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2025: The Hal Chase Election

Posted: November 5, 2025 by datechguy in baseball, elections, elections, politics
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“First we must cross the river,” Benito was saying.  “Do you believe me now when I tell you that you must not attempt to swim it, or even get wet from it, or must you try that too?”

“What happens if I just dive in?”

“Then you will be as you were in the bottle.  Aware and unable to move.  but it will be very cold, and very uncomfortable, and you will be there for all eternity knowing that you put yourself there.”

Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle Inferno 1976

Looking at the results of last nights elections in VA & NJ and particularly NYC two truths are apparent.

The first was expressed at Instapundit last night from Stacy Campfield a former state rep from Tennessee:

“Republicans can’t be surprised that they aren’t winning races in places that they are also leaving in droves.”

Before I list the 2nd and more important quote you need some background:

The quote comes from the SABR site, a baseball analytics group which reprinted a piece about first baseman Hal Chase by Jacob Pomrenke about Hal Chase, a first baseman who played from 1905 to 1919.

Chase was universally considered the best defensive first baseman anyone to that time had ever seen. Both Babe Ruth and Walter Johnson named him the best first baseman of all time.

But Chase was also known from the very start of his career as a man who fixed games. For years in every city where he played allegations had been out there that he threw games or arranged them to be thrown. Allegations that he loudly denied. Then in 1916 he joined the Cincinnati Reds managed by Christy Matterson the great pitcher considered one of the gentleman of baseball. A man so honest that umpires would consult him on close calls. Matterson suspended Chase for trying to bribe players to fix games, as Pomrenke noted:

The suspension by Mathewson was the first time any baseball official had seriously punished Chase for his transgressions. As usual, it didn’t stick. NL president John Heydler reluctantly exonerated Chase after Mathewson joined the military and could not testify against Chase while serving overseas.

Chase would go on to have a part in the fixing of the 1919 World Series. When He heard about this Mathewson said the quote I find relevant to this election:

 “Damn them, [baseball officials] deserve it. They whitewashed two players after I caught them with the goods.” 

The swearing was VERY out of character for Christy Mathewson but he was pissed.

And that brings us to the night after the 2025 elections in California, Virginia, New Jersey and New York:

In California I didn’t expect better after all this is the man the state keeps backing:

In New Jersey the Democrat running for Governor was involved in a scandal concerning her time at the Navel Academy. It didn’t matter, the state that Trump lost by only 5 points elected her by 13 points.

In Virginia not only did Abagail (duck and run) Springer win by double digits but the man made famous for wanting GOP kids dead won by over six points.

But the real thing is New York City:

You have a open socialist, an open communist, an open antisemite. A person whose opinion on all these things have been well documents and are even available in his own words online for years. A rich kid who never did or ran anything in his life and he not only won the election in NYC but he took over 50% of the vote in a three way race.

What’s the bottom line? Just this: In all of these elections particularly in NYC people in their respective states KNEW who and what these people were and what they supported and STILL not only voted for them, but voted for them overwhelmingly winning margins, with apologies to Sarah Hoyt, well beyond the margin of fraud.

Now it’s very possible that this might hurt the Democrats nationally in states where people have not gone insane as Scott Jennings notes:

I think we’re at the point where we have to stop pretending that Democrat voters don’t understand what Communism is, or antisemitism is or violence is or corruption is. I think we have to stop pretending that they are being decieved.

This is what the Democrat/left is. This is what they believe in and what they support this is the government that they want and by golly they’re going to get the government they deserve.

The only question left in my mind is will they be surprised when they get it?

November Indulgence Calendar and Big Nov 1st to 8th indulgences available (See Luke 12:58-59)

Posted: November 1, 2025 by datechguy in catholic, catholic devotions
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Here is the Indulgence Calendar for November:

indulgence calendar Nov 2025Download

And if you read this page you’ll know that for the next eight days there are special plenary indulgences available:

Visiting a cemetery and praying for the dead always carries a partial indulgence but carries a Plenary Indulgence if done from today Nov 1st through Nov 8th

Furthermore there is a Plenary Indulgence for visiting ANY church on all souls day (Nov 2)

And to top that off, because of the jubilee year you can earn TWO plenary indulgences a day rather than the normal 1

So you are in a position to earn a plenary indulgence for a loved one AND for yourself every single day this week through next Saturday.

And remember a plenary indulgence removes ALL temporal punishment for sins already forgiven so if applied to a soul in purgatory it finishes the job and gets them to heaven and if applied to yourself removes (from that point) any time due in Purgatory for sins already confessed and forgiven.

Remember God’s mercy keeps you from Hell (That’s being saved) God’s justice requires restitution for your sins and purification from the effects of those sins as something imperfect can’t enter heaven (Thus Purgatory) or as Christ himself put it:

If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate, make an effort to settle the matter on the way; otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the constable, and the constable throw you into prison.

I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”

Luke 12:58-59 Emphasis mine


Under the Fedora: A Cunning Halloween/All Saints EWTN Suggestion, Missing Dad on his Birthday, C. S. Lewis Prophet, Trump Obsessed Left, The Democrats 11th Doctor Shorted out Paper Moment

Posted: October 31, 2025 by datechguy in Uncategorized

If I was EWTN I’d market displays and inflatables of the Saints for lawn display so a Catholic like me can decorate his house at Halloween and when people ask I can remind them that All Hallows Eve is about it being the Eve of All Saints Day celebrating those in heaven & love of God.

Now THAT would be a radical display

Today Halloween would have been my father’s 104th birthday. He didn’t live to see his 66th birthday nor my wedding (although he rather unexpectedly turned up at the rehearsal the night before which is a story I’ll tell another time). He had managed a single social security check before dying and had bought my mother a car that he didn’t live to drive in once. She kept that car running till her death 25 years later.

It’s very hard to be the son of a great man. My father was a great man who you likely never heard of. He was the living example of Christ’s charge to not let your right hand know what your left hand is doing when doing good.

I’ll likely outlive him in years but never in honor or goodness, although my sons are well on their way to being his equal and have easily surpassed me both in honor & goodness.

That’s a great comfort.

I was listening to the Screwtape letters at work yesterday and noted Screwtape’s dream of the materialist magician who believes in “forces” and “demons” but not in God.

Looking at his words from 84 years ago and society today all I can say is: Boy did Lewis call it or what?

The most amazing thing about the modern left is their total obsession with Donald Trump.

While I understand that there are a fair amount of people who make a living off of this the sheer number of folks who carry an obsessive hatred of a man who they will never meet and has at best a tangential effect on their lives is astounding. One would think that they would consider actually living their own lives.

Its hard to imagine a life that empty and devoid of purpose but then again I find it hard to imagine parents spaying their children to gain social status so what do I know.

Finally watching the left unable to sell the media on the idea that they are not responsible for the government shutdown & media members calling them out of it brings me to mind on of my favorite movements from Matt Smith’s excellent run as Doctor who:

Young Kazran Sardic: Are you really a babysitter?
11th Doctor: I think you’ll find I’m universally recognized as a mature and responsible adult.
(He shows Kazran the psychic paper which makes people see what he wants)
Young Kazran Sardic: It’s just a lot of wavy lines.
11th Doctor: (looks at the paper) Yeah, it’s shorted out. Finally, a lie too big. 

Doctor Who: A Christmas Carrol 2010

There are a fair amount of Trump haters who still buy this line but nobody outside of the bubble does and the bubble has been getting smaller and smaller.

Are the Democrats REALLY that Stupid on EBT? (The GOP Ads Write Themselves)

Posted: October 24, 2025 by datechguy in Always look at the bright side of Trump, Blame Trump, politics
Tags: , , ,

Can’t anybody play this game?

Casey Stengel

As all of you know by now the GOP has offered not only a clean continuing resolution to fund the government but has offered individual bills to pay for the troops and for government workers, ALL of which Democrats have voted against keeping government closed.

Meanwhile the anger is building in EBT land:

I particularly love the lady who complains she can’t get lobster

Now Democrats are fueling this anger because they think that the potential for violence in blue cities is going to move the GOP to give in to their demands. An example:

I included the Date and Time in case they pull it but that’s not the point. The REAL point is how badly they’re setting themselves up.

If I’m the GOP this is what I do

  1. Pass a stand alone vote to fund EBT & the Troops in the house Make sure it’s a roll call vote.
  2. Bring up this bill once passed in the Senate, again MAKE SURE IT’S A ROLL CALL VOTE.
  3. Then watch what happens
    • If the Bill passes then the Dem plan is foiled and not only is EBT funded but the Troops are funded.
    • If the Democrats filibuster the bill and it fails immediate cuts ads like this:

President Trump and the GOP want to make sure that our Military and those dependent on food stamps get their payments on time and they brought up a bill to cover them.

But Senator <name of dem senator> voted no: (video of the roll call of the clerk calling Dem Senator’s name voting no.)

Donald Trump wants to make sure your kids are fed but Senator <dem senator> votes no. (video of roll call of Senator voting no)

Call Senator <Dem Senator> and tell him/her to vote the money to keep your kids from going hungry.

I would cut an ad like this for every Democrat senator and use some of that giant GOP cash advantage to start running them in every state where a Democrat Senator is up for re-election (and maybe a few that aren’t). The ads practically write themselves.

I don’t have access to an AI program to make an example ad but I’d bet a few people out there do.

So please Democrats keeps stalling because once Trump cuts those ads, it will be your offices in your home states that the mob storms.

That the Democrat’s have not thought of this amazes me.

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