Author: fasted86

Briefly.

Is it really a legitimate complaint that the Red Sox aren’t hitting homeruns? Hey, instead they are running and running at the right time. Last checked, the Sox are 23-1 when stealing multiple bases in a game. More? The Red Sox are 5^th in the majors in stolen bases, 27^th in homeruns, yet they lead the division over Baltimore (1^st in the majors in homers) NY (4^th), Tampa (7^th) and Toronto (11^th).

Devastation. Estimates are that 25% of homes in Key West were demolished. Incredible! Residents cannot all check on their homes until all bridges in the Keys are examined for safety. See trivia #2 below.

The Cleveland Indians have now won 22 games in a row, an American League record. The major league record is 26 in a row.

The Cleveland Browns have lost their last 13 openers. Wow! Which brings us to…

Trivia #1: Who was the starting quarterback for the Browns when they last won on Opening Day? (If you were listening to Mike n Mike on Monday morning around 7:00am you would get this. Otherwise, likely not)

Trivia #2: How many bridges are in the Keys? 

I didn’t see one play from last night’s Texans/Bungals game. Thank God! DYK: The Bungals are the first team since the 1939 Eagles to go their first two games without an offensive touchdown.

Headline of the week: “Adidas creates ‘puke repellent’ sneaker for upcoming Oktoberfest” 

Quote of the week (a couple of weeks ago): “Who’s going to beat the Patriots, really?” Me 

At last, a fully operational urban delivery drone system is here, only you probably won’t be able to use it. Drone logistics startup Flytrex has teamed up with Iceland’s main online retailer, AHA, to launch a currier drone service in Reykjavik. Specifically, it’s servicing one part of Reykjavik – robotic fliers carry food across a river in the city, cutting delivery time from 25 minutes to 4.

Next season all 32 MLB teams will open on March 29, the earliest ever. The reason? They need more days off during the season. Really.

Speaking of schedules, I’d be pissed if I were a Saints fan. The Pats played Thursday night and get 10 days to prepare for Sunday’s matchup with the Saints. The Saints played Monday Night and play on short rest. That sux.

Pastrnak…, signing…, good! Bruins for you non-knowers. Speaking of which, this answers the question whether the ‘e’ is really needed in words like “kickr”, “hittr”, “peckr wreckr”, “cock suckr”, etc.

In soccer news, really. “Our” Revolution lost 7-0 the other night and were outshot 20-0. Now I ain’t no soccer guy but that is horrendous!

Useless stat of the week: The Minnesota Twins set an MLB record on Tuesday when they hit homeruns in each of the first 7 innings of their game vs. Kansas City. That’s not the useless part. The useless added stat is that they hit 2,675 feet of homeruns in the game.

A sign of the apocalypse – Real clowns are worried that the movie ‘IT’, that just hit theaters and is based on Steven King’s novel, might ruin their careers. 

Speaking of “real clowns” ya, I know a few.

Trivia answer #1: Jeff Garcia

Trivia answer #2: 42 (one of which is 7 miles long) 

“You are like a hurricane

There’s calm in your eye.

And I’m getting blown away

To somewhere safer

Where the feeling stays.

I want to love you but

I’m getting blown away.”

The Patriots lost.

Briefly.

This year’s class inducted into the new (last year) PawSox Hall of Fame included Pudge Fisk, Mo Vaughn and Joe Morgan. In case you had no idea, like me, last year’s inaugural class included Wade Boggs, Jim Rice and former owner Ben Mondor,. 

What the…! A health professional in California reported cases where eclipse-viewers sought medical treatment because they put sunscreen on their eyeballs to watch last week’s solar eclipse. I’m speechless. 

Trivia #1: Where was Curt Schilling born: Massachusetts, Hawaii, Texas, Rhode Island, Alaska, Iowa or California?

This past week Chris Sale became the fastest pitcher to reach 1,500 strikeouts. Think about that! The pervious top 4 were, not in order, Nolan Ryan, Kerry Wood, Pedro and Randy Johnson. 

Trivia #2: Earlier this season, Clayton Kershaw was mentioned in the record books. What did he do? Third fasted to 100 wins, third fastest to 2,000 strikeouts, third best ERA for pitchers with at least 1,500 innings, third fasted with in the 50 yard dash?

Conor McGregor lost the fight. Period. Done. I don’t care if he fought better than Mayweather’s previous three opponents or that he supposedly “quieted his doubters.” He lost. The circus has left town. 

The Massachusetts Port Authority says more than 20,000 cars each day enter Logan Airport to pick-up and leave friends or relatives for their flights. They have since agreed to do a study ti impose a fee on those drivers, part of a deal with environmentalists seeking to curb congestion and air pollution amid a surge in airline traffic. – Some might call this a sign of the apocalypse??? 

This week’s sign of the apocalypse: A University of Tampa sociology professor has been fired after tweeting that Hurricane Harvey was “instant karma” for Texas voting republican. 

Speaking of the hurricane, jeez! What a catastrophe. 

So Detroit’s Matthew Stafford is now the highest paid player in the NFL. He does have all the numbers to back it up, well, all the numbers expect winning games. 

Japan won the Little League World Series defeating Lufkin, TX 12-2. As if the hurt of the loss wasn’t enough, Lufkin lies about 100 miles northeast of Houston. Japan has now won the Little League World Series 11 times, 5 times in last 8 years. In case you weren’t paying attention, Japan had allowed only one run in the entire tournament heading into Sunday’s game only to see themselves down 2-0 after three batters and two homeruns by Lufkin. From there, well… 

DYK: Little League has a Challenger Division for youth with physical and mental challenges. Champ Pederson, who was born with Down’s Syndrome, was enshrined as a member of the 2017 Little League Hall of Excellence class before the title game. He’s the first player from the Challenger Division to get that honor. Very nice.  

If you played a drinking game and had to drink every time Jonny “do you have my ‘h’” Gomes said, “…at the end of the day…”, you wouldn’t last 4 innings. 

R.I.P. Difficult week for college basketball as the sport lost both Rollie Massimino and Judd Heathcoate, two iconic coaches. 

Some say here’s to the end of summer. I say, here’s to the beginning of fall as the baseball playoffs shape up, college, pro and high school football start up and apple picking season begins. Huh?

Trivia #1 answer: Alaska

Trivia #2 answer: Third fastest to 2,000 strikeouts 

Quote of the week: “I wasn’t particularly close to my Dad before he died… which was lucky, because he trod on a land mine.” – Olaf Falafel 

“Cryin’ won’t help you, prayin’ won’t do you no good

Now, cryin’ won’t help you, prayin’ won’t do you no good

When the levee breaks, mama you got to move

 

All last night sat on the levee and moaned

All last night sat on the levee and moaned

Thinkin’ about my baby and my happy home.”

Briefly. 

Yankees radio now includes commercial sponsorship of games’ announced attendance.

Trivia: What boxing class if heaviest? Flyweight, bantam weight or feather weight?

Speaking of which, McGregor doesn’t last two rounds. 

Useless stat: Last Friday night the Red Sox’ Matt Barnes “earned” a “hold.” In two-thirds of an inning he allowed four hits and two earned runs. 

Who isn’t excited about Rafael Devers? Keep this in mind. In 97 at bats he has struck out 27 times. Alarming and climbing. 

Last Sunday, August 20,  the San Francisco Giants were eliminated from playoff contention. 

In case you missed it, the USS John McCain, a destroyer, collided with an oil tanker off the coast of Singapore. DYK, the ship is not named after Vietnam war hero Sen. John McCain but instead named after his father and grandfather, both of them naval commanders during World War II. 

Insightful? On Wednesday night during the Sox/Indians game, play-by-play announcer Dave O’Brien stated that Drew Pomeranz had just struck out his 10^th batter of the game. It was in the 5^th inning. “Color” commentator Jonny ‘where’s the “H” Gomes’ chimed in; “10 K’s in 5 innings, you do the math. That’s 2 per inning!” I patiently waited for his next line but it never came… 

As of Monday Christian Vasquez was batting .288 and leading all catchers with 200 or more at-bats. 

Godspeed to all in eastern Texas. Wow! 

Going down? Rocio Cortes Nunez delivered her third child by C-section last week at Seville’s (Spain) Our Lady of Valme hospital and was being wheeled from surgery to a recovery room when she became caught in an elevator. Per local media, staff wheeled her onto the elevator, but while the doors opened and shut, the elevator didn’t move. They reportedly decided to try another elevator, and as they were moving her out with the doors open, it started going up. Precise details are unclear but part of her body was outside the elevator and part was in, and reports suggest she was decapitated! 

A NJ football fan has died and in his obituary he asked for 8 Philadelphia Eagles players to be his pall bearers so that they could “let him down one last time.” 

Chick-fil-A has a store inside of the Atlanta’s Falcons new home, Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Unfortunately, since Chick-fil-A first opened in 1946, the restaurant has a strict policy and is not open on Sundays. Really. 

This week’s sign of the apocalypse: ESPN pulled one of its announcers from the University of Virginia’s football game this weekend because of his name, Robert Lee.

R.I.P. Jerry Lewis. DYK; he helped raise over $2.5B (that’s a “B”) while hosting the legendary Muscular Dystrophy Association’s yearly telethon for over 40 years. 

The Trade? I like it.  Win today baby, not tomorrow.

NFL, can’t start soon enough. I feel bad for all those fans who aren’t going to watch anymore. 

Big Beer is still winning. In Massachusetts, the top selling beer by unit is Bud Light, followed by Corona, Coors Light, Miller Light and Budweiser. Bud Light, Budweiser and Corona are all owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev, which is based out of Belgium. MillerCoors, based out of Chicago, owns Coors Light and Miller Light, among others. When broken out by brewery instead of by beer, craft brewers fared a bit better in MA. AB-InBev still topped the chart, followed by MillerCoors. However, Harpoon also ranked with Sam Adams following close behind. “Big Beer” also dominated the sales charts in CT, ME, NH and RI. The only New England state to escape the big beer trend was VT, where Shelbourne-based Fiddlehead Brewing top the charts (though the data did not break out which of its beer was the top seller.) In fact, VT didn’t have any big beer brands on it top seller list instead listing Switchback Ale, the Alchemist’s Focal Banger, the Alchemist’s Heady Topper, and a beer from 14^th Star Brewery. You gotta love Vermont! 

Trivia answer: Feather weight. 

$750M+. Huh? 

“If I could be like that,

I would give anything

Just to live one day, in those shoes

If I could be like that

What would I do,

What would I do”

Briefly.

Jacoby Ellsbury is tied for Pete Rose for catcher’s interference calls in his career. Now I don’t care what the record is, tying Pete Rose in anything is kinda cool. 

Trivia #1: About how long does it take sunlight to reach the earth? Eight minutes; eight seconds; .7 seconds; 15 minutes? 

So Rafael Devers hit a 102.8 mile an hour pitch for a homerun off of the Yankees’ Aroldis Chapman. Hey, big deal right? Well, it was the first homerun he had allowed all year and only the second homerun he has ever allowed to a left-handed hitter. According to Statcast, it was the fastest pitch ever hit for a homerun. DYK: Devers nickname is “Carita” which means “babyface” in Spanish. 

Trivia #2: Rafael Devers is one of ten players to ever post an OPS of 1.000 or higher over 50 or more plate appearances in a season where they were 21 or younger. Which of these players are NOT on that list? Hint, two of these players did it twice: Eddie Matthews, Mel Ott, Ted Williams, Jimmy Fox, Mickey Mantle, Willie McCovey, Alex Rodriquez, Albert Pujols. 

Unhittable – you’re doing it wrong. I saw a small piece entitled “Reyes, unhittable”. Denyi Reyes of the Lowell Spinners had a pitching line of 6.2 scoreless innings, six strikeouts and two hits. Two hits!? I thought he as “unhittable”?? 

Just browsing and recognizing some of my favorites minor league baseball team nicknames: Binghamton Rumble Ponies; El Paso Chihuahuas; Hartford Yard Goats; Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp; Lansing Lugnuts; Lehigh Valley IronPigs; Montgomery Biscuits; Richmond Flying Squirrels. 

Monday was National Whiffle Ball Day, established in 1953. Regretfully, I did not play. Regretfully, what whiffle ball did to my shoulder is permanent. 

This week’s sign of the apocalypse: Teen Sent to Internet Addiction Camp Dies Within 48 Hours. 

Giancarlo Stanton (Miami Marlins) has 11 homeruns in his last 13 games. 

Who is going to beat the Patriots? Really. 

Sox/Yankees again. I can’t get enough! 

Haverhill’s own Jillian Cardarelli was recently recognized in Rolling Stone magazine as one of the top 10 New Country Artists You Need to Know: August 2017. Cool! 

Paying tribute – you’re doing it wrong. Sadly, a family tragedy was compounded this week in Michigan when the body of a 59-yeard old man was found Monday, the day after he fell out of a boat while scattering his father’s ashes on Lake Superior. 

In case you missed it, the WEEI/NESN/Red Sox Radio Jimmy Fund Telethon ran this past Tuesday/Wednesday. Many heart-tugging stories both on the radio and during Sox games. On Tuesday night, Dave O’Brien and Eck were interviewing a guest in their booth, an 18-year old cancer survivor much like many others. O’Brien noted that the woman (her name escapes me) was a student at Marquette and referred to her as a “Warrior.” DOH! Any follower of Marquette knows that the spineless school succumbed to pressure several years ago and changed their nickname from the Warriors to the Golden Showers Eagles. Way to go, Dave! 

Speaking of the Sox, nice tribute to the ’67 team the other night. Too long ago for me but at the time that team brought the Red Sox back to life in Boston. Seats were empty in ’66. Red Sox Nation was born. 

Trivia answer #1: Eight minutes

Trivia answer #2: Mickey Mantle. Ted Williams and Mel Ott each did it twice. 

Don’t miss the solar eclipse on Monday. I wish we, northeast,  had a better view but it should be pretty cool. 

“Mama always told me not to look into the eyes of the sun

But mama, that’s where the fun is” 

Good night everybody!

Briefly. 

There is a stairway to heaven and a highway to hell. You figure it out.

I have said before that Aaron Judge is a beast, and he is. However, last season when the Yankees were questioning whether a player the size of Aaron Judge could ever make enough contact to succeed in the majors, his numbers were 84 at-bats; 15 hits; .179 batting average; 4 HRs; 44 strikeouts. Since the All-Star break this season his numbers are 84 at-bats; 14 hits; .167 batting average; 5 HRs; 38 strikeouts. Now that is scary!

Trivia #1: Garlic is a what? Fruit; Herb; Vegetable; Spice; Meat Product

Trivia #2: Seven players have over 2,000 hits for the Red Sox alone. Name them. 

Did you see Wade Boggs on NESN during the Tampa series? He looks like a cross between Jeremiah Johnson and Charlton Heston (Moses in The Ten Commandments).  He did a pretty good job, I thought. 

A California estate featured in the credits of “The Beverly Hillbillies” now has another notable distinction, the most expensive residential listing in the country. The Bel-Air estate hit the market Monday with an asking price of $350 million. Amongst its other features, the 25,000 square foot home, which sits on 10.3 acres, has a ballroom, world-class wine cellar, formal salon, manicured gardens, a tennis court, covered parking for 40 cars, a 75-foot pool and a fully equipped pool house. It also has sweeping panoramic views of downtown LA and the Pacific Ocean. 

Players Weekend in MLB is Aug 25-27. All teams will don overly bright-colored uniforms and hats with nicknames, yes nicknames, on the back. Even the Yankees who have no names on their current uniforms, will sport the nickname shirts. Now while expect some of the nicknames will be funny and entertaining, no thanks. The uniforms and hats are wicked ugly too.  

Rick Porcello threw what is called an “immaculate Inning” the other night. 9 pitches, 3 strikeouts. I think if you asked any pitcher what an “immaculate inning” is they would say 3 pitches, 3 pop-ups. 

The Celtics play what, 82 regular season games? They have 4 exhibition games. The Patriots play 16 regular season games and 4 exhibition. Stupid, but not as bad as baseball’s ridiculously long spring training. I’m not quite sure what the puckheads do… 

Trivia answer #1: Garlic is a vegetable

Trivia answer #2: Yaz, Teddy Ballgame, Jim Rice, Dewey, Boggs, Ortiz and Bobby Doerr. (Pedrioa should be there next season if he stays healthy) 

R.I.P. Former major leaguer (and Red Sox) Don Baylor who at 68 lost his battle with Myeloma. Some of you may recall Baylor presided over the Sox’ “Kangaroo Court” in 1986, assessing fines for whatever he deemed a transgression. For example, in Roger Clemens 20-strkeout game against the Seattle Mariners, he fined Clemens $5 for letting up a single on an 0-2 pitch to Spike Owen. 

And finally, R.I.P. Frank(ie) Conte (90). Just flat out, one of the greatest! The guy could still throw a punch too! 

“And it stoned me to my soul

Stoned me just like jelly roll

And it stoned me

And it stoned me to my soul

Stoned me just like goin’ home

And it stoned me”

 

Good night everybody!

Briefly. 

The L.A. Dodgers started the season at 11-12. Since then they have gone 65-20. DYK, they lost the other night to Atlanta after holding a lead. They had previously set a major league record by winning 53 consecutive games when leading at any point during the game. Incredible!

Trivia #1 (tough one): Charlie Hough and Steve Carlton each hold the MLB career league record, AL & NL respectively, for what?

Trivia #2: Where was the first public beach in the U.S. (1895)? Revere Beach, MA; Myrtle Beach, SC; Miami Beach, FL; Lighthouse Beach, MA; Long Beach, CA 

A woman and her husband from the Swedish village of Jokkmokk were hiking in the mountains recently when they called police to tell them she was having trouble walking. Police dispatched an air ambulance and mountain rescue team only to discover the woman was having trouble walking because she was tired from all the hiking. The couple ended up paying $3,600 for the helicopter ride. 

This week’s sign of the apocalypse: Atlanta’s Julio Jones took a spill while jet skiing in Lake Lanier when he hit a boat wake. He resurfaced but his $100,000 earring did not. 

This week’s sign of the apocalypse, part deux: Lombardi Middle School, located in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and named after legendary Packers coach Vince Lombardi, will not offer football in 2017 because it was unable to find coaches. 

Tourists have said naked female panhandlers, known as “desnudas”, are harassing them in NY’s Times Square. Desnudas is Spanish for “naked”. Past proposals to license the often obnoxious street performers, mostly naked with body paint, went nowhere because most of them are illegal immigrants and wouldn’t register anyway. 

In today’s non-news, Tom Brady turned 40 yesterday.

Safety Diving, you’re doing it wrong. He was considered one of the best, if not the  best, safety divers in the world, and Stephen Keenan died after coming to the rescue of a fellow diver. Keenan was an expert at free diving – meaning no breathing equipment – and as a safety diver he provided essential backup to other divers in case they got into trouble. He was trailing Italian free diver Alessia Zechini as she attempted to navigate a notorious 85-foot-long tunnel at a depth of 184 feet in Egypt. She became disoriented at 165 feet and Keenan dove down to assist and began guiding her back to the surface. She made it back but Keenan himself apparently blacked out in the last 30 feet of the ascent and could not be revived upon being rescued. 

This news excites me greatly. Red Sox’ injured reliever Carson Smith begins his rehab assignment this weekend. 

Quote of the week: “That’s just how we are. That’s just Texas.” – Cathy Hanks, neighbor of a woman who was not immediately identified, who shot and killed an armed intruder in her home. 

Tuesday night was the first time this season where Christian Vasquez caught Chris Sales. Rick Sutcliff interviewed Sales on Monday night and they discussed how Sales never calls off the catcher. Never. Sales got pounded Tuesday night which makes one wonder whether the battery of him and Vasquez will be seen again this year… 

I’m a hater, we’ve been there before. Now some of you may be of the opinion that this was a nice gesture, sincere, thoughtful, blah, blah, blah. The Chicago Cubs gave a world Series ring to Steve Bartman. I say, “no way!” Steve Bartman, best known for deflecting a foul ball that was set to land in left fielder Moises Alou’s glove with the Cubbies five outs from the World Series in 2003. The article I read said that he “…accidently deflected a foul ball…”. He didn’t “accidentally” deflect it! He reached for it! If he had caught it would they have said he “accidently” caught it? 

Edward A. LeLacheur Park, home of the Boston Red Sox’ short-season Class A affiliate in the New York-Penn League (NY-PL) and right down the road in nearby Lowell, MA, has been named the best short-season ballpark in the country for 2017 by Ballpark Digest. LeLacheur Park beat out the stadiums of all 22 short-season clubs in the NY-PL and Northwest Leagues. 

A grandmother from New South Wales, Australia, is having second thoughts about the ingredients inside Coles’ ice cream sandwiches after one failed to melt in her driveway after four days. 

R.I.P. Ara Parseghian (94) – Parseghian won two national championships at Notre Dame (1966 & 1973). At the time he retired, Parseghian had established himself as part of the “Holy Trinity” of coaches at Notre Dame – no offense Lou. Ara was so beloved by students that when weather turned bad , chants of “Ara, stop the rain!” or “Ara, stop the snow!” cascaded down from the grandstands. DYK, Ara played two seasons with the Cleveland Browns.

“I don’t know if I practiced more than anybody, but I sure practiced enough. I still wonder if somebody – somewhere – was practicing more than me.” – Larry Bird. Just one reason why he was so great and just one reason why Tom Brady is so great. 

Trivia answer #1: Balks – Hough had 32 (AL) Carlton had 82 (NL)

Trivia answer #2: Revere Beach 

“Sittin’ here resting my bones

And this loneness won’t leave me alone, listen

Two thousand miles I roam

Just to make this dock my home, now

 

I’m just sittin’ on the dock of the bay

Watchin’ the tide roll away, oh

Sittin’ on the dock of the bay

Wastin’ time”

Briefly.

In the 1980’s, 44 percent of MLB General Managers had played in the majors and 68 percent had played in the minors. By the 2010’s those figures were 10 and 15 percent, respectively, and the main qualification for front-office work was an Ivy League degree.

Trivia: Who is the active leader for career strikeouts? Bartolo Colon, John Lester, CC Sabathia, Justin Verlander, Zach Greinke or John Lackey

Riddle: You have two dogs. How can you give one away, yet keep both?

Whoddu thunk this year’s British Open Championship would out-do last year’s Stenson/Mickelson battle? Those last 6 holes were incredible!

Useless headline of the week: “Michael Phelps vs. great white shark: Who won?” 

Remember Mel Allen and “This Week In Baseball” on Saturday mornings? That was the best! Youngsters today don‘t understand that that television program was our only peek into the happenings in MLB outside of Boston. 

Wearing neckties may increase  your risk for glaucoma – keep it loose!

We’re still in July and Chris Sale has 211 strikeouts. He broke the AL record for quickest to 200 in a single season. Sale, by the way, has not allowed a run in 20 2/3 innings over three starts since the All-Star break. 

Hong Kong’s 7.4 million residents create a lot of trash – 15,000 tons of garbage are disposed every day. But at only 427 square miles, the city is quickly running out of space to put all that garbage. Hong Kong has three operational landfills taking up 560 acres of land and all of them are nearly full. Hong Kong government estimates  all three landfills will be completely full sometime in the next few years.

The Baltimore Ravens donated $1.5 million to keep a Baltimore high school open. Team owner Steve Bisciotti was so moved by stories of students at Renaissance Academy High School in Baltimore, and the devotion they showed to the school when officials threatened to close its doors, he and the team decided to pay for the renovations. Good for the Ravens! 

“What-the…” headline of the week: “McDonald’s debuts McDelivery clothing line featuring a Big Mac onesie and a fry-themed sweat suit.” 

Eck/Price – what goes on during a team flight should stay on the plane. Please end the nonsense.

Manu Ginobili, the Argentian who turns 40 today, has tweeted that he will return for a 16^thseason with the San Antonio Spurs. 

The tailgate experience at Mizzou football games will have another element this fall: pregame concerts. Each concert will feature a “nationally prominent artist” and will go off 2 � hours before kickoff. Admission to the one-hour concerts is free and does not require a game ticket. 

I commented on the Patriots’ schedule when it first came out but it is worth noting again. Their last 9 games are against the AFC. 5 of their last 6 games are against the AFC East – two vs. Miami (within three weeks of each other), two vs. Buffalo (within four weeks of each other), one vs. the Jets and another against the Pittsburgh. Which begs the question: Why is there an ‘h’ at the end of Pittsburgh? 

In case you missed it… Todd Frasier, the guy the Red Sox did not trade for, was traded to the yankees and hit into a triple play in his first at bat with his new team. Yes, a run did score on the play and yes he did homer in his next game, but so what. 

Quote of the week: “How about that!” – Mel Allen 

Trivia Answer: CC Sabathia with 2,797

Riddle: Give one away and rename the remaining dog “Both”. (ouch!) 

R.I.P. – Stubbs. The 20-year old yellow feline, was the unofficial mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska, winning as a write-in in 1997. The town has no human mayor. Fun fact: In 1992 I paid $5 for a beer and a shower at a bar in Talkeetna, then home of Haverhillite Steve Gilroy. 

“I’ll sing my song to the wide open spaces

I’ll sing my heart out to the infinite sea

I’ll sing my visions to the sky high mountains

I’ll sing my song to the free, to the free”

Briefly. (after a brief hiatus)

I can hear Pablo Sandoval now: “I can’t believe I lost all that weight for nothing!”

Trivia #1: Ian Woosnam, tied for the lead, was assessed a two-shot penalty on the first hole of the final round at Royal Lytham in 2001 for what violation? A) He was late to the first tee b) He had 15 clubs in his bag c) He finished the hole with a different golf ball than the one he used on the tee d) He illegally moved his ball on the green

Trivia #2: Which common word changes it pronunciation when the first letter is capitalized? 

People try to knock the Sox/Yankees rivalry but I sure had a good time with it last weekend. Good theater! 

Headline of the week: Bag of NASA moon dust sells for $1.8M at auction. 

A recent article named Pablo as the worst signing in Red Sox history. Carl Crawford was second. 

A 50-year-old professor and mother from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. A 19-year-old woman in Toledo, Iowa. A 48-year-old man who lives in Seattle. All received free men’s razors from Gillette in recent weeks, along with wishes for a happy 18^th birthday and a welcome to manhood – an amusing marketing misfire that left them wondering what led the brand to believe they were all teenage boys. 

Reebok has partnered with David Clark Company to produce an innovative pair of lightweight boots built for galactic travel. The Reebok Floatride Space Boot SB-01 is currently undergoing tests by astronauts and it’s touted as “the first evolution in space footwear in over 50 years” said the brand in a statement. “Space footwear”. That cracks me up. 

A report last year warned that match-fixing was a problem in tennis. But at Wimbledon? The sport’s independent watchdog group said Wednesday that three matches during this year’s event seemed a little fishy and are being investigated. In a release, it stressed that this doesn’t mean the matches were fixed, only it had received alerts about strange betting behavior that warranted a closer look. Alerts aren’t uncommon in the sport – the unit has received 83 alerts so far this year, down from 121 during the same span last year. 

If you haven’t done so in a while, stop at an ice cream stand and get an ice cream cone. Not many things in life are more American. 

Fister?! I didn’t touch her! (A Mike Adams classic) 

This week’s sign of the apocalypse: In Canada, parents successfully petitioned to have their child given a card where no sex was listed, arguing that it was up to the child to decide. 

Maybe it’s me but I’d like to know when was the last time a regular hit a walk-off homerun in extras and then sat the next day.

Skylar Fowler, 1, became the first child to die in a hot car in Georgia this year in a June 15 incident. Skylar’s mother, Dijanelle Fowler, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, child cruelty, and concealing the death of her daughter, whom cops say was left in Fowler’s car for 6 hours while she got her hair done. She allegedly left the car running with the air conditioning on, but at some point between her 10am appointment and 4pm return to the car, the car died. At no point during her appointment did she leave the salon to check on her daughter. You know, you typically hear of at least a few cases like this every year where children or pets are left in vehicles on a hot day by some negligent parent/owner. These people should be shot, on the spot! 

This week in history. (new feature here?) On July 20, 1969 at Philadelphia’s Connie Mack Stadium, play was halted in the top of the third inning in a game against the Cubbies. The teams moved silently to their respectively baselines and looked skyward as the Phillies’ crowd is informed word has been sent from Neil Armstrong to Mission Control in Houston that the Eagle had landed on the moon. The game will resume after a recording of Kate Smith’s rendition of “God Bless America” is played and a prayer is said for the astronauts over the loudspeaker. Wow, what a moment that must have been! 

Drew Pomeranz – winnings and innings! 

“Silent” and “Listen” are spelled with the same letters.

Trivia answer #1: b) Ian Woosnam had 15 clubs in his bag (you can only have 14). Hmmmm, makes me wonder. What’s the maximum number of beers you can have in your cart???

Trivia answer #2: Polish 

“Everyone’s beneath the trees feeding pigeons on a limb

But when Quinn the Eskimo gets there

All the pigeons gonna run to him.

Come all without, come all within

You’ll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn”

 

 

Good night everybody! 

Briefly. (very)

So let me get this straight. Mitch Moreland is playing with a broken toe and Pedroia is on the bench (missed three games) after spitting up blood as a result of a shot to the ribs. Meanwhile, Sandoval is on the 10-day DL with the flu? Ya, right. 

Trivia #1: Who was the last foreign player drafted #1 overall in the NBA?

Trivia #2: What player is tied with Honus Wagner with eight National League batting titles? Hint – he hit .338 for his 20-season career amassing 3,141 hits. 

What’s the stink about the guy (Dyson?) laying a perfect bunt single breaking up Verlander’s no-hitter? First of all, it was in the 6^th inning, not the 8^th or 9^th. Secondly, so what! If you throw a no-hitter you are unhittable. Apparently, Verlander was not. At least he didn’t cry about it but everyone else did. 

Cool headline of the week: “Canadian sniper sets world record with 2.2 mile pick-off of ISIS fighter”

Useless headline of the week: “Oklahoma burglary suspect wore underwear on his head” 

I’m glad Patrice Bergeron again received the Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward. Great recognition. Do they have an award for the best offensive defenseman? Right? 

My quick thoughts on the NBA Draft:

Jayson Tatum – Hey, who knows. Over the past several years, of the 55 one-and-done’s drafted as lottery picks, only 9 have been all-stars. Who knows?

What’s with the interviewing of all the parents? Interview the kid, go ahead and comment on everyone’s suit, but let’s keep the parents out of it. Especially that Odom buffoon!

Josh Jackson – I hope that is the last time you try to wear a baseball hat, unless of course you get a haircut

Lauri (that’s his name) Markkanen, from Finland, was drafted early by some team. Jay Bilas made what at first sounded like a strange comment; “I think he’d better slow down.” He went on to say that, in Finland, speeding tickets are paid based on a percentage of annual income. Imagine that?! The employed must just fly around town! 

I have been very patient with Panda. Finally I can say that it is time to cut the cord. 

If the Patriots stay even remotely healthy, they will not lose a game. This time, a full 19-0! 

Trivia answer #1: Andrea Bargnani, from Italy, by Toronto in 2006

Trivia answer #2: Tony Gwynn 

RIP – Stephen “Flounder” Furst, Otto Warmbier and for Wilbur, Tom Morgan – past owner of the R.I. Winston Rod Company 

“At night when the bars close down

Brandy walks through a silent town

And loves a man who’s not around

She still can hear him say 

She hears him say “Brandy, you’re a fine girl” (you’re a fine girl)

“What a good wife you would be” (such a fine girl)

“But my life , my lover, my lady is the sea”