Links are just easier...

Watched "Tevye" last nite (582), an interesting film, albeit one that is not quite my cup of tea... I did get the significance of it, being entirely in Yiddish and the time in which it was made...

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/10/27/opinion/communism-rose-colored-glasses.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fopinion-columnists&action=click&contentCollection=columnists&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0&referer=https://www.nytimes.com/section/opinion/columnists

My own thought here is that they are liberals and don't know better, or have any morals and values, but that is me...

https://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/30/kelly-civil-war-robert-lee-244353

This amused me somewhat, mainly because...well, the man is not wrong; not politically correct, of course, but...  state being more important than country in 1860?  Yes, I would say that is largely correct, or at least so for many in the South.  Lee a man of honor...well, maybe; I mean, I wonder if the general is speaking on the military side, where the man was a genius... I suspect, of course, he means that such things as at the end of the war, when Lee pooh-poohed any idea of guerrilla war and went home; certainly, this affected a lot of men at the time...  The compromise thing I especially get a kick out of; I mean, we had the Compromise of 1820, which put off, well, the decisions of later; the Compromise of 1850, which put off war; hell, we had in 1860 the Crittenden Compromise, which was a series of amendments/laws that were a last attempt to put off war...  I don;t know, I guess I am influenced by the Fehrenbacher essay in the companion book to the Civil War thing by Ken Burns; war came in part because people thought that now and only now could they fight it and win.  I suspect, of course, there were many in the South who realized this was a bad idea, but they were outvoted/outshouted/outmaneuvered, and it sucked to be them.

http://www.cleveland.com/livingston/index.ssf/2017/10/ohio_state-penn_state_big_ten.html#incart_river_index

I actually agree with this; I think this is something that pisses off, well, many people -- not only has PSU escaped real punishment, but the whole thing has been...well, whitewashed.

For those of you who like to play baseball GM:
http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2017/10/cleveland_indians_roster_and_c.html

As for Roberts...let's just say that he was lucky the batter in that sequence was Bregman, and it worked...but if it does go 7....hmm...

The comeback

Well, that was quite the game... I of course felt they had no business winning -- the idea of them being the better team seemed a little rich, given the turnovers, the penalties, the special teams miscues -- but I have to admit:  the defense played fairly well (especially in stopping the run) and PSU decided, for whatever reason... to stop playing defense.

Another thing...one of my friend suggested that the reason for the Tribe loss in the postseason...was Francona not being well, i.e., healthy.  Simply put, the decision making was questionable, and while the front office deserves it role in this...Terry might not have been up to snuff.  I am beginning to wonder if the same could be said for Meyer, too... all of the little things just don't happen; I know he is being less of a control freak, but...sometimes, things slide, but other times, I just wonder if the coaching staff (led by him) just isn't fixing it when they should.  Like the two-point plays and the need to call 30 swing passes to the WR that together netted three yards... For the record... I still think it is 50/50 OSU gets in the playoff...

https://pjmedia.com/blog/liveblogevent/mondays-hot-mic-29/entry-216089/

For all the talk of Jeff Flake and his courage...I think a lot of people, especially lefty journalists, miss this point; he wasn't all that conservative anymore, and a lot of people in AZ didn't want him as their Senator...he himself admitted he couldn't win the primary, which would of course imply that something is off...

Watched "To Fly" today...interesting.  Uplifting.  Not quite my thing, of course, but 582...

LInks

I took advantage of yesterday's travel day to cross another one off the list -- "The Women," from 1939.  I liked it, not a lot, but enough...I could clearly see the cultural significance, and if the ending is a little dated, well, so be it...

This could be, but Roberts really shit the bed for himself when he yanked Hill after 4; more seriously, I think this approach is the limit of the strategy of last year's reliever fest.  As I told one of my coworkers, much like you don't want to see Michael Martinez batting in Game 7 of a World Series, you don't want Brandon McCarthy pitching in a tie game in extra innings, either.

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-10-27/rise-of-the-creative-class-worked-a-little-too-well

Oh, I don't know; I would think a city would want all of those young professionals in the city, paying high prices for rentals and boosting tax collections.  The failure is in planning for the potential downsides, such as a lack of housing.  I don't know...looking around Cleveland, hell, even in Slavic Village, you see all of the commercial properties that are empty and condemned, or land bank sites... no one can put up apartments?  Even if they are on the line of Cabrini-Green style units, or at least two- and three-floor buildings with 20 or so units..well, that would be something, wouldn't it?  I can;t imagine some SJW type putting up Section 8-friendly units just for the revenue streams.

https://newrepublic.com/article/145504/conservatives-blame-poverty-poor
Speaking as someone who works -- in part -- with the poor...all I can say is that some poor people make bad -- dumb decisions -- and it is blatantly obvious, even to them, and if they can't, or won't see it...well, the fact of the matter is that you are just throwing away scarce resources.  So, yes, people should blame the poor...if they actually deserve it.

https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/10/26/16533878/race-education-segregation-nikole-hannah-jones
I agree, but I don't think the segregation in the urban cores now is due to, well, Trump-supporting liberals; it's HRC-voting hipsters who want to live among their own kind...so where is their castigation?

Links

World Series games this year are fairly exciting, so far, which is good...also pitching duels, which I like.

http://www.newsweek.com/americans-scream-helplessly-sky-donald-trump-election-anniversary-690889

This could be me, but if GOPers did this, they would have been mocked off the planet...now, not so much.  I only hope that, if in the sad days of a future Democratic presidency, the GOP adopts its own Resistance movement...

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-10-24/be-careful-who-you-call-a-white-supremacist

Hey, look at this!  Great minds think alike!  More seriously, I think this is exactly what Democrats have brought on themselves, so...they should, of course, bear the odium and responsibility for this.  But they won't...

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-10-23/we-libertarians-were-really-wrong-about-school-vouchers

I am not quite sure they were wrong; I mean, who would expect that wealthy NYers on the Upper East Side wouldn't want their kids to go to school with people other than themselves?  More seriously, I think one reason why this hasn't worked is another unexpected reason -- public schools have improved.  I think it is question of getting better teachers in schools, changing methods, improving discipline, magnets...and, well, I suspect some good old hard work in boosting test scores, IDing problem students, etc.  Charters have helped, and I think, deep down, teachers and their unions have been...well, less likely to impede these efforts.  

Taboo

Back in the film saddle today -- hit 580 with "Tabu," perhaps the last big silent film made and the last of Murnau's career... yes, it is hard to watch the film, or any of his films, without the rumor of his death, but...  I liked it.  It has high marks for filmography (being shot on location in Tahiti would do that, I would think) but the story itself was fairly well told, with the only text coming from letters (mail) rather than the dialogue screen shots, which to me was pretty cool.  I ordered a block of films from the library, and with some artful rearranging of Netflix...well, progress awaits.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/interrogation/2017/10/charlie_sykes_was_a_conservative_radio_star_then_trump_won.html

I actually think he downplays the effect of the racism card; for one thing, many Americans do not like being called racists, especially when they are not, and the press-guided smear campaign to turn everyone opposed to Obama into some sort of racist -- overt, secret, unintentional -- led, in my opinion, to some voters saying (in their own way) that they will show you what racism is...it is very American, you know.  Now, politics doesn't quite work that way, but I wonder how much of the Obama to Trump voters aren't motivated by economic concerns so much as this internal rebellion about typecasting..

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/two-counties-defining-battle-lines-gop-s-civil-war-n812516

This caught my attention, given the importance of Delaware/OWU in my life and the fact that Jai Chabria was a year ahead of me (we were acquaintances back in the day through College Republicans)... anyways, my own opinion is that this is unpleasant politically, but we also deserve it, in that, much like Ewell on Day One of Gettysburg, we've won a battle but not the war, and are now squandering away the opportunity.  Obamacare has yet to be repealed; tax reform is a mystery, and the infrastructure bill... in some ways, it should have been first, as it would have been good PR.  Some of this, of course, is Trump's fault, but Congress saw the election results and if they couldn't put something together by 1/21... well, that is a problem.

A night of rest

Busy week, of a sort; helped out at the Bishop's Reception...ended up not seeing him or attending the Mass, there was that much to do.  Alas.  It's funny; I had gotten to bed fairly early Monday and Tuesday, felt better, maybe even my cold receding, and then a late nite...oi.  I got some rest last nite, but not nearly enough, and was back to feeling it today, sort of.  My workout was ok, but I ended up dropping part of the weight on the tip of my ring finger, which now...sort of smarts.  Ugh.  In the meantime, watching Game Six... hard to see Verlander not in a Tiger uniform...

Another odd managerial axing today; that of Dusty in DC.  I admit that I, like most, do not exactly respect his tactical acumen, but his teams do win and his players do like playing for him, which is something.  I am not sure firing him was the message to be sent...  Ausmus is available, as is Eric Wedge.  :)

http://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2017/10/18/what-peter-navarro-gets-right-on-trade-000553

I read this, and I was like...well, I mean, some parts of the narrative are a little off, but I don't think anyone really thinks that a lack of manufacturing jobs is a good thing; indeed, especially in Trump Country, this erosion of those careers has led to all sorts of ills -- poverty, drug addiction, the loss of the young -- that you can't just solve overnight.

https://psmag.com/news/should-we-fear-article-v-and-a-constitutional-convention

The only people who would fear this development are liberals, of course, who would see the gains of their dominance of the judicial branch eradicated by legislatures.  I am not sure this is a bad thing, especially because of my preference for a more limited judiciary, and also, well, someone has to reclaim the idea of states making their own policies.  I have said multiple times that once they were viewed as the laboratories of democracy -- especially by progressives -- and why this has been abandoned, especially by our side, is ridiculous.

Hmmm

The footage from the Cavs game...I mean, you could see it from the distant shot, and then they went in for the closeup....oi.  I mean, really?  The announcers wanted no part of it, and neither did anyone else...

So, in the department of my insurance...for the fourth time this year, I am fighting with them as to what is covered, as they have changed the formulary yet again...mind you, if you like your health care you can keep it and save $2,500 a year...well, I wish I could apply a baseball bat to an Obamacare supporter every time I spend over that, or, better yet, for every minute I spend untangling this knot of someone else's making...  Ok, I'd rather have the dough, but the batting would be therapeutic, and good exercise, besides.

https://www.vox.com/2017/10/14/16468878/milo-yiannopoulos-trash-talks-pope-in-catholic-magazine-interview

I love this..I mean, again, I realize the average vox reader/writer has no, or at least few and feebly held views, but... I think this is the appeal of Catholicism to many people (such as this blogger); the sense that, yes, we are sinful, but there is something higher and deeper that we all can appeal to, and if we tried -- by renouncing sin -- we can make it.  I did like the listing of Catholics who couldn't keep it in their pants, which the author seems to have missed in part the reference to...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2017/10/14/sorry-everbody-but-trump-hasnt-instigated-the-obamacare-apocalypse/#392ab8a27099

I do believe some President said something have a pen and using it, and it was perfectly ok, so when the next guy does the exact same shit, except that it is actually constitutional...

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/10/16/16357790/health-care-prices-problem

I think this is largely correct...so shouldn't Obamacare have done something to address this?  It's like they cooked up this system to hand money from one group of people to another without actually fixing any of its problems...

Hmmm

I have to admit, going to bed -- more like crashing -- at 10:30 at waking at 8 has a number of advantages, such as...well, being fairly well rested and doing one hell of a solid afternoon workout.   I should do it again today, but probably won't. 

https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/10/12/16463680/pence-rule-weinstein

Whoa...what?  Well, I think, actually, it would have played a big role in reducing this...for one thing, a one-on-one meeting has all sorts of opportunities for bad behavior, but a meeting with several people...well, aside from a certain genre of films, implies...a sort of professionalism.  The other point, which is certainly lost on a writer for vox, is that Mike Pence really has no intent to cheat on his wife, but a certain bundler for Hope and Change...  And, let's not forget, as a feminist, I am appalled that women would be offended by a man who chooses to honor his wife in such a manner.

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/10/12/16418524/us-gun-policy-nra

This amused the fuck out of me, because 1) I find it hard to believe that in twenty years gay marriage and health care is a right can evolve into policy, but that if a GOP plank evolves into policy, well, it's somewhat wrong and illegitimate.  Also...  One reason, I suspect, that a certain group didn't mind having a gun around is because crime was a lot higher and the courts seemed incapable of stopping it --look at the success of such films as "Death Wish" and "Dirty Harry."  Once society breaks down -- in a way -- people start taking matters into their own hand.  Now of course, with gun ownership and crime at all-time lows (I am sure it is just coincidence), well, people are accustomed to this.  I mean, if health care, once given, is something that cannot be taken away, I find it hard to believe that something that is actually in the freaking Constitution can be dispensed with so cavalierly.

Downlinks

Well, that was not exactly...unexpected; don't know, just figured they'd lose.  Looked beat, and now, well, with the Kluber news...well, that's borderline reprehensible, to run a guy out there for two starts.  Oi, but one would have thought the Ivy Leaguers running the show would have figured that out.  Alas.  In the meantime...it would be nice to sign Bruce again, though I think he can find a better deal.  I would hope they would ditch Brantley -- sad but true -- and, well, I would think you can always use a rotation upgrade, but I am always up for that.

https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/10/11/16447008/christianity-america-politically-polarized
This could be me, but I have always thought politics and religion have been linked; I mean, not in the Civil War way (the split of the Baptists and Methodists, for instance), but preachers and politicians have always used each other in some way.  I think the increasing role of "nones" among the left is a new calculation, but I do not really think it's that  new...

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-10-10/california-is-right-to-curb-the-sex-offender-registry

Yes, I agree with this; it shouldn't be so controversial to pull horny teenagers off a list, should it?

https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/10/4/16405234/abortion-study-lancet-guttmacher
To continue a theme, if women were so smart and empowered...well, can't they go and open their own abortion clinics?  I mean, if it was truly important, couldn't they, you know, try?

Matt the Feminist

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4964380/Donna-Karan-defends-Harvey-Weinstein-blames-victims.html

This story -- and the subsequent apology -- amuses the absolute fuck out of me.  I mean, I believe in her apology, sort of on the same path of truthiness as "Gee, those strippers really liked us" and "If you like your healthcare you can keep it and you will save $2,500 a year."  I mean, on the one hand, you say something like this... on the other hand, as a feminist, I am appalled -- appalled -- that a woman's independent voice and right to speak her mind are being thrown under the bus.

I guess my point is...why?  Why would she even say this?  I mean, yes, she could be a moron (hell, the evidence right now says yes), but...  I loved her reasons.

1)  Harvey and his wife are wonderful people.  Well, maybe, but...so what?  I don't know, I have a lot of friends and acquaintances who are wonderful people, but I wouldn't put it past them to do shit.  So this doesn't make sense.

2)  Women are asking for it by the way they dress and act. Well, as a feminist, I am appalled that women shouldn't be allowed by dress and act as they see fit.  On the other hand, as a feminist, I am appalled that women should dress and act in a way that is inappropriate.  More seriously, I can see how this would raise a hackle.  I think -- hell, most people do -- that rape and sexual impropriety can happen no matter what a woman is wearing.  So, back to WTF?

I wonder, though, what else she is saying...namely, that it's not just Harvey Weinstein doing this...which is good, in that if more of these are out there, they can be exposed.  (Never mind all of the progressives who sat on this.)  Another thing I wonder is...well, obviously, this has gone on for a while, and if it isn't just Weinstein, why didn't anyone report it until now?  (I sort of wonder if this is what DK is implying, as well...)  My own not-so-sneaking suspicions are:

1) Politics
2)  Everyone else is doing it, so the first report would bring 100 more
3)  Some women went along with it to help their careers.  As a feminist, of course, I am appalled that some women would be forced to do that.  As a feminist, of course, I am also glad that women are able to use their sexuality -- and choose to do so, because it is about choice -- to advance their careers and boost their income and, in turn, break into Hollywood.

In other news...Francona is considering lineup changes...key among them being Edwin.  I don't see it, unless he thinks he can pull a Kirk Gibson a few times, but he also thought that bringing Bauer in on three days' rest was a good idea, too.

The Lost Weekend

So, this past weekend was the Polish Festival, and I spent all three days at my usual spot in the kitchen, cooking up potato pancakes and pierogi and doing general work there.  I also baked brownies late Thursday...all I can say is that Mattie is a very, very sleepy boy.  And tired.  Took a nap today, though the Fun Run obliterated that.  I think I am getting older; also, I am still dehydrated...didn't pee at all during the weekend, mainly because, well, it, like 100 pounds of grease, evaporated.

I hate to say, and I hope note, but this Tribe season is over... I didn't like the Bauer move in Game 1, and I also didn't like it in Game 4 -- ghosts of 1999 and a panic move once again...  I mean, I would have used Tomlin or Salazar, simply because they were fresher...it was obvious Bauer didn't have it in the first -- all the full counts to me were a sign that the stuff was off -- and then it was exacerbated by the stretch.  Kluber isn't a sure thing Wednesday, and CC will be on a short leash to the good Yankee bullpen, while Francona (remember when he was 100-0 or something in elimination games, like, in the Red Sox days?  I do!) will stay with Corey longer than he should.  More to the point, they look... beat.  Again, hope not, fear so.

https://www.eater.com/2017/10/3/16395312/olive-garden-review
I read a bunch of these articles, and I find them..well, I don't know... I think you expect a good or decent meal at a chain, but not a great one; you trade off that for the idea of consistency and regularity; i.e, I know what I am getting, for better or worse.  I've certainly had great meals at non-chain places (in some ways I prefer them) but, as I like to say, I've also had my share of "twenty minutes later I am in the gas station bathroom." No one wants to pay $30 a plate for that, either.

https://theconcourse.deadspin.com/boy-do-i-feel-naive-1819223797

I get a kick out of shit like this.  First of all, if journalists have to do this for stories and such...well, more power to Milo.  Second, if no one can figure out this is something of a schtick, then you are naive and dumb. Thirdly, if someone on the left -- especially, say, after the Weinstein thing -- doesn't realize they are all in bed with each other...

Phew!

Well, that was exciting...  for all of the dread I had over The Decision 3.0, it worked -- the plan, in so far as it was "throw Judge and Sanchez curveballs," worked, and Bauer -- who can have a good one at times -- had it and, honestly, showed decent pitch selection all night.  Jay Bruce became a hero, and all is well.  As for me, I am still not a fan of the roster...  for one, Brantley is a PH who can be in for five ABs at most, and even if he is, there is a good chance they will bring in a LHP, which neutralizes him. Also not sure about the back end of the bullpen...  but, the non-catastrophe in game one assuages some concerns.  For now.

The Tim Murphy thing...well, as always, I am shocked, shocked that a son of Erin cannot keep it in his pants...  The Harvey Weinstein thing amuses the hell out of me, given that, well, all of my progressive friends who are appalled by the President...something tells me they are not going to stop hitting the films.  I wonder what people like, oh, Michelle Obama (who sent her daughter to work with him) will say about this...oh wait, that would involve a reported asking her.  Ha!  Speaking of, I was a little surprised this got by the editorial desk:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/opinion-i-used-to-think-gun-control-was-the-answer-my-research-told-me-otherwise/ar-AAsRR7y?li=BBnb7Kz

https://www.vox.com/2017/10/4/16346800/donald-trump-christian-right-conservative-clinton

Whoa, whoa...I mean, if you can't figure it out... First of all, I think the analogy of Cyrus the Great is most apt, and being, of course, Hope and Changers, they completely missed it...go ahead and read, my fellow blog readers.  Anyways, the other reason is, of course, they knew what they got from BHO and a pretty good idea of what HRC would bring...  much like my comment about why do men hang out in bars at 3 AM, well...sometimes, different is good.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/10/02/is-health-care-a-right

Interesting, but.... at no point in the article did I see the part about who pays for all of this...

600!

Figured I should try and blog and post more, so here we go...

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/last-year-the-cubs-finally-celebrated-is-it-the-indians%E2%80%99-turn/ar-AAsNCBA?li=BBnbfcL&ocid=mailsignout

God I hope so, as I don't know how much longer I have to live.  :)  More seriously, I am just...worried.  I can see them shitting the bed early again, much like in 1996.  Last year, with the injuries, I think I sold the team short; now, all I can do is look ahead and see flash spots.

Went to bed early-ish, got seven hours of sleep...and you'd never tell.  Ok, it was good to get the rest, but I was sluggish all day, and the prospect of a intense Fun Run didn't help, though it was good; tomorrow, when I wake up and need 56 Advil, it will be a different story.'

Finished Dereliction yesterday and moved on to something slightly lighter, Knuckler, written by Tim Wakefield -- a personal hero -- and a ghostwriter.  Interesting...one thing I was amused by was the joy with which Grady Little was proclaimed by the clubhouse as manager after Joe Kerrigan went his course..  The other writer was great length to mention that Little didn't have anyone else to use that year in the postseason, which may have been true, but seems -- then and now -- trainwrecky; I mean, sometimes, you have to make a move to make a move, and even if every reliever pitched to one batter...  I just think it was a move that everyone else knew was wrong at the time (like not using Britton last year for Showalter) and nothing is really to going to remove the stain...