Watching Your Country Dissolve
As I scour twitter in the earliest hours looking for anything that might qualify as interesting SF Giants news, this is what popped up on my timeline:
n9y25ah7
So what did the nation’s idiot press secretary just tweet out? His twitter password? A nuclear code?
Either way, I expect this to get deleted soon with some bullshit excuse about why he tweeted something so stupid looking.
We are in a state of national crisis and no one seems to care about doing anything about it. Congress appears happy to sit passively by and watch this *carnage* unfold.
The people are going to have to rise up and fix this. Although, they’re the ones who fucked us into this position in the first place.
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
Just have to echo what an idiot Spicer is. 1st impressions mean something, and every time our country has something going on worthy of press attention that idiot will be the face of it. Not good. His rant about the crowd size might have been funny if he wasn’t serious, istead pathetic and sad
On to baseball. Holland signed with the Rocs for $7 mil. Why not us? GRR
Same question all of us have asked MSD – why the fuck didn’t Evans go land Holland. SMH…
This first week or so of the Trump administration has been surrealistic. I have tried to be hopeful that I would find “something” in his actions around which to support him, but it just is not happening. You are right, the people need to rise up. I have been actively signing petitions, writing letters to my representatives, etc. on a whole slew of topics. And where the opportunity presents itself, I will join in protests and marches. Grab your pitchforks and torches boys…it’s going to be a wild ride! Stand and Fight, Patriots. We cannot allow this dickhead and his cronies to destroy all of the hard work and progress that we have made as a country on topics such as human rights, the environment, getting money out of politics, etc.
So, on a more positive note…
Only 19 daze until pitchers and catchers report. Giddy up and play some fucking baseball!
We didn’t sign Holland for the same reason we never sign guys like this: because the basic spots of our line up have been filled. Evans doesn’t seem to think we need anyone else for the the later innings and I couldn’t disagree more.
Today’s championships are built from the ground up and the ground is made up of a stacked bullpen. We added ONE guy to the worst bullpen in the league. NOT GOOD ENOUGH.
Yep. I would have felt so much better had we inked Holland. Set-up guy and in case something went south with Melancon, we would have a guy who had been a proven closer. I still expect our team to be in the middle of the hunt, again, but the insurance in another arm like Holland would have been sweet.
Agreed. This season seems to me like outside of the top 4 guys in the rotation, everything else is a house of cards. Hoping for bounce back seasons from Pence, Panik, and all the rest of the shaky bullpen. Just hope on top of hope, and it’s a bit unnerving. But, it’s just baseball. And after a bad day at the yard you can still go home, brush it off and go back at it the next day.
Re: Mac’s 2:14 yesterday, Ed Norton/Swanee river. I remember that one classis Honeymooners.
One of best lines from a show where Ralph is in trouble over dues to Moose Lodge:
He’s begging the wife for money and says, “Alice do you know how embarrassing it would be to be kicked out of the Moose Lodge?”
And she says, “Yeah. It’s embarrassing enough just to be in it.”
Applicable to those currently running the country (into the ground).
Big props to Edd for the personal message he sent me. Thumbs up!
Wish we saw Edd around here more frequently. We need to organize a Flapalooza this year, fellas. You going to be in town during the season, Blade?
I come back in April for a few weeks (mostly, in case I do not get my taxes done on this trip). Linh is due in late July/early August, so doubtful until September . . . and maybe longer, if I can get a 5 year residency Visa from the Vietnamese government.
I don’t like to get into politics here, but I work for the VA and this federal hiring freeze is foolhardy and irresponsible. Not in my facility so much, but in facilities in the boonies where they already have a hard time getting and keeping doctors and nurses, stopping the process of bringing them in is going to be even more detrimental to our Vets. I understand that there is a lot of problems with the Federal beaurocracy and they need to be addressed, but not like this. Don’t even get me started on this ridiculous wall. We can’t afford the ACA, but we can afford to waste billions of dollars on a fence that won’t work? This guy is dangerously brash and completely unwilling to listen to reason, we are in for some very troubling times ahead.
Good post. My sentiments as well.
Great post. I am probably one of those MORE inclined to get into politics (because I am SO passionate about our country, etc.). We must stand united and let the orange-haired fool and his cronies know that we will not tolerate his wanting to run our great nation into the ground. I have been VERY busy signing petitions and writing letters to my elect reps, and will also participate in civil disobedience when I can. STAND AND FIGHT! Trump can suck on it!
Preface this by saying that Fantasy League is different from “reality,”e.g., defense is not evaluated. Similarly, few leagues count “holds” for pitching. However, I was a bit surprised that in these detailed fantasy league rankings, that the Giants only had one player (Posey) in each top 10 position ranking list. Personally, I think Belt should have been in the 1st base top 10 list and possibly Craw.
Regarding pitchers, Bumgarner, Cueto and Melancon made the starting pitcher and closer lists, but all are too far down each respective list (especially Bumgarner and Melancon IMO).
Basically, the Giants suck because bombs are big in rotisserie leagues and the Giants rarely hit them. I don’t play fantasy leagues anymore, but I found these rankings mildly entertaining and useful insofar as having a baseline for daily fantasy league (which I do play).
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2688936-fantasy-baseball-2017-stat-predictons-for-the-the-top-10-players-per-position?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=mlb
This Giants fan and baseball journalist (check out some of her stuff on fangraphs) is rising up persuasively, perhaps effectively. Her newsletters are succinct and loaded with good links.
http://tinyletter.com/awayforward
Maybe the Giants got scared off while watching Holland’s showcase, maybe they didn’t want another Boras client, maybe they didn’t like the one year opt out clause, or maybe Holland wanted a better shot at being the closer and being able to get good bud. Don’t know, but I still think not having to use a closer by committee will go a long way in improving our pen.
This current administration is taking trumpery to new levels, which is scary enough, but I also feel they are involved in some complex shell games. I think the game is to distract everyone with complete horseshit, so that nobody is watching what they are really doing. As an example, making a bullshit claim about illegal voters could really be so they can create even more voter restrictions out there and/or use the “investigation” to create an immigration registry. Gotta remember who Trump’s advisers are…
When I saw this clip of Drunk Sean Spicer on Jimmy Kimmel the other night, I cracked up, but now I feel like this shit is too real to be funny anymore. Still, if you haven’t seen it, here it is.
I’d told friends of mine who are Fox News fans that election wouldn’t affect my day to day life, however..
The trade/tariffs stuff might.
Co. I work for is in retail end of travel goods, virtually all of which are made overseas. Primary reason is for cutting and sewing of fabric, whether it be for luggage, briefcases, backpacks or shoulder bags. Those doing the work are paid a daily salary about equal to an hour (or less) what it would cost for work to be done here.
Holding down these costs are what allows for bags to be sold at reasonable prices here for American consumers.
Once saw a documentary film on Chinese workers living in cubicles in dormlike conditions adjacent to the factory where they sewed and trimmed jeans under contract with shipping deadline that forced 10-12 hour days. They were allowed the vacation time during Lunar New Year to visit family, but some could not afford to leave. Owner of factory of course, drove a Mercedes.
I had a student who interned under me and he has spent time in China and worked in a lab in similar conditions. They had to live in the dorms there and after they paid the factory back for their accommodations had just enough money left over to buy a little food and some personal hygiene items. Only wayou he was able to get out of it, was his parents had the means to pay for him to leave. Many others were not so fortunate.
Very much like the U.S. during its first century of industrialization. The company towns and all that. Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle” is a great novel about that.
Speaking of “dissolve,” people watching the video of Melania’s facial expression dissolve after Trump gives her an extended look has people making all kinds of speculation about their relationship. She doesn’t look happy. But who knows?
Zum, read this article which provides possible explanations (by body language experts) about their behavior/relationship.
http://www.playground.plus/news/the-meaning-behind-the-tense-body-language-between-the-trumps-at-the-presidential-inauguration/
Yeah, it sure looks that way.
One of the most inspirational baseball stories I’ve read in quite awhile:
http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/18512563/matt-imhof-says-defined-worst-day
I remember when Ishikawa had an injury from those type of straps, but a less severe one than Imhoff.
I’ve told the story on the Flap before about the time I got hit in the mouth by a batted ball as a kid. In retrospect, getting hit in the mouth was a better alternative than the nose or eye.
Buy gold. At some point soon the market will crash.
The new sect’y of labor is fast food mogul Andy Puzder. Anti-union, anti-overtime pay, anti-minimum wage.
Sect’y pf education Betsy DeVos is anti-public school, pro-gov’t funded Catholic school, pro-voucher maven who singlehandedly destroyed the Detroit public school system.
Rick Perry is in charge of the nukes.
We either have foxes guarding the henhouse or idiots running the asylum.
“We either have foxes guarding the henhouse or idiots running the asylum.” ALL THE ABOVE.
Dawg, this is for you . . . One of the most comprehensive, insightful, and entertaining articles about DeMarcus Cousins and the Kings I’ve ever read.
http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/page/presents2/is-demarcus-cousins-sacramento-kings-real-problem
Is there actually a Pro Bowl game this weekend? Does that game still happen? What a joke. A travesty. And now the NBA All-Star game is getting just as bad. Last year’s score was 196-173. Seriously? Who needs that? The baseball All-Star game, by far, is the best one, even though pitchers generally dominate the hitters in that one.
For the NBA All-Star game they should raise the rim to 11 feet.
Bet that would spark interest…
fuck that. Lower it to 8.
If you haven’t seen it already, google “Trump inauguration bad lip sync”. I would post it if I wasn’t on my phone. I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time.
We have a country populated by a lot of pissed off people. IMO, lots of them knew voting for Trump was a crapshoot. Some others figured, yeah, he’s going to get me a job. Unfortunately, neither type made an educated vote, it was a protest, pissed off vote. Plus, the other major alternative choice was terrible, with lots of baggage, real and then made up by the oppo, including the Russians. Yeah, let’s build a $15 billion fence that will do nothing much to stop illegals, and won’t do much for the economy because it doesn’t produce anything. Meanwhile, yeah, let’s take away health insurance for 20 million people, many who will die without it…
The Mexico fence should be designed by the company that built triples alley.
It’ll work fine…
I predict the next 4 years will be as chaotic and full of demonstrations and public uproar as the ’60s and Vietnam. People will get sick and tired of this Drumpfputz fairly quickly. Especially when he tanks the economy. If a tariff war starts because of his idiocy, look out. That is essentially what pushed the Great Depression into the depths. Take a look at the Smoot-Hawley tariff. Pushed by the Republikans, and signed by Hoover. My father would swear freely anytime somebody mentioned the name Herbert Hoover. We may have now his modern-day comrade…
People that demonstrated in the 60’s stood for something. Most demonstrators nowadays are attention starved jerkoffs who have nothing better to do (see occupy Wall Street)…
I don’t see it that way at all, Loo. Trump is going to turn on the motivation in lots of people…
I respect your opinion very much, Snarkk.
I just think this stuff will die down, like everything else usually does…
This has the potential to be a big league disaster. I’m serious about gold. Rick Perry is in charge of the nukes. Roll tht one around your noodle a few times. The guy who couldn’t the remember 3 departments he wanted to eliminate (including the one he now runs) holds the nuclear codes.
In the end, a trade war with Mexico jacks up prices here. As usual, the people get fucked for Trump’s childish ideas about trade. And gee, let’s fuck around with China. What’s the worst that could happen there?
They call their markers?
Who’d have thunk it would be easier to get a pot card than a green card? Legalize drugs before immigration. ~Cristela
I am still pulling for Trump to have a good presidency, but one week in and I am now waiting for him to go ballistic when the real world intervenes.
Apparently an unofficial comment from a White House official was enough to crash the peso. What’s 20% added to the cost of a Tahoe suv? He did say private money would help build the wall. maybe if Mexico provides the labor we can keep the costs down.
Go Gigantes! 2017 baby!
I watch a lot of college b-ball, particularly west coast. Guard play and perimeter scoring have become tantamount to success of teams like Arizona Oregon UCLA and Gonzaga, St. Mary’s too. All have at least one good post but multiple outside threats to compliment them. USC beat Bruins the other night because of superior guard play including a guy who came off bench and rained 3s while UCLA was off their game on the road.
I think this will be deciding factor when Stanford visits Cal tmw. Cal guards so much more athletic and better outside shooters and they do have the only lottery pick on the floor in Ivan Rabb. Stanford has had to play last couple weeks without inside scoring threat Reid Travis, a tough player who makes a difference when he is in there. Without him the replacements aren’t near as effective either end of floor and will allow Cal to lock down on outside shooters.
Cards need influx of talent to get any farther than Johnny Dawkins took them. I like their new coach but he ain’t going anywhere except NIT (if lucky) with what he has. In this league they have to have better shooters and scorers at G and be more athletic (yes I’m being p-c here) overall.
I personally don’t have too big of a problem with the wall and the trade war bullshit as I do the social issues (woman’s rights, gay marriage, and all the other conservative Christian bullshit). The tomatoes from Mexico suck anyway.