so - time to say that the Redsox are just better than the Yankees this year. They have beaten up on the bad teams, and the Yankees have not... example : the Sox are 10 and 2 against the Orioles and the Yanks are 6 and 6 ,..... the Sox are 9 and 4 against Tampa - and again Yanks are just .500 .vs them at 6 and 6..... So it really matters not that the Sox beat up in the Yankees they will win the Division on the Strength of their record agains other teams... IF you are really a Die hard New York fan look at this,,,, the Redsox are 8 1/2 games up in the AL east with 50 game to go....If the Sox go 25 and 25 - they play .500 baseball a long drop for the near .700 pace they are playing today,,,, but lets say they do play 25- 25..... the Yankees will need to be 9 games better than that to beat them or 34 and 16 - HA ! fat Chance of that happening.... let's hope NY can at least hold on to the WILD Card lead - that's 3 1/2 this morning,,, and they will get to host the Wild Card game against either Mariners or Oakland...
A positive out of Saturday - Chance Adams pitched well - 5 innings 3 hits, 3 Earned runs,,, 83 pitches - with 53 Strikes ,,,,, a decent outing in a very hostile environment...
The Hitting - Frankly SUCKS !! Yes they miss Aaron Judge in that line up - and no one has stepped up... Didi is trying - others are just floundering... the last two games they have 2 runs on 6 hits, ain't winning no games like that - they are a Collective 14 for 93 in the Series - hitting a Paltry .151 against Redsox pitching.... the Sox - hitting .311 .vs the Yanks,,, and ok - if you leave Thursday's blow out - out of the data they are about .225
SO - If you are Really Hopeful - the Yanks win the Wild Card - NY hosts and wins the one game playoff that gets them in to the Division series.... You then get to play the Houston Astros in the 1st Round, and Boston gets Cleveland - and BTW NY Is 5 & 2 against the 'stros this year......
The biggest difference between Redsox and Yankees this year is that Boston is winning their games against Bad teams,... yup - Teams they should feast on - they are !
Example - Boston .vs Baltimore 10 and 2 - yes the O's are a terrible team and yet they are 6 and 6 against the Yankees ! Ex #2 - Tampa Bay Rays - Sox are 9 and 4 against them and again the Yanks are just 6 and 6 ,,,,, Boston .vs the Yankees you ask - Ha they have a losing record ,,,, 4 wins 5 losses,,,, with a 4 game series set for Fenway this weekend.
WTF was that
Now lets get to yesterday's game - Awful - Sonny Gray is not the same pitcher in NY as he was in Oakland. he Stunk .... game up 5 runs in 7 hits - 6 consecutive hits in the 2nd inning,, and that was pretty much the game. Gleyber Torres forgot to cover 2nd base on one play and then did not get over to cover 1st base on another ! ugh - and Shane Robinson - the Yankees right fielder if you did not know,,, caught a laser of a line drive then threw home - god knows why - Romaine had the presence of mind to get the ball to 2nd base to complete the double play. There is one you don't usually see the olde 9 - 2 - 6 double play,.... oh and Stanton whiffs with the the Bases loaded and the pitch hitter Neil Walker swings at the 1st pitch and end the 8th with a double play ground out... and Mr Stanton had not one but 2 Ground outs to the Catcher !!! TWO !
So the Yankees go to Boston 5 1/2 games out of 1st place.... Lets do some quick math:
Series Result
Bosox Sweep = Yankees 9 1/2 out - chance of winning Division pretty much over
Boston wins 3 of 4 = Yankees 7 1/2 out yea - about the same ..
They Split - Yankees = 5 1/2 out - yea - still the same
Boston loses 3 of 4 = Yankees 3 1/2 out - ok maybe a shot at the Division
Yankees Sweep = Yanks - 1 1/2 out... now we are talking - don't hold your breath for a sweep...
I have had so much going on it is hard to find time to do this.... however..
I am a bit worn out by bitchin about the POTUS,,,
- He IS a Liar .
- He has to know that Russia Meddled in our election process.
- He kew about that meeting at T Towers with the Russians,
- He might as well have Kissed Putin's ass
- He is a Liar.
- He acts like a man compromised by Someone or Something when it comes to Putin and the Russians,,,, why else is he such a pussy when it comes to them. ??
- Where are his tax returns ?? I maintain that those would give us much info.
- He is a Liar.
We must stay strong. What happens now with him is NOT normal... it is not presidential and it snot right. Keep listening for the Non denial and the switch....... where he and his apologists will not exactly deny what is being said ,, but then pivot to oh " what about" this and what about that- and or mention, Clinton, Obama, democrats, or HEY the Economy is doing great - as if that Justifies their support of a Tyrant. - so what if the POTUS is compromised by Russia and tells bold face lies about near everything ...., as if what ever "they " did makes his behavior excusable..I truly believe that those that are touting him today will be embarrassed by the end game in the future.
I was glad to see that nearly all (FOX news included) came out in support of CNN and the CNN reporter that was "banned" by the Whitehouse from attending a press Briefing last week. I guess that defending the 1st amendment of a Free Press is no where near as profitable as defending the 2nd amendment. and let me say that the POTUS telling his supporters and the rest of us to Not believe what they hear on the "fake" news - only believe what HE tells them amounts to what a Tyrant would say and BTW have said, see Mussolini, Stalin, etc
Let's move on....
Saw the Tedeschi Trucks band at SPAC a few weeks back during that super humid week ,,,, it was on July 3rd,,,, Marcus King Band & Drive by Truckers were the opening acts ,,, DbT were really good,, played an hour set that rocked the place,,, I'd see them again.... and Of Course - Tedeschi Trucks band was Awesome !! As usual,, they opened with "tell the Truth" a Derek and the Dominos cover, and highlighted the set with a Wings cover - of Let me Roll it, and "The Letter" along with their own - Bound for Glory, Midnight in Harlem, I pity the fool, and the Encore of Statesboro Blues. WOW ...
Saw Lynyrd Skynyrd at Bethel Woods on a beautiful evening a week ago, Saturday,,, the Marshall Tucker Band opened for them,, and although one of my favorite bands,,, they need to stop. Doug Gray who provided them with great vocals for years and is the last surviving member of the band cannot sing a note anymore , and although some of the songs sound the same - this is NOT the MTB... 38 Special was outstanding,, it took a while ot get the Audience into the set ,, but they played for over an hour , and literally played all of their recognizable songs. This is Donnie VanZant the brother or Ronnie (died in that Plane crash) and Johnny (current singer for Skynyrd since 1980') Donnie is still the lead singer and Guitar player for 38 Special - they played a cover of Feelin Stronger everyday, and then a their songs, What if I'd been the one, Fantasy Girl, Wild Eyed Southern Boys, Caught up in you, Hold on Loosely,,,
Skynyrd was terrific as always,,,, played all their usual stuff along with a few we had not heard live in the previous 3 shows we have attended,,, Travelin Man - with Vocals and video of Ronnie VanZant cut into he live feed which I thought was outstanding, Whiskey Rock and Roller and they opened with Workin For MCA, Played Tuesday's Gone, and Curtis Lowe, Simple Man, and Red White and Blue ,,,, you usually get one or the other of those songs not all... any way great show at the best place to see a concert in New York !! I'll post up Ronni singing it later in the Blog
Basibol - Yankee fans get ready for one game wild card playoff game against either Seattle or Oakland..... Yankees are losing too many games to bad teams, Mets, Rays, Royals, they will never catch Boston in the AL East,,, the Bosox have a near 6 game lead. and I doubt the Yanks are going to lose the 5 game lead they have in the Wild Card Standings,... so I bet the yanks host the Wild card game against Seattle - so probably will be able to setup their Rotation to have Severino go against King Felix to see who will play in the Division series against Either Cleveland or Houston, while Boston get the other team - based on the Final records for those teams.. Today - would be Boston Cleveland , Yankees/Mariners .vs Houston..... We have a few more games,,, on Aug 1, 14, 27 and Sept something.....
Work is going well,,, we are doing Dock work - woof its been hotter than hell out there,,, so trying to Limit that an hour or Two a day,,,,, did Wallpaper removal and paint job in a kitchen, Laundry room, hall way , stains and upstairs hall,,, Removing Wall paper is hateful work !! and I don't like painting,,, so hopefully we get some wood work (Deck or Addition) for the next project or Vinyl siding ,, those I really enjoy,,
Painting - DAY #1 - 1/2 the ceiling complete in one room,,,,, I hope to get the walls and trim done in that same side of the room before we move the Furniture back..... I find myself a bachelor for dinner tonight - wonder what Semi Delicious meal I will have ?!?!?? Onto Painting Day #2.....
SO - I don't blame justice Kennedy or maybe I DO .... Knowing who this ASSHOLE of a POTUS would nominate for a Supreme court justice , knowing it would be someone with exactly the opposite views that he has ,, - how could he resign ?? And now We have a nominee - who is exactly that - Pro-Life to the point he wrote a long article praising Justice Renquist (I think) who wrote the opposition view on the Roe .vs Wade ruling . A Ruling that now is sure to be overturned . He will vote the other way on LGBT issues, on same sex marriage, etc etc,,,, so last night - even if if you did not know it your life and this country just changes forever - or at least for decades - certainly for the remainder of my lifetime....
There is new movie out - a sort documentary about Fred Rogers ,, MR ROGERS ! It's called Won't you be my neighbor - and its rated PG 13 - Parents Strongly cautioned .. Wait What ?? PG 13 - what part of Mr Rogers was PG 13 ??
I see a new Disney offering - Christopher Robin..... I am a bog Pooh fan - well actually Tigger...... but we will see about this one...
4 kids and the coach still in that cave, hope they all get out Safely - no further loss of life is needed.
There was a Lunch Lounge yesterday that was to be all LIVE music ..... and unbelievably - either NO one Requested or they did not PLAY any Rolling Stones, WHO , Grateful Dead, J Geils band, Queen, Zepplin, Pink Floyd,
Hey - I am gonna try that one mo - Time and see if I can connect the dots and make something that looks like a picture..... YOU Game ?!?!?!?
Been exceptionally Busy ,,,,, Sanding and now staining a Cedar deck, Building rifle tables for the Gun Club,, working at the Marina , keeping up the yard... how did I ever have a full time job ??
So - this week there was a few highlights = we got the mission to build 30 Picnic Tables from kits that that the state bought,,,
Essentially they look like this - Five - 2" x 10" x 6 feet long,,,a Center brace and 2 angled brackets, about 30 nuts and bolts per table - thats 30 tables x 30 bolts = 900 nuts and bolts, !!!
Simple monotonous ! We did 13 Friday with 3 guys - OK 2 1/2 ,,, Saturday was perfect,,, cool , cloudy, and no marina business.... I was able to build 17 Tables in 6 1/2 hours - I hope to build no more !!
Saw 2 sections of the old Tappan Zee Bridge being pushed north to whatever lucky town got them for the use of upgrading their particular falling down bridge,,,, I understand the rest are going to build reef in the Atlantic ...
Story of the week - 3 guys in a 17 foot outboard,, a real awful looking vessel ,,, dirty, and the Evinrude that was on it would not idle less than about 50k RPM - Every time they put it into gear - blubblub blub the engine stalled ,,,, pushed them over to an empty slip,,,, they work on it for an hour,,,, no good,,, I continue to mention that this is better then getting out on the River and having this happen,,, they then call some "expert" to come down,,,, ok he gets it running better and I say - hey good luck - Do you have SeaTows number,,,, they laugh,,,,,,,
fast forward and 1 45 minutes to 7:15,,, here they come being pulled back to the Marina by a good samaritan ..... they tell me later that he is not comfortable pulling them into the Marina - taking the risk of him or them hitting another boat,,, so they are Paddling the thing from the mouth of the Marina over to the Ramp.... no we have a flay bottom runabout that we use for the purpose of draggin boats thru the Marina,,, Question ??? am I going to get these guys ?? or after they laughed at my suggestion of NOT taking that out to the Rive - I should watch 'em Paddle back,,,,, IF you know me at all - you know I said Fuck them ! let 'em paddle !! I did walk out to watch them ....hahahahahahah
I have a new Grandson !! Born last week,, Mom and baby are doing fine after what was a difficult Pregnancy, where there seemed to be every complication. (and I certainly have not Idea just how difficult it was) BUT - the Outcome was excellent in that Mom and baby are all good!
I do not thing there are many things the world that you could say - there was every complication on the journey ,, but the destination would up to be perfect ....
Ok, Let's move quickly to the Wide Wide World of Sports,..
Yankees are in 1st place in the AL east - and BTW have the best record in-all of Baseball right now,,, I wanna talk about the Designated hitter deal,, but thats for a bit later...
Basketball - Golden State embarrassed the Cav's in the Finals and as great as Lebron is he could not over come the GS team...
Hockey - The Vegas Golden nights was a terrific story - they even won the 1st game in the Stanley cup Finals,,, but in the end could not stop the Capitals from Scoring.... and lost that series and the Cup in 5 games.
Horse racing - well we have another Triple crown winner - Justify won the Belmont to complete the trifecta and give us another Triple crown winner after just 4 years... American Pharoah won the same in 2015 after a 37 year drought.... My rant this week is the Designated hitter rule in Baseball..... where the National league plays with a different set of rules than the American league, not sure can come up with an analogy for another sport. You have the NL - where the pitchers have to hit and subsequently run the bases - it also presents a different thinning with pinch hitting later in the game where you have a opportunity to score. this also means that you do not have a person on the 25 man roster whos' job it really is just to HIT ,,, where in the AL teams have highly paid older players that only hit or 90% of the time they only hit. SO in the American league - you are asking the Pitchers who - yes are athletes - to hit and run the Bases . Something are just not used to doing and this - I think leads to some injuries...... Remember Chin Ming Wong - hurt a leg rounding 3rd base - destroying his career , he was never the same after wards. Now I don't care what way we go - DH or NO DH - but all of baseball needs to get on the Same page !! The job is going well. I like working the 3 days , Thursday , Friday and Saturday ,,,, I do Noon to 8:30 ...... and am alone after noon on Thursday and after 3 or 4 oclock on Fri and Saturday... . I have the ok to work some added hours learning the Administrative side of things,,, and might even be Kept on for the Winter at the end of the Year ,,, so we will see about that - I have plans to do a few things this winter !! It was Derek Trucks birthday this past week,, so let's try one with his wife Susan Tedeschi ,,, and some Tedeschi Trucks band.. ANYHOW
Then Angel from Montgomery.. we will be seeing them at SPAC in July
