“Can’t Let Go” is best known to me from the Lucinda Willams version on her great 1998 album Car Wheels on a Gravel Road. I didn’t recall that it was written by Randy Weeks.
Month: July 2023
Republican opposition to Covid vaccines killed people
Tweet on how Burger King’s “Have It Your Way” campaign ended up
Republicans are trying to avoid compliance with court order on gerrymandering in Alabama
I don’t see how this plan complies with the court order. I hope the judges reject it.
Polls on climate change show that Republicans ignore facts
Republicans are going to harm all of us by not supporting efforts to prevent climate change.
Supreme Court term limits are a fantasy
Setting term limits at 18 years for Supreme Court justices is a popular proposal. It would not produce results anytime soon and I doubt Republicans would support it. There is public support for it but Republicans in Congress won’t care.
- If current justices are excluded, it would take decades to affect the 6-3 balance of the Supreme Court. Trump’s three picks will be around for decades.
- Why would Republicans agree to this when they have had such success stacking the court with the current process? They have shown they don’t care about traditions, just power. I would never expect them to agree to a process that could cost them the court majority eventually.
The 1/6/21 Trump mob – now some regret their guilty pleas
My thoughts on the rest of the Orioles season (7/16/23)
The Orioles have had a great season so far. I think they will make the playoffs but I don’t think they will go far unless they trade for a top starting pitcher. Most teams they could play will have a number one starter better than what the Orioles have. The Orioles have more good minor league prospects than they can use so they have plenty of guys to trade.
The Orioles have won more games than expected based on run differential. Their record is 56-35. Per Baseball Reference, based on their run differential (+52), their record should be 51-40. The teams ahead of them in the American League have much better run differentials. Tampa Bay is +156 and Texas is +158. The Orioles have exceeded their projected wins because of the back end of the bullpen. At the beginning of the season, FanDuel only projected them to win 76.5 games – I took the over and it looks like I will win some money. Per the Baltimore Sun, FanGraphs said the Orioles were projected to finish 35-38 after the All-Star break because they have the toughest expected schedule in baseball.
Starting pitching and middle relief are the biggest concerns. I am worried that their young starters (Wells, Bradish, Kremer) haven’t thrown that many innings before and may wear out or have to be restricted.
I am concerned that the Orioles may not sign their young stars to long-term contracts and plead that they are in a small market. The team is very profitable and should sign players to long deals.
Still, this has been a fine season and the future is very bright.
from Roch Kubatko on MASN 7/17: “They’ve gone 31-23 against teams with winning records for the third-best winning percentage in the majors at .574.”
The Baltimore Sun’s take:
I’m glad I don’t live in Florida
Governor DeSantis is terrible.
The GOP won’t do anything about climate change. Some insurance companies won’t write new policies in Florida because of climate issues.
I think Coby Mayo will be a star for the Orioles
Coby Mayo should be a star for the Orioles. He is currently at Norfolk and should be in the majors in 2024. What I like the most about him is that he is putting up great numbers at age 21, several years younger than his peers.
He was the player of the month for June in the Eastern League for June and knocked in three RBI in his Norfolk debut. He is the #7 Orioles prospect and #76 overall by MLB Pipeline.
I think age is important. The best Orioles hitters of the last 40 years (Murray, Ripken, Machado) were all established, successful major leaguers by age 22. This bodes well for Mayo and really well for Jackson Holliday who will probably be in the majors by 2024. I think that Gunnar Henderson will be a better hitter than Adley Rutschman. They are doing similar things this year and Henderson is three years younger.
Sad! 