My hometown baseball team (that would be the Washington Nationals) had an odd mix of old and new yesterday: weekday afternoon game played… on the Internet. Yeah, broadcast live on YouTube, it was refreshing to see MLB embracing the new medium.
Unfortunately for the Nats it was the same old result. With the loss they held on to last place in the NL East, already nine and a half games behind the Mets.
That hurts in any era.
Headline from one of my local rags, Loudoun Now, from its April 28, 2022, issue:
“Requiring Affordable Units Has ‘Minimal Impact’ on Developer Profits: Consultant.”
(O’Connell does spit-take.)
Yeah, actually I’m not sure whether I should laugh or just #smh on that one.
“Minimal impact on profits.” That’s rich (pardon the expression). Don’t worry, you’re not going to lose that much money.
This is the best argument my local government comes up with? Relax, businessmen, we’re not messing up your projects that much.
Don’t people in business love it when government folks tell them how to run their affairs? At least this one’s honest, in that they’re upfront about the fact this will cost them money. Just not that much. Only gonna hurt a little.
To paraphrase an old Ronald Reagan line: I’m from the government and I’m here to hurt you only a little.
Awesome.
I sometimes benefit unnecessarily from working for an extremely woke employer. I’m not at all religious, but I get a lot of religious holidays, including today’s.
Still wondering?
It’s Eid. Eid al-Fitr, or so they tell me, a Muslim holiday celebrating the end of Ramadan. Or so they tell me. I take the celebrants’ word for it on these things.
Originally my employer (that would be my local public school district) had tomorrow as the day off, a weirdo middle-of-the-week holiday that would have meant going to school on Monday then having Tuesday off.
Yeah, nobody wants that.
Some weeks ago district officials informed us that they were switching the day off to Monday to better reflect the true spirit of Ramadan or some such thing.
Hmm.
I have my doubts, but once again… I defer to the celebrants.
Nobody seems to be complaining.
Me included.
Six weeks ago I said either the Nets or the Sixers would be heading to the NBA Finals (and Phoenix and Miami wouldn’t be). I still stand by these statements. (It’s gonna be Sixers-Warriors, by the way.)
Great as my forecasting abilities are, I certainly didn’t think the Nets would be swept in their first round series with Boston.
Wow.
This is like the 1990 A’s getting swept by the Reds in the World Series.
Yeah, you have to be over 35 to get that reference.
If you’re under 35 check your phone.
On a previous episode of Math and Musings I suggested that no one on HBO’s Winning Time was being misrepresented in any unfair way (read:actionable), though I was sure it would come eventually.
Yeah, I think that time has come.
Sunday’s episode was pretty loose with the historical accuracy and I’m sure people will get sued.
But damn it was good television.
We’ve gone very quickly from staying in because it’s too cold to staying in because it’s too hot. Super.
My son introduced me over the weekend during our time indoors to “reaction videos.” You familiar with these? Third degree television viewing that’s at least cubed as bad as the real thing. Watching a video of someone else watching a video of someone doing something.
Right.
Idea for next album: me listening to someone else’s really great album.
Idea for new book: me reading someone else’s bestseller.
Hmm… better pick one no one will recognize.
Shakespeare’s in the public domain now, right?
New phrase for circumstances when calling something “a dick move” would be too coarse…
Like intentionally walking a guy with 2,999 hits.
Good thing I got out of Binghamton when I did. Seems as though as I was posting Monday morning the Bing was getting 14 inches of snow. Hmph.
Oh, it’s not the 14 inches of snow at the end of April that surprises me, it’s that I was somehow able to miss it.
If you’re going to be good or lucky… choose lucky.
Over the weekend I found myself back in the old country, braving the snow and cold (seriously) in Binghamton, New York.
As I’ve noted before, Binghamton is probably the worst place on Earth, but it’s also home to like six people I enjoy seeing. Saw them this weekend.
The highlight of my trip was actually walking into an old, familiar bar and being asked to show ID. I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or beam with pride.
Maybe a little bit of both.
Report from the road complete: Nats farm team does justice to the parent club, and more importantly its stadium does too.
In a word, yes, the new ballpark of the Fredericksburg Nationals trumps the club’s previous home by a 500-foot dinger. Though that’s a little like saying the reliever coming in is a better pitcher than Charlie Brown.
From the worst minor-league park I’ve ever been to (that was the one in Woodbridge) to one of the nicest, Virginia Credit Union Stadium in Fredericksburg is Single-A baseball with Northern Virginia money. The old park was expensive and crappy; this one is expensive and nice. Home run seats in a Single-A park? That’s a nice touch. Playground? Classy dining area? Historical exhibit? All swell. They didn’t take any chances, but they didn’t screw up anything either.
My favorite part of the game Wednesday was getting to go with my son. I’d been to plenty of those kid-friendly morning starts in my life, but always solo as an awkward grownup. This time I was an awkward grownup with my son. That’s less awkward somehow.
As unawkward as a geeky math teacher from the suburbs can get.