In a move considered long overdue, NFL officials announced today that all players selected by the NY Jets in this year’s draft will be placed on suicide watch indefinitely. Jets head coach Aaron Glenn applauded the move. “We need to get them safely into camp. It’s the least we can do for the grief-stricken families.”
We take these baseball trips because we love baseball: the game itself, the infield balletics, the long arcing home runs, and the feel of the stadium, be it minor or major league, something you just can’t duplicate anywhere else. Even if you are rooting for a team, the result almost doesn’t matter, as long as the game is reasonably well-played. And so it was fine when the team we were pulling for Wednesday night in Frederick MD, the Wilmington (DE) Blue Rocks, lost a squeaker 18-2. It was actually close until the seventh, when the wheels came off the Rocks’ bus as the Keys put up a nine-spot. Both starters looked good. And Vic Figueroa, 22, at 6′ 5″, 240, looked scary good at the plate and crushed two dingers for the Keys. BTW, this cemetery across the road from the stadium is where Francis Scott Key is buried. Hence the team name.
Speaking of Franny, if you’ve been to an Orioles game (or Ravens) you will be surprised (the first time) when you hear the fans “erupt” during the national anthem. At the second “O Say” they scream “Oh!” You know, for the Orioles. Since the Keys are close to Baltimore and are an affiliate of the Orioles, the Keys fans honor the tradition as well. In that regard, I was curious how the anthem would be handled at the last O’s game we attended earlier this month. The anthem was not sung — it was played on the trumpet, and it was beautiful. The trumpeter even gave it a little jazz flourish at the end, with a big smile. But since it wasn’t sung, you know, with words, I wondered what the fans would do about the “Oh!” I shouldn’t have worried: they erupted where the second “O Say” would have been. Of course.
Here’s the Key man, and his stamp.
OMG, the weather for the Gnats day game Thursday was from Heaven: clear and high seventies. I checked the Nats Park website and learned we could bring our own lunch, so we stopped at the Potbelly Sandwich Shop (a chain) in Germantown MD on the way to the game. We shared a “Wreck” and a “Mediterranean,” both good, esp the former, and ate while watching the crack grounds crew ready the field. The Gnats offer a pre-game Happy Hour that runs from when the gates open until the first pitch, that includes $5 beers, so I had a cold Bud Light to round out a perfect ballpark lunch.
That beer was just a tad less cold than the Gnats’ bats, unfortunately. We were outmatched by the Braves who pulled ahead after our starter Cade Cavalli departed in the sixth. Final score: 7-2. We were treated to resounding homers by James Wood and CJ Abrams for our two runs. The bullpen just couldn’t keep that potent lineup of the Atlantans from bursting out. Even their “non-stars” are dangerous. They are clearly “back” after a very unusual off-year. Can they challenge the Dodgers? Watch this space.
Slugging second-baseman Ozzie Albies has a very pretty wife. You can see why he runs home so often.
At breakfast at the Best Western yesterday, we got treated to the press briefing on the war by our idiot Defense Sec’y and some military dude. After the former embarrassed himself blowing his usual crap out of his ass, the latter updated us on the ships we’ve been interdicting. We attacked one called “The Tiffany,” he said, after giving it clear and unambiguous warnings. It made me wonder what an ambiguous warning might be.
“I’d turn around if I were you. Just sayin’. Hint, hint.”
“Um. You guys all have your affairs in order?”
“I’ve got that sinking feeling, if you catch my drift.”
Yesterday’s puzzle picked me up off the floor and flung me against the wall. I was close to giving up after hacking my way, inch by inch, through all of it but the southeast corner. But I persevered and when I finally remembered that Travolta on “Welcome Back Kotter” was VINNIE and had him cross that KARENINA babe, I was in business and managed to limp to the finish. Rex, of course, rated it “easy, easy-medium.” Argggggh.
It was marked by brilliant cluing. E.g. —
“It has a light bulb.” Answer: DAFFODIL
It’s clearly a reference to coloring, but a not-too-sharp Anony Mouse posted: Still trying to wrap my head around DAFFODIL as a light bulb. I get it’s a bulb flower, but not seeing a connection with light. Do they not weigh very much compared to other bulbs?
I replied: Exactly. On average, the typical daffodil bulb weighs 0.85 oz less than most other bulbs. If you buy your bulbs by the pound, the savings add up.
Other clever clues included: “Peace sign?” for DO NOT DISTURB; “Low volume?” for TEASPOON (get it?); “Tubes that go down” for RIGATONI; and “You just can’t take it” for THELASTSTRAW. I also thought “Accounted for” was a good clue for HERE. “Acrobat’s display” gave me (and others) a sh*tload of trouble. We all thought along the lines of agility, but it seemed to be starting with an impossible PD. Turned out not be that kind of acrobat, but Adobe Acrobat, and the answer was PDFFILES. Ouch. A Friday-level clue for sure.
But my favorite clue was: “‘The best cheese of its type in the world,’ per George Orwell.” Answer: STILTON.
It inspired Les S. More to comment:
“I love blue cheese and I admire George Orwell but, Georgie pal, you’ve got this one wrong. #1, Roquefort, particularly Societe or Papillon. #2, Gorgonzola Picante. In the number 3 slot, Saint Agur, an upstart (1980s?) French creation that is creamy and piquant and then Stilton, which is drier and a bit stodgier (very English) at #4. Your mileage may vary.
“People will come to my place for lunch and I will put out a charcuterie board with various cheeses and someone will invariably ask “what is this lovely stuff?” And I will answer that I know a cheesemaker about an hour away, on the other side of the river, who studied in France and learned to make Chaourse, among other delightful cheeses. She can’t call her cheese Chaourse because of various naming laws, but it’s Chaourse. Brie on steroids. Then I bring out my cheese books – yes I have cheese books – and bore the hell out of everybody at the table.”
In the 2012 film, the sultry Keira Knightly played Anna Karenina. When asked “Why the hurry?,” she explained she was Russian.
We enjoyed an interesting film at the historic Charles Theater in B’more yesterday: “The Christophers.” It’s about unfinished paintings of a dying artist and a restorer-forger who might work on them at the behest of his scheming children. Ian McKellen fills the screen, and Michaela Coel more than holds her own. We liked it, although were far too stupid to appreciate all of the artistic points and the English accents cost us some comprehension.
Here’s Coel.
A shocker: We had to blow off the Orioles game last night! Ended up watching much of it from the Best Western! How can this be?? As we were enjoying our incredible pizza at Angeli’s in Little Italy (having found a great parking spot for the game), a thunderstorm blew through the area leaving a temperature drop in its wake. To our shame, we were unprepared. We could not sit through the game with temps hitting the low 60’s in tee shirts. It’s okay, it was still a great trip with three fun games and terrific food and walks. I relisted the tix on Stub Hub in time and they sold — pretty neat. The O’s ended up pounding the crap out of Boston, 10-3. Five taters off of the poor Boston pitcher Bello, pronounced Bay-O. Back in the dugout we could see him fling his glove in disgust upsetting a large container of bubble gum, sending the little individually wrapped pieces flying all over the f*cking place. Try not to step on any in your bare feet tonight.
In the puzzle today, at 31A the clue was “Air traveler’s connection,” and the answer was INFLIGHTWIFI. Here’s what I posted for the gang:
Before I got the last letter of INFLIGHTWIFI, I thought “Has first class gone that far? — they provide an inflight wife now? How far do those seats recline?”
Phil and George checked with the airlines for us and came up with this young lady as an inflight wife on Delta. United did not get back to us.
A little tired from the drive home, but we made it!! See you tomorrow!
The Wellington Files 