Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Five Under the Fedora Thoughts: New Rules, DOJ Bannon, Dems Should Thank China, Stacy’s Ironic Line and Following Mom’s example

Posted: August 21, 2020 by datechguy in Uncategorized

I see the Mayor of Pittsburgh has decided that he doesn’t like the new rules when they are applied to his house and his neighborhood just like reporters have decided they don’t like the new rules when applied to their homes either.

Kurt Warned them about these new rules.

I’m going to withhold judgement on the indictments Steve Bannon (full disclosure while we haven’t talked in 5 or 6 years knew Steve from CPAC & always had good things to say about me and right back at him) and three others concerning fundraising for “We Build the Wall” while saying that a lot of the fundraising of that nature by both sides can be “interesting” at best.

More interesting is this question that I’d like to ask:

Could you imagine the DOJ indicting a former Obama chief of staff who was supporting his re-election for iffy on fundraising in August of 2012, Or a Bush partisan in Aug of 2004 or a Clinton partisan in 1996 or a GWB one in 1992, or Reagan one in 1984 or a Carter one in 1980?

So much for the Trump administration and Bill Barr using DOJ for partisan ends.

Oh, and let me note that when you hit DaTipJar here all the funds go to pay the bills for what I do from paying the writers to the price of the new computer that I’m typing this on and all the extra goes to me. Needless to say I’m not quitting my day job anytime soon.

Given the fact that I work 2nd shift I wouldn’t have caught any of the Democrat Convention anyways but I’m thinking how the Pandemic must have been a godsend to them.

Not only does it mean that Joe Biden didn’t have to preform in front of the crowd but it also meant that they didn’t have to have the specticle of the BLM ANTIFA crowd fighting with police in front of their convention hall while at the same time people on stage were saying “Imagine a world without Police”

With those images on TV Trump would win 40 states and the GOP would sweep both houses. The Democrats should send a big wet kiss to China, but looking at their campaign, it seems they already have.

It’s not often I take issue with something that old friend Stacy McCain writes but I must confess that I was really amused by this paragraph in his post of yesterday:

The belief that words in the Bible have no objective meaning — true for everyone, everywhere, at all times, eternally — is part of what has undermined institutional authority in the church. And once this pastor pointed out to me this “what it means to me” intepretation (which was already widespread 30 years ago) as symptomatic of a spiritual disorder,

While the piece as a whole is very good and an on point evaluation of the insanity of moral relativism I chuckled here because my friend Stacy is very Protestant and the whole Reformation was based on the idea of Martin Luther deciding that his interpretation of Scripture and faith was superior to that of the successors to the Apostles, which of course led to other deciding that their interpretation was superior to his which is why there are 30K plus Protestant denominations.

Did you know that 100 years ago all of those denominations had the same view as the Catholic Church on birth control, abortion, Gay Marriage and Transgenderism? We may have a below par Pope today and quite a few iffy bishops and cardinals but on doctrine we’ve managed to hold the line.

Finally I was going to end this piece with a pair of paragraphs I was going to write to vent something that’s really bothering me and will likely be bothering me for quite a while. I have a very definite opinion on this particular subject and would very much like to speak on it, then I remembered two things. The first comes from scripture as quoted from the Vatican web site

He who upsets his household has empty air for a heritage

Proverbs 11:29a

Most often translated as “He who troubles his own house shall inherit the wind.”

And the second was the memory of my mother. She was a very opinionated person but being a proper Sicilian never volunteered said opinion particularly if it was a highly negative one…unless asked.

Once asked she would bluntly state it. She was a very wise women. I’m going to follow that example in this case.

Oh and don’t forget Podcast 3 PM today. I think I just might go freestyle today

Everything fun has been canceled and it’s getting everyone down

Posted: August 20, 2020 by Jon Fournier in Uncategorized
Tags: , , ,

Normally summers are packed full of fun events for me, so much so that I rarely have a free weekend between the beginning of June and the end of September.  This year has been the exact opposite, every event I usually attend except for one was canceled, and that was the Ham Radio Field Day event I organized. 

Two of the biggest events I attend every year are agricultural fairs. One is in Brooklyn Connecticut and the other one is in Woodstock Connecticut.  This year they were cancelled along with just about every fair.  I won’t get to pig out on fried dough, sausage grinders, giant donuts, and so much more.  Usually the Woodstock Fair has great concerts, horse pulls, midway rides, and so much more I usually enjoy.  Not this year.  So many people are going to miss out on so much fun, which they really need.  So many local businesses and traveling vendors rely on the fairs for so much yearly income.  They will sorely miss all of that income.  Even the Big E has been cancelled.

Every since I was four years old my family and I belonged to a fife and drum corp.  All summer long we would travel around southern New England attending fife and drum musters.   If you have never attended one I highly recommend doing to. It is a truly enjoyable way to experience history and a lot of great music.  This year all of the musters have been canceled.  They usually draw many hundreds, if not thousands, of spectators along with many dozens of fife and drum corps.

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims landing in Plymouth.  I was looking forward to attending all of the festivities starting with the Mayflower sailing from Mystic Seaport up until the last event.  All of this has been scaled back or cancelled completely.  I was planning on taking bus trips to the events since I live so far away and traffic would have been a nightmare because of the crowds.  All of the bus trips have been cancelled.

These cancellations are not just affecting me,  they are affecting all of my neighbors, just about everyone in this country, and all across the globe.  These cancellations are having a very negative impact on my frame of mind.  They are really getting me down.  I know I am far from alone.  We all need fun events, especially if they are so much fun we look forward to them all year round.  These events are not cancelled because of the Coronavirus pandemic.  They are being cancelled because of government over reaction to the Coronavirus and by media coverage of the pandemic that has crossed over to hysteria,  How much longer the cancellations will go on is unknown.  Most likely they will go on until we stand up and say enough.

(The Final) All Time League Update National League Division C

Posted: August 19, 2020 by datechguy in Uncategorized

Note: Because of Baseball’s embrace of BLM and the left combined with the kneeling for the flag I have not watched the sport nor done anything to promote the current game in any way whatsoever. This is why you have no longer seen these updates as I don’t want to promote the sport outside of this computer game

That being said I had run an update on every division except NL Div C at the time and thought it unfair that those teams in my league didn’t get a write-up and that’s not fair to the manager and players who had nothing to do with MLB’s decision so here is what will be the final writeup I do for the teams in the online Dynasty leagues I play in.

National League Division C

2016 Chicago Cubs 81-51 1st place

With 36 games to go the Cubs 13 1/2 game lead seems pretty insurmountable. The only question left seems to be if they can maintain their 1 game lead over the Division B leading 1985 Cardinals and their 2 game lead over the 1975 Big Red Machine of Cincinnati to hold home field advantage.

Heroes: This Cubs team is built on pitching, pitching and more pitching. Jake Arrieta leads the NL in ERA (2.10), Avg against (.174) WHIP 0.95 & is tied for 2nd in wins. Aroldis Chapman’s 30 saves blows away the competition. Meanwhile Pedro Strop 0.90 WHIP 1.30 ERA & Hector Rondon 1.62 ERA 0.87 WHIP have been unstoppable in the pen. Meanwhile Anthony Rizzo .295 avg 28 HR 90 RBI is providing the offense.

Zeroes: Mike Montgomery continues to be one of the few dark spots on the mound both starting and relieving with a 2-7 record an ERA of 5.25 and a 1.51 WHIP. Neither Javier Baez .233 5 HR 47 RBI’s nor Addison Russell .213 8 HR 32 RBI are scaring anyone at the plate.

Wild Cards: The most amazing stat concerning the Cubs is that with 97 HR allowed only the 1924 Washington Senators (93) of the AL have given up fewer HR then them. And while the Senators play in a huge park (440 down the left field line) the Cubs play in Wriggly. That would explain why their team ERA of 3.20 is a full .35 better than their nearest rival.

Coming attractions: The Cubs host the surging 2019 Washington Nationals and then the team that they are chasing the 1957 Milwaukee Braves and then finish their penultimate homestand vs the 2013 Arizona Diamondbacks and 2008 Phillies before hitting the road for the final time this season with a 5 city 15 game trip.

Injury Report: The team is fully fit and ready to go

1962 San Francisco Giants 65-70 2nd place 17 1/2 games back 2nd wild card 4 GB

During the 1st half of the season the Giants were in a two, sometimes 3 way race for the Division C lead. Now with 33 games left and the odds of a division win long they find themselves two game back for the wild card with three teams on their tail. Can they managed to get into that play in game?

Heroes: If the Giants fall Willie Mays who leads the league In Runs (119) HR (39) and is 2nd in doubles and slugging certainly isn’t to blame. Willie McCovery’s triple crown numbers .345 27 HR 94 RBI are nothing to sneeze at either. Starters Billy Pierce and Juan Marichal are tied for 6th (both 14-8) in wins & Stu Miller’s 21 saves are the 2nd best the NL has to offer.

Zeros: Jose Pagan’s .226 avg with 5 HR & 42 RBI in 129 games isn’t scaring anyone. Meanwhile Bobby Bolin 8.19 ERA .327 avg against Gaylord Perry 7.73 ERA .314 avg against and Mike McCormick 6.41 ERA .327 avg against have kept many an opponent in a game.

Wild Cards: San Francisco’s 11-23 record in one runs games is not only the worst of any team at or near .500 or better but their complete inability to stop left handers (19-30) is the worst in the NL.

Coming Attractions: The Giants finish a homestand with the the 1997 Marlins before taking a quick Jaunt to St. Louis for 3 against the 1985 Cardinals before heading back home for a series vs the 2005 Houston Astros followed by a quick trip to Arizona to try their luck vs the 2013 Diamondbacks.

Injury Report: Pitcher Bobby Bolin is doubtful for for the Marlins series too but given his performance this season that might be an advantage.

2008 Philadelphia Phillies 57-78 3rd 25.5 GB wild card 12 GB

Was it really only a couple of months ago that the 2008 Phillies were in a three why fight for 1st in Division C? Now they are a long shot for a wild card spot with little time to turn it around? Can it be done?

Heroes: Ryan Howard’s 38 HR is 4th in the league and only two behind leader Paul Goldschmidt. Chase Utley at 31 HR is also in the top 10 at 7. Meanwhile Jimmie Rollins is 5th in doubles (41) & 4th in triples (13)

Zeros: Pitching wins championships and with starters like Joe Blanton (5-9 5.66 ERA) Kyle Kendrick (2-14 8.57 ERA) and Adam Eaton (2-10 9.36 ERA) we won’t be seeing any championships from Philly soon.

Wild Cards: The Phillies (and Astros) are the vampires of the Major leagues losing 2 day games for every one they win. Oddly enough their best record is within their own division only 4 games below .500 in games against fellow C division teams.

Coming Attractions: The Pills get a crack at the 2nd wild card 1957 Milwaukee Braves at home before heading on a road trip to Chicago and Arizona to take on the 2016 Cubs and 2013 Diamondback respectively befor heaing back home for their final home stand.

Injury Report: The injury bug continues to Haunt Philly. Jamie Moyer will miss the next series vs the Braves Gregg Dobbs will miss the Braves and Cubs series and Scott Eyre will not be back until the the team faces San Francisco in the final weeks of the season.

2005 Houston Astros: 55-80 27 1/2 GB 14 GB on wild card

Houston will likely be the 1st team eliminated for a division in the majors this season needing only two more losses or Cubs wins to leave them with a nearly impossible wild card. This has been par for a team that fell into last place and never really came out of it.

Heroes: Roger Clemens is having a spectacular season. 2nd in ERA (2.54), wins (15), Innings Pitched (237) and WHIP (1.05) and is a serious contender for the NL Cy Young. At the plate Lance Berkman has been both a doubles (42 4th in league) and walks (100 2nd in league) machine which is why he sits 4th in OBP (.415). Morgan Ensberg has shown some pop with 28 Homers.

Zeros: With the exception of the afore mentioned Berkman and Ensberg and perhaps part timer Orlando Palmeiro (.368 in 136 ab) and Jason Lane (22 HR) practically the entire offence from Craig Biggio (.237 12 HR 37 RBI) to Adam Everett (.193 6 HR 29 RBI) could be on here. How bad is it? Roger Clemens in 84 ab is hitting .286. that’s higher than every regular except Bergman. On the mound Brandon Backe with a 2-14 record a 5.95 ERA in 22 starts hits the list hard and Brad Lidge blowing 2 saves for every three made (12 of 20) has a lot to do with the Team’s current state.

Wild cards: What really sad is that the invisible offence (only 477 runs in 135 games a full 47 runs behind the 2nd worst Angles) and bullpen woes (23 saves in 35 changes) have really spoiled some good starting pitching from Andy Petitte 3.79 ERA but 7-16 and Roy Oswalt 3.89 ERA but 10-12. 90 of Houston’s starts have come from pitchers with ERA’s below 4 but those starters only have 32 wins between them.

Coming Attractions: the 2013 Arizona Diamondback will get a chance to eliminate Houston at Houston but if they manage to hold on then the honor may fall on either the 1962 Giants in San Francisco or the 1975 Reds in Cincinnati.

Injury Report: If there is one thing that can’t be blamed for Houston’s record it’s injuries. Houston has only had one player on the DL all year and the team is at full strength going into the final run.

As this will be the last update for those wondering here is where the league stands with 27 games to go

Barring unmitigated disaster the 2010 Rangers (AL Div B) 1985 Cardinals (NL Div B) and 2016 Cubs (NL Div C) are locks to win their divisions. The 2009 Yankees (AL Div C) and 1975 Reds (NL Div A) are near locks but not quite there. Only the AL Division A is still competitive with the 1970 Orioles holding a 4 game lead over the 1993 Toronto Blue Jays)

The wild card races look like this:

  • AL Wild Card
  • 1993 Toronto 78-54 +9
  • 1954 Indians 69-63 —–
  • 2015 Royals 63-72 7 1/2 gb
  • 1968 Tigers 62-73 8 1/2 gb
  • 2005 White Sox 60-72 9 gb

Note: Each of those teams led their divisions at some time in the season.

  • NL Wild Card
  • 1955 Dodgers 74-61 + 5
  • 1957 Braves 69-66 ———-
  • 1986 Mets 66-69 3 gb
  • 1962 Giants 65-69 4 gb
  • 1997 Marlins 64-71 5 gb
  • 2019 Nationals 62-73 7 gb

Note: For most of the year the Nationals had the worst record in the league until beginning their surge to put them within striking distance albeit from long range.

100 Word Fan Fiction Challenge. Willie’s Mission Accomplished at a price

Posted: August 17, 2020 by datechguy in Uncategorized

Five years with the General allowed Willie to recognize his outrage as he told of Breen’s capture after discovering tomorrow’s planned assault by the rivermen on the French at Demopolus.

“We promised them refuge!” Declared Jackson, his sense of justice offended, “By the eternal this shall not stand!” He turned to Capt Carroll “I want your men & every horse & wagon in Catawba ready to move within the hour!”

Willie Payne sighed with relief. Breen & the French had a chance if they could get there in time though the price was one last battle for the 2nd Kentucky

Here is what happened next

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