October 15, 2013 archive

Oct 15 2013

2013 Junior League Championship: Boston @ Detroit Game 3

No question about it, by losing their first game Boston is forced to get a least a split in Detroit and the Tigers are very strong at home.

If you like high scoring games (and I do) Game 1 was a snooze fest with the only action in the Top of the 6th when Detroit was able to scrape up a Run after a Walk and a Hit By Pitch set them up with 2 On and 1 Out.  Could have and should have been a bigger inning but as it turns out the Sox had no comeback.  Tigers 1 – 0, lead the Series 1 – 0.

Game 2 was quite exciting with 11 scores between the teams starting in the Top of the 2nd with a Double and a Single that put runners on the corners 1 Out.  Martinez scored from 3rd on an RBI Single by Avila and then Infante grounded into a Double play to end the inning.

After that it was quiet until the Top of the 6th when the Tigers appeared to put the game out of reach with 4 more Runs, a Solo Shot by Cabrera, a Double, an RBI Double, and a 2 RBI Homer.  In the Sox 6th they managed to eek out a Run on a RBI Double leaving the margin at 4.

Then came Boston’s improbable 8th.  They started with a 1 Out Double and drew a Walk.  A KO put them 2 On and 2 Out when a clutch Single loaded them up.  And Ortiz hit a Grand Slam.

Now tied at 5 in the Sox 9th Detroit couldn’t buy an Out.  Leadoff Single with error.  Wild Pitch, 90 feet away.  Another Single with RBI and it’s time to get on the plane.  Sox 6 – 5, Series tied at 1.

For the Sox this is not exactly a comfortable place to be.  They could lose today and not face elimination, but you would imagine they’ll try really hard to guarantee at least one more game at Fenway.  They will be sending out John Lackey (10 – 13, 3.52 ERA R) to face (well, not face actually, this is the Junior League we’re talking about) Justin Verlander (13 – 12, 3.46 ERA R) who on paper is only marginally better and is certainly not the dominating Playoff Pitcher we have seen in recent post-seasons.

Now for those of you who like pie I’ll point out that TMC and I have different picks in this Series.  She likes cats, even big ones, and favors the Tigers.  I suspect her residing in the Five Boroughs might have a little influence also.  I’m mostly indifferent to Rounders and unlike many of my Stars Hollow neighbors I don’t hate the Yankees with the burning white hot passion of a thousand suns.  On the other hand I’ve watched games in worse places than Fenway and pay a passing sacrifice to The Great God Citgo when I happen to be traveling though the Cradle of the Revolution.

Just don’t get me started on Kraft and the Patsies.

Oct 15 2013

Cartnoon

Oct 15 2013

On This Day In History October 15

Cross posted from The Stars Hollow Gazette

This is your morning Open Thread. Pour your favorite beverage and review the past and comment on the future.

Find the past “On This Day in History” here.

October 15 is the 288th day of the year (289th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 77 days remaining until the end of the year.

On this day in 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte begins his final exile on the Island of St. Helene.

Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a military and political leader of France and Emperor of the French as Napoleon I, whose actions shaped European politics in the early 19th century.

Napoleon was born in Corsica to parents of minor noble Italian ancestry and trained as an artillery officer in mainland France. Bonaparte rose to prominence under the French First Republic and led successful campaigns against the First and Second Coalitions arrayed against France. In 1799, he staged a coup d’etat and installed himself as First Consul; five years later the French Senate proclaimed him emperor. In the first decade of the 19th century, the French Empire under Napoleon engaged in a series of conflicts-the Napoleonic Wars-involving every major European power. After a streak of victories, France secured a dominant position in continental Europe, and Napoleon maintained the French sphere of influence through the formation of extensive alliances and the appointment of friends and family members to rule other European countries as French client states.

The French invasion of Russia in 1812 marked a turning point in Napoleon’s fortunes. His Grande Armee was badly damaged in the campaign and never fully recovered. In 1813, the Sixth Coalition defeated his forces at Leipzig; the following year the Coalition invaded France, forced Napoleon to abdicate and exiled him to the island of Elba. Less than a year later, he escaped Elba and returned to power, but was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815. Napoleon spent the last six years of his life in confinement by the British on the island of Saint Helena. An autopsy concluded he died of stomach cancer, though Sten Forshufvud and other scientists have since conjectured he was poisoned with arsenic.

Napoleon’s campaigns are studied at military academies the world over. While considered a tyrant by his opponents, he is also remembered for the establishment of the Napoleonic code, which laid the administrative and judicial foundations for much of Western Europe.

Oct 15 2013

Muse in the Morning

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Muse in the Morning


Autumn 2

Oct 15 2013

Late Night Karaoke

Oct 15 2013

Congressional Game of Chicken: Countdown to Default

Cross posted from The Stars Hollow Gazette

Chris Hayes, the host of MSNBC’s All In, has the most concise and informative summary of the countdown to default.

Transcript can be read here

With days until default, a breakthrough?

With just three days to go until an unprecedented, possible U.S. default, there is some hope at this hour of a deal to re-open the government, raise the debt ceiling, and put an end to the shutdown. Rep. Chris Van Hollen and Rep. Scott Rigell join Chris Hayes to discuss inner dealings and where we’re at the road to re-open the government.

Oct 15 2013

2013 Senior League Division Series: Cardinals @ Dodgers Game 3

Eeking out a pair of single run victories does not exactly a commanding lead make, but it’s definely better to have held Home Field advantage as you take the show on the road.  Game One was a 13 inning Pitcher’s Duel with Beltran earning his money with a Walk Off RBI Single.  The Dodgers struck first with a pair in their half of the 3rd, the Cardinals evened it up right away.

And then there were 9 more innings.  Fascinating viewing if you like watching people spit sunflower shells while not much is happening.  It isn’t often I’ll conceed the thrilling nature of International Football but by comparison with that yawner it is indeed a beautiful game.

Saturday was a single run affair, but at least the 5th was interesting with a Leadoff Double and a passed ball.  It turned out that was all the margin St. Louis would need.

Tonight we have a pair of Aces facing off.  Adam Wainwright (19 – 9, 2.94 ERA R) is generally thought to be the best pitcher still playing but Hyun-Jin Ryu (14 – 8, 3.00 ERA L) matches up well on paper.  Ryu may have a slight advantage in that he delivers from the left which makes his pick off move to 1st easier.

Win or lose the Cardinals will head back to Busch Stadium while the Dodgers need at least 2 at home to extend this Series.