Archive for August 15, 2019

Sable/Gerbl Day 11: Boston bounces bombers, Rivertown tops Washington, Juneau Pounds Texas, Vikings Scherzer k’s 18 Dodgers

Posted: August 15, 2019 by datechguy in fun, gaming, Sable Baseball, Sports
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Boston 7 NYY 5

Alex Bregman hit two homers and Blake Snell and Collin McHugh held on long enough for Kimbrel to shut the door in the 9th as Boston bested the Yankees 7-5.

It didn’t look promising for Boston and Blake Snell (W 1-1) early. In the 2nd Gleyber Torres singled to start the inning and Gary Sanchez drove a double off the wall in left center to drive him in making it 1-0. Two outs later Greg Bird singled to center scoring Sanchez and the score was 2-0

Boston came right back against Luis Severino (L 1-1) Alex Bregman started with a leadoff shot over the Monster seats and after walks to Rhys Hoskins and J. T. Realmuto Nick Ahmed hit a one out double to center scoring both giving Boston the lead. The Sox managed a two out single to right by Ben Zobrist but Ahmed was held at 3rd and Severino was able to end the inning down only 3-2.

That was a lead Snell couldn’t hold with to outs he walked Giancarlo Stanton and Torres put his own drive over the Green Monster and the Yanks had the lead back 4-3 and when Snell walked Miguel Andujar, Aaron Hicks and Greg Bird to load the bases with nobody out in the 4th it looked like the Bombers would break the game wide open. But Snell bore down striking out Austin Romine, Aaron Judge and Adeiny Hechavarria in succession to end the inning and keep the deficit at 1.

That would prove to be the critical moment of the game. In the bottom of the inning Realmuto singled to the mound and Ronald Acuna JR. followed with another putting runners at the corners. with one out Jose Altuve singled in Realmuto and sent Acuna to 3rd tying the game and when the yanks failed to turn the double play on Zobrist’s grounder to 1st Acuna scored and the Bo Sox were up 5-4. When Chad Green in relief of Severino in the 5th walked J. D. Martinez and gave up Bregman’s 2nd ball into the monster seats and it was 7-4.

That would be a sufficient cushion for Snell who inspired by his hold in the 4th would retire the Yankees easily in the 5th & 6th coming out for Colin McHugh after a leadoff single in the 7th and while that runner would be erased by a Stanton double play Torres would reach on a Rhys Hoskins error move to 3rd on a Gregorius single and score on a Andjuar single to right putting the tying runs on base with Aaron Hicks at the plate in a 7-5 game.  McHugh would however not only retire Hicks but the next three men he faced until Craig Kinbrel (S2) came in and after hitting Luke volt to start and walking Gregorius with two out struck out Andujar to preserve the win.

Notes: Boston Pitchers only allowed the Yankees 5 hits but walked seven and hit one over the course of the game. This was Boston’s 3rd straight win and the Yanks 4th straight loss. Luke Volt was pulled for a pinch runner after being hit by a fastball in the 9th but should be available tomorrow. Hoskins error was his 2nd in three games and led to an unearned run. Jameson Tallon (1-0) will start for Boston tomorrow against JA Happ (0-1) tomorrow.

Rivertown 8 Washinton 3

Nelson Cruz hit a massive bomb off the light tower and Rivertown’s bullpen held while the Senators didn’t as Rivertown took the 1st game of a two game series 8-3.

The Senators struck 1st with some small ball in the 2nd off of Aaron Nola (W 2-0) Trevor Story singled and stole 2nd to lead off the inning, after Nola retired the next two DJ LeMahieu stroked a single to right for a 1-0 lead.

In the 3rd Rivertown struck back Lorenzo Cain singled with one out and moved to 2nd on a grounder. Paul Goldschmidt took the next ball to the wall in right off Marco Gonzalez (L 1-2) scoring Cain and tying the game setting up Cruz’s massive homer that traveled 460 feet and Rivertown was up 3-1.

Washington came right back with more small ball and the same case. Story singled & stole 2nd again this time with one out and Billy Hamilton drove him home quickly with a single to right making it 3-2. However Nola managed to hold Hamilton long enough to erase him on a force play then struck out LeMahieu to keep it 3-2.

In the 5th the Raiders added some distance with a solo shot by Goldschmidt making it 4-2 and Rivertown tried to answer. Jesus Aguilar led off with a double and the speedy Dee Gordon ran for him. Nola k’d Story and Hamilton but a throwing error put Gordon on 3rd and pinch hitter Marwin Gonzalez on 1st for LeMahieu who once again punched a single through to left scoring Gordon and it was a one run game again.

It stayed that way till the 7th when the Raiders Trea Turner lead off with a double. Jeurys Familia came in and struck out pinch hitter Matt Carpenter but Cain singled to center scoring Turner Cain going to 3rd on a throwing error by Hamilton and it was 5-3.

In the 8th Cruz led off with another single but due to a mix up Ender Inciarie was anounced as a pinch hitter rather than a pinch runner and after after a short conference was make to go to the plate for Marcell Ozuma rather than running for Cruz. He promptly doubled to center scoring Cruz all the way from 1st and scored along with Joey Wendle who was hit by a pitch with two when Turner doubled and it was 8-3.

That led to a little bit of defensive gymnastics bit ti didn’t matter Edwin Diaz who got the 3rd out of the 8th retired 3 of 4 in the ninth and when the dust had settled Rivertown had sole possession of 1st place.

Notes: The Mixup in the 8th which ended happily for Rivertown was the subject of a lot of post game questions but due to the result nobody in the dugout seemed to mind taking the blame. Familia’s 3 earned run in 1 2/3 innings was the 1st poor outing we’ve seen from him this season. In addition to his error Hamilton got an assist in the 1st when Jose Ramirez took too wide a turn as Cruz hit third and Hamilton nailed him 8-3-4. 4 different relievers pitched two innings for Rivertown giving up no runs.  Carlos Martinez (1-0) will take the mound for the Senators tomorrow against Rivertown’s Patrick Corbin (2-0)

Juneau 10 Texas 4

Juneau stroked 16 hits and 3 home runs while Mike Foltynewicz pitched pitched just well enough to get by as Juneau broke it’s losing streak with a 10-4 thumping of Texas.

It looked at first like the long ball was going to sink the Muffen men again as Foltynewicz (W 2-1) started the game with a fat pitch that Michael Brantley took over the fence in right to make it 1-0 but the Muffen men came right back again Corey Kluber (L 0-2) with a Matt Chapman lead off with a double, went to 2nd on a Kolton Wong Grounder and socred on a 2nd grounder form Harrison Bader to tie things up.

In the 3rd they struck again. Andrelton Simmons and Mookie Betts singled with one out and after a K Bryce Harper took Kluber over 465 feet to dead center and the Muffen men were up 4-1. The Muffen Men had men in scoring position every inning off Kluber until the 5th when he was finally chased by a Betts homer followed after one out by Harper’s 2nd shot of the day making it 6-1. Carlos Carrasco replaced him and it the 6th got more of the same as Juneau socred four runs on a Benintendi walk and stolen base, a Simmons double driving him in, And Othani sngle that drove in Simmons a Harper single that sent Ohtani home and a Matt Chapman double. And while the 10-1 lead was shrunk by two massive shots a two run job in the 6th inning by Javier Baez and another by Nolan Arenado in the 7th the outcome was never in doubt.

Notes: Yoshihisa Hirano pitched 3 1/3 inning for his 1st save. Juneau continues to be plagued by the long ball as Texas hit three homers, the final two going 489 and 475 feet respectively Betts continued his torrid hitting going 4-5 raising his avg to .395 but was thrown out at 3rd by Jackie Bradley Jr. David Price goes for his 1st decision in game two against Zach Greinke (1-0)

King Ragnar’s Vikings 1 LA Dodgers 0

Eddie Rosario’s 6th inning RBI single was all the Vikings would need as Max Scherzer spun a 3 hit 18 strikeout masterpiece leading the Vikings to a 1-0 win vs the Dodgers

Scherzer (W 2-1) was dominant from 1st to last. When Jean Segura Muffed Cody Bellinger’s grounder to start the game Scherzer responded by striking out the side. He would do so again in the 5th and 6th and most importantly in the 9th when the Dodgers Joc Peterson doubled with two outs to get the tying run in scoring position.

Scherzer would need that performance because his counterpart Walker Buehler (L 0-1) while not as dominant was just as effective pitching out of a two on one out jam in the 2nd and bearing down in the fifth after committing an error on a Rene Rivera grounder following a Segura single put runners on 1st & 2nd with nobody out.

It would not be till the sixth that Rosario would stroke the two out single scoring Juan Soto who had doubled that the Vikings would break through and even then when Kike Hernandez misplayed Charlie Culbertson’s grounder to put two men on he retired Segura to stop the threat.

But good as his performance was it couldn’t compare to Scherzer who when the Dodgers tried to answer in the 7th with a Yasiel Puig single and a Peterson walk to put two men on with none out retired Yasmani Grandal on a fly out, struck out pinch hitter Justin Turner swinging and coaxed a grounder from David Freese to end the Dodgers best threat as easily as he struck out Grandal to end their final one.

Note: Both pitchers pitched around potentially critical errors without incident. Rosario’s single was the only hit by either team with men in scoring position (Vikings 1-7 LA 0-4) Bueller while giving up 7 hits and striking out only 6 did not walk a batter while Scherzer gave up three 3 passes. Dodger reliever Josh Fields struck out all three men he faced in the 8th.

Red Flag Laws are a stealth attack on the Second Amendment

Posted: August 15, 2019 by Jon Fournier in Uncategorized
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Whenever there is a man caused tragedy a large segment of the population immediately demand that the government does something, most often the something involves taking rights away from individuals that had nothing with the tragedy. That is most often true when the tragedy is a mass shooting. Red Flag Laws are currently the most popular solution proposed by politicians on the political left, the liberal news media, Hollywood, and even President Trump and Senate Republicans including Mitch McConnell

Red Flag Laws are a very bad idea because they violate several constitutional provisions, most especially the Second Amendment. Here is a description of Red Flag Laws and a discussion why they are such a bad idea from this Breitbart article;

https://www.breitbart.com/2nd-amendment/2019/08/08/rick-manning-red-flag-laws-raise-a-gigantic-red-flag/

“Red flag laws are designed to confiscate a person’s legally held property under the presumption that they may misuse that property in the future. And given that the accusation itself is that the accused has the possibility of doing violence to themselves or others, even the most well-intentioned prosecutor and law enforcement agents will err on the side of denying the rights of the accused due to the fear that the accusation may prove correct – and failure to aggressively enforce the law will be devastating to their personal careers regardless of the credibility of the complaint. The accused is then required to prove that the accusation is wrong with those sitting in judgment facing enormous political pressure to leave confiscation orders in place, destroying the presumption of innocence. What’s more, in today’s Internet age, the accused forever will be tainted by the accusation regardless of outcome.”

The article “7 Reasons to Oppose Red Flag Gun Laws “ contains a wealth of information.

https://fee.org/articles/7-reasons-to-oppose-red-flag-guns-laws/?fbclid=IwAR0jOCBCBKRcVzBITb134CHJPy3GVp4W13aYItQngYqQVt13ikNLTvRZrz0

“These laws, also called “extreme risk protection orders,” allow courts to issue orders allowing law enforcement to seize firearms from people who’ve committed no crime but are believed to be a danger to themselves or others.”

The Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment prohibits the federal government from seizing the property of any individual unless they are charged with a specific crime and found guilty by a jury in a court of law. The Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment places the same restrictions on state and local governments.

”Regulating firearms is not among the powers listed in the Constitution (though this has not always stopped lawmakers from regulating them). In fact, the document expressly forbids the federal government from doing so, stating in the Second Amendment that “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” “

This is true because the Second Amendment specifically prevents the federal government from interfering with the right to bear arms of any individual therefore Red Flag Laws are unconstitutional on the federal level. All but one or two states have clauses in their Bill of Rights that prevent that state from infringing on the right to bear arms of its citizens.

The Right to bear arms is one of our most important God-given natural rights, one that a great many individuals will defend passionately, especially if it is violated unjustly. Red Flag Laws will lead a large number of violent and deadly clashes with individuals who believe their right to bear arms is being trampled on. This has already happened once.

“In 2018, two Maryland police officers shot and killed 61-year-old Gary Willis in his own house after waking him at 5:17 a.m. The officers, who were not harmed during the shooting, had been ordered to remove guns from his home under the state’s red flag law, which had gone into effect one month prior to the shooting.”

Red Flag Laws are so bad they belong only in dystopian science fiction such as the movie Minority Report. Way too many of the people implementing and enforcing these laws now, and in the future, believe that only police and those in the government should have guns, and those on the political right are the enemy whose statements and positions on issues constitute hate speech.

https://fee.org/articles/red-flag-gun-laws-are-a-page-out-of-dystopian-science-fiction-novels/

“There is an understandable desire among Americans to feel safer and more secure following highly publicized mass shootings. Yet the idea that the government can prevent crimes before they happen whiffs of utopianism and could threaten individual liberty”.

President Trump has expressed support for Red Flag Laws. He is very much in error and should quickly reexamine his position on this issue.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/08/05/president-trump-calls-for-red-flag-laws-following-texas-ohio-shootings/

“Trump said, “I am directing the Department of Justice to work in partnership with local, state, and federal agencies–as well as social media companies–to develop tools that can detect mass shooters before they strike.” He then referenced the February 14, 2018, Parkland shooter, noting he had sent up many red flags with his behavior prior to the shooting, but no one took action to stop him.”

“Trump voiced support for “Red Flag laws, also known as Extreme Risk Protection Orders.” He explained, “We must make sure that those judged to pose a grave risk to public safety do not have access to firearms and that, if they do, those firearms can be taken through rapid due process.” “

Representative Crenshaw of Texas has a proposal for Red Flag Laws that might not violate the Constitution if they are implemented on the state level. Actual threats of violence and statements that an individual is planning to kill others are specific crimes. If those statements are reported to the proper authorities and the person is tried and convicted then due process is not violated

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/08/11/rep-dan-crenshaw-explains-his-support-red-flag-laws/

“Crenshaw said, “Clearly, when we said ‘Red Flag Laws’ you guys stop listening, you can’t hear what we are suggesting, because understandably you automatically assume that we are just agreeing with the left’s version of that law. And we all know the left’s version would not be good, it would not protect due process.” “

“Crenshaw continued, “At its heart what we are talking about is the ability to confiscate weapons where there is evidence that violence is about to be committed. It’s that simple, and this isn’t that controversial.” “

“He went on to explain that everything turns on due process and how due process would be protected under the type of Red Flag Laws Crenshaw supports. He suggested the difference between what he supports and the left’s “blatantly unconstitutional laws” all boils down to how due process is protected.

NOT Off to Manchester NH to cover POTUS Rally

Posted: August 15, 2019 by datechguy in economy, elections
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Today (Thursday) is the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary a holy day of obligation so my day began with mass at 8 to fulfill my duty as a Catholic.

However my plans for the rest of the day are not my normal Thursday routine. Instead of getting ready for my last day of work for the week I will be heading up to Manchester NH to cover the President’s rally due to begin at 7 pm.

Thanks to the change in the economy since the last time I covered the future President during a campaign I was able to take a vacation day rather than rushing to cover then candidate Trump and then rushing to work still wearing my suit & press credential when I punched in and walked onto the floor.

That had been my plan today and if the Campaign had not decided to reject my media credential request I would at this moment be on the road grabbing a parking place half a day early and talking to the crowd that I suspect is already gathering to see him.

I decided against contacting Corey Lewandowski or folks from the NH GOP who I’ve covered for years to reverse this, I’m too old and too Sicilian for that.  If the campaign doesn’t want me there so be it.

If I had been there my plan had been to collect data for a question in my mind that I wanted to answer:

“What does the Trump base think of proposed ‘redflag’ laws and will disappointing them on the issue be enough to make them stay home in 2020?”

I think I know what the answer to that question will be, but would have rather spoken from hard data than my best guess, no matter how informed said guess might be.

New Hampshire is the perfect place to ask this question for three reasons.

1. It has a history of rejecting GOP candidates who disappoint them on the 2nd amendment see Scott Brown circa 2014.

2. Their governor Sununu , no movement conservative he, recently vetoed three anti-gun bills that the Democrat legislature passed in the wake of current events.

3. New Hampshire was a state President Trump lost by a hair in 2016 (47.62% to 47.25%) and is one that due to the booming economy might be expected to do better in circa 2020 even if there is a large run of Massachusetts voters suddenly appearing at the Granite State polls

It would have been wonderful to have a third chance to pose a question at a Trump campaign press conference, and frankly being able to question a sitting President would be the apex of any bloggers career, the real action however in my opinion, that matters in terms of Election 2020 is how his voters answered that question.

That’s, in my opinion, the story of the day, however I won’t be there to tell it.

But rest assured there will be plenty of members of the MSM who will be there, and their story of the day will be that the President is a racist, sexist, white supremacist whose economy is on the verge of recession and that those who support him are at best delusional or at worst aspiring Nazis who all aspire to be mass killers.

The fact that with minor variations this is the same story of the day that they have been telling since January 20th 2017 and before doesn’t seem to bother them as it fits in perfectly with the world view in their bubble.

Now maybe it’s just me but I’d think it would be a good idea to challenge this meme with 1st hand reporting and video to show it for the nonsense it is but hey if the President’s campaign doesn’t want that message challenged by someone like me, who am I to tell them otherwise?

Keep one Thing in Mind When you View the Bill Clinton in a Blue Dress Painting From Jeffrey Epstein House…

Posted: August 15, 2019 by datechguy in Uncategorized
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…Bill Clinton was a friend of his.