Awake

I had wanted to watch the latest Netflix arrival, but due to work/clean out emails/etc., I didn't get to.  Alas.  There is time.  My work project will carry over to next week...but if things go as I expect, the heavy lifting will recede for a few weeks, which will be nice.

I wonder if Francona got a little too cute with the PHs Wednesday -- specifically, Almonte for Gimenez; I mean, you were down 4 at the time, I don't think the switch in bats meant anything, especially when, as it turned out, Perez had to bat for himself...not that I think he is a 1-22 hitter, but...he is the worst hitter right now, and that is what matters.  Almonte is not a LOT better, but he IS better.

Wonder if they will make a move...you'd think teams -- like the Cubs -- would make one sooner, rather than later, just because you may win a game or two more than you expected, and baseball has proven that ONE game matters, and it matters a lot sometimes.

I made a point to look at the arms today, and it just looks better; I mean, I have some nascent muscular development.  I should have done this a decade ago (as with everything else) but it is something I have going for me, at least.

Miracle

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-07-26/why-it-s-so-hard-to-build-affordable-housing-it-s-not-affordable

I've blogged about this a couple of times, but...I think the old crazy idea of just building housing and worrying about who can live in it -- i.e., poorer people moving into fine-but-not-so-swank units -- might just work. It would be easier and simpler, and I think you'd actually improve the housing stock along the way by not being stuff that might be crappy later on.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/the-anxiety-for-democrats-are-more-leaks-to-come/2016/07/25/0d8798e8-5282-11e6-bbf5-957ad17b4385_story.html?wpisrc=nl_politics&wpmm=1

My first thought, upon reading this, was later summarized by Reince Priebus...they wrote the emails, didn't they? I mean, I realize the Dems can claim ignorance when it comes to computer security, but...in this day and age, especially among "high-value" targets, you really have to assume EVERYONE is reading something else.

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/07/hillary-clinton-emails-history-214095

Well, women lie, you know.  :)  More seriously, I've always disliked her since the whole "vast right-wing conspiracy" bit; either she was a blithering idiot to be so credulous to think that this time Bill wasn't cheating, or she knew damn well he was and decided to (poorly chosen, I think) make this into a partisan crusade.  I don't think she is that dumb, so...

The Tribe had NO business winning tonight, none.  After getting swept, they NEEDED this win, and, well, they played like horseshit; three errors, Salazar was off (Crockett is pitching well now), Manship had the quick hook (if only Shaw got the treatment; more immediate is the concern that the #3 reliever is shitting the bed now), and the second-best team in the NL...and Washington threw the game late.  I don't think tomorrow will bode well, but splitting two with the Nationals seems a hell of a lot better than a five-game losing streak...

buying

As always, Mr. Not Blogging has an excuse -- work and the convention, which occupied a good deal of time.  Glad it wasn't a train wreck, and while listening to Donald Trump talk about Our Party..well, it's a little jarring...it wasn't the worst convention in the world.  I am not sure all of the criticism of the tone of the speech is correct; people aren't doing well, a lot of them, and I suspect that economic confidence isn't even that high among people in the middle classes...so I think the Donald has an avenue there.  Now, I still don't think he can be...well, not Trump for the rest of the year, but, well, why not?

Watched "Mildred Pierce" over the week -- it was really a good film; sort of film noir, but also not quite.  The book seemed even more interesting (it was written by the man who did The Postman Always Rings Twice, I think), so I would check it out if I didn't have 800 more or so to go through.  I finished up a WW1 book over the weekend, and am now on to Sowell's Wealth, Poverty, and Politics.
The Tribe losses were most unpleasant, as will reinforce a certain suspicion that the Tribe benefits from playing weaker teams especially in the division...I agree, largely, though the rotation can beat anyone...they just won't get the run support when running into better teams.  For all the talk of Lucroy, I suspect Chris Sale will also be available...

Party!

Busy weekend -- family party, made a jello, brunch with Mom, and some work.  Rah.  Convention and Tribe game going on...tough to do both.  I was amused...the Tribe broadcasters were wondering how the Tribe would do without Yan Gomes...well, considering the season he's had, I think they'll be ok.  To be sure, no one wants to see him hurt, but it does allow Roberto Perez to show his stuff, and if he is even average..well, it will be an improvement.  I also pointed out to a co-worker that ideally, Gomes will be back in time to be the 3rd catcher for the September callups, which should allow us some chance to see what he can do.

Watched "Medium Cool" on TCM last night...interesting.  I liked it, not loved it, but I did appreciate the cinema verite approach, and, with the convention on us...well, quite timely.  I made a joke to a coworker that GOPers could protect their own convention...especially given the CPD's...well, unique brand of competence.  That, as you can imagine, went over fairly well.

Double event

Posting two days in a row...making my blog normal again.  :)  No, today was...just a day.  Work was busy but not busy enough.  Went to the gym, workout was ok; I can tell I am sleep-deprived and am prolly not eating as well.  I mean, better sleep would go a longer way, I think, to boosting my health.  Came home late (had to grocery shop) and then off to clean/watch Tribe/catch up on stuff.  Not unproductive, but...not restful, either.

Carrasco had a good start, though, of course, it's against the Twins.  I note the Tribe has 12 pitchers (not that it will last) and that Gonzalez is up.  I would like to see him; like TJ House, he had to move around a lot in face of the Tribe's organizational depth at SS.  We all know how Terry loves those guys.  We also know how much he loves Gomes, who had a good night tonight, bat-wise, aside from not getting any hits.  I mean, I saw those ABs, and he was...on the ball, tonight, to his credit.  But no hits.  I still do not think they will use Perez, so...we are stuck with him...though he should NOT be hitting 7th.

Am reading Hidden in Plain Sight, which looks at the role played by an....aggressive policy of home loans in causing the financial crisis.  Not exactly the most fun of reads, but it is the stuff I tend to enjoy...

Around again

More not blogging....mainly due to work, which has been and will be...unpleasant for the next week or so.  Ugh.  But we will survive.

I've watched two more films on the list -- "Meet Me in St. Louis" and "The Life of Emile Zola."  The first was a musical...so you can imagine what I felt.  The second I liked -- it was Paul Muni (he is really quite good) and it was brief/accurate telling of the Dreyfus case.  Up to 433... mainly advancing through Netflix right now.

Went to the Our Lady of Mount Carmel fest today; good stuff as always even if I am stuffed like pig (without the 10 million people at the Feast).  Anyways...I parked in front of a house with a "Make America Great Again" sign and saw a few more while looking for a space.  I realize that the three or four blocks around the place are Trump territory, if you will, but...I've NEVER seen ANY GOP stuff ANYWHERE around there.  Ever.  Anecdotes are not evidence...but I wonder, especially after the Quinnipiac polls showing a tighter race.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/soccer/the-dark-side-of-american-soccer-culture/ar-BBug0Lt?li=BBnba9I

This amused the fuck out of me.  First, I really don't think that Trump supporters are...well, MLS goers, if you get my drift.  Second...notice the old liberals aren't really racist approach...and third...I don't know, it wouldn't surprise me if soccer fans in the US who are white are clannish/somewhat racist.  Soccer in this country is a sport mainly for upper class white kids who mainly...live and play with other white kids.  In Latin America, it is the sport of the poor, but in the US, that would be....basketball?  Football?

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2016/07/cleveland_heights-university_h_1.html#incart_river_index

This also amused the hell out of me...mainly because they seemed to miss the obvious point -- that white parents who live in CH don't really send their kids to schools there.  (This was certainly true personally for me; not until I was 24 did I meet a white CH-UH grad.)  I am sure some of these people are Catholics/Jews who send their kids to religious schools...but I suspect some other -- dare I say traditionally Democratic -- reason is at play...

Solutions

http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2016/07/cleveland_indians_vs_new_york_9.html#incart_river_index

The 9th inning yesterday; I wonder...what if Ramirez had bunted (not saying he would have gotten it down, and Napoli could have been dead at 2nd); the next batter up -- Uribe -- singled and then Rajai hit a fly to left; not that deep, but would they have tried it?  Not sure...anyways, one other thing I noted is that Terry and his 13 pitchers means that it is impossible to make a move; he PH for Gimenez with Almonte (ok) and then had to put in Gomes...and that was that.  I know Terry likes his relievers, but given the way the starters have been pitching...I think you can survive with 12.  In the meantime, McAllister is gone (for now) and TJ House is the lefty...oi.

Finished the war econ book last night and moved on to Passan's The Arm, which looks at pitcher injuries -- particularly those involving the UCL, and how no one seems to really know what causes them (aside from perhaps overwork at a young age).  It is interesting -- they describe the surgery in chapter one -- but I suspect the answer is one no one wants to hear...simple attrition; either you make it, or you do not...  I would like if they could "solve" it, but given the variables in play (it's not the Drake Equation, after all) I think not.

Economics

Here I am, up at one...went to bed at 11, nada.  Oi.  Working from home tomorrow, which will help, but....this sleepless business is...unpleasant.

Watching the Tribe lose today for a bit at the gym...I couldn't help but notice that Francona left Tomlin in at least one batter too long, possibly more.  He did the same with Kluber in Toronto; to be sure, that was a bit more defensible -- not wanting to go to the pen after the marathon game, I can see, but today...well, the relief corps was mainly fresh, with only Clevinger unavailable.  Bringing in McAllister only exacerbated the beating...

http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2016/07/no_guardedly_about_it_michael.html#incart_river_index

I hadn't realized House was sent to the bullpen; of course, considering he is now behind Clevinger/Anderson/Plutko/Merritt at AAA, well, maybe, just maybe, he figured out that a new job was better than a new career, if you get my drift.

http://nrn.com/us-top-100/2016-top-100-why-chick-fil-no-5-fastest-growing-chain?NL=NRN-02_&Issue=NRN-02__20160706_NRN-02__444&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_3&utm_rid=CPG06000000728934&utm_campaign=10442&utm_medium=email&elq2=742802fdfacf41b699ddc4d279c362be

I would still argue their position as the fast food restaurant of conservatives, if not leading to growth now, set the stage for it; as the chain moves outside of the South, people like me -- making fun of liberals is always amusing -- will seek it out and form a cadre of consumers...

I am reading Castles, Battles, and Bombs, which is economic look at military decision making.  As you can tell, I like it quite a bit; the part about castle building was solid, as was the argument against strategic bombing in WW2.  One flaw I found was the discussion about the US Civil War; namely, the authors barely alluded to Lee's penchant for heavy casualties during his campaigns -- which certainly violated the notion of economy of material (i.e., men).  But overall...I think more of this sort of analysis would do everyone quite well.

Length

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-07-05/gambling-pays-out-less-for-u-s-states

This could be me, but hasn't anyone heard of the law of diminishing returns?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/dalebuss/2016/07/05/in-opening-ambitious-noahs-ark-replica-attraction-builder-ken-ham-tempts-a-storm/#16a47b9d152b

All I can say is...I need to see this.

My weekend was...not that good.  I worked far more than I wanted to, had a fight with the family (my delayed bday celebration was canceled, and we know how we feel about bdays), and I went to the Tribe game last night -- which was fun -- but sitting through the rain delay (which they could have played through) was not the best thing (though drunken fans are always exciting).  Salazar lost it quickly last night; sad, because he had pitched fairly well til the 6th.  Good to see Manship get the outs...I mean, for all the complaints about him not doing as well as last year...he's had a good year.

Lost in the glow of Tribe victory is the fact that there are some dumpster fires in the lineup.  Gomes is awful, looks lost, and of course, isn't hitting (can;t swing at everything).  Much as I like Uribe, he looks..well, done; even average plays look a little difficult for him.  He is also not hitting.  Ideally, Brantley will be back soon and he can play LF, Ramirez to third, and Uribe can morph into the Giambi-style elder statesman, but we all know Terry will play him as often as possible.  Joba is gone; I don't think this is a bad thing; his fastball is meh, so he has to rely on the slider to get guys out, but he cannot command the pitch enough...  Chisenhall is hot though; the nice thing is it is just singles...in that the swings are good and compact; he's not getting long or taking hittable strikes.  It is actually pretty impressive, as the power is coming as a result of a good approach, and not just mistakes.

Been down all weekend; the family squawk was mainly fault, and it has left a...deep psychic scar.  I am older enough to realize the pain I cause, but not smart enough to not get...pissy.  I think in consequence I worked my ass off at the gym; I used the 60-lb barbell today (pushed myself) and that might not have been completely wise.

Streaking

Yeah, yeah...Mr. Never Blogs is back. Work has been a little tempestuous, watching the Tribe, and general activity...

The Tribe has been impressive, particularly yesterday; I watched every minute of that game, and...well, I thought they deserved to lose that game a bunch of times, like the 16th and the 18th, when they couldn't beat a reliever...kudos to Bauer for his duty; I think you cannot stress, if you will, the effort needed to start and the need -- for five innings -- to hold the fort in do-or-die time.  Back to the team itself...I seem to recall stressing the need to NOT trade a starter, and so far...I think that strategy is working out.  In the meantime, the Tribe had to add pitcher to cover today and DFAed Martinez...sad but doable (though honestly, I would have thought McAllister had less value to the team than the utility utility guy)...until today when Uribe had to leave.  That is ONE problem (of many) with the 58-reliever roster, you can't make a move and worse, you can't really rest a guy unless you have to.

I put about 20 minutes of cardio in yesterday watching the game, so I bumped up today's to 17.5 (on leg day).  I don't think an extra two minutes of cardio a day will really achieve anything, but I do get some reading done, and it doesn't hurt...

Got a new fridge; the old was 34 years old, and was well past prime...leaking water, not closing, and being winsome.  The new one is quieter and offers the promise of enhanced energy efficiency, though summer - particularly the hot spells - might not be the time for it.