The Sirens better start playing soon (they don’t: the opener is in December), everyone else is reeling: the Yanks (ouch), Michigan (double ouch), and the Jets (fuhgedaboutit). Losing is bad enough, but how you lose can be embarrassing. The Yanks made four errors last night and had a dreadful baserunning blunder in Game One. And don’t start me on the Jets. Michigan appears to be falling apart after losses to Iowa and Minny.
Complaints have arisen in the UMich locker room about the new offensive coordinator. He came from Utah along with new head coach Whittingham. The OC is dissing the tight ends and, with them, the entire Michigan ethos. Utah had a wide open offense, but Michigan is known for smashing straight ahead with bruising running backs and tight ends. Get this — seven Michigan tight ends have made it to the NFL in the last ten years. The departure from tradition ain’t working and has the locker room roiled. That plus the highly touted QB has been a bust. No game this week. Then they play Penn State, a team that is also struggling. So that game should tell a tale. After that some very rough games down the road (Indy, Oregon, UCLA, and, of course, the team that shall not be mentioned). Things are already ugly and may get uglier.
Nobody ugly here. Hey! — get your foot off my head!! Watch your hands!
A Trump story this week left out one important detail. Trump spent millions of taxpayer dollars on ads promoting himself (and the Repubs) for the midterms: Insipid ads that could only be appealing to the idiots who support him anyway. When people started screaming about it (including some in the GOP, shockingly), he said he’d repay the cost from his Super PAC (which would be illegal, but that’s the least of it). What the story neglected to note is that there’s no way in hell we taxpayers will actually get repaid. The money will fly out of his orange ass before it flies out of the PAC and back into the Treasury. (Sorry for that image if you’re reading this over breakfast.) His promises are meaningless. Utterly. 100%.
It’s a hard thing in life to train yourself to discount completely a person’s statements. The press is woefully weak on this score. They continue to report Trump’s statements as if they matter. The NATO people and Carney in Canada finally have a good handle on it. Zelensky for sure, long ago. Here are VZ and fam listening to one of Trump’s speeches.
Trump isn’t the first schmuck I’ve encountered like that. Many years ago I had a law partner in Rochester (NY) who was dishonest to the bone. His word meant nothing. It was about him that I had my famous line: “To Jerry, the truth is a coincidence.” (Well, “famous” among 3 or 4 people.)
From our earliest moments of consciousness, we (mostly) trust the words our parents say to us. Then teachers, friends, colleagues, etc. So when you encounter a Trump, or a Jerry, you have to keep reminding yourself — don’t count at all on what he says. Your instinct from everyone else in your life is to give at least some weight to their words. (And, of course, you must know by now that I’m full of sh*t too. Why in the world are you still reading this nonsense?)
[OC note: Since the above was written, Trump has clarified that he will not be reimbursing the Treasury for the $10 million already spent on ads.]
The puzzle’s theme a few days ago was Shakespeare’s “Ay, there’s the rub,” and the theme answers were rub-related: MASSAGETABLE, MAGICLAMP, and SPARERIBS. Regarding the third, Son Volt shared this performance of a Grateful Dead song with us by Shinyribs.
In a bed by the waterside I will lay my head . . . .
In Taylor Swift news, Phil tells us the marriage is already spiraling down to hell. Here’s a shot he got for us of Travis, hands cuffed behind his back, drunk, after getting arrested for urinating in public. Don’t let it get you down, Big Fella. We’ve all been there.
I’m just joking, kids. The lovebirds are as tight as ever. Here’s Tay, sultry, in the outfit she wore at the Video Music Awards.
Did you know Paul McCartney performed at the wedding? Taylor requested that he do “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” and he agreed to on the condition that she sing it along with him and to Trav. Awwwwww.
Wanna feel happy inside?
Wow — lots of music today. Never need an excuse for a John Prine song, but we have one today. JESUS was in the puzzle. Yeah, that one. Clued via one of his quotes about the meek. So, thanks for this tune, Son Volt.
Have you hit “the age” yet? The age at which you spend half your life at doctors’ appointments and the other half confirming the appointments, pre-checking-in for them, and answering surveys about them. “Yes,” I assure them repeatedly, “I am definitely very very satisfied with how considerate and warm the staff was when my blood was taken — I’ve never seen anything like it, except maybe at the dermatologist’s. I felt loved.”
My bad. I forgot to report on something neat from the Gnats game we went to on 9/27 to close out the regular season. A pitch call was challenged and when the home plate ump stepped out to announce that, it seemed like a woman’s voice. What the. . . ? Sure enough, it was Jen Pawol, the first woman to ump in the MLB. How neat is that? It wasn’t her first time behind the plate, but still. Way to go JP!
OMG, I just checked and learned that not only is she a Jersey girl (49 now) but she was an art teacher before going into umpiring and earned an MFA at Hunter College! She could have been in one of my classes!! (But wasn’t.)
Call ’em as you see ’em, Babe!
One thing that gets on Rex’s goat is when the puzzle gives some corporate product or brand name free advertising, especially when it’s easily avoidable. Yesterday, for MUG, the clue was “Starbucks keepsake, perhaps,” and Rex lit into it:
“Why would you shill for Starbucks like this? Who gets ‘keepsakes’ from Starbucks?
“Ah, this MUG reminds me of that time we went to Starbucks. Remember, honey?”
“The one in the airport or the one in the mall?”
“No, the one across from Walmart. I can’t believe you’ve forgotten already!? Do our visits to ubiquitous coffee shops mean nothing to you!?”
Christa “Houdini” Pike, the woman whom Tennessee tried and failed to execute recently has regained consciousness. State officials, every one of them a first-class moron, are trying to convince her she is in Heaven until they figure out what to do. In case anyone still had any doubt of how impressively rock-headed the officials are, they kept Pike handcuffed and shackled to the bed the entire time she was out, according to her lawyers.
Some wordplay from today’s puzzle: I was working with NO TAR, DIN, and MEAT. Here’s what I got:
Country that bans cigarettes: NOTAR Republic.
Enthusiastic cacophony: Gung-ho DIN.
Carnivore’s assignation: Meet MEAT the meat mart.
Did I share my favorite clue/answer with you from a recent puzzle? The clue was “Other sock.” Answer 4 letters long. I had no idea until I got some crosses. Ready? (I’ll reveal it below.)
A fond Owl Chatter farewell to the ever exquisite Eva Marie Saint, who passed away at 102 yesterday. A Jersey girl, born in Newark. Rest in peace, Eva. (Love the bedhead here, Phil. Thanks!)
See you tomorrow Chatterheads. Thanks for popping by.
Answer to “Other sock:” MATE.
