SHREVEPORT – I went up to do my end-of-the-year cleanout in my classroom this week. It was incredibly sad.
On a Friday morning at 10:30, second block should have been winding to a close and kids should have been anxiously waiting for the lunch bell at 10:40. The mid-day announcements would be coming over the intercom.
By the time I left, about 11:00, there should have been kids in the halls, duty teachers monitoring those kids, microwaves across campus warming up teacher lunches. The office should have been bustling, Mrs. Kiper, the secretary, laughing and lobbing wise cracks with kids and administrators. The library should have been filled with kids using the computers or playing board games at the tables. The courtyard should have been filled with kids burning off a little energy before third block. Teachers should have been making that last dash to the restroom before the long afternoon classes start.
None of that was happening.
The parking lot was empty.
There were ZERO students on campus. My room was quiet as a tomb.
My room would have normally had a couple of kids in there eating lunch about that time of the day.
Instead, I found empty desks, library books abandoned in the baskets underneath.
I sighed, looked around, and went to get my things that I needed to work from home.
I missed the sound of kids, and the notes they would leave for me if they came by while I was out.
Every single kid was important to me, is important to me, and it just feels like we didn’t get to finish what we started. It feels tragic and sad…unfinished.
Their journals were still on my desk, graded, ready to return.
We left school on the Friday before Spring Break: March 6. My assignments from that day are still written on the board.
We all expected to come back to school when we left that day. Kids took library books home, textbooks, projects to finish, uniforms to wash, schedules to fill out for next year, and plans. They had plans for their graduation, prom, ring ceremonies, sporting events, and yes, academics. None of that happened.
So yes, all of that literally hangs in the air when you walk in the halls now. It’s a tangible thing.
I cleaned out the snacks I kept in my desk for kids that needed something to eat; that won’t keep until August. I took home my coffee cup, emptied the water in the Keurig. I looked through projects that weren’t finished, some that were, and I scored a bottle of GermX from my supply closet. I erased my board, bagged up things I needed to take home, and I turned out the light.
I am very curious, and perhaps nervous, about what school will look like when we return in August. While the Moderna coronavirus vaccine shows some early promise, there is still a long way to go before we have that option. A larger trial is expected this summer, but obviously won’t be ready before fall.
So, what will opening of school look like this fall? Smaller classes? Online options? The typical high school classroom is not overly large and is usually filled with thirty or more students. Crowded lunchrooms, auditoriums, and even at university level, think of the crowded lecture halls. How are we going to manage these things?
Schools in Denmark opened several weeks ago with new distancing and hygiene measures in place and restrictions all across Europe are easing. Things such as staggered classes, sectioning off parts of campus, and no large gatherings are all options to consider. What of transportation? School busses filled with kids could also be a danger zone.
What are we to do? Hide from this virus? Wait for a vaccine? Or ignore it and get back to life as usual?
I don’t have the answers. All I know for certain is my own little world, my own small classroom, where sixty-five kids were upended in the middle of their academic year.
I oppose the whole sanctuary City business as a violation of the rule of law, however if there is one thing you can say about the Sanctuary City movement is that it is in keeping of the American Tradition of completely ignoring laws that they don’t like.
We’re now seeing a glimpse of this in NYC:
Upper East Side bars and restaurants allowed patrons to drink on sidewalks, and in some cases dine in. Tonight's lead story on @NBCNewYork at 11p—shot by photojournalists Danny Ojeda and Alex Plasencia. pic.twitter.com/RBvZqUUimu
When you have a one party state or city it usually takes an “I’m mad as hell and can’t take it anymore moment. I’m wondering if this might become the case in blue states that remain locked down as other places open.
“A resolution of the city council of the city of Atwater affirming the city’s commitment to fundamental rights of life, liberty, and property, and declaring the city of Atwater a sanctuary city for all businesses,” the resolution read.
A statewide shelter-in-place order has been in effect since March 19, with gradual easements happening this month. While some counties were reportedly approved to move to “Phase 2” of the state’s reopening plan, which would allow some non-essential lower-risk business to reopen, Atwater’s Merced County was not included.
It will be fun to see the left object to these thing as they’ve objected to sanctuary gun counties. Perhaps they should have thought about the “new rules” as Kurt Schlichter calls them, before imposing them.
The same thing applies to liberals rushing to cheer Judge Sullivan who is doing all he can to pretend that he’s in a Soviet Courtroom rather than an american one. In one respect given how this entire Mike Flynn business has gone such actions by the left should be unsurprising but I’d remind our friend on the left that Donald Trump has appointed a 3rd of the judiciary at this point and you might not like the Sullivan Standards if they are applied to their allies.
The left will not consider these tactics an outrage until they are used against them and under a Jacksonian president, I’d not be surprised to see it, except for the fact that he’s not to my knowledge appointing Jacksonian judges. As Razor put it on twitter:
This won’t be a shocking scandal impacting democracy and undermining the rule of law until the moment a Republican copies it.
It’s not often that I disagree with President Trump but I think this is a VERY bad idea:
I think it would set a really bad precedent for him to be called because frankly I would expect a Democrat administration to use it as a precedent to go after a GOP @POTUS
A good general rule is never set a precedent that you don't trust your foes to abuse
It’s worth noting that the reason why President Trump has been able to so effectively pack the courts with conservatives is that Harry Reid changed the rules when he presumed that the left would hold the Senate forever.
It’s also a bad political move. I suspect that while Black Americans intellectually know that Barack Obama was a disaster in the White House for America in general and them in particular they cling to the myth of the light-bringer culturally to the point where they might actually turn out to defend that fantasy.
Turned on a livestream of a Sunday Mass on the Roku (I keep ending up finding different ones) and I noticed that there was a chat option.
I thought this was odd considering you aren’t supposed to be talking in Mass but if nothing else said option is an exercise in realism.
Discarded medical mask, Miami Woods, Morton Grove, Illinois
By John Ruberry
On my way to work here in Illinois–where Democratic governor JB Pritzker says I have to wear a mask–I was listening to Dennis Prager’s show when he said something along the lines that people connect to each other by way of seeing their faces. Very true. The most obvious example is by way of dating sites, nearly all of the profiles include face pics. Whether you are old or young, thin or heavy, bald or hairy, every expert on creating profiles for LinkedIn recommends using a quality head shot on that employment networking site.
Faces are how we remember people. When you think of Angelina Jolie her lips come to mind. With Jay Leno it’s his prominent chin. With John Bolton his bushy mustache is his visual trademark. If they are wearing masks you won’t see their distinctive facial features.
A masked face doesn’t allow you to see smiles.
It’s unclear how effective masks are in preventing the spread of COVID-19, with the exception of the N95 mask, which gets its name because it’s supposed to block 95 percent of small particles.
What is clear is that the projections of the death total from the novel coronavirus have been alarmist. The most dire one predicted 2.2 million COVID-19 deaths in America–and that prediction likely led to many shelter-in-place orders being put in place, including the one that was extended by Pritzker, most likely illegally, until the end of May. The latter order opened a few more places, such as golf courses, but added a mask requirement for businesses open to the public, such as big box stores. Dine-in restaurants, hair salons, and health clubs remain shuttered. Churches too.
Humans are primates and primates are social beings. We’re not cats. While there are a few among us who choose the life a hermit, even existences commonly connected with solitude, such as that of a monk or a nun, involve a community where people see each other. Monks typically live in monasteries with other monks. Nuns dwell in convents with other nuns.
So far COVID-19 is not nearly as deadly as the 1918 Flu Pandemic which killed anywhere from 50-100 million people worldwide–and many of those who died of it were in their twenties and thirties who were otherwise healthy. It is not the Asian Flu of the late 1950s which killed roughly two million. While every death of course is a tragedy, so far 300,000 people have died of COVID-19. In 1918 the world population was about 1.6 billion, in 1958 it was a bit short of 3 billion. Today’s world population is 8 billion.
A few weeks ago I questioned whether the draconian methods to shut down our economy were worth it, bankruptcies and unemployment are common triggers for substance abuse, depression, spousal and child abuse, and suicide. Since that post we’ve learned nearly all of the coronavirus fatalities suffered from pre-existing conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, cancer, and obesity.
Now because of masks we are becoming the faceless, like the disturbing images in the “Life of Julia” Obama-Biden campaign video from 2012 that preached to the masses–not to individuals–the inherent power of a government that does everything for you. But remember Barry Goldwater’s warning, “Any government that is big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take away everything you have.”
Like Prager, I’m not a conspiracy nut. But a couple of weeks ago he wrote that the coronavirus overreaction is a dress rehearsal for a police state. Chicago’s vast expanse of lakefront parks–which is 18 miles long–have been closed for six weeks and counting. Churches and dine-in restaurants are closed statewide, as I mentioned earlier. In regards to the latter, for health reasons will the state or local governments in Illinois retain the power to shutter restaurants that serve, let’s say, too much high-fat food? That possibility is no longer far-fetched.
The lakefront parks won’t be closed forever. But I can easily see Lori Lightfoot or a future Chicago mayor limiting Lincoln Park or Jackson Park to a few hundred visitors each day–with government workers with internal passports first in line of course–in the name of nature preservation or fighting global warming. It will of course all be done in the name of the faceless masses.
I’m running low on orange juice. I may need run to the supermarket. Where is my mask?
I’ll be less of a human wearing that mask. Is that the plan?
The weekly update of the various Dynasty Leagues that I run. This week Division C in the All Time Any Time Great Teams League. (Note this post was written before the results of Saturday’s games were complete). All individual stats were current at the time of writing.
American League
1924 Washington Senators 29-25 1st
The fight for the top of the AL “C” Division has been an up and down affair Washington has lost 5 of it’s last 6 but still clings to a half game lead pending one series for their Rival Kansas City can their hitting and pitching come together to keep the lead?
Heroes: Walter JohnsonContinues to impress after a slow start currently 3rd in ERA tied for 1st in wins and innings pitched, with the best batting avg against (.201) & 2nd best WHIP 1.09 in the league. Sam Rice has also bounced back leading the league in triples 4th in hits and 5th in batting
Zeros: While he’s been phenomenal behind the plate (.993 FPCT 5.57 Ranger factor) Muddy Ruelhas been a disaster as the #2 hitter with a .204 avg and only 13 RBI in 186 ab and that’s with Sam Rice hitting ahead of him. Joe Martinahas been getting a little more work but that’s added up to an 0-2 record with a blown save in his only chance a 6.67 ERA and seven round trips allowed in only 28 1/3 Innings
Wild cards: Like last year the Senators are dead last in the majors in homers (16) but are 1st in triples with 35. They are also almost impossible to steal against with an .833 caught stealing avg with only Toronto’s Ricky Henderson managing to swipe a base (while being caught twice) against them. The Senators are the only team in the majors with a winning record AND a negative run differential (-3).
Coming Attractions: The Senators finish their 12 game road trip in the division with 3 at the 2002 Anaheim Angels and then fly into the Bronx to take on the red hot 2009 New York Yankees before starting June with a brief 3 game home stand vs the 1998 Oakland A’s
Injury Report: Washington remains one of the least injured teams in the majors with a clean bill of health and with only 24 men on the roster that’s critical.
2015 Kansas City Royals 27-24 2nd place 1/2 game out
A dip from the best record in the league during a Washington winning streak was followed by a 7-3 surge while Washington went 4-6. This has them on the brink of 1st again and a game up for the last wild card. Will Kansas City ride that see-saw all season or can they break away from an increasingly crowded AL C pack?
Heroes: Lorenzo Cainis not only 2nd in runs in the league and 1st in triples on the team but it’s Ben Zobrist (.312 avg 13 HR 43 RBI) & Kendrys Morales. While the bullpen is strong Johnny Cueto(7-1 2.93 ERA 6 GG in 12 starts) is the ace that makes it easy for them
Zeros: While the bullpen overall is strong Madison Ryan has been a disappointment 2-2 5.40 ERA and most importantly 4 blown saves in four chances. Of course the starting pitching must take some blameEdinson Volquez (1-7 5.43 ERA) Danny Duffy (5-4 7.28 ERA .332 avg against) and Jeremy Guthrie1-2 8.65 ERA .353 Avg against) make the pens job much harder.
Wild Cards: Only Toronto has stolen more bases in the AL than KC (30) and only Texas and the Senators have more hits but nobody AL team out homers them. But their .143 Caught stealing rate is one of the worst in the league.
Coming Attractions: A critical 3 game home series with the 1954 Cleveland Indians will determine if they will hold 1st place and it gets no easier with 3 as the 2010 Texas Rangers come to down with division rival 2002 Angels to follow.
Injury Report: KC remains healthy and they’ll need it with those two big series coming
2009 New York Yankees 27-27 3rd 2 GB
The Yanks 8-2 run including winning their last 5 straight (including a sweep of their arch rival Red Sox) has put them at .500 and right back in the race. Can this run continue or will it run out of breath as it reaches the pack in front?
Heroes: C.C. Sabathiahas been a monster and a half leading the league in WHIP (1.05) 2nd in wins (7-2) and 4th in ERA (2.63). Meanwhile Robinson Cano.317 Avg 7 HR 32 RBI is leading the league in runs and 2nd in hits. Oh and Mark Teixeria .296 17 HR (2nd) 49 RBI (4th) impresses too
Zeros: Nobody can call Brian Bruney lazy with 22 appearances in 54 games but with an 0-1 record 8.49 era and a blown save in his only chance, you can’t call him good either. Meanwhile A. J Burnett’sstarts have not quite been an exercise in futility but with a 4-6 record 6.63 ERA and an .302 avg against, it’s pretty close to one. Meanwhile Mariano Rivera has blown a full third of his save chances
Wild Cards: The Yanks are right now 2nd in runs and HR in the AL but their 4.71 ERA is the worst of any team not under .500 in the majors and are having trouble finishing games with the most blown saves in the majors (11) in 21 chances with Mariano Rivera leading the AL in saves (10) and the majors in blown saves (5)
Coming Attractions: The Yanks end a 30 game homestand with 3 vs the 1968 Detroit Tigers, 3 vs the 1st place 1924 Washington Senators and 3 vs the 2015 Kansas City Royals before they set off for a 9 city Jaunt to almost every city in the league.
Injury Report: Catcher Jose Molina has missed the whole month of May with injuries and is expect to miss the whole month of June as well which means a lot more work for everyone else behind the plate.
Anaheim Angels 18-33 4th place 9 1/2 GB
The Angels woes were compounded by a 10 game winning streak but they’ve won their last 3 series including a set against the formidable 2016 Cubs. Has the worm finally turned for the struggling halos?
Heroes: Garret Andersonhas been a bright spot on a bad season leading the league in double while leading the Angels in RBI’s (45) and knocking 7 HR over the fence and 4th in ERA (2.63). Donnelly Brendan has done fine work out of the pen with a 5-2 record a 2.31 ERA and a .218 avg against. in 19 appearances
Zeros: Alas the agony of choice remains. Kevin Appier (3-8 6.50 ERA .281 avg against ) andJon Lackey( 1-5 7.39 ERA .362 avg) have actually improved their lines since last time but not enough to get off the list. Nor has Ben Molina whose line of .184 1 HR & 7 RBI is better but still horrible.
Wild Cards: With the worst ERA in the AL (5.08) and the 2nd worst batting avg in the AL The Angels don’t take a lot of leads into the 9th but when their .900 save conversion percentage all via Troy Percival which is odd given his 6.11 ERA. The question is can Anaheim’s new manager get them to that 9th with a lead?
Coming Attractions: The Angels get a chance to continue their series winning streak vs the 1968 Detroit Tigers and the 1924 Washington Senators before hitting the road to face the 2015 Kansas Royals.
Injury Report: Kevin Appier and Darin Erstad will both be sidelined for the Detroit series but will make it before the Senators leave town, however reliever Dennis Cook likely won’t be available till the last game in Kansas city.
National League
2016 Chicago Cubs 36-18 1st
Chicago has not only broken their tie with San Francisco for sole possession of 1st place in Division C but holds the best record in the majors and the largest lead of any division leader and the formula has been solid pitching. Can the staff hold the line as the weather get warmer?
Heroes: With a team ERA of 2.85 the choices are wide. There is Aroldis Chapman with a league leading 13 saves & a 3-0 record. John Lester (6-1 2.05 ERA over 12 starts ) and Hard Luck Jake Arrieta (5-6 2.16 ERA .136 avg against and anemic 0.82 WHIP in 12 starts) who are 2-3 in league ERA.
Zeros: On a team with a TEAM avg of .241 Javier Baez line of .220 1 HR & 19 RBI isn’t scaring anyone. On almost any other team Kyle Hendricks 5-5 record .233 avg against & 4.08 ERA would be avg but on a team with a TEAM avg against of .194 & 2.85 it stinks.
Wild Cards: Despite having NO player in double digits in HR the Cubs are thriving in Wrigley with the best home record in baseball (24-6) and while the team’s offense is anemic they are 14-5 against left handers this season. Of course giving up the 2nd fewest HR in the league (39) helps a lot.
Coming Attractions: It’s on the road to Houston to face the 2005 Astros then to the west coast vs the 1962 San Francisco Giants, before stopping home just long enough for 3 with the 1975 Cincinnati Big Red(s) Machine.
Injury Report: All present and accounted for. It will be interesting to see how the pitching holds up if that changes.
1962 San Francisco Giants 30-24 2nd place 6 GB
In any other NL division the Giants Record would have them either tired for 1st or just 1/2 game out. But with the Cubs pitching shutting everyone down the Giants will have to play even better if they want to avoid a one game wildcard playoff.
Heroes: It will surprise nobody that Willie Mays 46 runs 2nd in NL is coupled with 13 HR 42 RBI and perfect defense but Willie McCovey’s 47 RBI’s (3rd vs Mays 8th) 15 HR (4th vs Mays 7th comes with a .390 avg that would lead the league if he wasn’t 12 plate appearances short to qualify.
Zeros: Jose Pagan’s .190 avg 1 HR & 14 RBI with only 18 runs scored in 66 more at bats than McCovey is nasty but not as nasty as the Giants Bullpen who with the exception of Stu Miller has been horrible. Mike McCormick (5.35 ERA .304 avg against 1-2 1 sv) Don Larson ( 7.20 ERA .333 avg against 1-0 2 BS ) Gaylord Perry ( 7.31 ERA .319 avg against 1-3 1.84 WHIP) and Bobby Bolin (10.40 ERA .393 avg against 2-3 2.31 WHIP) are the primary reason why the Giants are back in the pack.
Wild Cards: The Giants team ERA is 4.59 but their 1-4 starters all with 11 or more starts hold ERA’s of 2.78, 3.55, 3.77 & 3.86. It’s a good thing too because the Giants +6 Run differential is the smallest of any NL team with a winning record.
Coming Attractions: The Giants have nine at more before a long 27 game road trip welcoming the 1957 Milwaukee Braves, then the 2016 Chicago Cubs and finally the 2008 Phillies before hitting the road in June.
Injury Report: Reliever / spot starter Gaylord Perry won’t be available till the final game vs the division leading Cubs. Given how he’s pitched that won’t hurt much.
2008 Philadelphia Phillies 24-33 3rd place 13 1/2 GB
A month ago the Phillies were right in the NL C mix now they find themselves 9 games below .500, with a new manager and struggling to get back in the mix in a tough decision. Is this drop a crash or just on a blip in the road back to contention.
Heroes: Ryan Howard‘s 22 Homers leads the majors and his 47 RBI’s are good enough a tie with SF’s Willie McCovey’s for 4th in the NL On a team with a weak bullpen J.C. Romero has appeared in half of Phillies games only allowing a .209 avg & a 1.09 WHIP. Although Brad Lidge has blown 4 his 8 saves are 3rd in the league
Zeros:Rudy Seanez has worked in even more games than JC but without the success with a 5.89 ERA, a 2-4 record and only one save in 4 chances Pat Burrell’s .189 avg 7 HR 19 RBI aren’t going to get the Phillies where they need to be. Chris Coste’s .234 avg 7 HR & 25 RBI is better than Burrell but when you’re a catcher & gun down only 8 of 87 people trying to steal that’s a recipe for disaster.
Wild Cards: Philly’s batters are the easiest K’s in the league whiffing 453 times so far this season but when they connect the ball travels far, their 80 Home Runs lead the majors and while their pitching has been terrible their team ERA of 4.99 is 2nd worst in the NL, when the ball is hit to their players they make the play, their fielding percentage of .989 is 2nd in the NL But it’s lefites (7-14) and road games (6-15) that are most hazardus to their record.
Coming Attractions: Philadelphia finishes their homestand with 3 vs the 2005 Houston Astros before going on the road for a bit starting in San Francisco to face the 1962 Giants before heading to Cincinnati to face the 1975 Reds run by the Phillies former skipper.
Injury Report: All hands are on deck and healthy.
2005 Houston Astros 22-32 4th place 14 GB
With the top of the division surging Houston’s needs to make a move soon before the Giants and Cubs get too far to catch, can their good pitching make the difference?
Heroes: Roger Clemens leads the majors in ERA. In the NL he’s is 2nd in Innings & wins, 3rd in batting avg against and 6th in K’s. Meanwhile out of the pen Dan Wheeler’s has done his job with a 2.13 ERA a .198 avg against and a WHIP even better than Clemens 1.00 at .067.
Zeros: Despite their record the starting rotation has put up good numbers been fine with two exceptions Wandy Rodriguez 6.14 ERA .313 avg against with a 1.88 WHIP means no trouble at the plate. Andy Pettitte isn’t doing much better with a 5.14 ERA a dozen homers given up and a 2-8 record to go with it Unfortunately they aren’t facing any Houston batters Adam Everett has been the worst of the lot a .187 avg 2 HR & 6 RBI.
Wild Cards: With a 3.81 ERA (3rd in NL) and a .990 fielding PCT (1st in NL ) you would think Houston would be right in the thick of things. But add in a .230 batting avg , .301 OBP & .347 slugging pct .648 P{S (all worst in the majors) coupled with only 36 HR (worst in the NL) and you get a last place team 14-22 on the road and & 5-11 vs lefties.
Coming Attractions: Houston takes a shot against the even better pitching of the 2016 Chicago Cubs who come to town finishing their homestand. Then it’s off on the road first to Philly to take on the 2008 Phillies and then to Brooklyn to take on the 1955 Dodgers.
Injury Report: There might be reason for the Astros lack of punch, but injury isn’t one of them.
