Sometimes I’ll give a delayed reaction because I forget that I’m wearing a Cal shirt. Especially if I’m at the park with my kids and I’m focused on them and not what shirt I’m wearing.
A wine I really like, in Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, and usually and often a % of Super Tuscans as well. Kinda medium body, not meant for aging over 20-25 years, but goes with a lot of food.
Those things fascinated me when I was little. I thought it was incredible that a gasbag with 100-foot stingers was floating around out there killing fish and wreaking havoc.
My mom got stung by one on the shoulder right after entering the water for the Lanai to Lahaina relay swim. Finished her one hour leg and didn't mention the sting to her team because she didn't want to spook them for their legs. She completed another 30min leg towards the end of the race and got a nice stringy scar for two years for her effort.
I got stung on the leg at Bellows Beach on Oahu when I was 11. Tentacles wrapped around my leg leaving red welts. Scrubbed the tentacles off with wet sand. Took a long time to heal.
Ohio Bobcats were terrible last year, winning only three games. Despite that, they came in third in the MAC western. Their second string QB was Armani Rogers, a dual-threat QB who committed to Cal before de-committing and going to UNLV after Dykes got sacked. He started as a freshman and was really good on his feet (nearly 800 yards rushing), but was not very good with his arm. He ended up losing his starting job to Max Gilliam, another former Cal Bear. He transferred to Ohio, where he was the backup, including leading Ohio to their first victory and nearly winning their second if their defense hadn't given up 16 points with 13 minutes left to play. After Ohio, he became a TE, played in the Shrine Game at that position, and is an UDFA for the Washington Commanders.
The one high school athlete from my high school who got recruited from when I was there for football got a scholarship to Ohio . . .when Ohio was the worst football program in the country.
Kids in The Hall reboot on Amazon Prime is exceeding my expectations. Crass, weird, irreverent, funny. Those gentlemen work exceedingly well together, even 30 years later. 19/19.
Still working through Righteous Gemstones on HBO. Danny McBride has limited niche as a funny man, but he absolutely dominates the niche that he occupies.
OMitB Season 2: Was pretty disappointed with last week's episode as a number of the events, especially the glitterbomb incident, felt beneath the show. Last night's episode was excellent and a strong return to form.
So, for the first time, my wife wasn't a big fan of the latest Better Call Saul - because it was the first one that actually referred to stuff that happened in Breaking Bad, not just earlier in Better Call Saul, still it was great. (She never saw Breaking Bad, and I'm 100% sure she wouldn't have liked it.) Started watching Superstore, with is actually very funny for being a network comedy - I suggested it some time ago but was ignored - we could have fast forwarded through commercials! Sigh. Hulu.
I wasn't a big fan of last week's episode, but this week's episode puts it in a much more interesting light. It's looking like the show is mostly finished with the Saul Goodman-era and will wrap up the Gene era in the final two episodes. Although I'm thinking it will not end happily...
I feel like homeless has really gotten out of control in SF. To be fair, I feel it has really gotten out of control in all major urban areas and cities.
Hard to argue with that, but on sone level it feels like a localized symptom of a national disease. In America if you get crosswise with drugs or whatever else and you don’t have a family to bail you out / support you, the govt just leaves your ass to the streets. And so you wind up begging in some warm weather city begging and wasting away
That may be so, I honestly do not know. If SF voted in some law and order hardliner as mayor would the homeless disappear? My guess is no, but I think to the extent you are suggesting that they need to do something other than what they are doing currently, then I would have to agree there!
My wife and I saw a show at 1015 Folsom in June. After the show, walking back to our hotel after Midnight down Market Street, we saw a group of homeless people BBQ'ing and dancing to Snoop (probably drinking and smoking cannabis, too, I am sure). It was quite amusing to see.
You know, my brother lives in Oakland, and I feel like Oaklanders tend to compare Oakland to SF quite a bit, and I am not sure why. They are pretty similar, have similar upsides and downsides, and the populations are intermixed - people work in one place and live in the other quite a bit. It’s not like comparing New York to Houston or something like that. My view is that they are both nice cities, inextricably intertwined, and two parts of a larger whole (Bay Area) that is really great. In other words, both nice places, no need to compare constantly.
Well but the Warriors moved to a different part of the same metro area (actually back to where they used to play before playing in Oakland). I don’t think that is really “leaving” in the sense that is normally meant by that word.
Look, Oakland only has 400,000 ppl. It would never have had any teams if it were not part of the larger Bay Area.
It's just knowing both of them really well, having lived here a long time, there are a lot of very real differences. Sure, they both are politically liberal, but economically very different. Very different police forces. Lots of differences in the populations and crime, especially since 2000.
I think there used to be more of a difference like 20-30 years ago. But Oakland has gentrified quite a bit and now has become more similar to SF. Housing cost, homeless are problems, great food, natural beauty, are upsides. Less fog for sure I suppose, but I dunno, seem quite similar to me now.
I’m not sure I know enough about NYC, but that makes sense. In both cases I think there used to be more of a difference in the past - a kind of beer v wine comparison - that has gone away with greater gentrification
Guy Reffitt, the first J6 defendant to go before a jury, was sentence to 87 months in jail. He will be 57 by the time he gets out. His own son testified against him. He got the low-end of the suggested sentencing range.
apparently he decided to go to trial because he believed he wouldn't get convicted, as opposed to taking a plea deal. His wife thinks he's a victim of political persecution, and one of his daughters asked if her father is doing that much time for being one of many dupes, why isn't Trump in jail? A good question
This coming after trump hosted the Saudi’s LIV golf tournament and saying that we still don’t know who was responsible for 9/11. Timing couldn’t have been better.
After suffering eroding poll numbers by blocking the veterans health care bill, Senate Republicans have reversed their position, will approve it, blame Democrats, and act as if nothing happened.
The Missouri Senate Republican race is being highly contested . .. and an endorsement from Former President Trump could swing the race. So he sends out his endorsement for ERIC.
Thing is . .. there are two contenders named Eric in the race (and apparently a third trailing way behind)
That's a steal, considering CJ Abrams has shown relatively little in his first taste of the Majors, and Mackenzie Gore has profiled more as a middle of the rotation guy.
Meanwhile, in the last year the Nats have unloaded an All Star lineup of Max Scherzer, Trea Turner, Juan Soto and Josh Bell and arguably not gotten one single impact player in return. Well done, Rizzo.
The Giants won't win the NL West until the 2030's...well done, Farhan.
I'm fine with what the Giants did at the deadline. They got some unexpectedly great seasons from aging veterans last year, but they still need a long-term rebuild. They gave up some middling vets and got prospects in return (way more than I would have expected for Darrin Ruf) and didn't give up any of their younger players who are still good.
I think the unexpectedly great season last year has skewed people's expectations. The cupboard was pretty bare when Farhan took over and consistent winning was always going to take a while.
The Padres, meanwhile, are in a talent peak right now and need to go all-in.
The cupboard is still pretty bare, as Farhan alluded to in his comments regarding the lack of activity by the Giants….in typical Giants fashion, a number of touted, sought after prospects have either been injured or are having bad years, thus taking the bloom off the rose, so to speak. You’ve got Harrison, Luciano…that’s basically it. Not complaining that they didn’t make a huge move, as this team has so many holes that they’re borderline unwatchable. Man, the defense…agree with you sy that the Ruf haul was much more than expected…JD Davis is a solid ballplayer.
After four years, and with no home grown everyday players on the horizon in ‘23, you could make a pretty good argument that Zaidi has been a disappointment. How much better is the farm system today than it was in ‘18? Marginally? Farhan himself has questions…Sure, he’s likely been handcuffed by ownership and the buffoon Larry Baer, who have hidden the checkbook because they’re already making tons of gobs of $$$, but you’d hope to see a little more progress. Doubt there’s any remarkably better candidate out there, but the fact that Farhan enjoyed his best year because of career resurgences by a passel of 30-something’s from previous regimes leaves some logical questions about his abilities to develop top-end talent.
Add in the persistent questions regarding idiot Kapler and his trail of puzzling managerial decisions, along with the fact that the Doyers and Padres are now f-ing stacked for the next 2.5 seasons, and you’ve got a couple of lean-to-mediocre years ahead…
Unless of course, they somehow land Aaron Judge and/or Trea Turner…one anchor is all you need…
That's the thing, we're in the middle of a gradual rebuild (in which only this one year was disappointing on the farm; the others have been promising). It's just last season's unexpected success made people think it had all accelerated.
Farhan developed top-end talent at his other stops. It's too early to say he can't do it in SF.
I'm not sure Soto will be there more than 2.5 years. Boras won't have him extend so the Padres will be bidding against everyone else in 2.5 years. Will they want 3 huge contracts? Especially if they don't win it all? Will Soto want to stay if they don't win?
Also they gave up their something like their #1, 2, 3, 5 prospects. That doesn't bode well for the future.
PItchingwise, Snell isn't looking good, Darvish only has this year and next year in his current contract. Musgrove will be good I think and I assume Clevinger will be back.
I'm just glad the Dodgers didn't give up Cartaya, Miller, Vargas, etc for him. I think the Nats wanted Lux and probably a portion of the above and the Dodgers laughed.
The NFL suspended and fined Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and stripped the team of two draft choices for violating league policies governing the integrity of the game, the league announced Tuesday.
Ross was suspended through Oct. 17 and removed from all NFL committees. He was fined $1.5 million, the league said. The Dolphins lose their first-round pick in next year’s draft and a third-round selection in 2024.
The penalties stem from the league’s investigation of allegations of tampering and tanking, which was led by Mary Jo White, a former U.S. attorney and chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission. The probe began after former Miami coach Brian Flores accused the Dolphins in his racial discrimination lawsuit against the NFL and teams of offering him $100,000 to lose games during the 2019 season in a bid to improve draft positioning.
The San Diego Padres have agreed to a deal to acquire superstar outfielder Juan Soto and first baseman Josh Bell from the Washington Nationals, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.
Soto has been informed that he's being traded to the Padres, a source told ESPN.
The price was far from cheap. In return, the Nationals are getting a package from the Padres that includes left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore, outfielder Robert Hassell III, shortstop C.J. Abrams, outfielder James Wood, right-handed pitcher Jarlin Susana and another major league player, sources told ESPN.
On our drive to Nashville next week, No 2 and I will be going to a Rockies game and a Dodgers/Royals game in KC. I've been to a Rockies game but this will be my first time at Kaufman stadium.
The San Francisco Giants are ... well, they’re a team.
I don’t want to argue about what they are. The run differential tells you they’re a good team. The pitching and hitting metrics tell you they’re a competent defense away from being a stellar team.
If you think either of those things, I am not going to argue with you. And if you think, “I just watched the last two weeks, or months of Giants baseball, and now I need prescription glasses even though I had perfect eyesight in May, this team is truly awful,” well ... I’m not going to argue with that, either.
Yet wherever you land on that spectrum, we can all agree on one thing: whatever the Giants are, the Los Angeles Dodgers are better. A whole lot better.
Vin Scully died today. I know most folks on DBD are Giant fans, so only the few Dodger fans will care that he died. Don’t know if you ever heard him announce a game, but he was fun to listen to - especially for the Kirk Gibson home run. He was a part of being a Dodger fan.
The Dodgers found uncommon success against Logan Webb, hitting around the Giants ace to take Monday’s series opener at Oracle Park in San Francisco. The 8-2 Dodgers triumph is the first time in 10 meetings between these two teams won by the road team this season.
Max Muncy got the ball rolling with a two-run home run in the second inning, a shot to dead center just out of the reach of a leaping Alex Slater. Muncy has seven home runs in 30 career games in San Francisco, tied for 17th-most by a visitor in the 23-year history of Oracle Park.
Four hits and a sacrifice fly by the first five batters of the third inning plated three more runs, including doubles by Mookie Betts and Will Smith, and another hit by James Outman, who reached base four times and scored two runs in his second major league start.
During college I got to explore my three great passions in San Francisco: sports, jazz, and art. I went back last summer and visited approximately 78 museums in four days.
Suggestions for investing in ETFs or Mutual Funds for retirement? I've maxed out my 457 and want to invest in the market for retirement. Looking for something where I can make an up front investment, then monthly investments of a set amount and forget about it. I may choose to become more active and engaged in the market, but at this point, I don't have the time or the bandwidth. I was looking at Vanguard or Fidelity. Thoughts?
Vanguard's S&P 500 (VOO) or Total World (VT) ETFs. The former because you're American and plan to live in the US in retirement, plus the US is going to be the engine of the global economy for the foreseeable future. Or just buy the entire asset class through the latter. Microscopic loads, which only get smaller as you graduate to Admiral Shares (above a $10,000 amount invested). Example: VFIAX (Vanguard S&P 500 Admiral Fund) has a 0.04% load, VOO has 0.03%. Schwab & Vanguard are better than Fidelity.
Asset classes matter way more than stock picking, so don't get too cute picking stocks and pay more via loads.
We've got my mom's retirement money just in a Vanguard S&P mutual fund (I'd have to look up the name). Costs next to nothing, gets ripping returns most years and we never have to look at it. Definitely recommend it as a good place to park your money. (MY retirement money, on the other hand, is all in individual equities, don't be me)
CAL
Go Bears!!!
3am ding dong ditch.
https://twitter.com/CodyAlcorn/status/1551936364345794567
I said "Go Bears" to a guy walking the opposite direction wearing a Cal tshirt in Manhattan last week. No reaction.
I get this reaction when I say "Go Bears" to someone wearing a Stanfurd shirt. I love it, totally catches them off guard!
When that happens I just assume that person didn’t go to Cal and that shirt was gifted to them by their son/daughter who did.
It's better than the alternative that the person DID in fact go to Cal and is just f-ing clueless.
Sometimes I’ll give a delayed reaction because I forget that I’m wearing a Cal shirt. Especially if I’m at the park with my kids and I’m focused on them and not what shirt I’m wearing.
I probably give a delayed response more often than not because I'm just not used to randos shouting at me on the street.
It takes a second to register that it's directed to me and that it's not a threat and that I should respond back... and then it's too late.
Elon Musk took a five minute flight. Or as Angelinos like to call it, avoiding 45 minutes of car traffic.
https://twitter.com/ElonJet/status/1411060257271451652
Spoiler: the guy is fine. That being said, watching this and try not to pucker.
https://twitter.com/9NewsAUS/status/1554358551598202881
Sangiovese
A wine I really like, in Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, and usually and often a % of Super Tuscans as well. Kinda medium body, not meant for aging over 20-25 years, but goes with a lot of food.
SHE BLINDED ME WITH...
Bjorn Steinbekk has the most amazing set of drone shots of a volcano ever shot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEYCQvKtR8w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtsVgtt8RYc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmGKL19W_UM
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTZKDUyZooutDd3RUR69I1w/videos
Jellyfish
Portuguese Man O'War is not a jellyfish. It's a colonial hydrozoan. It's a closer relative to fire coral than jellyfish.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_man_o%27_war
Those things fascinated me when I was little. I thought it was incredible that a gasbag with 100-foot stingers was floating around out there killing fish and wreaking havoc.
The former Mrs. Chitwood hails from the same family...
Meaning, she's Portuguese?
My mom got stung by one on the shoulder right after entering the water for the Lanai to Lahaina relay swim. Finished her one hour leg and didn't mention the sting to her team because she didn't want to spook them for their legs. She completed another 30min leg towards the end of the race and got a nice stringy scar for two years for her effort.
I got stung on the leg at Bellows Beach on Oahu when I was 11. Tentacles wrapped around my leg leaving red welts. Scrubbed the tentacles off with wet sand. Took a long time to heal.
Ouch!
Ohio
Bloodbuzz Ohio is my favorite song by The National.
pqtm
https://twitter.com/trainwiz/status/1554149374866907136
The new Game of Thrones spinoff really went in an unexpected direction...
Ohio Bobcats were terrible last year, winning only three games. Despite that, they came in third in the MAC western. Their second string QB was Armani Rogers, a dual-threat QB who committed to Cal before de-committing and going to UNLV after Dykes got sacked. He started as a freshman and was really good on his feet (nearly 800 yards rushing), but was not very good with his arm. He ended up losing his starting job to Max Gilliam, another former Cal Bear. He transferred to Ohio, where he was the backup, including leading Ohio to their first victory and nearly winning their second if their defense hadn't given up 16 points with 13 minutes left to play. After Ohio, he became a TE, played in the Shrine Game at that position, and is an UDFA for the Washington Commanders.
The one high school athlete from my high school who got recruited from when I was there for football got a scholarship to Ohio . . .when Ohio was the worst football program in the country.
I'm happy to take you all on an ice cream tour of Ohio.
I'm in. I get motion sick easily, love ice cream, and am lactose intolerant.
I'll be in the other car.
Bring the following:
1. Bottle of Dramamine
2. Bottle of Lactaid
That's what I do!
The best of the fifty nifty United States
What, not even in the top ten I'd say.
I think I can safely say this is a contested claim.
Wait til tbb's next comment that the Columbus Zoo is the best zoo in the US...
It's an AndBears signal...
She's on vacation for two weeks; I'm safe!
is she in Ohio? That would be quite the plot twist!
Eating Jenis and Skyline (yuck)
Maybe, the #1 state of all states that have "ohio" in their name...
DBD AV CLUB
Kids in The Hall reboot on Amazon Prime is exceeding my expectations. Crass, weird, irreverent, funny. Those gentlemen work exceedingly well together, even 30 years later. 19/19.
Still working through Righteous Gemstones on HBO. Danny McBride has limited niche as a funny man, but he absolutely dominates the niche that he occupies.
OMitB Season 2: Was pretty disappointed with last week's episode as a number of the events, especially the glitterbomb incident, felt beneath the show. Last night's episode was excellent and a strong return to form.
What show is this?
Only Murders in the Building
Thanks
Only Murderers in the Building!
What?!?! glitterbomb incident was hella funny.
So, for the first time, my wife wasn't a big fan of the latest Better Call Saul - because it was the first one that actually referred to stuff that happened in Breaking Bad, not just earlier in Better Call Saul, still it was great. (She never saw Breaking Bad, and I'm 100% sure she wouldn't have liked it.) Started watching Superstore, with is actually very funny for being a network comedy - I suggested it some time ago but was ignored - we could have fast forwarded through commercials! Sigh. Hulu.
I wasn't a big fan of last week's episode, but this week's episode puts it in a much more interesting light. It's looking like the show is mostly finished with the Saul Goodman-era and will wrap up the Gene era in the final two episodes. Although I'm thinking it will not end happily...
ELSEWHERE IN COLLEGE
THE CITY
I feel like homeless has really gotten out of control in SF. To be fair, I feel it has really gotten out of control in all major urban areas and cities.
Hard to argue with that, but on sone level it feels like a localized symptom of a national disease. In America if you get crosswise with drugs or whatever else and you don’t have a family to bail you out / support you, the govt just leaves your ass to the streets. And so you wind up begging in some warm weather city begging and wasting away
A warm weather city that embraces "homelessness" as a choice.
That may be so, I honestly do not know. If SF voted in some law and order hardliner as mayor would the homeless disappear? My guess is no, but I think to the extent you are suggesting that they need to do something other than what they are doing currently, then I would have to agree there!
My wife and I saw a show at 1015 Folsom in June. After the show, walking back to our hotel after Midnight down Market Street, we saw a group of homeless people BBQ'ing and dancing to Snoop (probably drinking and smoking cannabis, too, I am sure). It was quite amusing to see.
The Town better
You know, my brother lives in Oakland, and I feel like Oaklanders tend to compare Oakland to SF quite a bit, and I am not sure why. They are pretty similar, have similar upsides and downsides, and the populations are intermixed - people work in one place and live in the other quite a bit. It’s not like comparing New York to Houston or something like that. My view is that they are both nice cities, inextricably intertwined, and two parts of a larger whole (Bay Area) that is really great. In other words, both nice places, no need to compare constantly.
Oakland's NFL team left.
Oakland's NBA team left, for SF.
Oakland still has an MLB team at least.
Well but the Warriors moved to a different part of the same metro area (actually back to where they used to play before playing in Oakland). I don’t think that is really “leaving” in the sense that is normally meant by that word.
Look, Oakland only has 400,000 ppl. It would never have had any teams if it were not part of the larger Bay Area.
Oh and f—k the Raiders!
What? They ain't the same, AT ALL.
Yeah, Oakland has better weather.
Ok if you respond with an ipse dixit statement in all caps then I must be wrong! This is the internet after all. 😗
It's just knowing both of them really well, having lived here a long time, there are a lot of very real differences. Sure, they both are politically liberal, but economically very different. Very different police forces. Lots of differences in the populations and crime, especially since 2000.
I think there used to be more of a difference like 20-30 years ago. But Oakland has gentrified quite a bit and now has become more similar to SF. Housing cost, homeless are problems, great food, natural beauty, are upsides. Less fog for sure I suppose, but I dunno, seem quite similar to me now.
Would you say it's more akin to comparing Manhattan and Brooklyn?
More like Manhattan and Queens?
I’m not sure I know enough about NYC, but that makes sense. In both cases I think there used to be more of a difference in the past - a kind of beer v wine comparison - that has gone away with greater gentrification
OUR CRUMBLING DEMOCRACY
Space Force ditches its fitness test requirement.
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/08/02/1113936229/space-force-annual-fitness-te
Fat guys welcomed
you know, I've been thinking about a career change...
KILTS! IN! SPAAAAAAaaaaaaace.
I'm going to have to put on some underwear for the sake of everyone else in the capsule
As long as SGB isn't in there barfing and farting you should be good.
Space force: coast to coast
Guy Reffitt, the first J6 defendant to go before a jury, was sentence to 87 months in jail. He will be 57 by the time he gets out. His own son testified against him. He got the low-end of the suggested sentencing range.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/guy-reffitt-january-6-sentence-87-months/
apparently he decided to go to trial because he believed he wouldn't get convicted, as opposed to taking a plea deal. His wife thinks he's a victim of political persecution, and one of his daughters asked if her father is doing that much time for being one of many dupes, why isn't Trump in jail? A good question
Speaking of children flipping on their parents. Gives you a bit of hope for the future of our Country.
https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2022/05/12/exclusive-oath-keepers-leader-stewart-rhodes-children-speak
US kills Ayman al-Zawahri, Osama bin Laden's successor in al Qaeda.
https://twitter.com/JoJoFromJerz/status/1554227795387203585
The US had the opportunity to kill al-Zawahri in 2018, but Trump didn't do it because he didn't know who he was.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-pushed-cia-find-kill-osama-bin-laden-s-son-n1135101
Oh Jesus.
Just heard that the missile used had no warhead but ejects blades right before impact - hence a "surgical" strike with no collateral damage.
This coming after trump hosted the Saudi’s LIV golf tournament and saying that we still don’t know who was responsible for 9/11. Timing couldn’t have been better.
After suffering eroding poll numbers by blocking the veterans health care bill, Senate Republicans have reversed their position, will approve it, blame Democrats, and act as if nothing happened.
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/08/01/senate-gop-veterans-bill-00049124
A lot of handwaving just so they can sheepishly claim they did nothing wrong. The GOP has DDS: Democrat Derangement Syndrome.
The Missouri Senate Republican race is being highly contested . .. and an endorsement from Former President Trump could swing the race. So he sends out his endorsement for ERIC.
Thing is . .. there are two contenders named Eric in the race (and apparently a third trailing way behind)
https://twitter.com/samthielman/status/1554242280914952192?s=20&t=8o17Z3Y0Qw8WmsPNrdPxoQ
PRO
Greg Norman says that Tiger Woods turned down at least $700m to play on the Saudi LIV circuit.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/golf/greg-norman-reveals-enormous-liv-offer-that-tiger-woods-rejected/ar-AA10e0Jf
Padres. Aren’t. Fucking. Around
That's a steal, considering CJ Abrams has shown relatively little in his first taste of the Majors, and Mackenzie Gore has profiled more as a middle of the rotation guy.
Meanwhile, in the last year the Nats have unloaded an All Star lineup of Max Scherzer, Trea Turner, Juan Soto and Josh Bell and arguably not gotten one single impact player in return. Well done, Rizzo.
The Giants won't win the NL West until the 2030's...well done, Farhan.
I'm convinced Farhan still works for the Dodgers. Maybe he can find us an over the hill has been to DFA in a couple of weeks.
It's payback for the Ned Colletti years and Jason Schmidt.
Now we just need to get a healthy Tatis back.
I heard back by last week in August.
I'm fine with what the Giants did at the deadline. They got some unexpectedly great seasons from aging veterans last year, but they still need a long-term rebuild. They gave up some middling vets and got prospects in return (way more than I would have expected for Darrin Ruf) and didn't give up any of their younger players who are still good.
I think the unexpectedly great season last year has skewed people's expectations. The cupboard was pretty bare when Farhan took over and consistent winning was always going to take a while.
The Padres, meanwhile, are in a talent peak right now and need to go all-in.
The cupboard is still pretty bare, as Farhan alluded to in his comments regarding the lack of activity by the Giants….in typical Giants fashion, a number of touted, sought after prospects have either been injured or are having bad years, thus taking the bloom off the rose, so to speak. You’ve got Harrison, Luciano…that’s basically it. Not complaining that they didn’t make a huge move, as this team has so many holes that they’re borderline unwatchable. Man, the defense…agree with you sy that the Ruf haul was much more than expected…JD Davis is a solid ballplayer.
After four years, and with no home grown everyday players on the horizon in ‘23, you could make a pretty good argument that Zaidi has been a disappointment. How much better is the farm system today than it was in ‘18? Marginally? Farhan himself has questions…Sure, he’s likely been handcuffed by ownership and the buffoon Larry Baer, who have hidden the checkbook because they’re already making tons of gobs of $$$, but you’d hope to see a little more progress. Doubt there’s any remarkably better candidate out there, but the fact that Farhan enjoyed his best year because of career resurgences by a passel of 30-something’s from previous regimes leaves some logical questions about his abilities to develop top-end talent.
Add in the persistent questions regarding idiot Kapler and his trail of puzzling managerial decisions, along with the fact that the Doyers and Padres are now f-ing stacked for the next 2.5 seasons, and you’ve got a couple of lean-to-mediocre years ahead…
Unless of course, they somehow land Aaron Judge and/or Trea Turner…one anchor is all you need…
That's the thing, we're in the middle of a gradual rebuild (in which only this one year was disappointing on the farm; the others have been promising). It's just last season's unexpected success made people think it had all accelerated.
Farhan developed top-end talent at his other stops. It's too early to say he can't do it in SF.
I'm not sure Soto will be there more than 2.5 years. Boras won't have him extend so the Padres will be bidding against everyone else in 2.5 years. Will they want 3 huge contracts? Especially if they don't win it all? Will Soto want to stay if they don't win?
With Boris, Soto is not re-signing in San Diego after ‘24…he’ll be in NY for $500M…
But they’ve got a nice window now…we’ll see.
Also they gave up their something like their #1, 2, 3, 5 prospects. That doesn't bode well for the future.
PItchingwise, Snell isn't looking good, Darvish only has this year and next year in his current contract. Musgrove will be good I think and I assume Clevinger will be back.
Yeah, but neither Abrams nor Gore look like superstars…at best, they’ll most likely be solid ball players. And you can get solid ballplayers anywhere.
There isn’t a can’t miss prospect among them.
I agree with all of this. Gore is looking more like a solid middle rotation pitcher but not a dominate ace.
I'm just glad the Dodgers didn't give up Cartaya, Miller, Vargas, etc for him. I think the Nats wanted Lux and probably a portion of the above and the Dodgers laughed.
What a trade! Wow!
Dolphins are BAD:
The NFL suspended and fined Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and stripped the team of two draft choices for violating league policies governing the integrity of the game, the league announced Tuesday.
Ross was suspended through Oct. 17 and removed from all NFL committees. He was fined $1.5 million, the league said. The Dolphins lose their first-round pick in next year’s draft and a third-round selection in 2024.
The penalties stem from the league’s investigation of allegations of tampering and tanking, which was led by Mary Jo White, a former U.S. attorney and chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission. The probe began after former Miami coach Brian Flores accused the Dolphins in his racial discrimination lawsuit against the NFL and teams of offering him $100,000 to lose games during the 2019 season in a bid to improve draft positioning.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/08/02/dolphins-owner-tampering-tom-brady/
Soto a throw in in the Josh Bell trade from the Nats to the Pads.
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34334378/san-diego-padres-agree-trade-washington-nationals-slugger-juan-soto-sources-say
The San Diego Padres have agreed to a deal to acquire superstar outfielder Juan Soto and first baseman Josh Bell from the Washington Nationals, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.
Soto has been informed that he's being traded to the Padres, a source told ESPN.
The price was far from cheap. In return, the Nationals are getting a package from the Padres that includes left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore, outfielder Robert Hassell III, shortstop C.J. Abrams, outfielder James Wood, right-handed pitcher Jarlin Susana and another major league player, sources told ESPN.
That remaining player is expected to be 1B Eric Hosmer, with pressure to wave his no-trade clause
Hosmer rejected the trade.
Hosmer to Red Sox, apparently
I've heard the trade is still on even if he rejects it.
Oscar Piastri confirmed to drive for Apline next season following Fernando moving to Aston Martin.
he just tweeted saying "no actually I am not," great comedy excitement
Yeah I saw that, but couldn’t link the tweet for some reason
On our drive to Nashville next week, No 2 and I will be going to a Rockies game and a Dodgers/Royals game in KC. I've been to a Rockies game but this will be my first time at Kaufman stadium.
As is customary, Giants lose to the Dodgers
https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/2022/8/1/23288147/giants-dodgers-recap-logan-webb-trea-turner-max-muncy
The San Francisco Giants are ... well, they’re a team.
I don’t want to argue about what they are. The run differential tells you they’re a good team. The pitching and hitting metrics tell you they’re a competent defense away from being a stellar team.
If you think either of those things, I am not going to argue with you. And if you think, “I just watched the last two weeks, or months of Giants baseball, and now I need prescription glasses even though I had perfect eyesight in May, this team is truly awful,” well ... I’m not going to argue with that, either.
Yet wherever you land on that spectrum, we can all agree on one thing: whatever the Giants are, the Los Angeles Dodgers are better. A whole lot better.
GBBR
GBBR
Vin Scully died today. I know most folks on DBD are Giant fans, so only the few Dodger fans will care that he died. Don’t know if you ever heard him announce a game, but he was fun to listen to - especially for the Kirk Gibson home run. He was a part of being a Dodger fan.
Dodgers get rare bounty of runs against Logan Webb to beat Giants
https://www.truebluela.com/2022/8/1/23288273/dodgers-offense-logan-webb-rarity-max-muncy-trea-turner-james-outman-giants
The Dodgers found uncommon success against Logan Webb, hitting around the Giants ace to take Monday’s series opener at Oracle Park in San Francisco. The 8-2 Dodgers triumph is the first time in 10 meetings between these two teams won by the road team this season.
Max Muncy got the ball rolling with a two-run home run in the second inning, a shot to dead center just out of the reach of a leaping Alex Slater. Muncy has seven home runs in 30 career games in San Francisco, tied for 17th-most by a visitor in the 23-year history of Oracle Park.
Four hits and a sacrifice fly by the first five batters of the third inning plated three more runs, including doubles by Mookie Betts and Will Smith, and another hit by James Outman, who reached base four times and scored two runs in his second major league start.
GBBR
GBBR
During college I got to explore my three great passions in San Francisco: sports, jazz, and art. I went back last summer and visited approximately 78 museums in four days.
DBD Financial Advice.
Scaramucci says bitcoin floor is $40,000.
Crip-TTTTTOOOOOEEEEEEE
Suggestions for investing in ETFs or Mutual Funds for retirement? I've maxed out my 457 and want to invest in the market for retirement. Looking for something where I can make an up front investment, then monthly investments of a set amount and forget about it. I may choose to become more active and engaged in the market, but at this point, I don't have the time or the bandwidth. I was looking at Vanguard or Fidelity. Thoughts?
Vanguard's S&P 500 (VOO) or Total World (VT) ETFs. The former because you're American and plan to live in the US in retirement, plus the US is going to be the engine of the global economy for the foreseeable future. Or just buy the entire asset class through the latter. Microscopic loads, which only get smaller as you graduate to Admiral Shares (above a $10,000 amount invested). Example: VFIAX (Vanguard S&P 500 Admiral Fund) has a 0.04% load, VOO has 0.03%. Schwab & Vanguard are better than Fidelity.
Asset classes matter way more than stock picking, so don't get too cute picking stocks and pay more via loads.
Agreed. It's hard for actively managed funds to consistently beat the index funds over time, plus the expenses are a bear.
We've got my mom's retirement money just in a Vanguard S&P mutual fund (I'd have to look up the name). Costs next to nothing, gets ripping returns most years and we never have to look at it. Definitely recommend it as a good place to park your money. (MY retirement money, on the other hand, is all in individual equities, don't be me)
Thanks for the solid recs from Scootie and SG!