I was watching the Nats game last night, and an unusual play occurred; something I had never seen before. The Nats batter hit a low liner to third. The fielder dove for it and appeared to catch it. But when he landed, the ball fell out of his glove. No problem — he just picked it up and fired to first, in time to beat the runner. But the first baseman was not on the bag — he was nowhere in the picture frame — he was in absentia! So the ball rolled all the way to the fence and the batter/runner wound up on second.
What happened was the first baseman, like the rest of us, thought the ball was caught. He was blocked from seeing it roll out of the third baseman’s glove when he landed from his dive. So there was no need for him (he thought) to cover first. It was his blunder, but the third baseman was charged with the error. (I guess maybe he shouldn’t have made the throw?) BTW, the first baseman was Jake Cronenworth, an excellent ballplayer who played college ball at UMich.
OK, so you’re getting ready for a big date. Remember those? And you’re getting good and ready — it takes time. The hair, the clothing, the face. And then, Oh no! he or she suddenly shows up way too soon!! You’re still a mess —- everything’s ruined.
According to the NYT today, that’s exactly what’s happening to arctic squirrels, and it’s a bigger problem than just for the squirrels.
Here’s the deal. The male squirrel comes out of hibernation early so he can prepare for the mating season. It’s not just that he buys a new outfit and some hot cologne, his testosterone levels drop way off in the winter and it takes time for him to get them back up. Generally, the lady sleeps long enough for him to be ready. But not anymore! Due to climate change she’s getting up as much as ten days earlier. And things are not going well on those dates.
For now, there are plenty of squirrels around. There’s one now! But if their population starts to decline it could send shock waves through the animal world — they are a popular food source for many predators like eagles and wolves. Yum! Here’s a tasty little fella (or gal).
On this date way back in 1521 — yes, 502 years ago — a photo of Martin Luther went up in the Post Office — well, he was declared an outlaw. And just like Amanda Gorman’s poem, his writings were banned. Even outside of Florida. It all happened in the Edict of Worms. Gross. Of course, just like Trump’s indictments, it only made him more popular.
Did you know how ML (no K) decided to become a priest? He was caught in a terrible storm and promised God that if he survived he would pursue a religious life. Seriously? You have to honor those? All those promises I made to God for parking spots in Manhattan — I’m supposed to do that stuff?
Lots of good stuff in the puzzle today. Here’s a sampling of things I learned:
36A: “Shared a workspace, in modern parlance,” HOT DESKED.
23A: “Ones who live large, in slang,” BALLERS.
11D: “Nonmelodic genre,” NOISE MUSIC.
21D: “Jealous critics, in slang,” PLAYER HATERS.
Also, loved these:
30A: “Youth sports mismatch ender,” MERCY RULE.
5D: “Words from one extending an olive branch,” I COME IN PEACE.
54A: “Like some land no longer good for livestock,” OVER GRAZED
27D: “Inelegant way to solve a problem,” BRUTE FORCE.
Here’s a poem by Ted Kooser, from late December in Winter Morning Walks:
A little snap at one side of the room,
and an answering snap at the other:
Stiff from the cold and idleness, the old house
is cracking its knuckles. Then the great yawn
of the furnace. Even the lampshade is drowsy,
its belly full of a warm yellow light.
Out under the moon, though, there is at least
one wish against this winter sleep: a road
leads into the new year, deliberate as a bride
in her sparkling white dress of new snow.
Good night, everybody. OC is heading down to Baltimore tomorrow for a few days. Special birthday for Linda! Thanks for dropping in.
The Wellington Files 