175 Comments

All of that for Trey Lance? Really?

Expand full comment

That picture is ... disturbing.

Expand full comment
author

Vaccinated people of the DBD are you _______?

Expand full comment

I have seen a dental hygienist.

Expand full comment

vaccinated?

Expand full comment

supposedly.

Expand full comment

errr....yes?

Expand full comment
author

Going to a crowded event like the NFL Draft in Cleveland this weekend?

Maybe...on the one hand, I really enjoyed it when that was in Philly in 2017, but that was going with friends and also only having to walk a few blocks to the events. Then again, I got myself a free online ticket for the NFL Experience for Saturday, just in case. Also told them that I am fully vaccinated, which supposedly might get me into the draft itself. Back when it was at Philly, it was impossible to get in for the first round (even though I technically got tickets but we didn't go wait in line for 4-5 hours) but really easy for Rounds 4-7 on Saturday.

Expand full comment

I can't wait for live sports. I was considering flying up for a Warriors game this season now that fans are allowed, but I don't think it'll work with my schedule. Maybe they'll match up with the Lakers or Clippers (if they make the playoffs) and I can go to one down here.

Expand full comment

Going to bbqs? Yes

Going to a wedding this weekend? Yes

Dining in at restaurants? Yes

Dining indoor at home with other vaccinated people? Yes

Expand full comment

Also will be cohosting an outdoor dinner with the lady friend at her house for a small group of friends May 8.

Expand full comment

Remind me—what time did you want us to arrive?

Expand full comment
author

I'll have no reservations about doing all of the above in about 3 weeks when my 2-week post-vaccination period is over.

Expand full comment

I'd be down for all of these too

Expand full comment

Garth says: party on Wayne

Expand full comment
author

doing in-person services (eg, dentists, optometrists, massage therapy)?

Expand full comment

Yep. Though have yet to get to the barber. and it shows.

Expand full comment

My unfortunate man-bun is a testament to the fact that I haven't seen my barber in over a year.

Expand full comment

Haircuts are over rated, join the long hair don’t care club!

Expand full comment

Haircuts are great—I used to love going to the barber and getting cleaned up.

Expand full comment

The clean back of the neck feeling is one of those physical sensations I really enjoy.

Expand full comment

I actually do too, I'm just at a point of having long hair for so long that I don't know what I'd do with it should I cut it all off

Expand full comment

I partially don't want to cut it because this is the longest it's ever been—and likely will ever be—so I need to be sure I'm ready to definitively say goodbye to long hair.

As an added side benefit, it's probably long enough to donate, which I assumed I would never be in a position to do. Just a shame that the organization that TBB used to donate her hair to is no longer around.

Expand full comment
author

Alternately, you can join the DIY club (although that's considerably more difficult to get right if it's been that long since your last haircut)

Expand full comment

I cut down the sides to keep it looking neat, but clearly it's not even because my dad likes to point out all the spots I mess up.

Because Asian parents.

Expand full comment
author

I've reached the part of middle age where a good haircut doesn't make me any less fugly, so now it's DIY cut + a baseball cap + self-confidence to bridge the gap until full baldness/death.

Expand full comment
Comment deleted
Expand full comment

Minoxidil does work for many people.

Expand full comment

Yes to all of those for me. I avoided the dentist while unvaxxed, but had to go to the eye doctor, got one haircut, and had two massages when I was dealing with my herniated discs this fall. Now I would do any of those unreservedly. I also had my first pedicure in more than a year a couple of weeks ago.

Expand full comment

Need to get a dentist in the new hood now that I feel safer doing it. Also have had a handful of doctor visits (check ups and a dog bite) and have a minor surgery coming up in May

Expand full comment

Dentists, 4-5 times while un-vaccinated, need to schedule the rest, especially a haircut.

Expand full comment

I was already doing this before getting vaccinated. These things are essential and worth the risk IMO.

Expand full comment

I've had 4 dentist appts since covid before getting vaccinated. Two regular cleanings in Aug and Mar and 2 for a crown when one of my molars cracked. Back in Aug they already had many procedures in place including adding UV lights with fans above each chair to sterilize the air, changing gowns between each patient, and having the patient rinse for 30 seconds with some sort of Listerine type rinse. It felt safe.

Expand full comment

i see my therapist once a week.

while Zoom worked perfectly fine, it is SO much better in person.

Expand full comment

I'll have a dentist appointment in June and need to schedule an optometrist appointment. I dislike touching, so no massages.

Expand full comment

Fully, as of yesterday.

Expand full comment
author

flying?

Expand full comment

unlikely any time soon.

Expand full comment

Flew to my mom's in december for xmas. But by I had already had my first dose

Expand full comment
author

not yet...at least that's my official excuse for skipping a cousin's wedding in May in Southern California

Expand full comment
author

Once I'm vaccinated I won't so much be concerned about covid as I will be annoyed at the prospect of dealing with all the covid protocols. I'll probably wait until flying is a semi-normal experience.

Expand full comment

Not yet. I will probably wait until fall for this. I want the general level of covid to be lower before I start flying again (this is probably influenced by the fact that I'm 99% sure I caught my own covid on a plane).

Expand full comment

Yes, though nothing is planned and I flew a handful of times last fall.

Expand full comment

yep, flying to Alaska in 2.5 weeks

Expand full comment

did you figure out all the places you wanted to visit?

Expand full comment

Yeah, we are going to start in Seward on the south coast, then to Girdwood/Alyeska for a couple nights then up to Denali for a couple nights before final night in Anchorage. Still planning most of the specifics but have a general sense of what we'll end up doing.

Expand full comment

some good eats in case they are open ...

229 Parks of the Parks Hwy, about 10 minutes south of the entrance to Denali Park.

Little Mermaid in Homer

The Cookery in Seward

Expand full comment

Moose-AKa's near Denali - Eastern European Restaurant and Tavern

Expand full comment

yes, but we flew pre-vaccination as well for Feb ski trip to CO.

upcoming trip in Aug to Glacier NP ...

Expand full comment
author

I'm driving everywhere until my son is vaccinated. But I'm flying to the Cal/TCU game. If Texas has a third wave and in-person attendance is banned, I'm still going to watch it on TV in Fort Worth because my ticket and AirBnB are not refundable.

Expand full comment

My next flight will probably also be Cal/TCU. I guess I'll need to see if United still offers credit if it is cancelled.

Expand full comment

the "problem" i noticed w/ United compared to Delta is that, United will give you a credit for the amount of your ticket if you cancel, but it is not like cash.

- lets say you initially had a $300 ticket and cancel

- if you buy a $250 ticket, you lose the $50

- if you buy a $350 ticket, you pay the extra $50

on Delta when you cancel they just put the money in your account and you can use it incrementally if you want.

Expand full comment

THat's a good point. Luckily it's about 280 to Dallas and I'd guess most flights will be more than that and if it's less, like going to LA I'll just pay that.

Expand full comment

Currently planning to fly to Ohio in August, am not sure I'll fly before that.

Expand full comment
author

visiting with other vaccinated people indoors?

Expand full comment

we visited the MIL a couple weekends ago. that's probably as much as we need for now.

Expand full comment

Hard maybe? Haven't really thought about it because my nieces are all too young to be vaccinated, so this is just a non-starter.

Expand full comment

This is limited for me (mostly because I have discovered I don't miss people in person). We had a family dinner for my mama's 81st birthday last night, all fully vaccinated and people wanting to hug. I drew the line at hugging.

Expand full comment

Yep!

Expand full comment

Yes. I had dinner with my friend earlier this month. That was first time I saw someone outside of my immediate family in 13 months.

Expand full comment

Yes, we had a belated Easter dinner two weeks ago with other vaccinated family and it was great.

Expand full comment

have mostly interacted with members of the missus's family. Have done so since day 1 pretty much

Expand full comment

yes, went to a legit party last weekend. 25 people, all vaccinated. James Bond theme.

in general, now that the family is vaccinated are doing more visiting than before, which was limited to a handful of people.

Expand full comment

No, but I'll have outdoor dinner with a friend this Sunday (my first in-person, non-family meal since DBD Pi Day)

Expand full comment
author

Did two in-person visits and it felt so wonderful. Seemed surreal.

Expand full comment

Weird substack behavior

Expand full comment

For a second I thought you meant all the people who are cashing in on the trend for being "heterodox" opinionators.

Expand full comment

On the other hand Ashley Feinberg's substack will be worth whatever she charges in the future. She found ANOTHER secret twitter/instagram account yesterday - this time Jamie Dimon's. (She's also found Josh Duggar's Ashley Madison account, Seb Gorka's Amazon wishlist, James Comey's Twitter/Instagram, DTJ's hunting forum posts and Pete Buttegieg's wikipedia editing)

Expand full comment

You must be referencing something about which I am completely unaware.

Expand full comment
Comment deleted
Expand full comment

💲💲💲

Expand full comment

The controversy over this kind of baffles me. I don't understand why I need to care one way or the other.

Expand full comment

Noticed some double posting for some reason.

Expand full comment

I've seen this since the beginning. And it must all be local because all replies show up in both double posts.

Expand full comment

Has anyone else seen this? Sometimes I go to reply and it seems to work but the browser just hangs. I get the browser is waiting for the server to respond and that I can cancel or wait. I usually have to refresh. I thought maybe it was the substack servers hanging but if I open up a new window and go to W4C it seems to be fine.

Expand full comment

Previously, if I posted a new comment, it would refresh the page, so I needed to make sure I checked all the new comments before I posted (using your ctrl+f trick). Now, it doesn't refresh, so I can post whenever!

Expand full comment
author

I have had that happen across different sites using Chrome over this week. Buttons sometimes didn't respond.

Expand full comment

I am using chrome so maybe it's something that started happening after an update.

Expand full comment
author

This happened to me a couple times last week (in Chrome, if that makes a difference). Refreshing the page fixed the issue for me too.

Expand full comment

Economics

Expand full comment

as continuation of yesterday's tax hike and housing market conversation ..

it doesnt seem that the market cares too much about $4T in tax hikes to pay for all the things. normally you see the market at least take a dip if people are seriously considering moving $$ from stocks to real estate or anything else

Expand full comment
author

True. I may have observation bias because I've talked to four friends who've decided to go into investment property this week because of this. That being said, they're not selling stock to do it.

Expand full comment

Cake

Expand full comment

chocolate sheet cake for desert after big plate of BBQ chicken spaghetti washed down with Lone Star.

Expand full comment

What time shall I be there, Coach Dykes?

Expand full comment

Anything with fondant is an automatic no from me.

Expand full comment

Cheesecake - is it a cake, a pie, or a custard?

Expand full comment

Not a cake - there is no flour in this delectable concoction.

Not a pie - is not baked or served in a pie dish.

Cheesecake is probably a custard - a custard is defined as a pudding-like mixture (usually sweetened) made with milk and eggs. Cheesecake filling has eggs, for sure, and has two ingredients derived from milk - cream cheese and sour cream. Custards are also often served without the baking dish (custard cups or ramekins) in which it was baked.

Creme brulee is an example of a custard served in its baking dish.

Expand full comment

It's a pizza

Expand full comment

pizza is a pie

Expand full comment
author

thin crust or deep dish?

Expand full comment

CAKE!!!!!!

Expand full comment

My daughter makes some great ones.

Expand full comment

That picture is a good example for the axiom "Just because you can do something, even with great skill, that doesn't mean you should do it".

Expand full comment

My wife makes a particularly good dark chocolate cake with orange marmalade. But, broadly, anything that doesn't have fake frosting, I'll give it a go. Actually even if it does have fake frosting.

Expand full comment
author

Good band. I saw them perform in Zellerbach Hall at some point in the late 2000s.

Expand full comment
author

Seasonal: Strawberry season came early this year ... so it's strawberry shortcake time.

Expand full comment

My mom made real shortcake when it was strawberry season. Yum.

Expand full comment

Red velvet and burnt almond cake from Peter's in San Jose.

Expand full comment

Have become an equal opportunity cake hound since giving up Tito’s...chocolate, yellow, confetti, red velvet, carrot...GIMME

Expand full comment

Chocolate, carrot, lemon, banana, GIMME. You can keep the yellow, confetti and red velvet, which all taste of ennui and nothingness.

Expand full comment

"You can keep the yellow, confetti and red velvet, which all taste of ennui and nothingness."

Fantastic description, Scootie. Absolutely love it.

Expand full comment

I've developed a healthy respect for Scootie's diverse palate and how it differs so much from mine...yet, when speaking of cake, it all sounds delightful.

Expand full comment

I respect this position. You and TBB are aligned on this matter.

Expand full comment
author

This. I'll take all the cakes. Even carrot.

Expand full comment

Exactly.

Expand full comment

Tuxedo cake - chocolate frosting over yellow cake with cream in the center.

Expand full comment

Our Crumbling Democracy

Expand full comment

Good take, says I.

"President Joe Biden’s address to a joint session Congress was the most ambitious ideological statement made by any Democratic president in decades—couched in language that made it sound as if he wasn’t making an ideological argument at all.

Make no mistake that he was. He called for trillions in new spending in a robust expansion of government’s role in multiple arenas of American life in ways that would have been impossible to contemplate in Barack Obama’s presidency. He plunged into subjects—racial and class inequities, immigration, gun violence—that were rubbed raw until bleeding in Donald Trump’s.

Usually these issues are framed with a question: Which side are you on? Though Biden is rarely described as gifted orator, his speech was a remarkable performance in part because it didn’t soar and largely didn’t even try to. In plain-spoken language, he depicted a breathtakingly large agenda as plain common sense. Instead of imploring partisans to take sides, he projected bewilderment that any practical-minded person of any persuasion could be opposed."

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/04/29/biden-speech-ideologically-ambitious-484990

Expand full comment

...and that sums up the quiet, unassuming genius of Joe Biden.

Underestimate this president at your own peril. Last night's speech is also remarkably similar to when I saw Biden speak in Philadelphia...in 1979 at the first National Student Congress.

Expand full comment

When he said that it was time to talk about climate in terms of "jobs, jobs, jobs," I felt relieved. Finally, someone said what I felt needed to be said in plain English.

Expand full comment
author

MTG doesn't like schools because she's an idiot

https://twitter.com/mtgreenee/status/1387582485748400129

Expand full comment

Republicans do not like preschool funding because advanced education is bad.

Expand full comment

Today in Covid 19

Expand full comment

I thought this was a sound, respectful thread of information

(yes, the data for the vaccines is there) https://twitter.com/tnicholsmd/status/1387531752856440832?s=20

Expand full comment

Bit of a headache today after yesterday's shot. Not that anyone gives a hoot at the macro level.

Expand full comment

I had a headache for about 24hrs after each Pfizer does

Expand full comment

Pfizer or Moderna?

I'm going to guess Pfizer. A coworker that got Moderna yesterday got body slammed later that day.

Expand full comment

Pfizer

Expand full comment

Pro

Expand full comment

Orioles and Yankees are playing a day game and I have it on in the background. The O's closer is not your typical closer. He threw four fastballs to his first batter, all in the low 80s. He ended up throwing 29 pitches and only two more were fastballs. The rest were all changeups in the upper 70s. Yanks tied it and Chapman is now in throwing 101.

Expand full comment
author

ESPN's Shefter: Aaron Rodgers does not want to return to Packers. Internet loses its mind speculating what that means.

https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1387848942432489478

Expand full comment
author

[Pro Football Talk] From unimpeachable source: As of last night, Aaron Rodgers’ wish list was 49ers, Broncos, Raiders (not necessarily in that order). He wanted Packers to take the 49ers’ offer. Next move by Rodgers is TBD.

https://twitter.com/ProFootballTalk/status/1387863372541083651

Expand full comment

I guess we know where the draft picks are going.

Expand full comment
author

GB offers contract extension to Rodgers. Piotr nails it.

https://twitter.com/PiotrLe/status/1387857883866583042

Expand full comment

Can't see the tweet. "This account owner limits who can view their Tweets. "

Expand full comment
author

Vietnamese Polak Piotr @PiotrLe

Spouse 1: I’m asking for a divorce

Spouse 2: I think having another kid will salvage our marriage

Quote Tweet

NFL Update @MySportsUpdate

The #Packers have offered to extend Aaron Rodgers' contract, per @AdamSchefter.

Expand full comment

pqtm

Expand full comment
author

Ian Rapoport: Cal's Jake Curhan likely undraftable after physical finds heart defect. However, this won't stop him from being an UDFA.

https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1387824738093907970

Expand full comment

brutal

Expand full comment
author

Ian Rapoport: Update on a former first-round pick: Tim Tebow recently worked out for the #Jaguars, source said, and there has been at least some discussion of him signing. Oh, and he’s a tight end now. https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1387839572680265737

Expand full comment

Hmmm.... I always thought the best position for him was fullback, with a half dozen passes thrown in to keep the D guessing, but few NFL teams use that position - this could work as well.

Expand full comment
author

For every Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Tiger Woods, and Collin Morikawa - there are hundreds - maybe thousands - of other professional golfers struggling. Behold: Michael Visacki sinks a 20 footer on a local course to qualify for his first PGA Tour start after seven years of being a professional golfer.

https://twitter.com/PGATOUR/status/1387057919183761412

Expand full comment
author

NFL Draft tonight. In honor of that, here's an article about where the 23 players drafted ahead of Aaron Rogers. Spoiler: none are in the league anymore after the last 2 retired after last season.

https://www.insider.com/2005-nfl-draft-where-are-they-now-aaron-rodgers-2021-1

Expand full comment

I am still surprised that fans will spend hours and days of their lives following a draft.

Expand full comment

I enjoy it when Cal players are involved. So not watching today. I also watch a live broadcast of the draft of Japanese baseball league every year and it starts at 2am.

Expand full comment

I enjoy the chess game aspect of it. The trades, the philosophies, the priority picks, etc. Do I live and die with it? No. Is it solid background noise while I do something else and I can sneer and hoot in disbelief every 10 or 20 minutes? Sure.

Expand full comment

Also, the fashion choices are always good entertainment.

Expand full comment

No joke, never understood this.

Expand full comment

Nah, I love a good draft. It's fun - after Cohan ran the Warriors into the ground and they were always the most inept franchise in the NBA, Clippers included, it was the only exciting thing in the whole shiitty franchise...

NBA and NFL Drafts have been fun ever since...love listening to the idiot analysts miss year in and year out on players...

Expand full comment

How perfect is it that at the same time Alex Smith retires after a solid but unspectacular career, Aaron Rodgers is the reigning NFL MVP....again.

Nice work, Mike Nolan...you f-ing boob.

Expand full comment

True, OTOH Nolan didn't do Alex Smith any favors.

Expand full comment

Nolan is awful. It was such a delight seeing him get shirt-canned in DAL after his defense was so embarrassing.

Expand full comment

Alex Smith was never going to be a Hall of Famer, but when Harbaugh came in it was clear how badly the previous coaches had done with him.

Expand full comment

Sure, a lot of it's hindsight, but the entire Niner organization screwed the pooch on that one.

Expand full comment
author

St. Louis relief pitcher has a brutal outing lasting only 5 pitches: HBP (97 mph to Bryce Harper's face), HBP (95 mph to Gregorius' ribs), H (Loss). Girardi ejected. A Jomboy breakdown.

https://twitter.com/JomboyMedia/status/1387587083737485317

Expand full comment

This was a brutal call and the ump had the nerve to say after watching the replay from many angles he still thinks he got it right.

https://www.mlb.com/gameday/marlins-vs-brewers/2021/04/28/634317#game_state=final,lock_state=final,game_tab=videos,game=634317

Expand full comment

If you're referring to the play when the pitcher picks up the dribbler and underhand tosses it to first, I have to agree. What was the umpire thinking? The batter/runner should have been out for failing to run in the runner's lane alone. The pitcher, in the act of fielding the ball, has an absolute right to field the ball in *fair* territory.

Indefensible call.

Expand full comment

Yeah that was also my thought. He ran inside the line into fair territory. This isn't like establishing your line evading a tag or anything like that.

Expand full comment

In fact, the runner is supposed to avoid him trying to make the play. Otherwise it's runner's interference.

Expand full comment

Exactly.

Expand full comment

Yeah that was horrible. I guess runner running inside the baseline down first is only when the throw is from behind. He's already established his line but the play was in front of him.

Expand full comment

the Mets lost 1-0 even after deGrom struck almost everyone out

Expand full comment

So far he's having a historical year. I wonder if he can keep it up.

Expand full comment

Game #25: A’s shut out for first time this year in quiet loss to Rays

https://www.athleticsnation.com/2021/4/28/22409030/oakland-as-game-25-tampa-bay-rays-score-result

Not much to see here.

Sometimes you get a slow game, and that was Wednesday night for the Oakland A’s, in a 2-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. The A’s weren’t completely dominated, getting a couple good chances to score, but they couldn’t come through with the big hit whereas the Rays did for one inning. It’s the first time the green-and-gold has been shut out this season.

Continuing the theme of this series, both starting pitchers were strong. Cole Irvin went six innings for the A’s and struck out a career-high eight batters, while Tyler Glasnow upped the ante for Tampa Bay with seven innings and 10 Ks. Neither was perfect, and Irvin allowed his share of hard contact, but they generally punched their way out of trouble when needed.

Expand full comment

Giants walk their way to a series win

https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/2021/4/28/22408960/san-francisco-giants-rockies-recap-alex-wood

The San Francisco Giants did not have an extra-base hit on Wednesday. Not one double, though they would have had one were it not for the mystical powers of the TOOTBLAN. Not one triple. Not even one of those home run things they’ve been so good at this year.

And yet despite not utilizing the tools most frequently associated with good offense, the Giants managed to have a good offense. A really good one, at that.

They put up four runs in a single inning. They had the Colorado Rockies bullpen in action in the second. They knocked Germán Márquez out of the game after four innings. And they scored enough for a smooth 7-3 win.

But they didn’t have an extra-base hit.

Expand full comment
author

If the 4th place Arizona Diamondbacks were in the NL East, they'd be in first place at 0.500.

Expand full comment

It's early but both wild cards could come from the NL West.

Expand full comment

Padres vs. Dodgers in the wildcard? I'm in

Expand full comment

The Beat LA chants at that game would be loud.

Expand full comment

Clayton Kershaw gives vintage performance as Dodgers win

https://www.truebluela.com/2021/4/28/22408575/clayton-kershaw-los-angeles-dodgers-mlb-news

Clayton Kershaw delivered yet another classic performance, as the Dodgers got back in the win column as they took down the Reds, 8-0.

The offense was quiet through the first seven innings. Then in the eighth, they exploded for six runs, all coming with two outs. The first run on the afternoon came in the second inning. With runners on the corners and no outs, Luke Raley grounded into the double play. More runs would have been welcomed, but the go-ahead run was still nice regardless.

An inning later, Justin Turner doubled the lead with a solo shot for his sixth home run of the season. Turner continues to have an incredible April, and now I’m pretty convinced it’s all because he gave up dairy.

Expand full comment

Panthers trade Teddy Bridgewater to Broncos for 6th-round pick on eve of the 2021 NFL Draft

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/panthers-trade-teddy-bridgewater-to-broncos-for-6th-round-pick-on-eve-of-the-2021-nfl-draft/

Expand full comment

Good pickup for DEN. Teddy can run that offense better than Lock.

Expand full comment

I didn't realize the Panthers got Darnold. I was wondering why the Panthers would let Bridgewater go. He seems like an expensive backup but I guess he's going to complete with Lock.

In other UofL QB news I wonder if the Ravens are going to give Lamar Jackson an extension. He wasn't as good last year so the question is if teams figured him out or he just isn't as good as his 2nd year. In college I always thought that he wasn't very accurate. There are Ravens fans that don't think he's worth 30-40 mil a year.

Expand full comment