderate drought". We are now "abnormally dry"...

If I understand how they make these determinations, we are considered abnormally dry not because the ground is dry and the rivers, streams & ponds are low. We are considered dry because historically we get a lot more rain than what we've gotten so far. If they were simply measuring the depths of the rivers, we wouldn't be in a drought, we would probably be considered just below the flood stage of most rivers.

I bring this up because when we were running errands the other day, my wife and I both commented on how high the Chicopee River was. Looking across it, it looked like it was over its normal bank and running through the brush & trees.

All I really know is that my sprinkler system hasn't run very much because of all the rain we've had and that makes me happy. It makes me happy because it means we might end up with a water bill that doesn't require a special one-time distribution from our retirement accounts...

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Here are some links:

• There is no peace deal between the US and Iran. There is only a deal on fee schedules between Iran and Oman. Once again, Dementia Donny lied when he said a deal was imminent.



• I wouldn't wish this on anyone. It's an awful thing to go through.



• If you believe this, you are dumber than a small bag of pebbles.



• Poop: Is there anything it can't do?

Eight game winning streak

Yes, the Red Sox won last night. They are now ½ a game behind the Yankees.

I was busy today so you got nothing.

Seven game streak

The Red sox won their 7^th game in a row last night and that moved them to within 1 game of the Judges.

That win was also Sonny Gray's 14^th of the season making him the American League leader in wins.

This Red Sox are doing some amazing things and the only bad thing I can say is, "Why the hell weren't they doing amazing things at the start of the season!!!"

Contreras is not in the lineup tonight. He left the game early last night due to an unspecified illness. I'm really hoping it's not related to the brain-shaking hit he took to the helmet a few days ago.

First pitch is at 7:10 tonight and Suarez has the start.

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So once again, we are all listening to Dementia Donny tell us that "a deal is imminent". What we are also hearing is that the "deal" will involve fees or tolls being collected by Iran and Oman.

Remember when shipping was free to transit the Strait of Hormuz without fear of attack and no tolls? You know, before Trump launched his attack and started making deals?

Good times...

I hope you all like paying $4.00+ for gasoline because those fees are going to drive prices up higher than they are now.

And what do you think Iran is going to do with all the money it collects? You think they're going to use it to improve the lives of their citizens? No way Jose! They are going to use it to build themselves some nuclear weapons, that's what they are going to do with it.

⧫
Yes, my back still hurts.

Yes, Salonpas is doing it's job but you can't leave the patches on all day or they'll start to eat a hole in you.

I can lay down, I can sit and I can stand up, all with no problem. It's the movement between those positions that cause me pain.

⧫
Here are some links:

• Since invoking the fifth amendment to the constitution is a constitutional right guaranteed to all citizens of the United States, how can they hold him in contempt for invoking it?



• I've always said that it's a good bet there is life somewhere else in the universe and some of it might be intelligent. I've also always said that if there is intelligent life out there, it isn't coming to Earth because we are probably considered the Florida Trailer Park of the universe..



• He is very concerned about leakage. Maybe that's why he wears diapers...



• In case you hadn't heard, Psycho Vlad is attacking Germany now.

Six game winning streak

With last nights win over the White Sox, the Red Sox are once again into a lengthy winning streak.

Don't get me wrong, they have a long way to go before they beat that 16-game winning streak last month but a 6-game streak is nothing to sneeze at.

And yes, I was able to watch the entire game.

Hopefully I can do the same thing tonight. First pitch is at 7:10 and Gray has the start.

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The lawn is mowed and thanks to my wife, I didn't have to mow all of it.

Several weeks ago, I bought a new self-propelled lawn mower and it's been a great addition to the collection of stuff I own.

This morning, I did something I've done every week for the last 35+ years - I picked up the back end of my lawn tractor to swing it out of the corner of my garage. Only today was different. Today I felt my back suddenly seize up and I got to experience a significant pain that not only made it hard to walk, it made it hard to just stand up straight.

My wife decided that she would use the new lawn mower to do the trim. She enjoyed herself (she likes yard work) and decided to do the back yard as well.

That meant all I had to do was sit on my tractor and drive around the front and side yard.

I'm still not able to walk around very well but thanks to Salonpas, I can stand comfortably. I'm hoping that sleeping is not going to be a problem.

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Here are some links:

• Key line in this story: "...Trump has said a deal (deal #39 or maybe #40) could be announced this week."



• Key headline: "No evidence? No problem."



• Apparently we are littering on the moon.



• Holy shit! They've taken this gambling thing too far.

Red Sox trades

Here is a quick recap of the trades the Red Sox made recently and what I think of them:

PTBNL^* to the Tigers - Jahmai Jones to the Red Sox.
I like this trade. Jones is a good utility guy who has come up clutch for the Red Sox in some recent games.

Connelly Early to the the Nationals - Curtis Mead to the Red Sox.
I don't think this was a good trade. I like Early and I think he's going to be an "ace" in the near future. Also, Mead got hit by a pitch in his second at-bat for the Red Sox and broke his wrist. It looks like he won't be playing for the Red Sox for probably the rest of the season.

Tyler Uberstine to the Braves - Eli White to the Red Sox.
I don't know what to think about this trade. I am uncertain what the Red Sox are going to do with another outfielder but Uberstine is a minor league pitcher and he's kinda stuck in the minors behind a strong Red Sox pitching staff. Ballplayers that are stuck in the minors aren't going to help the team make the playoffs...

Marcelo Mayer to the Giants - Erik Miller and Carlos Gutierrez to the Red Sox.
I don't know what to think about this trade. I've always thought that Mayer was overrated but I also have no idea who either Miller or Gutierrez are. Who knows, maybe they are the best thing to come along since sliced bread. I know Miller is a reliever so maybe he'll help out the bullpen.

Anthony Eyanson, Kyson Witherspoon, Enddy Azocar, Carlos Narváez and PTBNL^* to the Orioles - Adley Rutschman and Jake Rogers to the Red Sox.
I like this trade. Rutschman is currently on the IL but he's a proven hitter and a strong catcher. I do think the Red Sox may have overpaid for him but again, minor league players can't help a team right now and Narváez is struggling to hit the ball.

^{(* Player To Be Named Later)}

Time will tell if Breslow screwed up or was successful. Personally, I'm rooting for him to be successful...

Oh, and the Judges lost last night so the Red Sox are now only 2 games behind them in the ALEast.

Since the Red Sox are back in Boston, tonights game against the White Sox is being played at a normal time. First pitch is at 7:10 and Sandoval has the start.

⧫
For most of his adult life, Brain Worm Bobby has told everyone that would listen to him that the MMR vaccine causes autism. He said this without any scientific or medical evidence.

Now that there is a major measles outbreak in the United States, he says people should get vaccinated.

Let's face it people, the guy that Dementia Donny put in charge of health and human services is a mentally deficient individual who should be locked in a psychiatric hospital so he can begin receiving treatment.

I'm also not sure how safe our food is anymore, what with all the cyclospora, salmonella, E.coli and botulism rolling around out there. And yes, Brain Worm Bobby is in charge of the FDA as well as the CDC.

We are kinda screwed...

⧫
Here are a couple of links:

• I still think she'll get fired in a week or two.



• Looks like someone is unhappy with Trump.

They swept the Dodgers!

The Red Sox won last night, sweeping the Dodgers and winning their 8^th series in a row.

With that win, they are still 2½ games behind the Judges but are now only 5 games behind the Rays.

On a more humorous note, my son sent me this picture this morning:

They are off today while they travel home to Boston. Tomorrow they will start a 3-game series against the ALCentral-leading White Sox.

Since today is the trade deadline, I can tell you that the Red Sox we see play on Tuesday will not be the same Red Sox we saw play on Sunday. It appears that they have traded Carlos Narveaz along with four minor leaguers to the Orioles for a catcher named Adley Rutschman.

Supposedly Rutschman can hit but right now he is on the DL with a bum wrist, so he won't be doing much of anything for the Red Sox.

⧫
So we got some rain last night...

We got enough rain that I had two pretty large puddles in my basement. One was in the usual spot next to a crack in the back wall and the other was one I've rarely seen next to the bulkhead. It looks like the winds blew water up underneath the joint where the doors come together and it ran down the steps into the basement.

My wet/dry vac took care of the majority of the problems and now my dehumidifier is working overtime to take care of the remainder.

Trust me, every home owner should get a wet/dry vac.

⧫
Many errands were run this morning including a trip to Home Depot to pick up 60 feet of cat6 ethernet cable.

My Orbi access point in the far end of my house has been having problems establishing a good wireless backhaul connection and since it's the access point my TV uses to connect, I've finally decided it's time to eliminate the annoyance of slow internet and shitty picture display.

Tomorrow my plan is to drill a hole through the floor in the cabinet where the access point lives and pull the wire from there to the router. Once that is done, all I have to do is crimp on some ends and plug the two devices together.

Hopefully this give my end of the house a good high speed connection.

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Here are some links:

• Talk about the pot calling the kettle black...
  Near as I can tell, Dementia Donny is more duplicitous than the Iranians have ever been.



• Only in New York City.



• Looks like Psycho Vlad is no longer having his minions defenestrated.



• There are four other living ex-presidents and none of them have a no-fly zone over there house. I wonder why he thinks he will need one...

They won the series

With last nights win over the Dodgers, the Red Sox have won 2 of the 3 games in their series and are now only 2½ games behind the Judges in the wildcard race.

And Fangraphs now gives them a 81.5% chance of making the playoffs:

The MLB trade deadline is tomorrow, August 3^rd at 6:00pm so if Breslow is looking to add anyone, he will need to finalize by then. My concern is he might trade away someone that the team should hold on to. He kinda already did that when he traded away Early for Mead and that didn't work out vey well. I would hate to see Bennett or Monasterio playing for some team other than the Red Sox.

Bennett has the start tonight and the first pitch is at 7:20. That means I will hopefully be able to watch all 9 innings.

⧫
The democrats keep saying, "November is coming" like it has meaning. This tells me the democrats don't get it. They are clueless. They think they are better then the republicans and they will win big in November.

They are wrong.

Democrat candidates are, for the most part, elitist snobs who think they are better & smarter than everyone else. They think people are stupid and need to be told how to behave while maintaining their infamous, "Do what I say, not what I do" atitude. And what is even worse is their railing away at the wealthy while making millions of dollars by insider trading.

Hell, even people who are registered democrats don't really trust the democrat candidates.

Voting is the one selfish thing I do. I don't vote for a candidate that spends all of their time telling me what they are going to do for other people, I vote for the candidate who is going to do something for me. My only questions are, "What are you going to do for me and how are you going to do it?"

I'm not saying the republicans are any better, I'm saying the democrats are in disbelief that a lot of people think they are arrogant, self-centered, prissy assholes who honestly believe the rest of us are a "basket of deplorables" or we are all living in a "swamp of crazy"...

⧫
Here are some links:

• Bummer. Big Pussy Bonpensiero died. Not only was he great in The Soprano's, he made the best Pepsi commercial ever.



• Does anyone know how many times Trump has claimed that Iran agreed to something? I think there have been at least 30 times since he started this fiasco but it's probably more.



• Ain't nothin' makes being trapped in a small silver tube more tolerable than a good ol' fashion preachin'...



• There was a time not so long ago in this country where these were called "cults".



• I can't say that I believe her but I can say that she's not very bright.

Good dinners

About once a month, we go to dinner with our next door neighbors and gossip about all the other neighbors in the 'hood. Last night was that night.

We went to a place we'd never been before and I'm going to tell you, it was a damned good dinner.

We went to the Villa Napoletana in East Longmeadow and if you want some good Italian food, you should go there. I had veal & shrimp with red peppers in a excellent gorgonzola sauce.

Now, this is not to say it was the best Italian food. I'm just saying that we are adding it to the rotation. For the record, the rotation currently consists of:

• La Cucina (The Hampden House) in Hampden.
• Casa Bella in Hampden.
• Villa Napoletana in East Longmeadow.
• Center Square Grill in East Longmeadow.

As you can see, we are big fans of Italian food. The Center Square is last on the list for a reason. It's a nice place but it's not Italian...

⧫
The Red Sox have been slowly, but surely, making their way up the standings and with last nights win, they are now only 3½ games behind the Aaron Judges and only 6 games behind the Rays in the ALEast.

What is even more impressive is the fact that they have moved from last place into a tie for 3^rd place in the American league.

They won their series against the Athletics, taking 3 of the 4 games and they won the 1^st game of the 3-game series against the best team in all of MLB, the Dodgers.

My hope-o-meter is pegged so hard against the top of the scale that it's starting to bend the needle but there is one fly in the ointment...

Contreras got hit in the head with a 95mph fast ball last night and is now under concussion protocol. That means the medical staff will evaluate him through out the day today and if they detect any issues (dizziness, nausea, poor eye/hand coordination, etc..), they will put him on the DL for however long it takes.

This is bad because Contreras is one of their better hitters and they kinda need him if they want to continue their roll to the top.

Hopefully he is in tonight's lineup and all is well but as of right now (6:00 pm), the lineup has not been posted and the team has had nothing to say about his status other than, "He is being evaluated."

Update:

Contreras is not in tonight's lineup and, according to the Boston Globe, the manager says "He is doing well"

⧫
Here are some links:

• It's the famous "McDonalds Coffee Burned Her Coochie" story but more upscale.



• 650 seems like a lot to me. Does it seem like a lot to you?



• Looks like Dementia Donny got handed yet another loss. Don't worry, she'll get fired soon.



• Well, if The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization says it's true, it must be true.

No post

It's 8:30 and I don't feel like typing.

⧫
Here are a couple of links:

• Considering only about a 1,000 people attended the "celebrations", that seems like a lot of money.



• If you own a Galanz Retro Refrigerator, stop using it.

They lost

The Red Sox lost last night but they are still in the 2^nd wildcard slot and they are still in 3^rd place in the ALEast.

What is worse is the incredible bad luck they ran into head-on like a little kid learning to ride his bike next to a large brick building.

The new guy, Mead, played his first Red Sox game on Monday and it did not go well. He struck out in his first at-bat in a Red Sox uniform but he made it to first base in his second at-bet because he got hit by a pitch. He was hit on the left wrist by a fastball which, I can assure you, hurts like hell.

They took him out of the game, got him x-ray'd and it looked like he was only dealing with a bruise. They figured to give him a day or two to get the pain out of his system and then he would be back ready to play baseball.

Alas, that was not to be...

He got an MRI this morning and it turns out his wrist is fractured and he will be out for more than "a day or two".

The internet has begun the process of creating funny memes about his time with the Red Sox:

Sandoval has the start tonight and I will once again try to stay awake for at least one inning, maybe two.

⧫
When I am wrong, I'm wrong.

Turns out that the other day, when I said Gas Buddy is full of shit, I was wrong.

The website has a filter option that allows you to filter on which grade or type of fuel you are looking for and at some point I inadvertently switched from regular to premium.

When I found that little glitch in my system, I switched it back to regular and discovered that they are indeed extremely accurate:

Please allow me to apologize to the good people of Gas Buddy who offer us this excellent, and accurate, service free of charge.

⧫
It rained a little bit here today...

⧫
Here are some links:

• I disagreed with a lot of what he said but he is a pretty smart guy.



• He is probably the most oblivious individual in the United States. He actually thinks Iran is worried about him or wants to deal with him. They don't give a shit about him.



• Ukraine may have found Russia's weak spot.



• There was a time when the guards would beat the shit out of him and after a few times of getting his ass kicked, he would miraculously become more cooperative.

Interesting win

The Red Sox did not score a run until the 6^th inning last night. Fortunately, it was a grand slam hit by Rafaela and it put the Red Sox up 4-2.

And that was the score when the game ended, giving them the win.

As of this afternoon, the Red Sox remain in 3^rd place in the ALEast and are now 2 full games ahead of the Guardians in the wildcard.

Tonight's game will once again start at 9:40 and I will once again try to watch the first 2 innings. Bennett has the start.

⧫
Here are some links:

• Like I said before, it's like that movie Weekend At Bernie's. They keep propping him up and telling everyone he is fine.



• I guess she really didn't want to get married.



• I had the "pleasure" of sitting next to an influencer person at a Red Sox game last year. She was dumb as a box of crushed stone and very, very talkative.

Sacramento A's

The Red Sox are in Sacramento to start a 4-game series against the team formerly known as "The Oakland Athletics", currently known as "The Athletics" but called "The Sacramento Athletics" by me and soon to be known as "The Las Vegas Athletics" by all of Major League Baseball.

For the record, the A's kinda suck and they are currently in second-to-last place in the American League.

The problem I have with that is that the Red Sox seem to play worse against teams that are lower than them in the standings. It's almost as if they play down to their opponents level.

My hope-o-meter is kinda of sketchy for this series.

Oh, and since the games all start at 9:40 at night, I will not be watching them.

⧫
Gas Buddy is full of shit.

I filled my car and my 5 gallon gas can this morning and I paid $3.19 ($3.84 - $.05 member price - $.60 in point accrual) at the Big Y Express gas station. Gas Buddy claims the price is $4.84. That is a dollar more than the actual price.

I don't know when the problem with the Gas Buddy map started but I can tell you that up until a month ago, it was pretty accurate. Now it lies more than the federal government...

⧫
No, Pat, Willie and I have not gone golfing lately.

It's either been too damned hot, too wet, or one of us is off on some trip somewhere.

We will get out there one of these days.

⧫
Here are some links:

• If they do retry him, I hope the death penalty is back on the table.



• I have a feeling some of it is going to Trump family businesses.



• Of course it's going to be cloudy and rainy where I am.

Yea, yea, I know.

Apparently this has become a "I'll post when I feel like it" thing.

I like it.

⧫
The Red Sox are playing pretty well. They won the first game of the series, lost the next game and then won today's game. This gives them the series win.

They are currently in the #2 wildcard slot, a full 1½ games ahead of the Guardians.

They also made a trade with the Nationals. They traded pitcher Connelly Early for infielder Curtis Mead.

Mead is from Australia so I'm hoping he brings with him a certain set of descriptive verbs, nouns and adjectives that will make some people, like me, laugh out loud and other people cringe like the prudes they are...

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In other baseball news, the Worcester Red Sox swept the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. They played a 6-game series and the Shrimp never stood a chance.

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Oh, and this made me laugh out loud:

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Here are some links:

• Another clear case of car violence.



• Minnesota: It's more exciting than you think.

Oops

I forgot to post something last night.

Deal with it.

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The Red Sox take on the Blue Jays tonight and the game is being streamed on Apple TV.

That means no watching for me, just listening.

Maybe Castiglione will be on the call

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Here are some links:

• He does love his tariffs.



• Key idiotic statement in this story: "The president’s speech will be a combination of unifying yet vicious, and serious yet hilarious, all at the same time, if you can imagine that."



• "Explodes" is not the best word for that headline.

15-game winning streak

The Red Sox won game 1 of today's double-header, beating the Orioles 6-3 and tying the franchise 15-game winnings streak.

A win tonight will break the old record from 1946.

My hope-o-meter is past the top of the scale and is approaching "holy shit" range.

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Here are some links:

• The Yankees are upset spoiled little brats because MLB is not treating them like they are the best thing since sliced bread..



• I never understood what people saw in him and his music.



• Key line in this story: "Shanae Watkins allegedly concealed six handles of Tito’s Vodka and and at least 14 packages of Oscar Mayer Thick-Cut Bacon in her shoulder bag.."



• Fashion: I don't get it.

Extra busy day

Today was a very busy day so you get no post.

Also, there is no baseball tonight because it's raining.

Hopefully, tomorrow will be different.

Scrapping

This morning I took an old lawnmower and several fairly heavy pieces of metal to the scrap yard and I was given $12.00 for it.

I thought that was a heck of a windfall and I told my wife I was going to become a scrapper.

You know what a scrapper is, right? One of those crazy old guys driving around in a 1981 Dodge D-150 pickup with rusted out wheel wells and no tailgate, loaded beyond its capacity with every imaginable piece of metal, all held down by what appears to be a couple of old leather belts and three or four bungee cords.

When I suggested it to my wife, she gave me a look that indicated she thought I might have some kind of brain damage.

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According to this "expert", the Red Sox are going to have a tough time beating the Orioles.

He says this because apparently the Orioles are "surging". And by surging, what he means is they are on a 7-game winning streak.

Don't get me wrong, a 7-game winning streak is nothing to sneeze at but somehow, I don't find myself all that worried about them.

The hope-o-meter is still pegged at the top.

Oh, and Fangraphs now gives them a 58.9% chance of making the playoffs.

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Here are some links:

• I'm not going to comment on Dementia Donny and his world cup fiasco.



• If you are upset about the name of the airport you are flying into, you might have some kind of mental issue.



• Speaking of Dementia Donny...

13-game winning streak

The Red Sox have swept the Rays and have a 13-game winning streak.

I'm just going to say it - 13 games is a lot of games without a loss. Like a shitload of games.

For the record, they are now at .510 and are only 6 games out of first place in the ALEast.

Tomorrow the Red Sox welcome the Orioles into Boston to start a 3-game series. First pitch is at 7:10 and Tolle is scheduled to start.

My hope-o-meter is pegged at the top of the scale.

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Yes, I've read all the news stories about cyclospora.

No, I do not wish to discuss explosive diarrhea.

I will, however, laugh at the memes coming out of it:

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Here are some links:

• "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" is a famous latin saying that roughly translates to "Who is watching the watchers?"



• Somebody won the world cup today.



• Maybe I should get some...



• This is beginning to look more and more like that movie Weekend At Bernies.

11 game winning streak

The Red Sox won last next, extending their winning streak to 11 and for a brief moment, they were the 3^rd wildcard team. I was so happy to see that, I took a screenshot of the standings at 10:00 last night:

Unfortunately, the Twins won their game against the Cubs last night so they were tied for the 3^rd wildcard spot. I was so unhappy to see that, I took a screenshot of the standings at 4:50 this afternoon:

Fortunately, the Twins lost today's game against the Cubs so the Red Sox are once again the 3^rd wildcard team. I was so happy that I took a screenshot of the standings at 5:10 this afternoon:

If the Red Sox win this afternoon, they will not only have a 12 game winning streak, they will also take a one game lead over the Twins.

The hope-o-meter is pinged to the top of the scale.

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I had a very busy day today and now I'm watching baseball so this is all you get:

• I have a name for people that do that: Inconsiderate Asshole.



• Let the shootin' war begin. It's only a matter of time before Hegseth decides to live up to his self-imposed title of "Secretary of War" and announces a ground war.



• I think six is a lot. Don't you think six is a lot?

10-game winning streak

The Red Sox are playing a double-header today and this afternoon's game ended with the Red Sox beating up the Rays, winning the game 10-0.

Bennett had the start and he faced 21 batters over 6 innings, giving up 1 hit, striking out 3 and walking 1 batter.

That win put the Red Sox into a 3-way tie for the 3^rd wildcard slot.

All that needs to happen now is for the Twins and the Mariners to both lose and for the Red Sox to win tonight. The hope-o-meter is high.

As for tonight's game, first pitch is at 7:10 and as of right now, they have not announced a starting pitcher. I'm thinking it might be either the new guy, Sandoval, or the new guy, Rivera.

For the record, that is a wild-ass guess on my part.

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I did not watch Dementia Donny's speech last night and I understand I didn't really miss anything. Even the "expert" interpreters aren't really sure what he was talking about.

He did threaten to pull the broadcast licenses of the two national networks that did not air his ramblings.

He also claimed, repeatedly, that there were recently declassified documents that proved that China interfered in the 2020 election. Unfortunately for Donny, no one else except FOXnews thinks those documents prove anything.

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Here are some links:

• For Sale or Rent: Giant Naked Woman.



• Bonking Barbies would be a fantastic name for a 1980s all-girl punk band.



• Yet another reason I don't go to New York City.

The lawn is mowed

I managed to get my lawn mowed, finally, and it was absolutely about time. I had to empty the damned bags at least 6 times.

I also ran the sprinklers for 5 minutes because the lawn is beginning to burn and the stress of being run over by a lawn tractor was probably going to make it worse. Hopefully watering it for a few minutes relieved some of the stress.

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By the way, the price of a gallon of gasoline went up $1.00 in just the last two days...

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There is an incredible amount of repeat news so other than gasoline probably going over $5.00 a gallon tonight, I don't have much new to bitch about.

This evening, Trump is giving a speech about his favorite subject: "The Election Was Stolen From Me!" so maybe I'll complain about that tomorrow. You can rest assured that I will not be watching it simply because I get a headache listening to him say things.

I'm sure that tomorrow morning the so-called "experts" will have analyzed his speech and they will be more than happy to fill me in on what they think he said. Once I digest that bullshit, I'll try and find a transcript so I can figure out what he really said.

It'll be fun.

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Here are some links:

• This kinda sounds like a bad idea.



• Mars has bees!



• When they swore in Lindsay Graham's sister 5 days after he died, I got to rememberin' this woman.

AL wins

The American League won last nights All Star game, which means absolutely nothing...

There is no benefit to winning the game other than the players on the winning team get $25,000 each.

Not sorry I didn't watch it.

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I got to thinking the other day about how great everything was going to be once Dementia Donny got elected. Then I thought about all the things he said after he got elected.

Remember when he said we would all get "DOGE" checks from all the money he was saving us? What happened to them? And what about those tariff checks he said he would be sending out? I sure could use those checks.

Remember when he said he would lower the price of prescription drugs by "1,500" percent? I would like to get paid to get medicated.

Remember when he said starting on day one of his presidency he would lower grocery prices and end the war in Ukraine? I'd settle for lower grocery prices...

Remember when he said he would release every one of the Epstein files?

Remember when he dug up the Rose Garden and Jacqueline Kennedy Memorial? And when he knocked down the east wing of the White House and said the new ball room would be paid for by private donations?

I'm sure glad I remember those things because it seems like no one in the executive branch of the federal government remembers them...

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Canada is on fire and the smoke is rolling through my neighborhood.

This is what it looked like from my front porch at 2:45 this afternoon:

They say we're going to enjoy this for the next few days.

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Here are some links:

• I know a lot of cops and not a single one of them has ever executed anyone during a traffic stop.



• Thank goodness for that.



• New York Post: The only newspaper you will ever need...

Baseball is a weird business

The winner of last night's Home Run Derby was a young man named Jordan Walker. The prize for winning that contest was $1,000,000.

Jordan Walker is a pre-arbitration eligible player which means he earns league minium. That is currently $780,000

So in one night, Jordan Walker earned more money in one night than he gets paid to play all season long.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

As for the Netflix coverage of the event, it sucked huge.

It was one of the worst broadcast coverages of any sport event I've ever watched.

I do not understand why MLB thinks putting games on pay-for-view networks is a good idea.

It's not a good idea, it's stupid idea. Baseball viewership has been declining pretty steadily for the last several years and this is one of the reasons why.

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The All Star game is at 8:00 tonight and I might watch a bit of it. FOX is carrying the game which means listening to Joe Davis and John "I wouldn't have thrown that pitch" Smoltz.

Again, I love watching baseball but the All Star game has traditionally been a joke to watch. The tv coverage kinda sucks because they keep showing everything except the ball game. They show the announcers chit-chatting about some guy who is not there, they show the field reporter interviewing some celebrity he found in the stands, shit like that.

I'll probably watch the first two innings and then flip over to the cooking channel. Who knows, maybe someone will actually be doing some cooking instead of participating in a game show hosted by Guy Fieri...

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Here are some links:

• Key line from the US Secretary of State in this story about Trump collecting tolls in the Straits of Hormuz: "No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway. That’s existing international law."



• So basically the developers were flippers, which is not necessarily a bad thing. I mean, someone had to fix that eyesore.



• I cannot say this enough: If someone calls you and says you have a problem that money can solve, hang up the damned phone.



• Damn right there should be no charges filed.