Wife came down with it on Thursday. Kiddo came down with it yesterday, less than 24 hours from their flight for summer school in NYC. This probably has torpedoed our summer plans. What a waste. I unexpectedly had to reverse-quarantine at our second home, so I'm pretty unprepared. Bad work set-up, lack of food, not enough clothes, and a shortage of booze is less than ideal.
You need one of those alcohol delivery apps, dude! I used one once and it was so fast and easy that I was like oh shit this could be a real bad thing so I deleted the app from my phone ☺️
I wish. This county has only 22k people and 2 liquor stores in it. It's so remote that I have to bribe tradesmen with a $100 under the table just to drive out here.
Reacher (S1) (Prime Video, 16/19). This adaptation is better than the version with Tom Cruise and truer to the book series. While the main actor Alan Ritchson is 6'2" rather than 6'5", he is a lot more believable and fun to watch as a yoked/uber-observant killing machine. It's not deep-thought material, but I happily binged season 1 and thoroughly enjoyed it.
I watched it. then just finished reading the book. 95% word for word, but they did change a few moderately significant things.
I liked the first Cruise Reacher movie (based on One Shot). at that point, I'd not heard of Reacher, so Tom Cruise being far from "having hands the size of pie plates" didn't bug me.
having read the books since, he was an obviously odd choice.
Mr Chit, I binged all 7 seasons of Bosch over the last 2 months. Became a Bosch fan. Hadn't even heard of it before then despite the many seasons.
Then yesterday just watched episode 1 of the new Bosch: Legacy. A little bit of a rocky start, for me, so hoping it returns to form. Also, kinda annoying that even Prime members are subjected to ads via this "Freevee" nonsense.
Nice! I found Bosch very stylish. Glad you enjoyed.
Bosch: Legacy is definitely a notch below. Titus Welliver being on board is huge, and while there are a few holdovers, much of the cast is absent. Worth watching tho - hope you stick with it…you’ll notice the difference, but still good.
7 seasons…(now 8) are truly a long time for a series.
My first “we’re not in Kansas anymore” moment came when you hear the intro song is no longer Can’t Let Go by Caught A Ghost…one of the only serials I didn’t skip thru the credits after the first few…
I also finished up the last few episodes of The Flash. This last season was bad. Part of me wants to not watch season 9 but part of me feels like I should stick it out and finish it up.
Also finished up The Blacklist. Same with this show. I kinda don't want to watch the next season but kinda want to stick it out. Should've ended it before Liz was killed. Or at the very least at the end of that season.
I think my last season was the season Liz had the baby (the one after the cleaner was killed). It became too much work. I love Red but I can't really imagine the point of the show without Liz (I too didn't realize they'd offed her)?
I know I'm a little late to the game, but I just got a Disney+ subscription. Started with The Mandalorian. Wonderful series. Watched all of season 1 and the first episode of Season 2. Also, since I am a massive Disney geek, I loved watching a couple of episodes of "Behind the Attraction". So much fun!
Most people I talk to about it feel this way. Except one friend who had given up after episode 2, then decided to re-watch those after my positive review, and then he decided he loved it and enjoyed the rest. Go figure!
It had some high points, mostly when it focused on the relationship between Obi-Wan and Anakin/Vader. But also a lot of stuff that felt like time-wasting.
Slow start (not action-wise), though the action is essential to the plot, but it definitely picks up. I ended up quite enjoying it - glad I stuck with it. Without Remorse fans (show too, but esp the book) should enjoy.
Oh I may have to check this out. I did like Without Remorse, both the book and the movie. I read the book when it first came out so it's been probably 25+ years but I do remember thinking it was a good book. A good John Clark origin story. The movie was so different but still enjoyable.
Watched the first two S2 "Only Murders in the Building" episodes, really quite love this show.
Also watched first two of The Bear since it was the only thing we could watch last night when there were a million fireworks going off - interested, not sure it's great but intrigued.
doom first and only. That said, I think it's a fair chance we end up effectively independent, which is not great media wise, as we seem terrible at negotiating contracts.
I still think Cal probably has a spot in one of the major conferences once all the realignment is done, though I wish it were more like 100% certainty.
Yeah, it just seems really unlikely for either of those two leagues to pass up a chance at the Bay Area market if more expansion is happening (and for the Big 12, a recruiting foothold in California). I know we're not being mentioned in many of the expansion rumors right now, but I suspect that's mostly because there are too many balls in the air and Cal is just biding time awaiting other schools' decisions (Notre Dame, Oregon, Stanford).
If and when the dust settles I think the major conferences will be looking our way.
yeah, my college sports interest had been dwindling and this likely will all but end it. Ridiculous to be in a conference with teams in the eastern time zone. Like when the Braves (and Falcons) were in the "West".
The worst part for me is not knowing what's going to happen. There's a part of me that is glad that we're not Oregon State or Washington State because they are the biggest losers of all of this. But, the uncertainty is really frustrating. In my opinion, it is entirely possible that we won't know what Cal's future is until after this football season, and that would really, really suck.
Somewhat similar to the goofy play in the Nats game last week that resulted in a run. Both runners failed to hold on a soft liner to first on that one.
Despite having his excellent initial start negated by the restart, Lewis Hamilton was able to fight his way to a podium finish in third place. He was locked in an intense battle for third in the final laps, with Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc but was able to expertly keep the Ferrari off of his tail. Most of the world was rooting for Hamilton to win his home GP, especially after the ugly racist remarks made toward him earlier in the week, but a podium finish was enough to earn him some much needed points.
Second place went to Red Bull's Sergio Perez, who managed to somehow fight all the way back from last place. In lap five, Perez's car suffered damage, which forced him to pit for repairs. Following that pit stop, he emerged in last place and yet he was able to fight his way back to finish second.
In the end, though, it was Sainz who took home the win, despite Ferrari's best efforts. In lap 31, while leading the race, Sainz was instructed to let his teammate Chares Leclerc pass him. Then, during lap 38, with Leclerc leading and Sainz right behind him, Sainz was told to save fuel, an obvious attempt to hand Leclerc the win, and Sainz was audibly frustrated over the radio. However, a safety car was called and Sainz was told to give Leclerc ten car lengths following the restart, to which he ultimately told his team no. After the safety car was over, in lap 43, Leclerc went wide and off the track, allowing Sainz to take a lead he wouldn't give up.
After a collision at the start Zhou Guanyu's car flipped, slid several hundred feet while upside-down, flipped up and over the tire barrier, and was wedged between the barrier and the safety fence. Zhou was unhurt and even returned to the race after being checked out at a local hospital.
There was a crash in the F2 race that day where a car launched off a curb and hit another car while going over it on the perpendicular- the driver of the car would likely have been killed without the cockpit protection
He is a gamer! Hopefully he can stay healthy and make needed adjustments. It’s tough to stay on top of your game on such a shitty team, but he seems like a real pro
Heh...rumor has it that the Warriors could give up the farm to get KD. Wiggins, Poole, Moody, Kuminga, picks for KD. Marcus Thompson II wrote two articles, one detailing some info for a possible trade, based on his discussions with people within the org. Steph, Klay, and Draymond had talked with KD and the discussion of "it would be cool if we could play together again". I think the 3 said to the front office that they would be fine with trading assets for KD but wouldn't push for it.
Then MTII had another article that said it most likely wouldn't happen because it would compromise the post core-KD future.
My take is it would be terrible to trade anything for KD, other than people you are going to cut anyway. He's a great player, but doesn't seem to add enough extra to this team to put them over the hump for a championship (since they already are there).
I’d be ok parting with Wiseman (seems injury prone given his college and pro record) and Moody (just due to my own ignorance) but I don’t want to trade Kuminga
(I can only state this after reading too many DNHQ posts)
Nets can't trade for Wiggs becuase Simmons would be their second "max contract after rookie contract" player. which isn't allowed. (seems an oddly specific thing to have in the cap rules.)
so need a third team upon which to unload BS (appropriate initials)
for a guy who's 34 and has only played +/- 90 games over the last two seasons and who is ripping up a contract and who tied his fate to Krazy Kyrie???
For AS + future AS + future future AS + picks?!?
I wouldn't even trade Wiggs straight up for KD. Wiggs fits the scheme perfectly. We don't need another alpha. Let Steph steph. Don't want to see 30 not steph in favor of KD iso play.
Only downside is if Wiggs looks for another max contract after next year. Hopefully he'll be happy making "4th best player on the team" money. And maybe Klay will take less (he did just make – I think – >$80M for not playing 2.5 seasons). And hopefully Steph will go full Duncan with a reduced salary (I think he makes more money in side hustles than playing hoops, and part of that depends on the team being successful).
The Oakland A’s got another great performance from a starting pitcher, and this time they turned it into a victory, thanks to some well-timed fireworks from their lineup.
The A’s defeated the Toronto Blue Jays by a 5-1 score on Monday, earning a win on July 4 at the Coliseum.
Left-hander Cole Irvin was brilliant for eight innings, allowing just one run on four hits in his best performance of the season so far. Oakland didn’t let that gem go to waste, striking right away for three runs in the 1st inning and then adding a couple solo homers later for insurance.
The Giants have been a combination of bad and boring recently. On Monday, the Arizona Diamondbacks extended the Giants losing streak to five in a 8-3 victory. A lot could be highlighted from Monday’s loss, but San Francisco’s continued defensive struggles behind the plate, on the infield, and outfield all reared their head once again.
One thing was different, though, Giants prospect David Villar joined the team in Arizona and donned a big-league uniform for the first time in his career.
Villar was selected in the 11th round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of South Florida, when Villar profiled as a power-first corner bat with questions about his ability to make enough contact. After an inconsistent first minor-league season in 2019, Villar returned from the pandemic in 2021 with a reworked swing that helped him take his production to the next level.
DeSclafani being out is a net add because he’s been turrible. The whole team is completely complacent. Someone needs to flip the spread in the clubhouse and light a fire. Kapler needs to cancel the all star break and just run defensive drills 8 hours a day for 5 days because they are basically the Bad News Bears in the field
G-men have 4-5 more years of building depth before they can compete consistently, yeah? Maybe they can conjure another season like last but the foundation still needs lots of work
Even when healthy this team is poor defensively…Crawford is usually a rock and he’s been brutal this year.
To win the way Farhan constructed this roster, they need to make the plays…they don’t, and it’s not just errors. Plays that need to be made by major league ball players aren’t made, and go for hits.
I wonder if the Pads will make it. Dodgers should've swept them. Kimbrel has been rocky all year and getting hit in the back didn't help. And they got rocked yesterday. Are they starting their 2nd half swoon early?
I still think they should be good enough to make the postseason.
On a day of celebration in a country touted as the land of the free, facing a pitcher named Freeland, the Dodgers got fireworks from freely available talent in beating the Rockies 5-3 on Monday night at Dodger Stadium.
After dropping their first two series to the last-place Rockies this season, including getting shut out at Coors Field of all places last Monday night, the Dodgers at home continued to be stymied by Colorado pitching. Kyle Freeland retired his first 13 batters faced, with only one ball reaching an outfielder, a harmless flyout to left by Will Smith in the second inning.
Justin Turner was the Dodgers’ first baserunner of the game with a single in the fifth inning, then Chris Taylor worked a walk. Trayce Thompson got ahead against Freeland then swung through a 3-1 slider. But he didn’t miss a second straight slider.
Go Bears. Now we enter a week of intrigue and mystery where the clandestine operations of Christ and Knowlton will eventually be exposed. Will we be happy with the outcome, or is it the arrival of the four horsemen of the apocalypse for Cal football?
I am preparing for the worst (basically relegation to a shitty conference that causes us to cancel several non revenue sports). That seems fairly likely, and also if anything better than that happens, even if only incrementally better, I will be pleasantly surprised
My wife was very generous to me on Father's Day. She got me a new Traeger grill from Costco. I LOVE IT!!! Slow-cooked ribs on Saturday and they turned out fantastic. I kept them at 250 degrees for about 3 hours and the hickory smoke flavor really came through. Way different (and, IMHO, better) than the ribs that I used to cook in the oven. The only down side is that it does not get hot enough to get a good sear (maxes out at 450), though I can certainly deal with that. I can't wait to make pulled pork and smoked sausage.
Had a wonderful all-American meal on the 3rd & 4th - wife made pulled pork BBQ sandwiches with cole slaw on top as well, side of potato chips (keep it simple) - had them with a amazing bottle of 2018 Syrah which I guarantee y'all is going to be a cult fave in the near future. Made by Ledge in Paso Robles, my son bought some, and had a party with the wine-maker at his house (!!!) for hours some months ago.
Easily 94-95 point wine, that can age better as well.
Daughter made some super tasty strawberry slab-pie with super rich buttery crust, damn, it was good.
Freshman year (this will date me), promoters were handing out free small packs of cigarettes on Telegraph. I felt I should do my part, so I accepted a pack, and immediately threw it in the trash.
My father stated smoking when he was 10, took a break for a while in the 70s, went back to it, and eventually tapered off after a few years in California- partly because he couldn’t smoke at the office and partly because he didn’t really like US cigarettes anyway. I smoked the occasional pack from freshman year at SC until some point in my second year in grad school - oddly enough, the final straw was waking up with both a top 10 hangover and my hand on my face reeking of smoke, the aversion therapy only stopped me from smoking tho
My roommates at Cal had a hookah that we’d fire up every now and then. It’s crazy the difference between now and growing up in the 80s re number of ppl that smoke
I smoked off and on for about 11 years. I started when I was 14 and quit shortly after college (age 25). Nicotine was never much of a thing with me. In other words, I quit 37 years ago. I would guess my risk of lung cancer is similar to someone who has never smoked.
My Dad smoked for 65 years, hence he died of small cell carcinoma back in 2018. I started smoking around age 40 and kept at it, 8-10 cigs a day for three years before quitting.
Today in Covid
Wife came down with it on Thursday. Kiddo came down with it yesterday, less than 24 hours from their flight for summer school in NYC. This probably has torpedoed our summer plans. What a waste. I unexpectedly had to reverse-quarantine at our second home, so I'm pretty unprepared. Bad work set-up, lack of food, not enough clothes, and a shortage of booze is less than ideal.
You need one of those alcohol delivery apps, dude! I used one once and it was so fast and easy that I was like oh shit this could be a real bad thing so I deleted the app from my phone ☺️
I wish. This county has only 22k people and 2 liquor stores in it. It's so remote that I have to bribe tradesmen with a $100 under the table just to drive out here.
Maybe you need to try FarmersOnly.com!
Seriously that sucks though - good luck!
DBD AV Club
Reacher (S1) (Prime Video, 16/19). This adaptation is better than the version with Tom Cruise and truer to the book series. While the main actor Alan Ritchson is 6'2" rather than 6'5", he is a lot more believable and fun to watch as a yoked/uber-observant killing machine. It's not deep-thought material, but I happily binged season 1 and thoroughly enjoyed it.
I watched it. then just finished reading the book. 95% word for word, but they did change a few moderately significant things.
I liked the first Cruise Reacher movie (based on One Shot). at that point, I'd not heard of Reacher, so Tom Cruise being far from "having hands the size of pie plates" didn't bug me.
having read the books since, he was an obviously odd choice.
It’s a fun watch
Reacher said nothing.
Mr Chit, I binged all 7 seasons of Bosch over the last 2 months. Became a Bosch fan. Hadn't even heard of it before then despite the many seasons.
Then yesterday just watched episode 1 of the new Bosch: Legacy. A little bit of a rocky start, for me, so hoping it returns to form. Also, kinda annoying that even Prime members are subjected to ads via this "Freevee" nonsense.
yeah, Freevee sucks!
I'm not that interested in Maddie nor Honey, so Legacy isn't great. But it's Bosch, so I'll take it!
100%
When Bosch started, it was the reason we got a one-month free trial. And binged it. Then signed up for Prime (shopping purposes).
Nice! I found Bosch very stylish. Glad you enjoyed.
Bosch: Legacy is definitely a notch below. Titus Welliver being on board is huge, and while there are a few holdovers, much of the cast is absent. Worth watching tho - hope you stick with it…you’ll notice the difference, but still good.
I loved the comic relief duo of Crate and Barrel, was hoping they'd be back!
the penultimate season (I think it was...opiods in Mexico) was by far the weakest (not the show's fault; it's based on the weakest book).
7 seasons…(now 8) are truly a long time for a series.
My first “we’re not in Kansas anymore” moment came when you hear the intro song is no longer Can’t Let Go by Caught A Ghost…one of the only serials I didn’t skip thru the credits after the first few…
at least they have lots of books to use for source material, even if they went off script with some of the story arcs.
After watching the new Lincoln Lawyer series, I re-watched the movie and they use that song in the opening credits.
Shows that have lasted too long.
Anything longer than five seasons
Dallas, LA Law.
I also finished up the last few episodes of The Flash. This last season was bad. Part of me wants to not watch season 9 but part of me feels like I should stick it out and finish it up.
Also finished up The Blacklist. Same with this show. I kinda don't want to watch the next season but kinda want to stick it out. Should've ended it before Liz was killed. Or at the very least at the end of that season.
I came here to say The Blacklist.
I didn’t even realize they killed Liz. The show seemed fun in the beginning but it just seemed to get boring.
I lost steam on that one a loooong time ago.
Yeah, I think I watched the first two or three seasons and then just stopped for no particular reason.
I think my last season was the season Liz had the baby (the one after the cleaner was killed). It became too much work. I love Red but I can't really imagine the point of the show without Liz (I too didn't realize they'd offed her)?
We gave up on that show a few years ago... fun in the beginning, but then... uh, not so much
I finished the last few episodes of The Flight Attendant. Some twists and turns but not bad.
I know I'm a little late to the game, but I just got a Disney+ subscription. Started with The Mandalorian. Wonderful series. Watched all of season 1 and the first episode of Season 2. Also, since I am a massive Disney geek, I loved watching a couple of episodes of "Behind the Attraction". So much fun!
Unfortunately the other new Star Wars shows don't live up to The Mandalorian's standard of quality IMO. But still, worth checking out.
I quite enjoyed The Book of Boba Fett
I didn't, except for the parts that were basically Mandalorian episodes.
Most people I talk to about it feel this way. Except one friend who had given up after episode 2, then decided to re-watch those after my positive review, and then he decided he loved it and enjoyed the rest. Go figure!
eh, the best parts of Obi Wan Kenobi are great in my opinion - not as even as Mandalorian, but great acting.
It had some high points, mostly when it focused on the relationship between Obi-Wan and Anakin/Vader. But also a lot of stuff that felt like time-wasting.
probably bc you think the last jedi is a good movie
Wrong: it's a GREAT movie.
The Terminal List, with Chris Pratt on Prime.
Slow start (not action-wise), though the action is essential to the plot, but it definitely picks up. I ended up quite enjoying it - glad I stuck with it. Without Remorse fans (show too, but esp the book) should enjoy.
Oh I may have to check this out. I did like Without Remorse, both the book and the movie. I read the book when it first came out so it's been probably 25+ years but I do remember thinking it was a good book. A good John Clark origin story. The movie was so different but still enjoyable.
It’s my favorite book - movie was OK.
This show was also based on a book, tho I did not read it.
Watched the first two S2 "Only Murders in the Building" episodes, really quite love this show.
Also watched first two of The Bear since it was the only thing we could watch last night when there were a million fireworks going off - interested, not sure it's great but intrigued.
Pac-12
The Four Stages of Grief:
1. Doing mental fantasy-drafts of which teams should go to which Conference
2. Optimistic wishing that things will turn out fine for the Bears because we're a decent market
3. Promising all major gods that I'll be overjoyed if any Power 4 conference picks up Cal.
4. Despair. Abandon all hope.
I vacillate between #3 and #4, but today it's 70% in the latter
5. Dooooom! (A concept Cal is already familiar with) seems like it should be on the list.
As Cal fans, I think we all went straight to #5!
doom first and only. That said, I think it's a fair chance we end up effectively independent, which is not great media wise, as we seem terrible at negotiating contracts.
Doom? Repping the Bay Area ain't that bad.
I still think Cal probably has a spot in one of the major conferences once all the realignment is done, though I wish it were more like 100% certainty.
I do too. Cal is supposedly worth $45M a year because of the Bay Area market. Big 12 will want them if the Big 10 doesn't
Yeah, it just seems really unlikely for either of those two leagues to pass up a chance at the Bay Area market if more expansion is happening (and for the Big 12, a recruiting foothold in California). I know we're not being mentioned in many of the expansion rumors right now, but I suspect that's mostly because there are too many balls in the air and Cal is just biding time awaiting other schools' decisions (Notre Dame, Oregon, Stanford).
If and when the dust settles I think the major conferences will be looking our way.
I was reading the threads about all the Pac-12 disintegration and things are chippy over there!
It’s gonna take a long time to get over this whole thing. CFB is going to the back burner for a little while.
yeah, my college sports interest had been dwindling and this likely will all but end it. Ridiculous to be in a conference with teams in the eastern time zone. Like when the Braves (and Falcons) were in the "West".
maybe this affects my Cal hoops renewal plans...
A habit that looks like I'll be deprived of soon.
I may be freed from being obsessed with Cal football on Saturdays in fall and give me some life.
Hopefully by the end of this week we will know more and can plan accordingly
The worst part for me is not knowing what's going to happen. There's a part of me that is glad that we're not Oregon State or Washington State because they are the biggest losers of all of this. But, the uncertainty is really frustrating. In my opinion, it is entirely possible that we won't know what Cal's future is until after this football season, and that would really, really suck.
Elsewhere in college
Rapture is happening and only Wazzu, Oregon State, and Cal are left on earth.
https://twitter.com/PFF_College/status/1544373068499505152
Interesting. So by this, just ND and Furd added to B1G?
Interesting why Oregon and UW would prefer Big 12 to B1G. I guess better to take the initiative rather than wait for B1G to extend an invite.
IMO these Big 12 moves don't happen until we know what other invites the Big 10 is offering. They are controlling this whole thing at the moment.
So I'm not surprised if the B12 is talking to a bunch of P12 teams, but it doesn't mean anything yet.
OUR CRUMBLING DEMOCRACY
No, that's the clap
https://twitter.com/KFILE/status/1543606430636326913
Police arrest Highland Park (alleged) shooter. Internet wonders what the police would do if he was black.
https://twitter.com/dodgerman/status/1544116324669988864
Peak America.
https://twitter.com/ChefGLeon1/status/1544156613623300097
PRO
This triple play. What in the wide wide world of sports is going on here?
https://twitter.com/michaelsluciano/status/1544193464329416704
Somewhat similar to the goofy play in the Nats game last week that resulted in a run. Both runners failed to hold on a soft liner to first on that one.
Astute observation, dcblue. Different result, though, and that had to do with the position of the runners.
I wonder what the 1st and 3rd base coaches were telling the runners. Or more precisely, NOT telling the runners.
The mind boggles.
Formula 1: A thrilling British Grand Prix from start to finish ends with Carlos Sainz's first career victory
https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/carlos-sainz-snags-his-first-f1-victory-in-thrilling-british-grand-prix
Despite having his excellent initial start negated by the restart, Lewis Hamilton was able to fight his way to a podium finish in third place. He was locked in an intense battle for third in the final laps, with Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc but was able to expertly keep the Ferrari off of his tail. Most of the world was rooting for Hamilton to win his home GP, especially after the ugly racist remarks made toward him earlier in the week, but a podium finish was enough to earn him some much needed points.
Second place went to Red Bull's Sergio Perez, who managed to somehow fight all the way back from last place. In lap five, Perez's car suffered damage, which forced him to pit for repairs. Following that pit stop, he emerged in last place and yet he was able to fight his way back to finish second.
In the end, though, it was Sainz who took home the win, despite Ferrari's best efforts. In lap 31, while leading the race, Sainz was instructed to let his teammate Chares Leclerc pass him. Then, during lap 38, with Leclerc leading and Sainz right behind him, Sainz was told to save fuel, an obvious attempt to hand Leclerc the win, and Sainz was audibly frustrated over the radio. However, a safety car was called and Sainz was told to give Leclerc ten car lengths following the restart, to which he ultimately told his team no. After the safety car was over, in lap 43, Leclerc went wide and off the track, allowing Sainz to take a lead he wouldn't give up.
Another reminder of the remarkable advances in these cars' safety:
https://www.thedrive.com/uploads/2022/07/03/Zhou-Guanyu-Crash-1-of-3.jpg
After a collision at the start Zhou Guanyu's car flipped, slid several hundred feet while upside-down, flipped up and over the tire barrier, and was wedged between the barrier and the safety fence. Zhou was unhurt and even returned to the race after being checked out at a local hospital.
There was a crash in the F2 race that day where a car launched off a curb and hit another car while going over it on the perpendicular- the driver of the car would likely have been killed without the cockpit protection
That accident also ruined George Russell's day.
Quite enjoyed this race, glad it wasn't raining like qualifying - great fun.
Sharks hire a former player as the new GM.
https://twitter.com/SanJoseSharks/status/1544377578244284416
Grier's brother is the GM of the Dolphins.
Seiya Suzuki is back, with inside the park homerun. Hoping he replicates April magic.
https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/1544090717458468864?t=CE7D6BUeLtyN9DjIz7vuGw&s=19
He is a gamer! Hopefully he can stay healthy and make needed adjustments. It’s tough to stay on top of your game on such a shitty team, but he seems like a real pro
Heh...rumor has it that the Warriors could give up the farm to get KD. Wiggins, Poole, Moody, Kuminga, picks for KD. Marcus Thompson II wrote two articles, one detailing some info for a possible trade, based on his discussions with people within the org. Steph, Klay, and Draymond had talked with KD and the discussion of "it would be cool if we could play together again". I think the 3 said to the front office that they would be fine with trading assets for KD but wouldn't push for it.
Then MTII had another article that said it most likely wouldn't happen because it would compromise the post core-KD future.
No. Full stop.
My take is it would be terrible to trade anything for KD, other than people you are going to cut anyway. He's a great player, but doesn't seem to add enough extra to this team to put them over the hump for a championship (since they already are there).
The price is way too high just to get Kevin Durant back for what? 2, 3 years at the outside?
No way.
I’d be ok parting with Wiseman (seems injury prone given his college and pro record) and Moody (just due to my own ignorance) but I don’t want to trade Kuminga
But also Wiggins and Poole? That's most of the future.
(I can only state this after reading too many DNHQ posts)
Nets can't trade for Wiggs becuase Simmons would be their second "max contract after rookie contract" player. which isn't allowed. (seems an oddly specific thing to have in the cap rules.)
so need a third team upon which to unload BS (appropriate initials)
but, in the end: just No
Well, even if you somehow make the math work, the idea is just patently absurd on it’s face.
The ridiculousness of ADDING picks to a haul that includes an All-Star, a breakout stud & future AS, and 2 lottery picks is the final guffaw. Please.
for a guy who's 34 and has only played +/- 90 games over the last two seasons and who is ripping up a contract and who tied his fate to Krazy Kyrie???
For AS + future AS + future future AS + picks?!?
I wouldn't even trade Wiggs straight up for KD. Wiggs fits the scheme perfectly. We don't need another alpha. Let Steph steph. Don't want to see 30 not steph in favor of KD iso play.
Only downside is if Wiggs looks for another max contract after next year. Hopefully he'll be happy making "4th best player on the team" money. And maybe Klay will take less (he did just make – I think – >$80M for not playing 2.5 seasons). And hopefully Steph will go full Duncan with a reduced salary (I think he makes more money in side hustles than playing hoops, and part of that depends on the team being successful).
[That was longer than I thought it'd be.]
Oh no fucking way
Yeah, that deal is so f-ing ridiculous it’s laughable. It was pure speculation.
Lacob is not scrapping his entire plan, especially after winning a ring with all those guys. Please.
Why not give Curry too. What a joke.
@How about Curry for KD straight up. Allows KD to prove he can win it without Steph...@
is @.....@ sarcasm font around these parts? I like it :-)
Yeah, Lacob is too proud to give on the Two Tracks (as he should be)
Game #82: Irvin dazzles, A’s lineup provides fireworks in 5-1 win
https://www.athleticsnation.com/2022/7/4/23194961/game-82-oakland-as-toronto-blue-jays-score-result
The Oakland A’s got another great performance from a starting pitcher, and this time they turned it into a victory, thanks to some well-timed fireworks from their lineup.
The A’s defeated the Toronto Blue Jays by a 5-1 score on Monday, earning a win on July 4 at the Coliseum.
Left-hander Cole Irvin was brilliant for eight innings, allowing just one run on four hits in his best performance of the season so far. Oakland didn’t let that gem go to waste, striking right away for three runs in the 1st inning and then adding a couple solo homers later for insurance.
David Villar has memorable MLB debut in otherwise forgettable Giants loss
https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/2022/7/4/23194775/giants-david-villar-mlb-debut-loss-madison-bumgarner-diamondbacks
The Giants have been a combination of bad and boring recently. On Monday, the Arizona Diamondbacks extended the Giants losing streak to five in a 8-3 victory. A lot could be highlighted from Monday’s loss, but San Francisco’s continued defensive struggles behind the plate, on the infield, and outfield all reared their head once again.
One thing was different, though, Giants prospect David Villar joined the team in Arizona and donned a big-league uniform for the first time in his career.
Villar was selected in the 11th round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of South Florida, when Villar profiled as a power-first corner bat with questions about his ability to make enough contact. After an inconsistent first minor-league season in 2019, Villar returned from the pandemic in 2021 with a reworked swing that helped him take his production to the next level.
Man, the Giants have been pretty awful and it feels like the season is slipping away from them. DeScalfani is a loss for the season.
https://www.mlb.com/news/anthony-desclafani-to-have-ankle-surgery
DeSclafani being out is a net add because he’s been turrible. The whole team is completely complacent. Someone needs to flip the spread in the clubhouse and light a fire. Kapler needs to cancel the all star break and just run defensive drills 8 hours a day for 5 days because they are basically the Bad News Bears in the field
Their defense is comically bad. They give up extra runs constantly because they can't field the ball.
And yes, much if this is due to guys being shuttled in and out because of injuries.
G-men have 4-5 more years of building depth before they can compete consistently, yeah? Maybe they can conjure another season like last but the foundation still needs lots of work
Even when healthy this team is poor defensively…Crawford is usually a rock and he’s been brutal this year.
To win the way Farhan constructed this roster, they need to make the plays…they don’t, and it’s not just errors. Plays that need to be made by major league ball players aren’t made, and go for hits.
No postseason this year.
I wonder if the Pads will make it. Dodgers should've swept them. Kimbrel has been rocky all year and getting hit in the back didn't help. And they got rocked yesterday. Are they starting their 2nd half swoon early?
I still think they should be good enough to make the postseason.
I like the Pads chances more than the Giants…they still got Tatis coming back for, what, 50 games…prob mid-Aug if no setbacks? That’ll help.
Trayce Thompson’s home run turns Julio Urías and the Dodgers into winners
https://www.truebluela.com/2022/7/4/23194808/trayce-thompson-home-run-dodgers-julio-urias-rockies
On a day of celebration in a country touted as the land of the free, facing a pitcher named Freeland, the Dodgers got fireworks from freely available talent in beating the Rockies 5-3 on Monday night at Dodger Stadium.
After dropping their first two series to the last-place Rockies this season, including getting shut out at Coors Field of all places last Monday night, the Dodgers at home continued to be stymied by Colorado pitching. Kyle Freeland retired his first 13 batters faced, with only one ball reaching an outfielder, a harmless flyout to left by Will Smith in the second inning.
Justin Turner was the Dodgers’ first baserunner of the game with a single in the fifth inning, then Chris Taylor worked a walk. Trayce Thompson got ahead against Freeland then swung through a 3-1 slider. But he didn’t miss a second straight slider.
CAL
Go Bears. Now we enter a week of intrigue and mystery where the clandestine operations of Christ and Knowlton will eventually be exposed. Will we be happy with the outcome, or is it the arrival of the four horsemen of the apocalypse for Cal football?
I almost expect 'breaking news' that teams are bailing on the Pac12 because of a decades long game fixing scandal to keep Cal out of the Rose Bowl.
I am preparing for the worst (basically relegation to a shitty conference that causes us to cancel several non revenue sports). That seems fairly likely, and also if anything better than that happens, even if only incrementally better, I will be pleasantly surprised
I am fully prepared for the cancellation of all non endowed sports.
The McKeever stuff is so poorly timed btw. I could see how that may make admin folks feel like oh fuck it let’s get rid of sports
I cleared cache from chrome on my phone and lost 90 day winning streak of Wordle. ;(
I just did today's (maybe for y'all it'll be tomorrow's). Was this close to blowing it. a tricky one!
(I don't know that I've seen a Wordle graph here before – didn't think it was possible – so apologies if this breaks the rules.)
Wordle 382 6/6*
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New status: feral
https://twitter.com/TeacherOnTopic/status/1544369767758323712?s=20&t=7y24qRk8sQ0ZCcB00YHXSQ
DBD test (USA!) kitchen.
My wife was very generous to me on Father's Day. She got me a new Traeger grill from Costco. I LOVE IT!!! Slow-cooked ribs on Saturday and they turned out fantastic. I kept them at 250 degrees for about 3 hours and the hickory smoke flavor really came through. Way different (and, IMHO, better) than the ribs that I used to cook in the oven. The only down side is that it does not get hot enough to get a good sear (maxes out at 450), though I can certainly deal with that. I can't wait to make pulled pork and smoked sausage.
Had a wonderful all-American meal on the 3rd & 4th - wife made pulled pork BBQ sandwiches with cole slaw on top as well, side of potato chips (keep it simple) - had them with a amazing bottle of 2018 Syrah which I guarantee y'all is going to be a cult fave in the near future. Made by Ledge in Paso Robles, my son bought some, and had a party with the wine-maker at his house (!!!) for hours some months ago.
Easily 94-95 point wine, that can age better as well.
Daughter made some super tasty strawberry slab-pie with super rich buttery crust, damn, it was good.
Smoking
Currently seasoning a cast iron skillet, so there's some smoke
Luckily my dad’s smoking disgusted me, so I didn’t follow in his footsteps. And extra luckily, he quit when I was around 12, so he lived a long life!
Freshman year (this will date me), promoters were handing out free small packs of cigarettes on Telegraph. I felt I should do my part, so I accepted a pack, and immediately threw it in the trash.
Disgusting and never smoked.
Same...have never had any first-hand smoke.
Don't think I could date anyone that smoked.
I have never dated a smoker, but have drunkenly kissed a couple. only the alcohol made it possible
Same. I am not sure I would even sleep with someone who smokes. It is a major turnoff.
I think it depended on just how good looking they were if I'm being honest.
My father stated smoking when he was 10, took a break for a while in the 70s, went back to it, and eventually tapered off after a few years in California- partly because he couldn’t smoke at the office and partly because he didn’t really like US cigarettes anyway. I smoked the occasional pack from freshman year at SC until some point in my second year in grad school - oddly enough, the final straw was waking up with both a top 10 hangover and my hand on my face reeking of smoke, the aversion therapy only stopped me from smoking tho
My roommates at Cal had a hookah that we’d fire up every now and then. It’s crazy the difference between now and growing up in the 80s re number of ppl that smoke
Also relevant: for me it was a deal breaker re dating. If the woman was a smoker, I would just pass. Not that I had a lot of offers! ☺️
Smoking is Andy-Dufresne-escaping-Shawshank foul…
Never, if it's cigarettes - tried it once when I was 10 - hated it, unlike my sister who still smokes.
I smoked off and on for about 11 years. I started when I was 14 and quit shortly after college (age 25). Nicotine was never much of a thing with me. In other words, I quit 37 years ago. I would guess my risk of lung cancer is similar to someone who has never smoked.
My Dad smoked for 65 years, hence he died of small cell carcinoma back in 2018. I started smoking around age 40 and kept at it, 8-10 cigs a day for three years before quitting.