129 Comments

ski passes. Ikon or Epic?

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we have had Ikon for the past few years but looking for a change of scenery. on the other hand i hear that #epicliftlines is no joke.

the deadlines for the best deals are right now but it looks like we will wait a bit and see if we can actually think if our Xmas ski destination before committing to one pass or the other.

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Oh reminds me I need to order the local Epic pass by tomorrow. I saw that Ikon raised their prices.

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it is almost $1100, you get $100 off to renew.

but w/ daily lift tix > $200 at some places it is not hard to break even. plus you get 20% off resort lodging at many places which can cover the cost all by itself.

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First business trip in 2 and a half years. Leaving Sunday night for a week in London...or more accurately, an opportunity to explore the fleshpots of Guildford

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I'm on a vacation mixed with a couple of days of client meetings. At the end of the second day, started to feel off. Got tested the next day (yesterday): Positive for Covid...

only two folks over the whole time had masks on, so I generally didn't wear mine. rethinking that!

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Wear protection

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Oh wow Guildford

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Edinburgh ...short 48 hour trip to check out University.

food and things to do recs?

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thx everyone. hopefully it is not like a empty trip to Top Dog

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you can talk about your kielbasa in that case

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Avoid kebab places in Edinburgh.

Sorry I can't be more specific, but CJay's gf, Elle, got food poisoning at a kebab place in Edinburgh in mid- to late-March. Without going through all the details as they were told to me by Elle, let's just say that this wiped out an entire day, minimum, and the effects were felt for a week after.

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I've been twice. I recommend springing for a guided tour of Edinburgh castle, buying a bottle of Scotch you can't get in the US, and a haggis dinner. And then I'd make sure that I had a heavy night in a local pub as I found locals to be really friendly. Wake up for Scottish Breakfast - including round and square sausage, black pudding, Scottish tea, and the whole works. And then take a leisurely stroll along along the Royal Mile/Old town, stopping off to buy a Christmas ornament and one hair-of-the-dog. Make sure to look up because Edinburgh has some of the best chimney pots in the world.

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This is all good advice. There’s all sorts of great restaurants but sadly I haven’t been to any due to making short visits to see family. The main part of Edinburgh university is slightly southwest of the Royal Mile / Old Town, very walkable. Victoria Street / West Bow from George IV Bridge street is the Insta location lots of people flock to, takes you down to the Grassmarket. Princes Street gardens are pretty. Plenty to do in the New Town & I hear Leith (down by the Firth of Forth) is much redeveloped from the grim substance abuse center it was when I was a kid 😂

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If you were going to be there for 72 hours I’d recommend taking the train to North Berwick for a jolly jaunt to a trad seaside town.

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My wife is going for like six weeks in May. I might join her for some of it, so... see you there?

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Other College

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According to one football player at Rice, they hate long-time Stanford assistant and current head coach Mike Bloomgren. One player specifically talked about the offensive play calling.

https://www.ricethresher.org/article/2022/04/ive-always-loved-football-until-he-came-players-say-bloomgren-has-lost-the-locker-room

https://riceowls.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/marques-tuiasosopo/1738

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Two ASU starters have entered the portal: their top WR Ricky Pearsall (Jr) & their starting OLB Eric Gentry (So, Freshman All-American last season).

https://twitter.com/DevilsDigest/status/1517167567810535425

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Between the coaching exodus and player exodus, that team is going to be a smoldering crater next season.

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What's not mentioned or explored is that soon after the batter-runner rounds 2nd base, an umpire points to the runner as he is on his way to touch third. I wonder if the batter-runner hadn't said something confrontational, along the lines of taunting and the umpire had picked up on it.

That's not to excuse the pitcher's actions, just wondering if there's more to this than meets the (video) eye.

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Just read that the pitcher was suspended for four games and the batter who hit the Home Run was suspended for two games. The batter was apparently ejected for taunting, so I think you're right on suspecting that more was going on than meets the eye.

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SC coach Lincoln Riley pens letter to Oklahoma fans, explains abruptly leaving Sooners to Trojans

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/usc-coach-lincoln-riley-pens-letter-to-oklahoma-fans-explains-abruptly-leaving-sooners-to-trojans/

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More shekels plus the allure of Tinseltown

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You say that like it’s a bad thing

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Actually 2 good reasons to leave Norman.

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Ukraine

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The US is sending 72 M777 155mm towed howitzer systems to Ukraine, plus 2k shells for each howitzer. Unclear whether the ammo is the guided Excalibur version or unguided. The M777 has almost double the range of Russian artillery. Excalibur is accurate within 30 feet and would be an artillery destroyer if paired with a counter-battery system.

https://twitter.com/CarlaBabbVOA/status/1517153264961134599

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Apr 21, 2022·edited Apr 21, 2022

What's the range of the M777? Too lazy to look it up on wikipedia.

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https://www.army-technology.com/projects/ufh/

The maximum firing range is 24.7km with unassisted rounds and 30km with rocket-assisted rounds. The M777A2 can fire the Raytheon / Bofors XM982 Excalibur GPS / Inertial Navigation-guided extended-range 155mm projectiles using the Modular Artillery Charge Systems (MACS).Feb 3, 2020

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That is quite a lot of shells

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You go through them pretty quick.

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Fingers crossed!

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They are replacing the stadium seats in Yakutsk, a place I only know thanks to Risk.

https://twitter.com/jeradwalker/status/1516943311994458113

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Ukraine is quite large on the Risk board, maybe Putin needs it so he can attack Scandinavia next. after all Sweden and Finland have made some NATO gestures too ..

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I went by the Ukraine Embassy on my run. All of the signs, stuffed animals, and other signs of support on the sidewalk out front have been taken away and replaced by a bunch of potted plants. I liked the look before.

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Putin cancels plan to storm last stronghold in Mariupol.

-A sign of a sliver of humanity? Or just cold calculation.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/21/russia-ukraine-live-updates.html

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They also unfurled the red flag with the gold hammer and sickle over Mariupol. Not the red white and blue Tzar-era flag.

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Why storm a strong defensive position when you can realistically siege it or by-pass it? Ukrainian defenders in Mariupol are in no position to go on the offense - especially now that the defenders are boxed into their "Alamo".

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I've visited three of these monasteries. Simply beautiful.

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I want to know what happened to the other 18 monasteries mentioned. Did they plunge into the abyss below?

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Definitely on the bucket list.

Must be an interesting trail to the top of the rock.

I have climbed the steps of repentance on Mt. Sinai in Egypt.

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Remote monasteries

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Is that a date? And now I'm imagining someone saying, "Let me take you out on a date. I know this great monastery..."

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DBD AV Club

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Favorite all-time sit com(s)?

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Family Ties.

it was on back-to-back on Thu nights after the Cosby Show. i always thought Family Ties was much better.

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Favorite line. "After I zoquo, I like to uushnu."

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Apr 21, 2022·edited Apr 21, 2022

Night Court, What's Happening, Benson, Big Bang Theory, The Good Place

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Apr 21, 2022·edited Apr 21, 2022Author

Benson! Now I know where you get your sense of humor.

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And there will be a Night Court reboot with Melissa Rauch.

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2000's: Friends, Modern Family, Schitt's Creek, Catastrophe, Bob's Burgers, Parks and Rec. Older: Cheers, Night Court, Taxi

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Hmmm... We really enjoyed steaming Schitt's Creek - didn't see it the first time. As much as I enjoyed Parks and Rec, I don't have any urge to watch it again, whereas I quite enjoyed re-watching Community.

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the first four seasons. I rewatched Community last year and plowed thru the last couple of seasons...because. regretted it.

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We quit when it stopped being as funny.

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Frasier, Cheers (classics) Community, The Office (US) 30 Rock B99, Old school: Dick Van Dyke, Bob Newhart, Get Smart - is Fleabag a sit-com?

Best in a limited series: Police Squad! Most acidic: Veep

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Flea Bag is all time...but wouldn't call it a sit com.

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i dont know if Fleabag is, but it one of the funniest things i have ever seen

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I would think that's it's just a "comedy" - because there's no stable "situation" to really play off of - too much change.

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Seinfeld, 30 Rock, Fawlty Towers, Mary Tyler Moore Show.

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Today in Covid

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trying to figure out how long I need to extend my hotel stay here having tested positive yesterday. From the CDC:

"Do not travel until a full 10 days after your symptoms started or the date your positive test was taken if you had no symptoms"

If I feel better in a couple of days and test negative (let's say) on Sat and Sun, doesn't seem to make sense to wait another five days to fly home.

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Getting my 2nd booster today. Oh joy. The third led to 24 hours of extreme fatigue.

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What's the suggested lead time for getting a 2nd booster before a possible super-spreader event? I've got a large testing event in the 2nd week in June I need to go to.

My part of the testing event should be smaller than the other part.

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4 months between first boost and second.

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I guess I just meant if there was some time after getting the booster before it's effective or most effective.

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i dont know if there is a suggested lead time but some of the studies imply that the max advantage only lasts a couple months after the booster.

also, i dont think "super-spreader events" are a thing anymore given how little people are wearing masks and things are spiraling out of control. otherwise going to the Warriors game would have been much worse ...

but i guess that depends on your definition of "spiraling out of control"

i for one, was happily not wearing my mask in airport and airplane yesterday.

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as I noted above, on vacation in HI with some work mixed in Mo and Tu of this week. I tested positive for covid yesterday. definitely have been lax on this trip in terms of meeting people, eating out, etc. But would have masked in airport and place on way back anyway.

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The absence of universal interventions means that any spread is inherently uncontrolled, “out of control” is just how much it’s spreading in an uncontrolled fashion I guess.

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I was thinking if I'm going to wear a mask on my flight to Nashville in a few weeks. I haven't decided. I might if there is someone in the middle seat (which there probably will).

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i recommend a nap

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Sounds good.

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OUR CRUMBLING DEMOCRACY

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SO...

I took a online Rasmussen poll, and I see why they skew Republican, the questions are careful chose to elicit a more conservative response.

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DeSantis realigned voting map adds 4 GOP seats. I know, I know. Shocking.

https://twitter.com/Redistrict/status/1517197240082829313

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Profile on cowardice. It is easier to be the leader of the GQP than to actually be a leader.

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DeSantis rejected 54 math textbooks, 26 due to CRT. DeSantis did not provide any evidence, so a journalist tracked down 8 of them. You'll be shocked why they were rejected. And by shocked, I mean totally not shocked.

https://popular.info/p/inside-the-dangerous-math-textbooks?s=w

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I think the GOP playbook is basically this, across the board:

Step one: invent problem

Step two: declare that you solved problem

Step three: partay!!!!!

I mean why try to solve actual real world problems like climate change, competition with China, Putin’s invasions of neighboring countries, gun violence and so on if you can just make shit up and your base will eat it up????

The turtle at the bottom of this dystopian shitshow is party primaries. Yang is on the nose about this, need to have open primaries. I would go further and make elections federally funded, ban political contributions by corporations, cap contributions by individuals at $500, make the president a popular vote, and some other like minded things. If we don’t clean up the incentives we can’t be surprised when nonsense like this is continually spewed out

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I was just talking to my brother about the GQP “policy” playbook of running on culture war issues, real or imagined because it is easier and more successful than running on actual policy that could help people.

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I think there's another subtextual reason at play here, although it isn't quite as overt as the racism and white supremacy: DeSantis, et al want their judgment to be adopted without question. It goes with the overt authoritariansim.

But absolutely the racism and white supremacy. These mofos make me sick.

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I think saying they are authoritarian gives them too much credit. They have no real vision of how to govern, they just want to win

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All authoritarian visions of governorship is just the accumulation of more power and persecution of enemies both real or imagined.

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Apr 21, 2022·edited Apr 21, 2022

Authoritarianism can be undisciplined; it doesn't need an objective per se *except* to be in a position of authority.

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PRO

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Name the 5 pitchers since 1980 who have won ROY and pitched in the WS in the same year

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Apr 21, 2022·edited Apr 21, 2022

Cheating by comparing different pages on baseball-reference.com, so if you don't want to see the answer, I will give a buffer, but you'll still have to ignore this comment.

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1981 - Dave Righetti (NYY), Fernando Valenzuela (LAD)

2003 - Dontrelle Willis (FLA)

2006 - Justin Verlander (DET)

2010 - Naftali Feliz (TEX)

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You are correct, sir. Though no fair checking bbref!

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@Awwww, but dad!@

To be fair, I had Valenzuela and I had a hunch I knew the 2003 guy (my hunch was right), but the other three were just so much water under the bridge.

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Fernando. Gooden (or was that 85 and 86). Price?

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Fernando yes! Gooden and Price no.

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Yeah I thought Gooden won ROY in 85 and pitched in the 86 WS.

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Yup. I will give you a couple hints. One other guy did it same year as Valenzuela. The others were all after 2000

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Righetti in 81? Verlander with the Tigers?

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This was the White Sox's second inning. The pitching. The defense. Oy vay.

https://twitter.com/mlberrors/status/1516860058218512384

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I was hoping the Indians were going to bunt or steal so we could see TLR's head explode.

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9 runs without getting a single out. And against their cross-town rivals. Brutal.

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I think actually against the Schmindians

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Ohtani is the first pitcher to ever bat twice in the top of the first before throwing his first pitch. He then absolutely mows down the Astros, starting with 5 perfect innings. Ended with 6 IP, 12K (including 6 in a row), 1 H, 1 BB on a limited 95 pitch count.

https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1516920129862488066

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Oh he batted twice in the first inning. Last night I briefly read how he did and it said he had a 2 run double in the first inning and I thought it was a typo because he can't have RBI as a leadoff hitter, but now that makes sense. He had a slow start but is now starting to heat up.

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Pop quiz, hot shot. Do you a) NOT harass one of the most feared boxers in the world or b) ...

https://www.tmz.com/2022/04/21/mike-tyson-repeatedly-punches-man-face-plane-bloodies-passenger/

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Warriors game tonight. Nuggets going to come out hard tonight. Or they should if they want any chance. Either way, I think the Warriors wear Jokić down again and win.

I think Steph goes ahead and starts on the bench. Kerr can use the foot as an "excuse" to push off the "who starts" decision.

When he has to decide, who sits? Looney, Wiggins, or Poole.

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Apr 21, 2022·edited Apr 21, 2022

i agree that Steph should come off the bench for this series. for one, it is working; and for two, he has no shortage of ability to take over the game as he gets back to full strength

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Early runs and Carlos Rodón earn win against Mets

https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/2022/4/20/23034936/mlb-game-recap-san-francisco-giants-carlos-rodon-new-york-mets

Fast forward to the bottom of the fourth inning in Wednesday’s game against the New York Mets.

San Francisco Giants starter Carlos Rodón has spent the past 3+ innings huffing and puffing about the mound, as emotive as a bull, throwing all-gas all over the place. Patient Mets hitters and difficulty locating his fastball early in counts has him averaging around 20 pitches per inning.

The Giants are up 5-0 at this point. Rodón is pitching against himself and taking it personally.

Desperate for a quick inning, he gets Francisco Lindor to pop up to third before Pete Alonso lines a single to left center on an eye level fastball.

It’s a hit Rodón just has to laugh at. A polar bear swinging a baseball bat. It’s funny.

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Tony Gonsolin takes no-hitter into 6th inning, Dodgers take series with Braves

https://www.truebluela.com/2022/4/20/23034581/tony-gonsolin-freddie-freeman-los-angeles-dodgers-atlanta-braves

What is it with these Dodgers and no-no bids? In a series that saw Dave Roberts send out to the mound Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler for the first two games, Tony Gonsolin was the starting pitcher who stole the show, with a masterful performance on Wednesday. The Dodgers beat the Braves in the rubber match, 5-1.

This battle of heavy hitters to decide the series followed the same script as the first two. These are two strong teams and once they get a lead, they often run with it. That’s what the Dodgers did behind Freddie Freeman and Cody Bellinger in the opener, that’s what the Braves did behind Max Fried on Tuesday;

Freeman couldn’t have scripted this any better. The former Brave got another long-ball against his former team, his two-run bomb in the top of the first against Charlie Morton gave the Dodgers an early lead and the team never looked back.

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Embiid nails the game-winning 3 in OT to give Philly a 3-0 lead over Toronto

https://streamable.com/xtev4l

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Jaylen Brown scores 10 in the 4th as the Celtics put on a masterful defensive performance to secure their comeback victory.

https://twitter.com/celtics/status/1516956812586725378

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A's bats go silent, drop 1-0 decision to the Orioles in front of tiny crowd.

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Game #13: A’s bats fall silent in 1-0 loss to O’s

https://www.athleticsnation.com/2022/4/20/23034631/game-13-as-bats-fall-silent-1-0-orioles

You won’t win them all, but the A’s lost a frustrating one today, losing 1-0 to the Baltimore Orioles in the third game of the series.

The bats were as cold as the weather today, collecting just six singles, a double, and a walk while striking out 11 times. The pitching top to bottom was excellent again, though, allowing just one unearned run and keeping the A’s in it until the end.

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7 hits and still shut out. So many wasted opportunities.

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True enough. First and third with one out in the eighth but couldn't get the key hit

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Situational hitting is so much tougher in this era of high octane RPs that all seem to throw 98 and K 10+/9 IP.

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CAL

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Shelter in place order… https://twitter.com/UCBerkeley/status/1517182451986145282

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I just heard it's an active shooter situation :(

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Wait, maybe it's an active shooter THREAT. So still scary, but no shots have been reported thus far.

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eek

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Oh no

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All clear announced....

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enjoyed being on and around campus the last few days. things looked mostly "normal" and kids seemed very happy to be back in person and living the student life in a semi-normal way.

no Kielbasas (temporarily) at Top Dog though. i was forced to improvise!

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When I bought mine a few weeks ago to bring home to SB, there was a surprising and rare shortage of good sausage…no kiels, no bocks, no brats…only calabrese. Damn you Putin.

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#LetsGoPutin

Just saw a reddit article where some bar and grill in MA is throwing a Lets Go Brandon surchange on the receipt.

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I guess technically I'm supposed to use a name that sounds similar to Putin.

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Gluten?

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Go Bears!!!

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Damien Moore suffered a string of injuries last year and didn't really talk about it... until now.

https://www.si.com/college/cal/news/damien-moore-spring-2022

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