57 Comments

where was everyone today?

Expand full comment
author

Apparently, Elon Musk fathered a pair of twins with one of his employees at the same time that he was trying for his second child with then wife Grime. That means he has at least nine kids.

https://www.cnet.com/tech/elon-musk-reportedly-had-twins-with-one-of-his-execs/

Expand full comment

Surprising, yes. But not as prolific as Ramses who had over 400 children.

Expand full comment
author

Siring a child is easy. The real prize should go to women, specifically the first wife of Russian peasant Feodor Vassilyev, who had 69 children via 27 births. That type of endurance can only be bested by that needed to endure Elon Musk on top of you.

https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/most-prolific-mother-ever

Expand full comment

Seems also like something is in the water...or other environmental factors. I note that out of 35 pregnancies of the two wives indicated in the article, NONE were single births. All pregnancies were either twins, triplets, or quadruplets.

This is remarkable, to say the absolute least, if not incredible.

Expand full comment

Or Ghengis!

But I think implication of the comparison - he is like a king - is too flattering.

Expand full comment
author

Other Global Happenings

Expand full comment

Shinzo Abe (ex-Japanese PM) was shot/assassinated today.

Japan is the last country that I'd expect assassination-by-gun...

Expand full comment
author

Sri Lanka bankrupt. Out of foreign reserves, so has trouble importing things. Out of fuel. Inflation at about 55%. India has been propping them up. They ask for credit, reaching out to... Russia?

https://apnews.com/article/inflation-asia-south-prices-93a4cc1c829e4cd53aaaf6afacb06a26

Expand full comment
author

A conservative party who actually cuts bait on a leader who has become an embarrassment, how about that.

Expand full comment
author

Good riddance. Though of course he's sticking around for a few months, because it feels like he's never truly going away...

Expand full comment

I doubt Boris will be allowed to stick around as long as he wants. Apparently his strategy is to stick around long enough to allow the current troubles to blow over and hang on to No. 10 Downing Street. Many in the Conservative Party are saying he must go now.

Expand full comment
author

Supplements

Expand full comment
author

I used to take a multivitamin and vitamin c on a daily basis, but I stopped a few years ago. I haven't noticed any difference.

Expand full comment

Take Vitamin C in chewable gummies, that's pretty much it.

Expand full comment
author

DBD AV CLUB

Expand full comment

Watched the 'Dark Shadows' Tim Burton movie on the 'flix the other evening. Not as bad as I anticipated.

Expand full comment

Really, really like Dark Wind (8.0) - finished episode 4 last night - started Ms. Marvel as well, quite liked that as well.

Watched the 3rd episode of Only Murders in the Building on Tuesday- first one with the actual new plot, love that show.

Oh man, so excited to see the finale OF BETTER CALL SAUL soon

Expand full comment
author

OUR CRUMBLING DEMOCRACY

Expand full comment
author
Jul 7, 2022·edited Jul 7, 2022Author

WHAT?!?!

The IRS conducted audits in recent years of two of former president Donald Trump’s most frequent targets of criticism, former FBI director James B. Comey and his deputy, leading Comey to question whether the audits were motivated by political payback against the law enforcement leaders who investigated Trump and his campaign.

Trump fired Comey in 2017, intensifying an investigation into Trump associates that had begun a year earlier. After Comey’s firing, his deputy, Andrew McCabe, took over the FBI for several months, during which time the bureau opened an investigation into Trump for possible obstruction of justice.

For years, Trump has repeatedly and publicly attacked the two men, calling for them to be charged with crimes and accusing them of pursuing a politically motivated witch hunt against him. While both men were investigated and at times criticized for their conduct, neither has been charged with any crime.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/07/07/irs-audit-comey-mccabe/

Expand full comment

The funny thing is that it was the GOP who lost their shit about retaliatory audits and pushed through the taxpayer bill of rights prohibiting them. They are truly the party of nihilism now - the taxman is the devil to them so using him in this way is very Faustian

Expand full comment

At this point a large minority of the GOP base believes only in winning at all costs, and only respects people who are committed to winning at all costs.

Expand full comment

This is what will happen if the GOP has the congrès and the presidency starting in January’25.

Expand full comment
author

Arizona Congressional candidate releases this ad. Wut?

https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1544734840263688198

Expand full comment

The call is coming from inside the house

Expand full comment
author

Finally something both sides can agree on: shooting Klansmen

Expand full comment
author

PRO

Expand full comment

Game #84: A’s lose pitching duel to Blue Jays 2-1

https://www.athleticsnation.com/2022/7/6/23197148/game-84-as-lose-pitching-duel-blue-jays

Well, dang.

Oakland had a chance for their first sweep this season but couldn’t get it done, coming out on the wrong end of a pitching duel and falling 2-1 to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Both starting pitchers were awesome, trading zeros for five innings before the scoring finally got started. There wasn’t much rallying today as all three runs came from solo home runs, Just two wrong pitches cost the team a sweep.

Expand full comment

Giants do the sensible thing and finally win a damn game

https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/2022/7/7/23197811/giants-diamondbacks-recap-sam-long-darin-ruf-austin-slater

This is the story of how the San Francisco Giants won a baseball game, even though you were convinced the entire time that they wouldn’t.

The entire time.

Don’t try to tell me you weren’t. It’s revisionist history. I call shenanigans.

There was no point at which you thought the Giants would beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, and even when they did win you looked around like Tim Lincecum after recording the 27th out of his first no-hitter, not yet realizing what exactly had happened.

Expand full comment

Lacking command, Camilo Doval did his best to blow the save, probably because he was tired after being used the previous night in yet another non-save situation.

Expand full comment
author
Jul 7, 2022·edited Jul 7, 2022Author

I am not convinced Doval is a closer. His slider is pretty great. However, he's always been a bit wild and his 100 mph fastball that is overpowering at the AAA level is quite hittable to a big league player... which makes him a one pitch guy. He needs another pitch to be a closer.

Expand full comment
Jul 8, 2022·edited Jul 8, 2022

He misses location too much with his slider…tends to hang. The fastball is pretty straight, too.

If he could add a cutter, he’d be tough…

Expand full comment
Jul 7, 2022·edited Jul 7, 2022

Dodgers sweep the Rockies in walk-off fashion

https://www.truebluela.com/2022/7/6/23197913/mookie-betts-walk-off-dodgers-rockies-sweep

It wasn’t the prettiest of games, but the Dodgers showed resilience in a very weird game, taking this one 2-1 against the Rockies, and securing a sweep of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium.

The story of any given start in a major league game is full of nuances. One can easily look at the final stat line, check out the metrics of every pitch and come to a pretty accurate conclusion on how that starter pitched on that given night.

However, there often are extenuating circumstances, other factors outside of the pitcher’s control that ultimately affect how he feels about that start. Whether it is fair or not, that’s another discussion, but frankly, it is that way and there isn’t a lot to be done about it, not in the moment at least.

Expand full comment
author
Jul 7, 2022·edited Jul 7, 2022Author

Browns will essentially pay a net $7m for Baker Mayfield to play against them, which reminds me of this scene from Moneyball.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyYNxT1_Avo#t=36s

Expand full comment

The best part about this is the Browns will be paying Mayfield to beat them when they play this season.

Expand full comment
Jul 7, 2022·edited Jul 7, 2022

Carolina will be a dumpster fire this year...Rhule has a real good chance to be the 1st HC fired, likely after week 7. The schedule-makers did them no favor, as they begin with CLE, NYG, NO, ARI, SF, LAR, TB - they'll be lucky to be 2-5.

Expand full comment
Jul 7, 2022·edited Jul 7, 2022

Niners are most likely going to have to release Jimmy Garoppolo, though Cleveland remains an option if Deshaun Watson is handed a substantial suspension by arbitrator Sue Robinson.

Niners asking price of a 2nd rounder seems even more of a pipe dream now, and would they agree to pay some of his salary, just to get a low draft pick? Unlikely...Mayfield's contract was guaranteed, Garoppolo's is not.

Expand full comment
author

Bryan Marchment, who was with the SJ Sharks for six seasons, has passed away from unannounced reasons at the age of 53.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/former-nhl-defenceman-bryan-marchment-dies-at-53

Expand full comment
author
Jul 7, 2022·edited Jul 7, 2022Author

Insane photo finish to the fifth stage of the Tour de France. Winner Simon Clarke didn't have a contract six months ago.

https://twitter.com/faustocoppi60/status/1544709849262526466

Expand full comment

that was great finish. each of the 4 in the breakaway had a shot of winning the stage a each one took their best shot.

Expand full comment
author

FET: Sports physicist calculates that completing the Tour de France's 2100 miles requires about 120k calories

https://theconversation.com/tour-de-france-how-many-calories-will-the-winner-burn-163043

But your muscles, like any machine, can’t convert 100% of food energy directly into energy output – muscles can be anywhere between 2% efficient when used for activities like swimming and 40% efficient in the heart. In my model, I use an average efficiency of 20%. Knowing this efficiency as well as the energy output needed to win the Tour de France, I can then estimate how much food the winning cyclist needs.

Top Tour de France cyclists who complete all 21 stages burn about 120,000 calories during the race – or an average of nearly 6,000 calories per stage. On some of the more difficult mountain stages – like this year’s Stage 17 – racers will burn close to 8,000 calories. To make up for these huge energy losses, riders eat delectable treats such as jam rolls, energy bars and mouthwatering “jels” so they don’t waste energy chewing.

Expand full comment
author

ELSEWHERE IN COLLEGE

Expand full comment
author

A little inspirational talk for today. Dook still sux.

https://twitter.com/DukeWBB/status/1544291475608899584

Expand full comment
author

CAL

Expand full comment

Go Bears!

Expand full comment

Go Bears!!!

Expand full comment