Betting lines

So...I've been starting to read Clay Travis' "Outkick the Coverage" blog.  I have to admit, I don't necessarily agree with a lot of the stuff he says, but... I don't disagree with his arguments or how he comes about them.  They're usually pretty interesting and...well, logical? Informed?  I guess I am saying that I can agree to disagree, which, nowadays, is pretty good...  I also like, or appreciate, the discussion of wagering and gaming that is simply presented as a fact.  As we come closer to legalizing it everywhere...well, that which was once forbidden is now...mainstream.

Speaking of, we took Mom to the casino today for her bday...she had fun, of course, despite not winning... she did have a slight profit after a while, but then it went away, and there we were... Mom now has the bug, which is fine, sort of... I told her it would be good for her to go once in a while, but our definitions do not match, with the pesky version of financing and all.  :)  We also did lunch, which was fine... have to admit, a lot of old people go there, all of which makes me wonder where the hell my Social Security dollars go.  Or, more appropriately...why I am spending them...

Roster Machinations

So, a couple of days ago at work I was suggesting that Neil Ramirez had pitched himself off the postseason roster.  Now, I am beginning to think Cody Allen might be doing so, or at least someone should consider it.  Right now, we have:
Hand
Miller
Perez
Bieber (I don't want to think about Bauer or Carrasco NOT starting)
Allen (sigh)
Cimber (sigh, though he is more of a ROOGY right now)

Now, knowing Francona, he'll want eight, though with the rotation and Bieber...Plutko might have a spot.  Ramirez would be the last guy.  Edwards has an interesting arm, just not sure we have seen enough of him to justify a spot; some guys, of course, we have seen too much of... again, I would have 11, especially if it means getting Yandy or another bat in the lineup.  Right now, the bench is:
Roberto Perez
Gonzalez (we thnk)
Rajai
Allen
Guyer

Of course, it won't be ALL of them.  Now, if Gonzalez cannot play, that does open a hole for someone, and Kip, if need be, could slide there in a pinch (ok, back).  As you can see, though, the bench lacks... bats.  I would drop Guyer -- you have two PR/OFs already -- or even Rajai, just to put the thumper there.  But we all know that won't happen.  *sigh*

Bits and pieces

The Kavanaugh stuff, from what I saw of it, was... a shit show?  I don't know; hard to believe he can be confirmed, even if the GOP seemed...well, unified.  Lindsay Graham, for all his anti-Trump bluster...well, I was impressed.  No one went after Feinstein and the like, though they should have.  Alas.

I started using a continuous glucose monitor last week, for a bunch of reasons...and you what, it's pretty sweet. You do get a near-constant look at your blood sugar levels without an invasive blood test, and the strips add up... and you can take insulin or eat if you are going low.  I just replaced the old and added the new one.  So I am impressed. 

https://www.vox.com/identities/2018/9/26/17902864/preschool-benefits-working-mothers-parents

This could be me, but the good people of vox (I know, I know) seemed to forget that this isn't free; as always, taxpayers footed the bill.  Now, maybe it is a good thing -- and I think it might be -- but the price tag is a bit steep, and we're not sure if it is good for the children... I mean, you sort of need some long-term looks there, don't you?

Last week I watched "Little Miss Marker," crossing yet anothe film off the list -- and maybe the last one for a while, sad to say;  I liked it -- it was sort of funny, and a pre-Code piece, too -- but it seemed a little...dated?  I do believe the film was put on to note the role of Shirley Temple in the film industry, which I completely get, but the film was just... ok.

Catching Up

All kinds of stuff to say, I guess... I am thinking Kavanaugh -- despite the President's assertions --is dead man walking; I mean, barring a cross-examination of death (which isn't happening nowadays) I can't see anything but a morass, and even if he were exonerated... no one will believe him anyways.  Alas.  I did mention before that Barrett was the choice, and I think this justifies it...

https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/09/mazie-hirono-believe-accusers-not-stance-for-daniel-inouye/

If Republicans had any brains -- and let's face it, we often do not -- they would be all over this, in public and in the Senate.  Actually, considering the number of Congresspeople on their side who have dirty laundry on this, it should be mentioned every day on every possible media outlet.  Hell, if the standard is guilt by accusation...start impeaching them.

https://www.gofundme.com/expose-the-medias-skeletons

I also love this; I realize it is a little unfair, kicking them while they are down, but...  hell, considering what has been going on in Hollywood, I think an organized effort against reporters would be... well, aswesome.

The Little Brown Jug was Thursday -- my 18th year of attendance.  It was...well, I only lost $20, which isn't that bad, and there was QFT, always good.  On the other hand...it was different. Crowd was definitely down.  They've torn down a ring of grandstands, possibly for code, but maybe loss of demand?  They redid the concessions inside, with more booze and less food... I also noted there were fewer people manning them, which didn't exactly help.

Doubling Down

My theory that Jason Kipnis has NO business on the Tribe's playoff roster just took a minor jolt, but I guess it was worth it.  Ok, maybe not... I mean, late run aside, he has been fairly execrable this season, and if it wasn't that Greg Allen has a lack of power... well, at least Kip can do that. 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/%e2%80%98why-didn%e2%80%99t-she-bring-it-up%e2%80%99-feinstein-under-scrutiny-for-handling-of-allegations-against-kavanaugh/ar-BBNwYE3?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=U506DHP

After reading this... well, I am quite convinced that this is obstruction of justice.  More to the point... you can make the case that the only way her actions make sense is if she was trying to set him up; holding it for seven weeks (sandbagging!) makes it impossible to vet or prove anything, and it quickly becomes a battle of the sexes.  I guess I approve though it is more than a bit...shady.

My two cents...

Andrew Miller, pitching...well?  Who knew?  Actually, the one thing that impresses me is Yandy's batting... in this era of pull-happy hitters... this could be me, but it could be an advantage that he has such an other way approach; you pitch him in, and he can take it the other way, but hanging outside, you get opposite-field power.  Plus, he does seem to get men in; sort of like Mike Napoli a couple of years ago; not that he was a tremendous success, but a larger share of his hits came just when we needed them.  I know clutchness isn't a skill, but some guys might just be better hitters in those situations.

https://www.vox.com/2018/9/10/17826168/me-too-louis-ck-men-comeback

I sort of agree?  I mean, I think the issue that many people -- including me, I guess -- think that he has just not spent enough time in Purgatory/twisting in the wind/etc. and thus simply rankles, which is fair.  The point we could ask, of course, is when is it ok to come out of the closet (if you will).  I thought of this guy:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Milken

Maybe this works?  Go to prison, get out, move into something different and charitable?  Nobody, not even oncologists, is pro-cancer, and it does seem he has...kept his nose clean?  Been sufficiently repentant?  Stayed away from the markets?  I guess my point is there really isn't a blueprint as to redemption, but some people (cough, Urban Meyer, cough) seem to be creating one for the opposite.

I guess this brings me to the issue of the day, namely, Kavanaugh.  I mean, I think it is highly possible he committed the deed in question. That's not probable; he denies it, his friend (a biased observer, of course) denies it, and we have a he said/she said scenario.  And, given the timing and the lack of evidence either way... well, I think you see the issue.  Or at least one of them, because...
1) As I noted elsewhere, for Democrats -- the people of Chappaquiddick, the smearing of Juanita Brodderick, the party of Sherrod Brown and Harvey Weinstein and Keith Ellison -- to be this party is like asking the town whore to lead the choir.
2)  Also, it is amusing that the left -- the party of civil liberties, a pro-defense strain in the criminal justice system -- has now created a system where you are not only guilty until proven innocent (and even then not) but that the rules -- evidence, reviews of facts, an implicit bias in the favor of the defense -- that THEY have created have been thrown away for... well, a Kafka-esque system or, as I like to say, a church without salvation.
3) I'd also like to note that while women should be believed... there are of course, false accusations.  Duke LAX and UVA come to mind...again, the men in this were punished -- for doing nothing wrong -- than the women ever could be.
4)  This could be me, but...isn't what Dianne Feinstein did obstruction of justice? Sitting on this for weeks when, if she was truly serious about investigating...  that alone for me raises questions...

Not-so-lazy Sunday!

Well, the Tribe clinched -- not that it wasn't unexpected -- and now we can figure out what to do with the mystery roster. Are Miller and Allen healthy?  Are they good?  Miller hasn't exactly been scintillating in his return, and Allen has had but flashes of his old self.  Donaldson is still an open book, and Kipnis in CF... also, Alonso... well, I would include Yandy on the roster now, just because he is hitting and can play all over.

Couple of days ago I noticed a tile coming off -- and yes, I need to redo the upstairs bathroom, add it to the list of improvement projects -- so I bought some bathroom adhesive and put it back up, and did some of the loose ones in around the shower.  So far so good, which made me... well, sort of happy.  Basic home repairs, check!

There was an article somewhere that said that Alfred Hitchcock's favorite movie was "Smokey and the Bandit," and there was some sort of snarkfest because of that.  I have to admit, I was a little surprised.. for one, why not?  It's a funny film all-around -- preposterous of sorts concept, excellent cast, and a story very American -- big trucks, fast cars, rumrunning.  The characters are well-done; Gleason is hilarious, Field and Reynolds had chemistry... just saying.  The other point...why shouldn't a film like this not be worthy of acclaim?  Not every film has to be "The Shape of Water" or "The Searchers," for Christ's sake.

Contentment

I don't want to pay myself on the back, but... I was able to literally empty the emai bl Inbox today, catch up on reading all the articles I have saved and bookmarked, and get some forms and paperwork done.  It's truly been a blessed day, which is why yet again my plan of early to bed is gone.  Alas.

One thing that floored me during yesterday's game: Shane Bieber was cruising, but in the 7th, the announcing team immediately began looking for a reliever with a 90-pitch count and a third time through the order... I was like, WTF?  I mean, I get it, but... to me, when a guy is cruising and his stuff is flowing, that is the time to let him pitch more; I can;t imagine that 110 or so in those conditions are worse than 90 when you are in the stretch, have baserunners, etc.  I mean, I had no problem pulling him once he got tired and put men on, but...

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-09-12/blue-collar-workers-and-trump-have-reason-to-celebrate?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_term=180912&utm_campaign=sharetheview
This could be me, but... I would think that one of the reasons the economy is doing well is that... many of these blue-collar jobs are located in flyover country, where the economy has not done well and people are dealing opoids and whatnot.  Now, not that the man is waving the magic wand, but the President has made it a point to promote manufacturing and blue-collar work; most of this, I think, is base pandering, but...putting men to work in blue-collar jobs gets them off the dole... It also, in many cases, supports families, and, more importantly, these people spend money; even if it just the basics, you are still spending more than people, say, on food stamps.  And, with all this happening in Trump County, most of the press is missing it, but I don't think that the stats lie...

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-09-12/ben-carson-and-hud-get-ready-to-take-on-the-nimbys?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_term=180912&utm_campaign=sharetheview
Imagine that, people putting up  MORE housing makes it cheaper.  I am not immune to the racial demographic overtones here, but -- call me crazy -- the issue is not that the housing is segregated, I think, but that we have not enough housing so that only wealthier people can afford it, many of whom (thanx, Obama!) are white.  So, building more housing -- even in places where it would possibly promote segregation -- would reduce rents and allow people to spend more on other things... like accumulating capital themselves and becoming... middle class? Who knew?

https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2018/09/school-day-parents/569401/

I think a slightly better approach would be to extend the school day... this could be me, and yes, the teachers would gripe, but I think you would have MORE support for education if teachers taught more (justifying their salaries) and if this coincidentally solved peoples' child care issues.  And, of course, the kids would learn more, God forbid we do that!

Quickies

Busy weekend, of sorts, and here I am now... I am up to 684 on the film list... I watched -- as much as I could -- two films not fully available, the "Fuentes Family Home Movies" and "With The American Lincoln Brigade."  The first consists of film snippets of a Mexican-American family in the 20s and 302 -- you know how I love that sort of stuff, the second is bits and pieces of a documentary about... the American Lincoln brigade.  My main thought there was that I should prolly learn about the Spanish Civil War...

The Tribe...well, they can't hit a never-seen, soft-tossing lefty, imagine that...  and Plutko is pitching like the Josh Tomlin of now... which leads me to believe that my idea of trading for Gio to be... solid.

Random things

Busy two days... went to the Tribe game Tuesday nite -- fun, a win, finally... good to see Yandy going yard and continuing to get time; with Alonso looking bad in both facets of his game and with Diaz having nothing left to prove... just saying, I think he can hit, and I think a place needs to be found for him....say, the OF?  Anyways, I guess I was a little surprised that 1) They pulled Clevinger after six -- his count was a little high, but the way he was pitching, it looked like he could have gone more and 2) Francona felt the need to use the best relievers (and Allen!) to hold a 7-run lead.... yes, this has a been a year when no lead is safe, but...

Also, I am NOT a fan of this talk of reforming the 40-man roster rule; I mean, the rules of the game do NOT change, you just allow more people to play.  And...so what?  If teams load up to play anyone to get an advantage, so be it... I think most teams add people to get them a look, or, for the Tribe, to reward guys for good minor league seasons. I would think, for teams trying to make the playoffs, or evaluating players, this is one way -- and a big one --to try and make these decisions.  Plus, guys can make some real money....

http://blog.yardeni.com/2018/09/what-if.html

I think some of this is true -- the business confidence, for instance.  The small-cap stock stuff I had not considered, and in some ways it makes a lot of sense.  Other stuff.. well, maybe the President has some way of winning easy trade wars by using tariffs as leverage, but... well, the man does have this unique way of not sticking to any script for more than three tweets, so it is simply difficult to assign any long-term strategy to the man.  

https://www.cleveland.com/shatter/2018/09/men_in_the_metoo_era_say_theyv.html

As a feminist... no, too funny.. I mean, I think the issue here is that 1) men are used to, in most cases, speaking somewhat more frankly about some things than women are; and 2) men are also deathly afraid of the false accusations, because -- as we learned from the Duke and the UVa scandal, you lose even when you win, and the accusers do not suffer nearly as much as the men do -- so you just avoid the situation as much as you can.  My fellow feminists have, for better or worse, created this monster, so now they can lie in it...

A question of placement

Busy weekend, but one thing stands out in my mind...of ALL the players traded on 8/31 (or about), we picked up the one we could use the least.  Madson would have been a nice pickup as a reliever; Granderson ideal as an OF.  I am a fan of Gio Gonzalez -- I know he isn't having the best year, but he's a better starter than Plutko and you can put him in the pen in the playoffs (assuming we make it).  Donaldson would be ideal, if healthy, and no one knows...there is also the matter of where to put him.  He can only play 3B and 1B and DH, so... putting Ramirez at 2B, we all know, worries me (I'd almost rather he be in RF, but Melky is now one of Terry's guys). Kipnis can play CF, and he has more power than Allen, but he hasn't been that good, let's face it.  You can play Edwin at 1B and DH Donaldson, as Alonso is...well, ok but not great. 

Also, we can use a reliever or two... just saying.  Watching Josh Tomlin get innings is amusing, though as I told one of my coworkers, if he did go out and put up say 15IP of low-ERA ball (and no one is expecting this)... what would you do?  I mean, he'd probably be on the roster, simply because there are so few other options.

So, I had told Mom I would take her to the new Strongsville Raising Cane's, because, well, I wanted to try it, and she does like chicken fingers, sort of... so we went, and it was closed (online it was reported open, grr), and of course Mom was slightly snippy... driving by the mall, we saw this place called "The Rail," featuring Ohio-bred beef and such.  I suggested we try it, and snippy Mom agreed... now, it's bar/restaurant, not really made for old people, and the bench-style seating caused more griping (as did the price, as I expected).... until the food came.  It was pretty good, but Mom loved it, and I was all "Started at the bottom, now we're here" in ten minutes.  Small victories!