Sorry I didn't publish last week. Hope you enjoyed the Mets special.
Saturday was one of those days in the city where some folks were dressed as if they were going to the North Pole and some were dressed like they were heading to Cancun. a 40 degree morning and a 80 degree afternoon. Welcome to October in New York.
Onto the news..
POLITICS- Just (Im)Peachy
This whole thing has made my hair hurt.
I am desperately trying to get to the bottom of all this. Here is what I understand to be the dilly yo.
Several years ago, Vice President Joe Biden's son Hunter was hired by a Ukrainian Oil Company as some sort of adviser. Sometime thereafter, Vice President Biden was made the point man on a deal to give monetary aid to the Ukrainian government. However the release of the monies became contingent on the Ukrainians getting rid of a prosecutor who they felt was in bed with several corrupt businesses.
Now according to President Trump and pals, one of the businesses this crooked prosecutor was investigating was the same firm Hunter Biden was consulting for. It's Captain Orange's contention that the real reason Biden was holding the money hostage was to get this guy off Hunter's case.
What's more, Trump, according to a "whistleblower", called the President of the Ukraine and told him that a shipment of defense missiles were contingent on the the Ukrainians investigating the Bidens and coming up with damning information.
How am I doing so far?
Now the House has begun an impeachment inquiry based on this whistleblower's statement.
So last things first. If the President of the United States is demanding that a foreign government investigate an American citizen for the sole purpose of helping said President win the election, that is impeachable. And President Trump not only pretty much admitted he was hitting up the Ukraine for dirt on Biden, he said he might ask China to do the same thing.
So here's my theory...Trump wants to be impeached. He's begging for it. And he wants it to go to trial. For two reasons.
1) Trump is all about ratings, to him this whole President thing is about how many eyeballs he can get to watch him on TV. You can take this to the bank..... if/when the articles of impeachment are drafted, and the trial starts, he will compare the ratings between his trial and President Clinton's. He'll hype it up as the ultimate reality show. And when the ratings go through the roof, and the country is glued to the proceedings, he'll brag that he beat the Clintons at something else.
2) There's a snowball's chance in hell that he is convicted. And when he beats the rap, he'll brag about it all the way to Election Night 2020. This to him is a ticket to re-election and 4 more years of ratings. Unless all of the sudden, 20 Republican Senators find religion and convict him. I'm not holding my breath, are you?
As far as the Bidens go, I've heard all different reports. One that said Hunter wasn't being investigated by this prosecutor, another that he was being investigated, but well before his father was holding up the aid package. Another report I saw said that Hunter was investigated and cleared, first by the crooked prosecutor and later by one who was on the level.
It's all these conflicting reports that have me wondering about this whole thing. I like Joe Biden, I always have. I always felt he was a good man, his bona fides in foreign policy have been praised on folks from both sides of the aisle. John McCain considered him a friend, so does Lindsay Graham who has become a total Trump stooge.
I watched Beau Biden's funeral on CNN, a few days after I had come home from the hospital. It was heartbreaking.
I wouldn't mind seeing Joe Biden in the White House.
But I do have some lingering concerns about what Hunter Biden was up to in the Ukraine. And if there was some sort of influence peddling going on. My friends on the left say no. They are probably correct. But I'm not quite as convinced.
The bottom line to me is that even if you think Trump has been a great President, (and I've seen enough memes on Facebook to know that many people do) I'm sick of seeing the highest office in the land reduced to something that seems like it should come on TV between Jersey Shore and Keeping up with the Kardashians.
OK enough of that
BASEBALL PLAYOFFS
So who the hell to root for here...
The National League is a total disaster. If the Brewers had made the playoffs, it would have been easy. But they lost to the Nats in the play in game, so now I have 4 teams playing that I can't stand.
I have to root for the Cards, because I would never root for the Braves. All I needed was to see those jackoffs in Atlanta doing that tomahawk chop and that decision became easier. Thing is I really can't stand St.Louis either. Forget about what they did to my Mets in 2006, I'm still pissed about 1985 and 1987.
And as much as I can't stand the Dodgers, can I really root for the Nationals? I hate to say it, but my loathing of any other team in the NL East besides the Mets take precedence over my despising of the Dodgers. So I'm rooting (reluctantly) for a third straight pennant for LA.
In the AL, I mean, after the way I got screwed in the Bronx over the summer, pulling for the Yanks is hard. But I really like Aaron Judge and DiDi Gregorious. So far they have done their semi annual shellacking of the Twins, we'll see how things go up north. James Paxon and Mashihro (tough-actin) Tanaka have kept the Twins bats relatively quiet. If the Twins somehow come back, they may be my pick for the AL.
I can't root for the Astros, they still should be in the NL IMHO. The Rays? They don't offend me or excite me.
Strictly from a journalistic standpoint a Yankee-Dodger World Series would have some buzz. I always get a kick out of hearing the stories about Reggie's 3 dingers in 1977, or Steinbrenner's supposed brawl in a Los Angeles elevator. I realize we don't have those characters here, but Kershaw vs. the Yankee lineup would be something to watch.
So I'll make that my prediction. So make sure you all bet on the Astros and Cardinals.
AND THE A-HOLE OF THE WEEK GOES TO......
This idiot who decided to jump into the lions den at the Bronx Zoo.
She acted like she had all sorts of guts by jumping in and dancing in front of a lion. According to reports, the photo she posted made it look more dangerous than it was. A large moat was unseen in the photo. If not for that moat, the lion might have done society a favor and had this dingbat for dinner.
The cops want to charge her with criminal trespassing, but they haven't found her yet. She has been posting on social media, so chances are she'll be picked up soon enough. Sometimes you find you can't fix stupid.
AND THE A-HOLE OF THE PREVIOUS WEEK GOES TO...
A woman in China who opened the emergency door of the plane she was on because it was "too stuffy" on the plane.
According to the English Speaking South China Morning Post, shortly after the flight crew went over all the pre takeoff instructions* the woman told the crew she opened the door so she could "get a breath of fresh air."
First of all isn't China and fresh air sort of an oxymoron? I bet the air in the plane was fresher. Secondly, if someone is dumb enough to do that while the plane is on the ground, is it not out of the realm of possibility that they would do it while the plane was in the air? At least you know the air up there is fresh. It will also kill you.
They say air travel is the safest way to go. They are probably right, but not with people like this on the plane. (H/T to my pal Kristin Willis-Toro for bringing this to my attention)
SPEAKING OF A-HOLES.....
I broke one of my cardinal rules this week and tuned into Mike Francesca (i know I'm ashamed of myself too)
But after Mickey Callaway's firing, my curiosity got the best of me. So yeah I listened to Sitting Bull for a few minutes. A caller asked him about Joe Girardi taking over and the Pope gave his blessing though he said he wasn't sure they could agree on a contract. But then as only Francesca can do, he proclaimed "Forget about Buck (Showalter).You're not getting Buck. He'll never come here."
Fan Duel keeps advertising a $500 risk free bet**, if you are so inclined to do so, I'd take that $500 and lay it on one William Nathaniel Showalter coming to Flushing. Usually when Francesca says it a'int happening, it happens.
*****************************************************************************
Back on a serious note- I'd really rather not get into details, but if you could please say a prayer or keep a good thought for my long time friends/practically relatives, the Reilly family, it would be much appreciated.
Thank you. Everyone please take it easy
and Have a Great Week
*If you ever get a chance, youtube up George Carlin's but about the in flight instructions. It's a classic.
**Which is total bullshit actually. If you bet $500 and lose, they just give you site credit, which you then have to bet the whole thing and hope you win. It's not like you can bet 500 bucks, lose and get your money back.
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