unclevlad

I get it, but I've lost most of the ability to grieve for those who appear to bring this on themselves. A quick look at WorldOMeters? Over 10,000 people died from Covid last week. CNN has a story about a 10 year old girl who developed some symptoms, then died *5 days later*...that's where I direct all the sympathy I can still manage. I will say she and her husband may well be victims in this...with some culpability, perhaps, but still victims. But the lies and disinformation have gone on too long. The refusal, in most cases, to getting vaccinated is a choice to accept the risks...but it's not just for that person. It helped keep the chain moving. I'll grant that I'm far more angry at those who push the lies...especially when they're profiting from the lies.

No prescription needed, perhaps, for its use with horses. But the point is, the woman sued to force the hospital to give her husband ivermectin. She won at the first level, but lost thereafter. So her "argument" is the hospital refused. She has plenty of "evidence" that it CAN help. That the "evidence" is debunked doesn't matter because, well, we all know everything about covid is being censored by the government anyway, right? So she'll cite the non-existent "facts" for anyone who'll listen...and create another feedback loop for the whole Covid-hoax, anti-vax brigade.

Risk with Scherzer is age and now mileage. He's 37. Not counting last season, he's averaged about 32-33 starts a year since the trade to Washington, and logged over 1000 innings and about 1300 strikeouts. At this point, he's not a great candidate for a long term deal; a big 2 year deal is as far as I'd go. The Ohtani injury issue...I don't think you can ignore it. I get...yeah...it's a risk, but pitchers develop arm problems SO often. If someone really does back up the truck and offer him something like $45M a year, it'll be a franchise-level gamble, IMO. It'd be SO MUCH of the payroll. And remember for the Dodgers...unless/until they can dump Trevor Bauer's contract, they're already WAY over the luxury tax threshold. Adding Ohtani, especially at this kind of salary, would incur a *serious* extra charge. If Bauer's situation is resolved...that's $32M, IIRC, going off the books. Now making a run at Ohtani is a heckuva lot easier. And at this point, I suspect no one outside his camp ever expects Bauer to play again. But the Dodgers have to push hard to get this resolved because they're stuck paying him. His salary was fully guaranteed. I'll also say...if someone does back up the truck, gods, DON'T make the mistake of doing it for an uber long term. Contracts like Pujols got, or Lindor's, are massive boat anchors too often. Universal DH: god, I hope so. Watching pitchers try to hit is too often a joke, and creating such a glaring gap when intraleague is now very common, is ludicrous. I'd also love to see the runner on 2nd stay in the 10th, but that appears to be doomed. So we go back to nothing but swing for the fences, pitchers piling up strikeouts, more 13-15 inning games, and more BOREDOM.

Oh, heck yeah. NO bet there. She's gonna scream to anyone that listens that the hospital killed her hubby by "brutally denying the treatment that could have saved his life!!!!" In suitably dramatic tones, preferably with crocodile tears...at least occasionally.

Ditto that they would be the last unbeaten. Or that anyone would believe the AFC West would be 11-5. Well, ok, that might not be quite true; Denver's start reflected a schedule softer than baked brie. And KC's record is worse than expected. EDIT: And watching the postgame? Never, ever let Justin Herbert speak publicly. MANNNNN....that voice is BAD. Mahomes is just froggy; Herbert's is high and grating.

Nah, the sets aren't identical; they just have a lot of overlap.

Not a bet I'd want to make. Can't estimate any kind of odds, because there are huge unknowns. The hubby was in the ICU for 70-80 days...the hospital charge might well be bigger than their house is worth. How much their insurance will cover is one of the major unknowns. But if the widow's stuck with trying to come up with $250K, the question would be whether she could find a lawyer willing to take a case that admittedly looks completely hopeless. But that doesn't mean some lawyer won't TRY.

The question with Ohtani is, can he actually continue as a 2-way player full time? The biggest factor with continuing to pitch is, of course, an arm injury. Or perhaps not as a starter? I still like the notion of him as a later-inning, multi-inning type, where he started as the DH. He goes 2-4 innings and continues to hit. But if you pay him as an elite hitter, does the risk of arm problems devalue that aspect? He's also had significant knee and elbow injuries. So I'm just not sure I'd be paying him *that* much. The current contract is $8.5 mill for this year and next year, which is dirt cheap by any measure. It'll cost WAY more next time. But I'm thinking something in the $20-25M range. One thing to consider is, the Angels are already paying Trout and Rendon $60M. Upton gets $28M, but he'll be a FA after 2022, and could well be out of the game after that. His last 3 years, he's hit about .210. His OPS this year was .705; he didn't qualify, but among qualified players (enough plate appearances over the season) that would've been about #120. So maybe he can connect elsewhere but for a LOT less. But if the Angels back up the Brinks truck for Ohtani, they'll have far too much committed. They were 22nd in team ERA this year. That don't cut it. Want a correlation? The teams in the playoffs rank 1-8 in team ERA; St. Louis is 12, Boston is 15. So, the Angels have painted themselves into a similar corner as the Rangers did a few years ago, particularly with the Josh Hamilton contract...all the money was in the hitters. And arguably, the Angels have continued to try the proven-unsuccessful tactic...the Pujols contract was one of the worst ever, IMO; it was far, far too much for too long. So if they do sign Shohei to $40M, I think they're just repeating past mistakes.

Story worth reading: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/32172108/can-union-fix-minor-leaguers-say-poverty-level-pay-poor-housing-driving-mental-health-crisis And this year, there were only 2 additional rosters spots in September. MLB minimum salary is $570K; prorate this and it's about $3500 per game. So if you latch on for 20 games, you're good. That used to help 10 players per team, but that's been dropped. (Just as well, as the roster expansion in the heat of the pennant chase was seriously problematic.) I hadn't realized it was *that* bad, tho, altho I should've, I think. I know tennis has the same issue...and it's viewed as a very serious problem. If you're not in the top 100 *in the world* you strain to make a living. Tennis is expensive for the players because it's an individual sport. If you can consistently play in ATP events, it's better...the ATP covers on-site hotel and meals. But there aren't that many spots, and if you're outside the top 100, you *may* be able to get in through qualifying...and room and board *aren't* covered...but that's an addtional 3 matches with minimal paydays. So it's very tough. The big-name pros have been pushing for improvements; they actually negociated lower late-round prizes at the Grand Slams, to raise the prize money in the first round considerably. In MLB, the story suggests that maybe a similar movement could be gaining some traction. It'll be a lot harder; there are 120 minor league teams, so around 3000 players. Any raises would almost certainly have to be subsidized by the league (perhaps allocating some of the luxury tax) or the clubs, which clearly would be completely inconsistent.

And the Cowboys are flirting with competence. Anyone get a weather report from the Nether Realms? On the flip side, the Broncos are starting to get their dose of reality.

But there's no point in trying to get present value for a player like Story when you're nowhere close to winning. D'backs pulled this twice, with Greinke and Bumgarner.. It also doesn't help to be in the same division as the Dodgers, who'll outspend the Pentagon every year. But let's face it, there's 15-20 teams that start every season with little or no chance. There are the occasional heads that rise above the waterline and make the playoffs...and anything can happen in the playoffs...only to go back under for another 5-6 years.

Just beating Power 5 teams doesn't do that much for me, as there are so many mediocre ones. And besides, they were Pac-12, the Conference of Past Champions. BYU may move up as other teams slip, but their odds of a playoff berth seem very slim. Cincy has a marquee win now...unless Notre Dame lays an egg, which they've done a few times recently IIRC. Boise State upset Oklahoma with a trick play for a 2 point conversion. That was a long time ago now, actually. Since the start of the CFP, with the New Year big games integrated into the first round of the playoffs, the Group of Five looks to be 2-3 against the Power 5. So it's been much more competitive. And Vegas doesn't care. If CSU were to travel to Alabama for a paycheck game, the Tide might be favored by 50. That's fine; Vegas will set the line to ensure action. The odds for a straight Alabama win will be ridiculously terrible. And there is now SO MUCH MORE than just these. Spread bets can be had for first quarter or first half. Prop bets out the wazoo. MLB, ESPN, and Fox all run betting shows daily. If you've been watching...how many sports book or fantasy sports ads are we seeing? Lots. Ceasar's, MGM, and of course DraftKings and FanDuel. A few from Wynn Bet, and probably a couple others. As long as they're keeping stats and scores, Vegas is good with it.

And the Mariners take everyone on a roller coaster ride in the 8th...blow the lead by giving up a 3 run dinger, then loading the bases but with 2 outs...then getting the go-ahead base hit. So Yanks and Sox lead Jays and Mariners by 1. The 4 way tie is still possible. Of the 16 different possible outcome sets, 9 have some form of tie; 7 don't. (NY and Bos win, OR Seattle and Toronto lose. 4 each, but share 1 case.) And Dodgers-Giants may still have to play #163.

I like gray. A lot. Might be boring but I do. Purple is tricky, it's very hard to get a good shade. But the combo just DOES NOT WORK. Oh my lord...there's worse. I will warn y'all in advance...what you will see by following this link, cannot be unseen. You will be scarred. Again...you have been warned. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindenwood_Stadium

The alternative is worse. Altho the way things are going, that might be debatable. If things really do fall apart, us older farts will be among the earliest to suffer, simply because our dependencies on the routine things is higher.

Boise State's is bad, but yeah, that Eastern Washington field is the worst I've ever seen. It's enough on its own to compel a switch to *anything* else. The only other similar situation is if Bill Walton is bloviating. SOOOO out of there!!!! I know some schools do alternating. There's one, I forget where, that does normal green and either lime green or yellowish green...I try hard to forget the details. They're also hideous.

They should get it. Right now, after Bama and Georgia...ok, Penn State perhaps. But Oregon lost. Iowa...haven't seen em. OU might be undefeated but they've been uninspiring. Were I to bet right now, I'd go with Bama, Georgia, Oklahoma (just because it seems unlikely they'll lose), and...oh my, look at this...Iowa hosts Penn State *next week*. And Penn State has Ohio State and Michigan, and then Michigan State if they're for real. (They're #17 right now.) If Iowa wins...they have a cakewalk schedule the rest of the way, looks like. No one currently ranked. That conference on the West Coast looks to be playing itself into irrelevance...again.

False start penalties are, for me, suggestive of coaching issues. Those, and motion penalties.

But it's not over. Rays shashed the Yanks...Brandon Lowe led off the scoring for TB with 2 3-run homers, and the Yankees were done. The 4-way tie is still possible...it would've been a bit easier if the Mariners cashed in their chances...leadoff triple in the 7th or 8th, leadoff double in the 9th, neither were converted. In a 2-1 loss. But with Toronto also crushing Baltimore, a game 163 is looking VERY likely, and the 4 way tie is still in the cards. And now, not *that* unlikely. Yankees lose 1, Toronto wins 1, Seattle wins 2, and the Red Sox split. Everyone has 91. EDIT: and the Red Sox make it a sweat but win too. Same as yesterday; I hope Seattle can flip their script and make it REALLY interesting. There would be 4 different ways for a 3-way tie, if so: --4 way tie: Yanks and Sox lose, Jays and Mariners win --for both WCs...Yanks and Sox both lose, Jays OR Mariners win --for 1 WC...Yanks OR Sox win, Jays and Mariners win Found the tiebreaker procedure. First: the teams are ranked by combined head-to-head. This determines the order in which they get to pick their designation: A, B, C, or D in a four-way. Four-way is easy: A hosts B, C hosts D, winners play in the WC game. (I think there's a separate round of tiebreaking to pick the host.) 3 way tie for BOTH spots: A hosts B, winner advances. Loser hosts C for the 2nd slot. So this one's straightforward...A is preferred, then B, then C. 3 way tie for 1 WC spot is the most interesting. A hosts B; winner hosts C. So...C only has to win one game but it's a road game. B is the worst spot without question, but whether I'd prefer A or C is harder. A would have to win 2...but they are both home games. And most games have full attendance now. But ya also gotta recognize that this only gets you *into* the WC game...and your pitching is very likely to be very strained.

HALLELUJAH!!!!

The attorney is also an officer of the court, so is held to a higher standard. It wouldn't surprise me that the earlier legal teams bailed in part because of the contemptuous attitude of Jones. Were I Mr. Reeves, I'd be going with "it's my client, and all I'm doing is filling out forms." And under the circumstances...I'd accept that. It seems rather clear that Jones isn't listening, because there's no way any lawyer would countenance what he's doing. I don't know if Jones can be held in criminal contempt...I think the type of judgment is as much as can be done...but I think a lawyer who actively approved, participated, or endorsed this, *could* be.

And how much do ya wanna bet that his significant assets have been well hidden? Or alternately that he's gotten private word that he'll be taken care of. No mention made of Jones' lawyers, so it's not clear he had any. He wasn't cooperating at all, so it seems possible he didn't bother. And some of these stunts feel like they'd get any associated lawyer disbarred on ethics charges. Some others, maybe the lawyer could throw his client under the bus..."I tried!! but he refused" and the rest is attorney-client privilege.

Let us contemplate the wisdom of the master, Don Henley... Dirty little secrets, dirty little lies We got our dirty little fingers in everybody's pie We love to cut you down to size We love dirty laundry We can do "The Innuendo", we can dance and sing When it's said and done, we haven't told you a thing We all know that crap is king Give us dirty laundry!

This is the kind of story which causes me the most difficulty. IS the situation recoverable, or has the rot become too pervasive? The evidence is mounting for the latter.

If we could vote, then I'd vote the Red Sox off the island. Losing 2 out of 3 to tied for worst team in baseball? At this stage? Unforgivable. Still possible there'll be a 3 way tie, but I hope the Nats sweep the Sox. Just because.