371 & 370 & 369 & 368

Wow – four days since I’ve written anything..understandable, since yesterday I finished up the Clemmie story. Afterward, I was a bit brain dead. But I’m back, and no, I will not discuss anything related to impeachment. It’s not a topic of interest – so let it go, willya?

I’d like to talk about the Washington Nationals winning the World Series in Game 7 in Houston. Apparently, this was the first time one team won all four road games. Quick edit – first time that the road team won all games in a seven game series in any major sport that has series. Thank you, Michael, for that clarification. Apparently the Natties play better when surrounded by the enemy; typical behavior for the underdog, maybe.

They were fun to watch. The team has esprit de corps – in spades. The desire to win at the game is half the battle; the other half is having the skill in both batting and pitching. Washington appeared to find both late in the season, to make for an exciting set of games for us to watch. The only negative in the whole thing was having to listen to Joe Buck drone on – not my favorite announcer..bit of a blabbermouth on topics of which he knows just enough to be dangerous. I tend to favor the announcers – more localized than national – that restrict their comments to the game and maybe some prior, appropriate statistics. Baseball is full of stats, but knowing when to use them is an art form most announcers are not proficient in.

But I have to comment on the infamous out at first called on Trea Turner, who allegedly interfered with the throw. Look at the picture and where the first baseman Yuri Gurriel is holding his glove. It’s right over the bag! How could Turner have avoided hitting it when he stepped on first base? ,All the videos that were shown afterward missed the critical moment. According to Joe Torre, who in retirement is now the sage of baseball, Trea knocked Gurriel’s glove off. I don’t see how he could have avoided hitting it. Anyway, Rendon’s home run sealed Houston’s fate. It was all downhill for them after that.

But it does bring to mind the reality that the rule invoked by the home plate umpire is indisputable. I’m sure he knew that when he invoked it. There was an effort to get New York involved, but they refused to comment, saying it was indisputable. I think that rule needs to be revisited in the era of multiple cameras and slo-mo. While it didn’t change the outcome, as dear old Joe the Buckster pointed out, it could have in a big way. So boys – let’s take a look at that rule and let it be reviewable. Many calls are reversed, as umpires are only human, and frankly whether consciously or subconsciously – or worse – they can have biases. The camera doesn’t lie…most of the time.

But then there’s the results from the Labor Department, saying 128,000 new jobs were created last month. Last year, they fudged the numbers every month. Who can say if they are telling the truth? And, if they aren’t, the lies will get more outrageous as we get closer to November of 2020. If you can’t trust the Labor Department, who can you trust? In this administration? Just whistleblowers, apparently.

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