Time to reset

It's time for the Red Sox to reset and come into tonights game with a winning attitude!

At least, that's what I'm hoping their coaching staff is telling them because man, they sucked yesterday.

First pitch is at 6:45 and Tolle has the start.

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We had two houseguests today.

My daughter had some work being done at her house today. Rather than leave the dogs there alone to bark and panic over the strangers working in the backyard, she brought them over to our house to spend the day with us where they could bark and panic over any small sound in our backyard. The difference is we were here to say, "Hey, it's okay. It's just an acorn falling out of a tree."

They are good girls and are always welcome here.

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Here are some links:

• I realized this afternoon that we haven't gotten any recent updates on how Mitch McConnell was doing. I'm assuming he's still dead.



• Hey! Tommy Flanagan is back in the news!



• This is... different...

Two losses

The Red Sox lost last night, getting beat by the Judges 9-2.

This afternoon, they went and got their asses kicked by the Judges, losing 16-1.

Yes, you read that correctly, they lost 16-1.

They are now 4 games behind the Judges and 8 games behind the Rays

They are on their way back to Boston where tomorrow they will start a 3-game series against the Mariners.

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Today we dethatched and mowed the lawn. Man, I pulled a lot of crap out of that lawn with that tow-behind dethatcher thing.

My wife did the edges and around the trees with the push mower ao we were able to get the entire lawn done in less than 2 hours which isn't bad considering I have to stop every row to empty the bag of all the dead grass the dethatcher ripped out.

After that, I watched the Red Sox get massacred.

That means I did not spend a lot of time surfing the interwebs for news.

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Here are a some links:

• The Patriots first game is in 10 days.



• Apparently the US still has some munitions.



• Key line in this story: "One official summed up the Hegseth approach as: 'Bombs away!'"



• Seems to be a lot of floods lately.

A loss and a win

The Red Sox lost last night, getting beat 1-0 by the Judges.

The Red Won won this afternoon, beating the Judges 6-0.

Tonights game is at 7:15pm and Gamboa has the start. That means he will go as long as he can before they pull him and put Bello in.

In all honesty, I never have the warm fuzzies when Bello is pitching. Sometimes he's great and other times he sucks. I hope tonight is one of the good nights.

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Dementia Donny has lied about pretty much everything he's ever talked about. The list of things he has lied about is longer than a New York City phone book. Things like, "The economy is doing great!" or "Gas prices are coming down!" or "I did not rape that woman!" and my personal favorite, "The election was stolen! Stolen I tell you!"

He is a pathological liar and he can't help himself. It's gotten to the point where if DD says one thing and Iran says something different, I believe Iran.

Having said that, if there is one time that I really hope he is telling the truth, it's this time.

If his administration was able to put together a 100 year deal with an oil producing nation that is not controlled by a religious dictatorship, it would be great. Particularly if it's good for both us and the Venezuelans.

Unfortunately, I don't believe him...

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The little league world series is currently going on and, as is always the case, the network covering the games does a small profile on each player. As part of the profile, they usually ask a question like, "Who is your favorite baseball player?" or "What is your favorite movie?"

This year, the question they asked was, "What is your dream job?"

Daniel Huang of Canada gave the best answer:

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Here are some links:

• Key line in this story: "...deportation advocate Milo Yiannopoulos was deported Friday..."



• This is why you should always lock your doors.

Two losses.

The Patriots lost their final preseason game last night, getting beat 13-37 by the Browns.

Their next game will be on September 9^th when they go to Seattle to open their season against the Seahawks.

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The more important loss was the Judges losing to the Astros last night. This means the Red Sox are once again only 2 games behind the Judges in the ALEast.

Fangraphs is now giving the Red Sox a 98.5% chance of making the playoffs.

The hope-o-meter is high that the Red Sox will win this series against the Judges and overtake them in the standings.

First pitch is at 7:15 and Sandoval has the start. Hopefully he goes at least 6 innings because this 4-game stretch is gonna be a grind and the bullpen is going to get used heavily. Particularly on Saturday with the double-header.

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I'm pleased to inform you that Dementia Donny has once again discovered AI.

Here he is giving Dolly Parton, a dead person, a tour of the White House.

That would be the same Dolly Parton who turned him down twice when he invited her to the White House to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. On the other hand, she also turned down Biden. Appareantly she kept her political beliefs to herself.

Here we see that he has used his mugshot to portray himself as "THE GREATEST" when in fact he is not. He's also not "THE AVERAGEST" or the "THE MEDIOCOREST".

The guy surely does love himself.

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Here are some links:

• This is a pretty good write-up about Dementia Donny's "Special Military Operation" against Iran.



• Brain Worm Bobby and his FDA guys are doing a bang-up job...
  (By the way, if you are stupid enough to eat iceberg lettuce after all the news stories, you deserve to have the hershey squirts)



• I'm no financial genius but seems to me that higher interest rates might cause businesses to slow which will raise unemployment.



• This is not looking good for the Patriots.



• This kid is 20 years old and he did nothing to anyone. He should be living the life of a college student, not living in fear of his life.

Sometimes they lose

The Red Sox lost to the Marlins last night.

Since both the Rays and the Judges won last night, the Red Sox have fallen back to 6 games behind the Rays and 2½ behind the Judges.

They are off tonight and tomorrow they start 4-game series against the Judges. It's a 4-game series because they are playing a double-header on Saturday. That will be a makeup of a rainout from June 6^th.

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There may not be any baseball but there is football.

The Patriots will play their final preseason game against the Browns tonight.

Kickoff is at 8:00 and the game is being streamed on Prime. Since I get Prime, I will be able to fullfill my sportings needs tonight.

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In all honesty, this worries me.

The Red Sox started winning games and became a .500+ team when their "big guys" all went down with injuries and several players got called up from AAA Worcester.

What makes anyone think the Red Sox will continue to be a winning team once those guys come back and the other guys get sent back down?

I have nothing against Story, Anthony or Falefa but I really like Sogard, Seigler and Gaspar. It will be a shame if they send those guys down to AAA and the Red Sox start to lose again.

I'm just getting used to them being a winning team...

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Here are some links:

• The dipshit has no idea that "Ontario" is an Iroquoi word meaning "sparkling waters" and has nothing to do with the Canadians.



• I am not shocked by this. We are one of the most corrupt states in the nation.



• I am also not shocked by this. He lied about everything during his confirmation hearings.



• Key load of bullshit in this story: "I don’t want to comment on that, but they’re not going to attack."

Eleven innings

The Red Sox beat the Marlins last night but it took them 11 innings. And for the record, I watched all 11 innings.

Both teams struggled to score runs and by the 6^th inning, they were in a 2-2 tie. It stayed that way until the 10^th when both teams scored one more run each and the went into the 11^th in a 3-3 tie.

In the 11^th inning, the Red Sox managed to load the bases and Duran came up with 1 out. The 2^nd pitch he saw was a 80mph sinker that he sent into the upper deck for a grand slam home run. This gave the Red Sox a 7-3 lead and a 5-game winning streak.

Since the Judges lost last night, the Red Sox are now only 1½ games behind them in the ALEast

They play their final game against the Marlins this evening. First pitch is at 6:40 and Gray has the start.

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This is the thing I don't understand about military people that support Trump. He thinks you are losers and he shits on your service.

Personally, Trump lost me the day he insulted John McCain, a man with more honor and ethics in his little fingernail than Trump has in his entire bloated body.

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Here are some links:

• He was an odd duck.



• Our state motto should be, "Massachusetts: We're almost as corrupt as Illinois!"



• Talk about a group of people that never did anything to anybody. Leave the Amish alone.

Four in a row

The Red Sox are on a 4-game winning streak and they are now only 2½ games behind the Judges.

Last night's game was a great game. Suarez did okay but the bullpen was the star. Also, the Marlins bullpen kinda imploded. None of their pitchers could find the strike zone.

Tonight they play game 2 of their series against the Marlins. First pitch is at 6:40 and Tolle has the start.

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Dementia Donny is threatning to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America.

How long before the Canadians threaten to rename Lake Erie to Lake Canada?

He also appears to be scheming to get the newest aircraft carrier, the USS Doris Miller, renamed to the USS Trump.

He is the world's largest narcissistic baby...

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Here are some links:

• She was talented, kind and generous.



• He is a lying sack of shit and the owner of the first tanker that blows up should sue the shit out of him.



• Furry Winged Humanoids would be a fantastic name for a 1990s punk rock band.



• There is a very real possibility that this may not be satire.

Well, here we go again

Dementia Donny is once again threatening Canada and this time the Candians are not rolling over. If they cut off the supplies of nickel, potash, natural gas and electricity, we are going to be in a world of hurt.

Nickel is used in a lot of military applications. Without it, the US military will have a difficult time keeping up with all the bombs & missiles the President of Peace (PP) wants to drop on Iran (and a few other places).

Potash is used in the fertilizer industry. Without it, we will have poor crop yeilds and possible crop failures.

New York and a lot of New England are big users of electricity supplied by Canada.

And last, but not least, almost all of the natural gas used in New York and New England comes from Canada.

This is going to hurt all of us in the northeast which is a place that Trump does not care about because we are blue states and he hates blue states.

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I cannot say this loud enough and often enough:

HANG UP THE DAMNED PHONE!

If someone calls you with a story about a problem you need to fix or a situation a relative is in or maybe even a legal problem you personally have, hang up the phone. Do not ask them any questions, do not tell them anything at all.

It's so easy to just hang up the phone so go ahead and hang up the phone.

If they call you back, hang up the phone again.

If you have a way to block the number they are calling from, do that.

If you can't block the number, either ignore the call or just pickup and immediately hang up.

If you are concerned, call your local police department non-emergency number and ask to speak with the supervisor on duty. Explain to them what just happened.

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Here are some links:

• Thanks to Dementia Donny, Musk & his DOGE and Brainworm Bobby, we currently have thirteen active/ongoing foodborne illness outbreaks.
  For the record, thirteen is a lot.



• Key name in this story: "Johnny Turnip"...



• To screw things up, you need a computer. To really screw things up, you need AI.

A sweep

The Red Sox won last night and again today which means they swept the Giants.

The Judges and the Rays both won today but they also both lost last night. That means the Red Sox picked up a game in the standings. They are now 3 games behind the Judges and 6 games behind the Rays.

The Red Sox are now heading down to Miami where tomorrow they will start a 3-game series against the Marlins.

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The Patriots beat the Eagles last night and once again, DeVito had a pretty good game.

Their final pre-season game will be this Thursday against the Browns.

Fortunately the Red Sox will not be playing on Thursday so no channel flipping needed.

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Here are some links:

• I'm confused. I thought the Supreme Court ruled that Dementia Donny had no authority to impose tariffs?



• And he will lose.



• This is probably worse than finding a leak in the hot water heater.

Channel flipping?

The Red Sox will play the Giants at 7:10 tonight and the Patriots will play the Eagles at 7:00 tonight.

Yes, I know the Patriots game is preseason and doesn't matter but it's still football and I like football.

Since we recently got rid of our cable boxes, I use the Spectrum app to watch television now. That app does not have a picture-in-picture option so I guess I'll be channel flipping tonight.

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Speaking of the Red Sox, they won last night, beating the Giants 6-4.

They are currently 4 games behind the Judges and 7 games behind the Rays in the ALEast.

They are also 5½ games ahead of the Rangers in the wildcard standings.

There are 34 games left in the regular season so they have plenty of time to move up or down in the standings. My preference would be for them to move up...

Sandoval has the start tonight and as I said above, the first pitch is at 7:10.

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Here are some links:

• I guess today the tariffs are on. We'll see what tomorrow brings.



• I have a bad feeling that the Iranians might be right.



• If you happen to be in New Mexico, watch where you step...

No post tonight

Busy day

Insert catchy title here.

I have no catchy title for this post so feel free to make up your own.

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The Red Sox did not win last night so no sweep for them.

It took 10 innings for the Diamondbacks to beat the Red Sox but beat them they did, winning the game 7-6.

Tonight they are off for a much needed break and tomorrow they will start a 3-game series against the Giants.

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Here are some links:

• Seems to me that MrPillows should have to prove he even has $850,000 in free cash before they start spending the money.



• Looks like there might be a little falling out between Dementia Donny and his BFF, Krazy Kim III.



• Looks like Psycho Vlads little "special military operation" isn't going to well for the people of Russia.



• Back in the good old days, we didn't have these kind of problems because they flew a plan around town spraying some kind of insecticide that probably caused cancer or something.



• Key line in this story: "unhealthy obsession".



• Do you know what happens when scientists start analyzing societal assumptions? They sometimes discover that the assumptions are wrong.



• Did you know that the federal government owes the social security trust fund more than $2½ trillion (with a "T")?

Another good win.

The Red Sox had another excellent outing last night, beating the Diamondbacks 9-4.

Todays game started at 4:10 and Tolle had the start.

It is currently in the 6^th inning and the score is 3-2 in favor of the Diamondbacks

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When it comes to tariffs, Dementia Donny flip-flops around more than a fish out of water.

Tariffs. No tariffs. Tariffs. No tariffs....

Today is tariffs but tomorrow could be no tariffs.

Nobody knows. I'm pretty certain DD doesn't know. He's winging it.

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Here are some links:

• Apparently Lake Mead is a dumping ground for dead people.



• Key line in this story: "...Lodge took organs, brains, faces, and other body parts..." Kinda makes me wonder what the "other" body parts were...



• China: Don't ride the subways there...

Excellent win last night

The Red Sox ran all over the Diamondbacks last night, beating them 11-1.

They are back at it again tonight. Suarez has the start and first pitch is at 7:10

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I went to junior high and high school with Balise. I didn't like him then and I don't like him now.

Having said that, I think Gulluni has some valid points.

This whole court house thing has turned into a pissing match between rich guys who don't give a shit about anyone but it should never have gotten that far. Our state government is once again screwing the western part of the state by being as cheap as possible. They are also, once again, awarding contracts to non-residents. If this court house was being built in Boston, it would be constructed by a Boston firm and the state would gladly pay a premium, claiming it will be something the people can be proud of.

Attention Boston - start the process over, do it right and don't screw western Mass over by cheaping out.

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Here are some links:

• He just keeps trying to scrape that shit off his shoes...



• It should be legal to throw rocks at these people. Not big rocks, just little annoying rocks that sting and make them cry like the babies they are



• I'm thinking Psycho Vlad might be losing his special military operation...

Another loss

The Red Sox lost yesterday and they are now 3 games behind the Judges & 8½ games behind the Rays.

They are moving in the wrong direction...

They are back in Boston where tonight they take on the Diamondbacks. First pitch is at 7:10 and the starter is Gamboa.

I'm not entirely sure why Gamboa has the start but I suspect this is going to be one of those sketchy, "Give us two innings and then we'll have Bello come in to relieve you" kind of games.

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So Dementia Donny is now threatening to "bomb the shit out of Oman" if they don't go along with his way of thinking about the Strait of Hormuz.

One thing I'm noticing about DD is that he sure likes to threaten to bomb people. I'm no psychiatrist but I'm pretty sure that we used to call anyone was walking around threatening to blow people up, "criminally insane".

When he started this fight with Iran, he stepped into a big pile of shit and he has spent the last 5 months trying to scrape it off his shoes. The only thing he's accomplished is spreading his shit around.

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Here are some links:

• I'm telling you, it's Weekend At Bernie's with this guy.



• He'll threaten our allies with random bombings but he's good friends with our enemies.



• I have never understood why the media thinks "I don’t have a dog in the fight in this one. May the best team win" is a provocative comment.



• This is going to smell really bad for several weeks.

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.

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Guess who is abnormally dry!

It's nice not being in a drought.

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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

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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.

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

DeVito is the quarterback for this game.

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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...

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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.

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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...

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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...

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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...

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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"...

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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...

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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"

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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.