Oct 06 2019

Pondering the Pundits: Sunday Preview Edition

Pondering the Pundits: Sunday Preview Edition” is an Open Thread. It is a selection of editorials and opinions from around the news medium and the internet blogs. The intent is to provide a forum for your reactions and opinions, not just to the opinions presented, but to what ever you find important.

On Sunday mornings we present a preview of the guests on the morning talk shows so you can choose which ones to watch or some do something more worth your time on a Sunday morning.

Follow us on Twitter @StarsHollowGzt

The Sunday Talking Heads:

This Week with George Stephanopolis: The guests on Sunday’s “This Week” are: House Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY); and Rep. “Gym” Jordan (R-OH).

ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl; ABC News Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas; former Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-VA); and Cardozo Law School Professor and ABC News Contributor Kate Shaw discuss the White House and Congressional strategy and process on impeachment.

The roundtable guests are: ABC News Political Analyst Matthew Dowd; ABC News Senior National Correspondent Terry Moran; Democracy for America CEO Yvette Simpson; and Republican Strategist Alice Stewart.

Face the Nation: Host Margaret Brennan’s guests are: Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY); Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT); Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO); Bob Woodward, associate editor of the Washington Post; and Peter Baker, chief White House correspondent for the New York Times.

Her panel guests are: Ramesh Ponnuru, National Review; Susan Page, USA Today; Julie Hirschfeld Davis, The New York Times; and Jamelle Bouie, The New York Times.

Meet the Press with Chuck Todd: The guests on this week’s “MTP” are: Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI); Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT); and former CIA Director John Brennan

The panel guests are: O. Kay Henderson, news director of Radio Iowa; Rich Lowry, National Review; Richard Stengel, former Obama Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs; and Kristen Welker, MSNBC correspondent.

State of the Union with Jake Tapper: Mr. Tapper’s guests are: 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN); 2020 Republican presidential candidates former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) and former governor and Rep. Mark Sanford (R-SC).

His panel guests are: Former Mayor of New Orleans Mitch Landrieu (D); Independent Democratic strategist Karen Finney; Conservative commentator Linda Chavez; and Republican strategist Amanda Carpenter.

Oct 06 2019

Joint Compound

The terrible thing is that they provide a critical service. What some people forget is there are regulations because we need them. As they say in the biz- “Every Warning is a Lawsuit.”

Oct 05 2019

2019 Junior League Division Championship Game 2: Rays at ‘Stros

I just don’t think the ‘Stros are all that. Same thing I said about the Twins applies to the Rays, you’re looking to split on the road and you’re halfway there- you have a loss.

  • Bottom 5– Walk. 2 RBI HR. Single. Double. Error 2 Runs Score. ‘Stros 4 – 0.
  • Bottom 7– Walk. Steal. RBI Double. Rbi Double. ‘Stros 6 – 0.
  • Top 8 Single. Sacrifice. RBI Single. RBI Double. ‘Stros 6 – 2 Final. ‘Stros lead Series 1 – 0.

Everyone’s gushing about Verlander, he can’t pitch every day. The Rays are a light hitting team too. Yes the Grapes are sour, but they’re delicious.

Late, late tonight (I will be watching SNL if I’m conscious at all) Gerrit Cole (R, 20 – 5, 2.5 ERA) will take the hill for the ‘Stros. He’s been in 3 Post Seasons appearing in 5 games for 29 Innings and a record of 2 – 3. He’s allowed 13 Runs and 5 Home Runs with 5 Walks against 31 Ks for an ERA of 3.72. He throws Heat but not so often, usually filling with Sliders and Curves.

The Rays will try Blake Snell (L, 6 – 8, 4.29 ERA). He’s never played Post before but is a 4 year Vet with a lifetime 3.24 ERA. He barely throws the Fastball and makes his living with Curves and Changeups. Good luck with that, sincerely.

Oct 05 2019

2019 Junior League Division Championship Game 2: Twins at Yankees

C’mon, you knew it was coming.

You know, they don’t call them the Bombers for nothing.

  • Top 1– Solo Shot. Twins 1 – 0.
  • Top 3– Solo Shot. Twins 2 – 0.
  • Bottom 3– Single. Single. Sacrifice. RBI Double. Walk. Sacrifice. Ron on Error. Yankees 3 – 2.
  • Top 5– Double. RBI Single. Tied.
  • Bottom 5– Walk. Wild Pitch. HBP. Walk. 2 RBI Double. Yankees 5 – 3.
  • Bottom 6– Solo Shot. Solo Shot. Yankees 7 – 3.
  • Bottom 7– Walk. Steal. Walk. Double Steal. Walk. 3 RBI Double. Yankees 10 – 3 Final. Yankees lead Series 1 – 0.

Some pretty fancy base running in that 7th. They didn’t need the Homers, the game was over in the 5th.

Don’t despair Twins fans, it was at the Stadium and it’s a big house. Return home with a split and you’ll have homefield advantage over the Yankees. Hey, stranger things have happened, never thought the Nats would pull one out against the Dodgers.

The Yankees will be putting Masahiro Tanaka (R, 11 – 9, 4.45 ERA) out there and he’s really good. Three years in the Post Season appearing in 5 games for 30 Innings he’s got a record of 3 – 2 and allowed 5 Runs with 3 HRs and 7 Walks against 25 Ks for an ERA of 1.50. He’s an old school Japanese pitcher and throws all kinds of junk, in order pf preference Sliders, Fastballs, Splitters, Curves, Cutters, and Changeups. Phew.

To say Randy Dobnak (R, 2 – 1, 1.59 ERA) of the Twinsis not a household name is to put it mildly. He’s appeared in 9 Major League games at all with a record of 2 – 1 for 28.1 Innings pitched. He’s allowed 9 Runs with but a single Yarder and has 5 Walks to 23 Ks for a 1.59 ERA. He throws Fastballs mixed with Sliders and Changeups.

Oct 05 2019

Ain’t It A Shane

Some people aren’t funny Frank. Don’t take it personally.

Season Opener

October 15th

TV

It ain’t easy being cheesy

Late 80s Childhood Memories

Don’t you worry ’bout a thang

All the drama of Upstairs, Downstairs, but more recent

Pumpkin Spice Indeed

Oh, you weren’t expecting News? What about Baseball do you misunderstand?

Oct 05 2019

The Breakfast Club (Clueless)

Welcome to The Breakfast Club! We’re a disorganized group of rebel lefties who hang out and chat if and when we’re not too hungover we’ve been bailed out we’re not too exhausted from last night’s (CENSORED) the caffeine kicks in. Join us every weekday morning at 9am (ET) and weekend morning at 10:00am (ET) (or whenever we get around to it) to talk about current news and our boring lives and to make fun of LaEscapee! If we are ever running late, it’s PhilJD’s fault.

photo stress free zone_zps7hlsflkj.jpg

This Day in History

First victim dies in post-Sept. 11th anthrax scare; VP candidates spar over JFK; The Beatles release ‘Love Me Do’; ‘Monty Python’ premieres; Baseball’s Barry Bonds tops single-season runs record

Breakfast Tunes

Something to Think about over Coffee Prozac

No one is dumb who is curious. The people who don’t ask questions remain clueless throughout their lives.

Neil deGrasse Tyson

Continue reading

Oct 04 2019

2019 Senior League Division Championship Game 2: Nats at Dodgers

How much do I hate the Dodgers? More than the Nats surprisingly.

How did we get here?

First the Nats took one from the Brewers (unfortunately, I still hate them).

  • Top 1– Walk. 2 RBI Home Run. Brewers 2 – 0.
  • Top 2– Solo Shot. Brewers 3 – 0.
  • Bottom 3– Solo Shot. Brewers 3 – 1.
  • Bottom 8– HBP. Single. Walk. 2 RBI Single. Error, Run Scores. Nats 4 – 3 Final.

Then yesterday the Dodgers got at them. It was ugly.

  • Bottom 1– Walk. Walk. Passed Ball. Walk. RBI Walk. Dodgers 1 – 0.
  • Bottom 5– Walk. Single. RBI Error. Out Advancing. Dodgers 2 – 0.
  • Bottom 7– Walk. Single. Steal. Walk. 2 RBI Single. Dodgers 4 – 0.
  • Bottom 8– Solo Shot. Solo Shot. Dodgers 6 – 0 Final. Dodgers lead Series 1 – 0.

Tonight the Dodgers send Clayton Kershaw (L, 16 – 5, 3.03 ERA) to the mound. He has only been in the Post Season 8 years, appearing in 30 games with a record of 9 – 10. During 152 Innings he has allowed 78 Runs with 22 HR and 44 Walks against 165 Ks for an ERA of 4.32. He throws Heat and Sliders with a few Curves for variety.

Nats attempt to get even with Stephen Strasburg (R, 18 – 6, 3.32 ERA). He has participated in 3 Post Seasons (including this one where he was the winning pitcher of the Wild Card game) appearing in 4 games with a record of 2 – 2. In 22 Innings he has allowed 4 Runs and 4 Walks while recording 28 Ks for an ERA of 0.41. He splits Fastballs, Curves, and Changeups pretty evenly.

Oct 04 2019

2019 Junior League Division Championship Game 1: Twins at Yankees

I couldn’t resist this one.

The Twins are an inoffensive team and I had a really good time when I visited and reccomend it to anyone, but in the absence of my Metropolitans gotta go with the other home team, the Yankees, no matter how hated it makes me.

There is no here to get. This is it.

The Yankees will stand up James Paxton (L, 15 – 6, 3.82 ERA). He has no Playoff experience (as you might expect coming from the Seahawks as he does). He throws Heat with about 40% Sliders and Curves.

The Twins will match him with José Berríos (R, 14 – 8, 3.68 ERA). He’s been in the Playoffs once for 3 Innings and lost his game allowing 3 Rums with a Home Run and 4 Ks for an ERA of 9.00.

Oct 04 2019

2019 Senior League Division Championship Game 2: Cards at Braves

I don’t hate the Cards nearly as much as I do the Braves because they play in the same division as my Metropolitans, but across large swathes of the Country they are hated just as passionately as the Yankees. Maybe because they have the second best World Series record in Baseball (ahem).

Normally I’d find my Phineas and Ferb video to post but as I mentioned just cranking them out today.

How did we get here?

The Cards pulled out a squeaker in Game 1.

  • Bottom 1– Walk. Caught Stealing. Walk. Single moves Runner to 3rd. Error, Run Scores. Braves 1 – 0.
  • Top 5– Single. Sacrifice. Steal. RBI Sacrifice. Tied.
  • Bottom 6– HBP. Double. Walk. RBI Single. Error, Run Scores. Braves 3 – 1.
  • Top 8– Solo Shot. Single. Single. RBI Single. Tied.
  • Top 9– Single. Single. Walk. 2 RBI Double. Walk. 2 RBI Double. Cards 7 – 3.
  • Bottom 9– Walk. 2 RBI Home Run. Solo Shot. Cards 7 – 6 Final. Cards lead Series 1 – 0.

Good. Told you I hate the Braves more than the Cards.

The Braves will try to rebound behind Mike Foltynewicz (R, 8 – 6, 4.54 ERA). He’s pitched in 2 Post Season games last year, losing 1, for a total of 6 Innings. He allowed 5 Runs and 2 Home Runs with 7 Walks as opposed to 10 Ks for an ERA of 7.50. He throws Fastballs and Sliders mostly with some Curves and Changeups.

Cards will start Jack Flaherty (R, 11 – 8, 2.75 ERA) who’s a complete Post Season Rookie. He throws Fastballs and Sliders too with his preferred off pitch being the Curve.

Oct 04 2019

Pondering the Pundits

Pondering the Pundits” is an Open Thread. It is a selection of editorials and opinions from> around the news medium and the internet blogs. The intent is to provide a forum for your reactions and opinions, not just to the opinions presented, but to what ever you find important.

Thanks to ek hornbeck, click on the link and you can access all the past “Pondering the Pundits”.

Follow us on Twitter @StarsHollowGzt

Paul Krugman: Here Comes the Trump Slump

And he has only himself to blame.

When he isn’t raving about how the deep state is conspiring against him, Donald Trump loves to boast about the economy, claiming to have achieved unprecedented things. As it happens, none of his claims are true. While both G.D.P. and employment have registered solid growth, the Trump economy simply seems to have continued a long expansion that began under Barack Obama. In fact, someone who looked only at the past 10 years of data would never guess that an election had taken place.

But now it’s starting to look as if Trump really will achieve something unique: He may well be the first president of modern times to preside over a slump that can be directly attributed to his own policies, rather than bad luck. [..]

Once again, manufacturing is contracting. Agriculture is also taking a severe hit, as is shipping. Overall output and employment are still growing, but around a fifth of the economy is effectively in recession.

But unlike previous presidents, who were just unlucky to preside over slumps, Trump has done this to himself, largely by choosing to wage a trade war he insisted would be “good, and easy to win.”

Sylvie Kauffmann: Ukraine’s Leader Has Jumped Into Trump’s Trap

And the winner is … Vladimir Putin.

For some Europeans, the most embarrassing revelation of the now very public phone conversation between Donald Trump and Ukraine’s president on July 25 was not the attempt by Mr. Trump to interfere in the judiciary system of a foreign country for his own political benefit. Nothing the American president does could surprise any longer.

What they found particularly disappointing, instead, was the servility with which his young counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, sought to ingratiate himself with Mr. Trump, pretending that he had won the Ukrainian presidency by imitating him, claiming to have appointed a new prosecutor general who would be “100 percent my person,” and happily joining in the Euro-bashing that has become one of Mr. Trump’s trademarks. [..]

President Zelensky, his image now tarnished, is left to mend fences with his European allies. President Macron will have to adjust to this new situation. Last but not least, as the anti-corruption activist Daria Kaleniuk recently lamented on the Ukrainian television channel Hromadske, “The U.S. push for good governance in Ukraine is seriously undermined. What America was selling to the world used to be the rule of law.”

And the winner is … Vladimir Putin. President Jimmy Carter’s former national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski in his 1997 book, “The Grand Chessboard,” described newly independent Ukraine as “a geopolitical pivot, because its very existence as an independent country helps to transform Russia.” He added: “Without Ukraine, Russia ceases to be a Eurasian empire. However, if Moscow regains control over Ukraine, Russia automatically again regains the wherewithal to become a powerful imperial state.”

The stakes are still that high. Whether President Trump is aware of it is anybody’s guess.

Preet Bharara and Christine Todd Whitman: In the age of Trump, it’s clear government scientists need protection from political interference

Regardless of President Trump’s fate in the impeachment inquiry, his presidency has exposed serious fissures in our system of government that require repair — especially when it comes to the integrity of government research. Nothing illustrates that better than “SharpieGate,” an absurd incident in early September during which the White House reportedly ordered top weather officials to back the president’s claim that Hurricane Dorian would hit Alabama.

This isn’t the first time this administration has retaliated against scientists for doing their jobs. The Agriculture Department recently decided to relocate an entire staff of career economists from Washington to the Kansas City area after they published reports on the financial harms of Trump’s trade policies. The Interior Department moved a climate scientist to an accounting role after he stressed the dangers of climate change to Alaska’s Native communities. A recent tally by the Union of Concerned Scientists listed more than 120 attacks on science by the Trump administration.

Clearly, the informal rules and guardrails that used to rein in political attempts to interfere with data and research can no longer be trusted. Congress must turn these norms into law.

Eugene Robinson: Trump apparently thinks he’s a master at gaslighting

President Trump’s call with the Ukrainian president was an impeachable abuse of power.

I repeat: President Trump’s call with the Ukrainian president was an impeachable abuse of power.

Once again, President Trump’s call with the Ukrainian president was an impeachable abuse of power.

No apologies for the redundancy. Trump is trying to gaslight Americans by claiming, over and over again, that the smoking-gun evidence against him was actually a “perfect” phone call. He said it 12 times in brief Oval Office remarks Wednesday as Finnish President Sauli Niinisto quietly looked on, and four more times at their joint news conference that poor Niinisto had to endure as Trump went off the rails. He has said it repeatedly on Twitter, often in ALL CAPS. Since the rough transcript of the call was released last week, he has said it virtually whenever he has been within yelling distance of a microphone.

The most dishonest president we’ve ever had wants you to believe him , not your lying eyes.

Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation in which victims are led to doubt the evidence of their senses and the soundness of their reason. The term was coined in the 1930s, deriving from the title of a British play, but the practice is as old as human history. Trump apparently fancies himself a master of it.

Karen Tumulty: This might be the worst impeachment news of all for Trump

As the president of the United States rants and rages about the prospect of his impeachment, the woman who set the gears in motion is a study in serenity.

“I feel very at peace with all of this, very at peace,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told me in an interview Wednesday.

It had been just over a week since she had announced that a formal impeachment investigation would begin in the House. Like the rest of us, Pelosi can see that the pressure is getting to President Trump, as he erupts in profane outbursts and spews reckless accusations of treason at those who would challenge his actions.

“Sometimes, I think he is having a limbo contest with himself, to see how low he can go in his rhetoric,” she said. “I think he was surprised that this happened, because he thinks he can do whatever he wants.” [..]

“I’ve been kind of unhappy about the fact that most people in the country didn’t know what we were doing. I’m tired of whining about the press not printing it. We’ve got to go advertise it ourselves, and we’ll do that,” Pelosi said.

In the meantime, Trump’s chief adversary at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue is settling in for the duration, however long it might be. “I have never talked about any timeline. I don’t have the timeline,” Pelosi said. “It will go expeditiously — that is to say, we’ll use the time well to get the facts. We’re not moving hastily, though.”

For a president who grows more agitated by the day, that might be the worst news of all.

Oct 04 2019

2019 Junior League Division Championship Game 1: Rays at Astros

Maybe I’ll have something peppier to say later but at the moment I’m just cranking through the bare outlines.

The Rays are actually a team I have no particular grudge against. This no doubt disappoints them as they are reputed to have fierce rivalries with the BoSox and the Yanks. Couldn’t prove it by me. Never heard of them.

The ‘Stros make me think of the funny talking dog on The Jetsons (Interesting theory- The Filnstones is actually set in a post apocalyptic Jetson’s Universe), and yes, I’m pre-Scooby Doo. I hate them anyway because Texas and also Zach Grienke whos acquisition at the trading deadline made all the Pundits say- “Best Team in the Majors”, “Unbeatable”.

So the Yankees started a 13 game win streak while the ‘Stros struggled at 6 – 7.

How did we get here?

Rays crushed the As 5 – 1.

  • Top 1– Solo Shot. Rays 1 – 0.
  • Top 2– Single. 2 RBI HR. Rays 3 – 0.
  • Top 3– Solo Shot. Rays 4 – 0.
  • Bottom 3– 3rd on an Error. Sacrifice. Rays 4 – 1.
  • Top 5– Solo Shot. Rays 5 – 1 Final.

In today’s game the ‘Stros will be sending out Justin Verlander (R, 21-6, 2.58 ERA). In 25 Career Post Season appearances over 7 years he has a record of 13 – 7 with 152.1 Innings Pitched. He’s allowed 54 Runs with 18 Homers. He’s had 167 Ks and allowed only 46 Walks. He throws 50% Heat which he mixes with Sliders and Curves.

The Rays will counter with Tyler Glasnow (R, 6-1, 1.78 ERA). Of course he’s never even had a ticket to a Playoff game. He throws 70% Heat which he mixes with Curves.

Oct 04 2019

Cartnoon

And Now A Word From Our Sponsors

Yesterday

At least at taping time.

The Internet Is EVIL!

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