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Dynasty Great Teams League Update NL Division B Report

Posted: June 23, 2020 by datechguy in baseball, dynasty baseball, fun, gaming, online gaming, Sports
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This week we looking at the National League Division B in the All Time Any Time Great Teams League All individual stats were current at the time of writing.

All franchise are currently full if you are interested in picking up a team if one becomes available or to join the expanded Futility league when it starts up again leave a comment to this post.

National League

1985 St. Louis Cardinals 48-36 1st place

The Cardinals remain the only team in the majors who have been in 1st place since day one and don’t seem inclined to let anyone take it from them. Can they rule the 2nd half as they have the 1st?

Heroes: You can find Cardinals all over the league leader boards of the league Vince Coleman’s 78 stolen bases is more than every other team in the majors except Cincinnati Willie McGee leads in batting & Triples while on the mound John Tudor is tops in wins and Innings pitched.

Zeros: Some leader boards are worse than others and Jeff Lahti’s five blown saves (against 8 converted) leads the NL. Kurt Kepshire’s 7.67 ERA the WHIP 2.06 and 51 walks vs 39K’s won’t impress anyone. The Catchers spot has been adaquote behind the plate but at it Tom Nieto ( .208 0 HR 12 RBI ) and Darryl Porter ( .192 5 HR 30 RBI ) haven’t delivered.

Wild Cards: St. Louis is one of two teams in the NL that play on turf and their 26-13 record on the artificial surface reflects that skill. But more important has been their 22-8 record in the division that has kept them on top.

Coming Attractions: The Cards end short road tip in Chicago vs the tough Division C leading 2016 Cubs before heading home to host the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies, 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers, the 1986 NY Mets and the 1997 Florida Marlins.

Injury Report: Third Baseman Terry Pendelton will miss the entire series against the Cubs but once he’s back the cards will be back to full strength.

1957 Milwaukee Braves 43-41 5 GB 2nd place

Milwaukee has kept pace with the Cardinals going 7-3 over the last 10 games and currently in a tie for the last wild card spot. Can they make a move and finally knock StL off the top of the heap?

Heroes: Hank Aaron is 3rd in batting 1st in hist and 3rd in RBI’s & 9th in HR in the league. Wes Covington may not be on the leader boards but his triple crown numbers (.306 avg 16 HR 47 RBI) are trouble for opposing pitchers. On the mound Don McMahon is the surest way to a Milwaukee win with 11 saves in 12 chances.

Zeros: Juan Pizarro (4-4 6.57 ERA .319 avg against 2.29 WHIP and 0-2 inn save chances) and Eddie Johnson (2-3 9.53 ERA .351 avg against 2.18 WHIP 2.18 & 1-2 in save chances) have been the anti McMahon this season. Frank Torre .219 avg is no better than Del Crandall but while Crandall has 11 HR 35 RBI & 3 triples Torre’s .3 HR 12, RBI & 11 walks mean that the table isn’t getting set.

Wild Cards: Milwaukee’s OPS is 2nd in the league behind Brooklyn in both slugging and OPS. The latter is really something when you consider that they are 2nd to last in OBP. They also don’t like turf very much with a .167 winning percentage on artificial surfaces.

Coming Attractions: It’s 3 at home vs the 2005 Houston Astros and three more against their wild card rival 1962 Giants before heading off to a short two city trip, first to Cincy to play the 1975 Reds and then to the Nations Capital for a shot at the 2019 Nationals.

Injury Report: All hands are all deck for the Braves

1997 Florida Marlins 42-42 3rd 6 GB

Florida is at .500 within striking distance of 1st and just a game away from a wild card stop. But .500 isn’t going to be enough to get to the post season. Will they rise, will they fall or will they stay where they are?

Heroes: Moises Alou 2nd in OBP, OPS and Batting (regularly trading places with McGee for 1st. Teammate Gary Sheffield leads the league with his .442 OPB and is 3rd in walks. 1st in hist and 3rd in RBI’s & 9th in HR in the league. Kevin Brown’s 8-8 with a 4.57 might not impress but he’s been an innings eater with 136 (5th) and has not been a Strikeout machine 4th in the league (135) & 5th in K’s rate (8.93).

Zeros: Rob Nen may lead the team with 8 saves but is also 7th in the league with 4 blown. that .297 avg against & 5.31 ERA likely has something to do with it. At the plate Devon White (.222 6 HR 27 RBI) Jim Eisenreich (.226 1 HR 23 RBI 18 runs) and Luis Castillo (.231 0 HR 17 RBI 25 Runs) are all failing to produce

Wild Cards: There’s no place like home for Florida who are a full 10 games over .500 when playing in the Sunshine state. But the real wild card on this team is reliever Felix Heredia. His 6.18 ERA is the worst on the team but put him in a save situation and he’s a perfect 5 saves in five chances.

Coming Attractions: Florida gets a chance to pad that home record with four series at home welcoming the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies, 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers the 1986 New York Mets and the 2013 Arizona Cardinals before hitting the road again.

Injury Report: With Luis Castillo off the DL Florida finds itself back at full strength for their 12 game homestand.

2019 Washington Nationals 34-50 4th place 14 GB

After threatening to reach .500 the nationals have gone 2-8 to sink to the bottom of Division B. Can they match the 2nd half that put them in this great teams league against tough competition?

Heroes: Patrick Corbin remains a strikeout machine leading the league with 151 & 2nd in k’s per 9 innings to go with a 7-4 record 4 Nationals Anthony Rendon, Juan Soto Trea Turner and Matt Adams are in double digits in HR and while Howie Kendrick is one shy but his 100 hits 54 RBI & team leading .309 avg makes up for it.

Zeros: Max Scherzer is still 3-8 with a 5.44 ERA and a .304 avg against, but might be on this list for the last time. Those ERA and avg against figures are the best he’s posted since opening week. He’s 2-1 in his last 3 decision has struck out 9 or more in his last 5 and leads the league in k’s per 9 innings and that ERA and avg against. Unfortunately that can’t be said for Anibal Sanchez his is 2-8 with a 6.46 ERA in 18 starts Or reliever Daniel Hudson who in 48 appearances is 6-8 with 3 blown saves in 4 chances.

Wild Cards: Despite their record this teams is dangerous. Their 98 HR is only one behind Milwaukee good for 4th in the league as is their slugging pct .425 (also 4th) and their pitchers have stuck out 732 batters 2nd in the majors (3 of the top 4 stops in K’s per 9 innings are held by Nationals starters) but their ERA of 5.05 is dead last and the 88 HR they’ve given up is also 4th in the league and their WHIP of 1.47 3rd. However until they learn to hit right handed pitching (14-40 vs righties) they aren’t going anywhere.

Coming Attractions: It’s the 1962 San Francisco Giants at home followed by the 1975 Cincinnati Reds before a quick trip to Arizona for 3 vs the 2013 Diamondbacks, then back home for series against the 1957 Milwaukee Braves and the 2016 Chicago Cubs

Injury Report: Danial Hudson will miss the series vs the giants but should be back before the end of the series against the reds.

A Challenge for the “Mostly Peaceful” Crowd, “Mostly Unpoisoned” Vegan Soup

Posted: June 22, 2020 by datechguy in culture, News/opinion, politics

Mortimer Brewster: Wait a minute! Stop all this. Now, look, darling, how did he die?

Abby Brewster: Oh, Mortimer, don’t be so inquisitive. The gentleman died because he drank some wine with poison in it.

Mortimer Brewster: How did the poison get in the wine?

Martha Brewster: Well, we put it in wine, because it’s less noticeable. When it’s in tea, it has a distinct odor.

Arsenic and Old Lace 1944

One of the memes we’ve been hearing from the left and the media for the last several weeks is that the “protesters” in blue cities are “Mostly Peaceful” meaning that they were peaceful right up until the time they weren’t. In yesterday’s lead post I noted that played right into POTUS hands.

It came again up yesterday as I pointed out that the violent protesters who had to be restrained by the national guard had blocked entrances and threatened violence at attendees just might have had something to do with the numbers at the President’s Tulsa Rally:

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I replied with the standard bit about the April 1865 production at Ford’s theatre:

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But given the historical ignorance of so many of the left I’ve thought of a more practical way to answer the “mostly peaceful” crowd:

Mostly Un-Poisoned Soup

Before you can make “mostly un-poinsoned soup” you need a recipe for soup. I found this one at All recipes .com

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ pound leeks, cleaned and chopped
  • 2 celery ribs, chopped
  • ½ red onion, chopped
  • 1 green onion, chopped
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, sliced
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
  • ⅓ head green cabbage, chopped
  • ¼ eggplant, chopped
  • 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • ¼ (12 ounce) package extra-firm tofu, cubed
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 cup water to cover
  • 1 Roma tomato, chopped

I had originally taken a chicken soup recipe but figured our leftist friends would prefer something vegan. Now to this we add the following to convert our completely un poisoned soup into Mostly unpoisoned

  • 1 teaspoon of arsenic
  • 1/2 teaspoon of strychnine
  • a pinch of cyanide

This is per gallon of water and can be adjusted up or down per the recipe provided by Aunt Martha Brewster here:

Aunt Martha: For a gallon of elderberry wine, I take one teaspoon full of arsenic, then add half a teaspoon full of strychnine, and then just a pinch of cyanide.

Mortimer Brewster: Hmm. Should have quite a kick.

And here are the Instructions for preparation

  • Step 1 Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add leeks, celery, red onion, green onion, jalapeno, basil, and rosemary. Cook and stir until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add cabbage, eggplant, carrots, tofu, and garlic. Add water to cover. Bring soup to a boil uncovered.
  • Step 2 Cover soup partially; reduce heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are almost tender, about 20 minutes. Add tomato. Cook until vegetables are fully tender, about 10 minutes more. Season with salt.

I don’t claim to have the expertise of the Brewster Sisters but I have a feeling that this would have quite a kick too.

Now of course being a sensible man of the right I would never cook , serve or eat such a recipe because I understand that “Mostly UnPoisoned” soup is in fact poisoned soup, just like a “mostly peaceful” protest, in in fact not peaceful. Nor would I suggest any sane person do so.

But our friends on the left think obviously think differently, so the next time a person of the left insists that a protest is “mostly peaceful” and berates you for suggesting it is not, offer them this link and tell them you will concede that point as soon as they prepare and eat a bowl of this delicious vegan “mostly unpoisoned” soup. I suspect they will no more anxious to try it as they would drive a car with “mostly fixed” breaks or have an operation with “mostly effective” anesthetic.

Hey There could be a Darwin Award in it!

For those who don’t know them, meet the Brewsters:

Eight Post Trump Rally/Speech Thoughts

Posted: June 21, 2020 by datechguy in Always look at the bright side of Trump, culture, economy, elections, politics
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If you were wondering why the Media was all in on trying to stop this speech from happening before it happened you weren’t wondering when it was done.

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There were a lot of people interested in what he would say given all that is going on. The MSM/Democrat left no longer owns the floor and without that exclusive platform for a message they can’t stand up.

The President put the Democrat left neatly in a trap yesterday firmly linking them to the violence and arson and solidly linking himself and the GOP with law and order, bluntly stating that to elect Democrats is to export this mob violence to the rest of the country. This is a nightmare for every Democrat in congress who is not on a deep blue district who will now have to choose between the radical left or the swing voters who like police and on’t like riots.

It’s particularly bad news for Governor Jay Inslee in that the President bluntly stated that he’s ready to go in and get Seattle back as soon as he asks for help. Now any move against CHOP, CHAZ, Clueless in Seattle etc is specifically a Trump move, even if the Governor or Mayor does it without federal help and every day things continue as they are is on them and given the murders now taking place there it’s going to get worse.

The media went all in on the empty seat meme online (I knew where Drudge was going to be before I looked which was the 1st time I bothered to visit for months) and it might have been effective if it wasn’t for two things.

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  1. You had violent leftists that not only blocked entrances but that were explicitly calling for violence against the attendees. The President specifically referred to them during the speech. That not only played up his law and order (us) vs the Democrats and lawlessness (them) theme but gave a solid excuse for every empty seat in the upper deck.
  2. You had this image from a recent Joe Biden event as contrast.

Trump Made them Move one Generation too Early

Posted: June 20, 2020 by datechguy in Always look at the bright side of Trump, culture, politics
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Sim [on monitor]: Stand away from the controls, Doctor. Any attempt to interfere with them will precipitate the attack immediately.
12th Doctor: Yes, I see that. Very clever. One question, as long as I’m here. Why haven’t you done it already?
Sim [on monitor]: When the time is right, there will be no delay.
12th Doctor: Oh, you told me something there. You told me something useful. You shouldn’t have done that.
Sim [on monitor]: What did I tell you?
12th Doctor: You told me that the time is currently wrong.

Doctor Who The Return of Dr. Mysterio 2016

It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one–the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”

CS Lewis The Screwtape Letters

One of the things that has been a source of some confusion until a bit ago was why the left had become completely unhinged over the rise of Donald Trump.

Time tends to pass, cycles come and go, eventually the levers of power would return to the left has people forgot. It seemed very strange that the left went so all in on the Destruction of the Donald Trump administration.

Yeah the attempt to play the election and the fear of getting caught was serious, but as time has passed and I’ve seen what this administration has done I’m thinking that it’s much more than that.

I’m thinking about the dismantling of the regulations that give the deep state bureaucracy it’s power.

I’m thinking of the dismantling of the one sided trade deals that enriched the connected and places like Red China while the pols they owned insisted that jobs weren’t coming back.

I’m thinking of North Korea which suddenly could get the US to pay them off or nuzzle up to China which is how the game has been played for decades.

I’m thinking of Iran and the various radicals no longer getting pallets of cash.

And most of all I’m thinking of the investigations of the foreign funds that have been pouring into higher education media and elsewhere buying schools, professors administrations and non-profits to try to transform our children into people who are taught a false history of america for the sake of our enemies.

These are all things that have gone on for a while and it they continued on for another generation America would have been lost forever.

However all of things that have been checked or exposed under the Trump administration.

I suspect those behind the riots and the exploitation of events like the pandemic would have liked to keep things quietly going on slowly enriching themselves for the benefit of our enemies and their mutual power.

But Donald Trump’s actions have put them on the spot, if he is allowed to continue then it’s disaster, 1st for all our international enemies who have invested billions to create the right conditions for America to fall or be co-opted and 2nd for all those pols, academics, media types and elites who have gotten wealthy of our enemies investment who fear that this gravy train might end.

Thus they have gone all out, from impeachment to the draconian measure to keep the economy closed to the riots.

If it wasn’t for Trump in a generation it would have been all over. I submit and suggest they have been forced to act before they’re ready and that’s why they’ve reached a point where they’re not even bothering to hide it anymore.

This is the difference Donald Trump has made, it means we as Americans have a chance foil what I suspect have been long laid plans, by Trump’s re-election.

If we don’t it will be on us but if we throw away this precious gift that our forefather bleed to leave us, it will be done with both eyes open.

One more thought: As I noted before the last election It’s not just the left that is a worry here

When people think of jobs in a president’s administration they think of secretary of state, Attorney General or chief of staff, but the reality is there are thousands of positions that carry prestige, pay well and guarantee a well paying position in the private sector later on that an administration fills not just at the start of their term but all during it.  (another argument for Glenn Reynolds revolving door surtax)

What happens if those positions go not to a party man, but to a Trump man?  What happens when the head of an agency like the GSA doesn’t owe his position to a party or to a donor but owes it to the Donald™ and it time to make a ruling that affects the party or could affect a chance in a big donor’s fortunes?  Even worse for the GOP what happens when Donald Trump remembers who treated him fairly and with respect and who did not?  There are few men in the this history of the world that can hold a candle to Lyndon Baines Johnson in terms of ego and remembering a slight but I suspect Donald Trump is one of them.

There are plenty of people in the NeverTrump business and others in the establishment deep state GOP that are willing to go along with all the left and our foes are pushing as long as they and their families have well feathered nests. Those are the ones who will sell us in a heartbeat.

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