The Softest Mask You’ll Ever Own

Yesterday, right in the middle of the 5PM EST Coronavirus White House Briefing, CNN cut away.   They decided that they weren’t going to give complementary advertising airtime to the airiest, make that “the softest pillow you’ll ever own.”  You know the jingle, ‘for a great night’s sleep and a whole lot more, it’s MyPillow.com.”

Donald Trump introduced Mike Lindell, Founder of My Pillow, to the assembled and those watching worldwide.  Trump was trumpeting another private enterprise that has redirected its production to help fight the enemy that we can’t see.  Lindell’s company is in the sleep business, but by Friday expects to be producing 50k protective hospital masks a week.

And therein lies the divide.  Make that, therein lies the canyon.

The Democratic Party wants the government to do more in this time of crisis.  And, it should.  And the Democrats want to point out all of the shortcomings of the Trump leadership during this terrible time.  And, it is their right.  The party also has willing media to carry their water.  CNN, MSNBC, and others almost gleefully report the negative and spin it south 24/7.

It wasn’t too long ago that the Republican Party wanted the government to do more in a time of crisis as well.  And, it should.  The Republicans endlessly pointed to the Bengazi Embassy fiasco that resulted in four Americans’ deaths.  And, it is their right.  The party also has willing media to carry their water as well.  FOX led the endless cry of the need to investigate Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s role in the disaster.

But to the right of Republicans, conservatives want the government to do even less.  They believe in capitalism as religiously as a Mike Lindell ever-present cross hanging from his neck.  And to the left of Democrats, socialists want the government to do it all.  They believe in the redistribution of money as crazily as Bernie’s coiffed hair flails in the spring breeze.

So, CNN has staked out a position of left of center to appease its audience.  It’s the Democratic base actually.  Trump is bad.  Private enterprise is bad.  Mike Lindell is bad.  Lindell advertises on Fox.  Fox is competition.  Cuomo ranting for more federal aid and ventilators is good.

And FOX has staked out a position of right of center to appease its audience.  It’s the Republican base actually.  Trump is good.  Private enterprise is good.  Mike Lindell is good.  Lindell advertises a ton with us.  CNN is competition.  Trump ranting about bad media and fake news is good.

So, here comes the 2020 CARES Act.  It’s $2.2 trillion.  Republicans at the trough wanted more for business and less for individuals.  Democrats wanted less for business and more for individuals.   In the end, they both got what they wanted.  They aren’t conservatives nor socialists.  They’re just big spenders.

Oh, and they both approved the $25 million for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. just like they both approved the Solyndra money.  Three days before Obama departed he appointed Susan Rice and Valerie Jarrett to the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees.

Pigs get fat.  Hogs get slaughtered.

And, CNN and FOX will be there to tell you all about it.  And, it’s either news, or fake news, or fair and balanced, or not, depending on who you watch.

America should try a pillow from MyPillow.com right about now.   We could all use a good night’s sleep.

 

 

 

 

 

16 innings, 2 pitchers

Baseball should be in full swing by now.  As you know, it’s not.  And, it’s might be a while before it is.  So, in its absence, inspired by a Super 70’s Sports tweet, we went digging and found box score gold.

It also took a while to complete a regular-season ballgame on July 2nd, 1963 when the San Francisco Giants hosted the Milwaukee Braves (they moved to Atlanta in 1966) at Candlestick Park.  All told the game lasted 4 hours and 10 minutes.   That’s not crazy long by today’s standards, but it was back then.

What took so long?  It was a 16 inning game.  Why didn’t it take longer?  It didn’t take longer because there were zero pitching changes and likely very few trips to the mound.  Additionally, our guess is that very few batters stepped out of the box for very long either.

Loser Warren Spahn’s record dropped to a still sterling 11-4 when his screwball offering was accepted by Willie Mays in the bottom of the 16th.  Mays hit it over the left field fence for a walk-off 1-0 victory.  It was starter Spahn’s 201st pitch!  It also was his 42nd year on earth!

The winning pitcher was Juan Marichal (13-3).  Marichal threw 227 pitches!  Somewhere right now Tommy John’s left elbow is deep in a bucket of ice.

Fifty-nine times a Brewer stepped to the plate.  Eight got hits, four walked, and one reached on an error.  None scored.

Feared hitters Hank Aaron and Eddie Mathews from Milwaukee and Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Felipe Alou, and Orlando Cepeda from San Fran went a combined 4-31 before Mays ended it.

San Fran manager Alvin Dark called it “the greatest game he ever saw pitched.”

“I said to myself three times, ‘This will be my last inning’,” a weary Juan Marichal said quietly. “Each time I went out there again.”

Who needs relief pitchers anyway?

If you’re a baseball geek, or if you remember getting your baseball news in the next day’s paper, the boxscore is below.

Take a look.  You’ve got plenty of time on your hands these days.

Baseball Almanac Box Scores

Milwaukee Braves 0, San Francisco Giants 1

Milwaukee Braves ab   r   h rbi
Maye lf 6 0 0 0
Bolling 2b 7 0 2 0
Aaron rf 6 0 0 0
Mathews 3b 2 0 0 0
  Menke 3b 5 0 2 0
Larker 1b 5 0 0 0
Jones cf 5 0 1 0
  Dillard ph,cf 1 0 0 0
Crandall c 6 0 2 0
McMillan ss 6 0 0 0
Spahn p 6 0 1 0
Totals 55 0 8 0
San Francisco Giants ab   r   h rbi
Kuenn 3b 7 0 1 0
Mays cf 6 1 1 1
McCovey lf 6 0 1 0
Alou rf 6 0 1 0
Cepeda 1b 6 0 2 0
Bailey c 6 0 1 0
Pagan ss 2 0 0 0
  Davenport ph 1 0 0 0
  Bowman ss 3 0 2 0
Hiller 2b 6 0 0 0
Marichal p 6 0 0 0
Totals 55 1 9 1
Milwaukee 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 1
San Francisco 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 9 1
  Milwaukee Braves IP H R ER BB SO
Spahn  L (11-4) 15.1 9 1 1 1 2
Totals 15.1 9 1 1 1 2
  San Francisco Giants IP H R ER BB SO
Marichal  W (13-3) 16.0 8 0 0 4 10
Totals 16.0 8 0 0 4 10
  E–Menke (12), Kuenn (5).  2B–Milwaukee Spahn (3,off Marichal), San Francisco Kuenn (6,off Spahn).  HR–San Francisco Mays (15,16th inning off Spahn 0 on, 1 out).  Team LOB–11.  IBB–Mays (2,by Spahn).  Team–9.  SB–Maye (5,2nd base off Marichal/Bailey); Menke (1,2nd base off Marichal/Bailey); Cepeda (2,2nd base off Spahn/Crandall).  CS–Crandall (1,2nd base by Marichal/Bailey).  IBB–Spahn (2,Mays).  U-HP–Ken Burkhart, 1B–Chris Pelekoudas, 2B–Frank Walsh, 3B–Jocko Conlan.  T–4:10.  A–15,921.

baseball almanac flat baseball