Tapper, Bash Sucked

On July 31, we have the best record in the AL and still a half game behind the Dodgers for best record in MLB. 69-39, baby! What was our record last season after 108 games?

Commentary watched the CNN debate last night and thought Jake Tapper and Dana Bash did a very lousy job of moderating. They interrupted way too many times. It was downright annoying. Give the candidates some leeway. Commentary wanted to hear responses, not Tapper and Bash cut them off. CNN did us a disservice. Annoying!

They also went after the most liberal candidates, in my opinion.  They didn’t really pose the tough questions against the moderate white dudes. It was a pitiful performance by Bash and Tapper. I expected better. They sucked.

I am betting they will go after Kamala Harris this evening.

Don Lemon did Ok. I wish they would let Lemon handle it all this evening.

I think Sen. Elizabeth Warren demonstrated last night that she can handle Donald Trump.

U.S. Senate candidate Chris Bell had a good line yesterday in an email he sent out. Here it is:

I am perfectly positioned to win and then go on to face John Cornyn, Donald Trump’s newfound water boy.

I would have gone with Trump’s arse kisser.

On the Texas House Speaker meeting with the Empower Texans fella, I saw how some are calling it the Bonnenghazi mess.  That is a good one.

After 108 games last season, we were 67-41 of course.

By 3 pm this afternoon, we will know if we have added any players to help us win a championship.

Read Full Post »

Tuesday Stuff

Which MLB club has struck out the most opposing batters?

Commentary thought the Texas House Speaker was a pretty savvy political player. Shows you what I know.  It looks like he stepped in for sure. Why in the heck would he meet with the Empower Texans fella. That makes absolutely no sense. He certainly deserves the bad publicity he is getting. It is all on him.

The new polling for Texas has #BetoForAmerica looking the best in Texas against Donald Trump. Just a snapshot folks.

From the Chron:

A trip to baggage claim at the airport turned into a mini-protest rally against Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz over the weekend.

Cruz was at the Los Angeles International Airport with his family when protesters circled around him to voice their displeasure with President Donald Trump’s border policies, which Cruz has largely supported. Cruz has been an advocate for building Trump’s border wall and increasing scrutiny of amnesty claims.

In a social media video of the confrontation, Cruz can be seen smiling and posing for pictures with other airport passengers as the crowd chants “free the children.” While the protesters are chanting, Cruz’s family can be seen leaving the area.

The video of the event was reposted by thousands on Monday, including by Voto Latino, a civic engagement group. That organization said politicians like Cruz “don’t get to be comfortable in public” as long as people are being locked in cages, a reference to conditions in border detention facilities along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Here is the entire article: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/politics/texas/article/Protesters-mob-Ted-Cruz-at-Los-Angeles-airport-14203560.php?src=hp_totn.

In normal times, nobody would have paid attention to Sen. Cruz, but these are not normal times. Sen. Cruz knows that Trump is racist. He knows it is wrong to separate families and put kids in cages and he sides with Trump rather than speak out courageously because he fears Trump’s base. Then this happens. If he doesn’t think it is wrong, then this happens. These times are not for cowards.

Commentary put out this last Friday:

Royko sent me this on my mention of the Mueller hearing yesterday:

Won’t the statute of limitations expire (as they expired for Hillary’s crimes when Mueller drug out the Russia investigation for two years) during Trump’s second term?

It should be “when Mueller dragged out the Russia…”

Well, Royko responded with this:

Examples of Drug

She refused to exit the vehicle and was drug out of the vehicle. —Merrill Foto News

She wasn’t carried out of the house. She was drug out of the house. —Rapid City Journal

To that extent, Networx was handicapped out of the gate when the licensing process was drug out over 18 months by telecoms like Time Warner, which wanted to prevent Memphis from obtaining a competitive edge in the industry. —Memphis Flyer

Got it. They are still wrong.

Astros pitchers of course have struck out 1,084 batters to lead MLB.

We are a half game behind the Dodgers for best record in MLB.

Read Full Post »

Rat-In-Chief

Let me tell you why the Astros are 1 game behind the Dodgers for best overall record. Over the past 30 games, we have four Astros players in the MLB top ten of the batting average category. Care to name the four Astros?

Donald Trump went with a racist tweet on B’More Saturday morning. Leave it to the B’More Sun E-Board to put out a take yesterday and here is how it ended – classic:

Finally, while we would not sink to name-calling in the Trumpian manner — or ruefully point out that he failed to spell the congressman’s name correctly (it’s Cummings, not Cumming) — we would tell the most dishonest man to ever occupy the Oval Office, the mocker of war heroes, the gleeful grabber of women’s private parts, the serial bankrupter of businesses, the useful idiot of Vladimir Putin and the guy who insisted there are “good people” among murderous neo-Nazis that he’s still not fooling most Americans into believing he’s even slightly competent in his current post. Or that he possesses a scintilla of integrity. Better to have some vermin living in your neighborhood than to be one.

Here is the entire take: https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/editorial/bs-ed-0728-trump-baltimore-20190727-k6ac4yvnpvcczlaexdfglifada-story.html.

Trump’s Saturday morning tweet was racist, no question. The jig is up on Trump. It is pretty obvious by now that he knows we all know he is a racist and he is just not going to have it any other way. He won’t drop an n-bomb or admit he is racist, but he has now accepted that the world knows he is a racist and he will deal with it accordingly. How much longer will the rest of the GOP tolerate and defend this racism? You can tell by the body language of the GOP talking heads on TV that defending Trump is becoming more difficult. Their defense of Trump is lame at best.

What about Moscow Mitch being Moscow Mitch? It is pretty clear that Moscow Mitch won’t move forward with funding for our elections infrastructure because he wants Putin involved in the 2020 elections.

A credit card of mine was declined this weekend at a business establishment. When I got back to my place, I went online and sure enough the credit card site said to call a number because of an issue with my card. I called and they said they flagged my card, they wouldn’t tell me why, and wanted my cell number so they could text me a link where I was to go and visually tape myself on camera for their authentication process. I said no thanks, hung up, and I won’t be using that card.

Over the past 30 games, Yuli Gurriel leads MLB with a .404 batting average, Jose Altuve is number 3 with .374, Michael Brantley with a .367 is number 7, and at number 9 is Yordan Alvarez with a .361 batting average of course.

Cleveland pitcher Trevor Bauer is looking at a fine and suspension for losing it yesterday. Throwing the ball over the centerfield wall will follow him the rest of his career.

We are sizzling and we have the day off then play a three game series in Cleveland.

Read Full Post »

No Mas

According to MLB stats, who has the highest batting average over the past 30 games?

Commentary doesn’t blame GOP Cong. Pete Olson of #CD22 for not running again. It would have been a hard race for him. At some point you have to say, no mas.

The lead story in today’s Chron is this headline: City unveils plan to fight climate change. Sorry. A very slow news day. Commentary is laughing. The way the City can fight climate change is to go all in and battle the I-45 extension boondoggle. Ridiculous.

Speaking of the City of H-Town. They have two messes that folks want more info on: The botched Harding Street Raid and the systematic garbage recycling fiasco. Heads need to roll. We are waiting.

Tyler White and Tony Kemp are no longer with the Astros. On the Kemp deal, I think it would be fitting to do away with the homer hugs.

According to MLB stats, Yuli Gurriel of course has the highest batting average over the past 30 games – on fire at .383.

BTW: Michael Brantley is batting .358 over the past 30 games and Jose Altuve .347. Just saying.

Only 1 game separates the Yankees, Dodger and Astros for the best record in MLB.

We are in San Luis for the weekend. San Luis is tied for first in the NL Central.

Read Full Post »

Chron E-Board: Impeach

I think it is time to scoreboard watch. Last night, on my phone gizmo, I checked in on the Yankees and Twins and the Angels and Dodgers. The Dodgers, Yankees, Astros and Twins are all chasing the best record. We have 58 games left to play. How many are homies and how many are roadies?

The Chron E-Board came out today calling for Donald Trump’s impeachment. Here is how their take starts out:

For months, Speaker Nancy Pelosi has resisted growing calls from more liberal members of the U.S. House of Representatives to begin impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump.

A savvy political leader, she knows that a failed impeachment process could leave Trump stronger among voters who see the president as wrongly accused and deem the exercise a waste of time. Impeachment will consume Congress’ attention and dash Democrats’ hopes of passing meaningful legislation that demonstrates they’re qualified to lead this great nation.

But former special counsel Robert Mueller’s testimony convinced us that the time for prioritizing partisan strategy has passed. For the good of the nation, Pelosi must begin impeachment proceedings in the House.

We come to this conclusion reluctantly. While we believe for myriad reasons that Trump poses a danger to our country and to the free nations that look to America for global leadership, we had hoped that it would be the American voters who held him accountable in the 2020 election.

Here is their entire take: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/Time-to-begin-proceedings-into-impeachment-of-14125772.php.

Commentary will be honest. This is surprising. How many other E-Boards in the USA have called for impeachment? I don’t think that this will impact their bottom line. I tend to think Trump supporters gave up on the Chron a while back. Nice job, Lisa Falkenberg.

Here is all you need to know. Some GOP member of congress at the Robert Mueller hearing yesterday tried to go after the Mueller claim that there was no exoneration of Donald Trump. Something about exoneration not being a legal term. Last night on CNN, one of the GOP talking heads said the same thing.

A couple of months ago, Donald Trump proclaimed, “total exoneration” and you can go to Breitbart and buy “total exoneration” gear. Shut up!

Mueller didn’t want to be there. If you want to go after him for being halting and not being specific on a few questions, have at it. If you want to say that he is showing signs of early dementia, go for it. You didn’t challenge Trump’s efforts to obstruct justice, kissing WikiLeaks’ arse and going all in on Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election. Did I say, shut up!

This isn’t good. Check this from the Chron:

AUSTIN — Texas won’t have to seek federal approval when state lawmakers draw new election maps in two years, a three-judge panel in San Antonio decided Wednesday. The judges, however, cautioned Texas that its next process will “undoubtedly” be subject to judicial scrutiny.

“Texas would be well advised to conduct its redistricting process openly,” U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez wrote in the 27-page opinion.

The decision is a blow to civil rights groups that had asked for Texas to again face federal oversight, known as preclearance, following a years-long legal battle over Texas political maps drawn after the 2010 census, which federal courts have found intentionally discriminated against minority voters.

Here is the entire article: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/local/politics/article/Judges-rule-against-federal-oversight-of-2021-14119782.php?src=hp_totn.

Royko sent me this on my mention of the Mueller hearing yesterday:

Won’t the statute of limitations expire (as they expired for Hillary’s crimes when Mueller drug out the Russia investigation for two years) during Trump’s second term?

It should be “when Mueller dragged out the Russia…”

We have 28 homies left on the schedule and 30 roadies with 3 in San Luis this weekend of course.

We have the day off.

Read Full Post »

No Exoneration

It is the last week of July. Justin Verlander will start today. His record is 12-4. What was his won-loss record last season?

As of this posting, no exoneration is the big takeaway of the Robert Mueller hearing this morning. Also add Donald Trump can be indicted after 2020. That is good enough for Commentary.

The other takeaways are GOP Congress Members Gaetz from Florida, Jordan from Ohio and Goober from Texas are fools.

This went out today:

Senator Carol Alvarado Endorses Senator Royce West for U.S. Senator

I am so proud to support my friend and colleague Senator Royce West as the next U.S. Senator for the state of Texas. I have known and worked with Senator West since I entered the Texas Legislature, during which time I have been consistently impressed by his integrity, hard work, and commitment to helping the people of the state of Texas. Senator West will make an outstanding U.S. Senator.

Senator West has served in the Texas State Senate for 26 years and currently serves on the Education, Higher Education, Transportation and Finance committees. He has been an effective and articulate leader on healthcare, criminal justice, education, and economic development issues.

Senator West brings an abundance of experience, knowledge and preparation to this campaign. I look forward to campaigning on behalf of Senator West in Senate District 6 and throughout the state.

The lead story in the Chron’s Lifestyle, err Flavor section today is pickle juice and the yummy things you can do with pickle juice. They have recipes for dill pickle popsicles, pickle juice bloody Mary, dill pickle cheese ball, and dill pickle ranch pasta salad. Growing up in Baytown, one of the movie theaters sold pickle juice in a cup. Commentary never tried it.

My Best friend and I were at the game last night and we were both mildly surprised that starting pitcher Wade Miley came out to pitch in the ninth inning with the Astros leading 2 zip. Yeah, yeah, his pitch count was under 100. Yeah, yeah, let him try to close it out. Problem is, not a single Astro has thrown a complete game this season. Plus, Miley’s strike to ball ratio was 60% to 40%. Sure enough, he walked the first batter and then the next batter got a base hit and we know the rest of the story. Not a good move by the Skipper.

Justin Verlander was 16-9 last season of course.

We should have won last night. Roberto Osuna should have been brought in to start the ninth.

Read Full Post »

Heading West

Name the Astro who was wearing the number 11 when Apollo 11 was launched back in July of 1969?

State Sen. Royce West is in the race for U.S. Senate. He got endorsed yesterday by his colleague, State Sen. Borris Miles. I kind of found this interesting in today’s Chon on West’s candidacy:

West’s campaign has drawn the backing of Barbara Ann Radnofsky, a Houston attorney who ran against former U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in 2006 and is serving as its treasurer and, Mike Collier, a former candidate for lieutenant governor who came within 5 points of Dan Patrick in 2018.

Here is the entire Chron article: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/politics/texas/article/Royce-West-joins-Democrats-vying-to-challenge-14113495.php.

Sen. Miles is from H-Town. Radnofsky is from H-Town. Ditto Collier.

I wonder if any of the other candidates are going to load up with Dallas area politicos? I wonder if it matters.

Let’s see if the other candidates trot out their endorsement list.

I will say that if you put the four major candidates experience side by side, Sen. West hands down has it, for what it is worth. 26 years in the Texas State Senate counts for something.

Former Astros infielder Denis Menke of course was wearing the number 11 when Apollo 11 was launched back in July of 1969. Menke turned 79 two days ago.

Last night was Apollo 11 Night at The Yard and the team scored 11 runs, Yordan Alvarez had dinger number 11, Gerrit Cole had win number 11 and struck out 11 batters.

Six in a row and Dollar Dog Night this evening.

Read Full Post »

Senate Primary

101 games. 61 games left on the schedule. 64-37. 6 ½ games up. Where were we sitting after 101 games last season?

Yesterday’s hard copy of the Chron included a section commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing. The Section included some front pages of the Chron 50 years ago. The Wednesday, July 16, 1969 front page included a story at the bottom on a $21.5 million Harris County Flood Bonds that was passed by the voters on Tuesday, July 15, 1969. Commentary wasn’t old enough to vote in that election.

State Senator Royce West from Dallas will get into the Democratic Primary for U.S. Senator. It looks like he will have a number of prominent Dallas area Democratic Party elected officials endorsing his candidacy. Commentary can’t tell yet how many prominent H-Town area Democratic Party elected officials will endorse and line-up behind H-Town City Council Member Amanda Edwards or former Congressman Chris Bell. Edwards and Bell have not rolled out their endorsements best I can tell. Ditto on MJ Hegar and prominent Central Texas area Democratic Party elected officials.

Sen. West has been a state senator for 26 years or so. He should have the Dallas area Democratic Party establishment behind him. CM Edwards has only been an elected official for 3 ½ years.

Your guess is as good as mine as to who will be our nominee. Commentary is waiting to see who Emily’s List will support.

This one is definitely going to be watched.

Last season, after 101 games we were 66-35 and 6 games up of course.

The A’s are in for three and what did you think about back to back to back dingers the other evening?

Read Full Post »

Debate Draw

How many interleague games remain on our schedule?

H-Town City Council Member Amanda Edwards is a female millennial of the African American persuasion.  If she is the Democratic Party nominee for the U.S. Senate, expect Sen. John Cornyn and the GOP to go full bore Squad on her.  That’s their playbook these days.  That’s what you play when you have your head up Donald Trump’s arse.  Hope CM Edwards has a thick skin.

Commentary watched CNN’s debate draw last night and I actually found it entertaining. They made pulling names and dates out of a box interesting. I was rooting for a former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris rematch and we got it. I was hoping #BetoForAmerica and Secretary Julian Castro wouldn’t be on the same stage and they are not.

Last night on CNN, the talking heads were discussing how Biden should deal with questions on his segregationists Senator pals and busing at the next debate. Great. Meanwhile, the CNN producers and researcher are now working on how to pose questions to Biden on segregationists Senators and busing. The next debate is on CNN.

Royko sent me this yesterday after my take:

The Dem talking point focus of trying to make Trump and Republicans the party of racists will fail. The Republican party is the abolitionist party, and has continued to fight against the Democrat racists. The Republicans continue to fight for the lives of the unborn minority babies that the Dems want to abort all the way up to the moment of birth.

Voters will be wondering before election day:

Is there not a baby the Dems would not allow to be aborted?

Is there not an oppressive regulation the Dems would not enact? The Dems AGAIN want to take guns away from Black citizens.

Is there not a Tax the Dems would not impose on the citizens? The middle class know they are the ones who will have to pay for all the free stuff the Dems are giving to the illegal aliens.

And this:

If you think Dem candidate “Pocahontas” Warren is going to be a game changer, then you will need to send the “squad” and the rest of the Dem “tribe” to drag her off the debate stage. Thanks for the chuckle.

Got it. Thank you.

Oh, yeah. Trump supporters defended him on his “send her back” rally then Trump said he didn’t like the chants and he said he tried to stop them. He didn’t. He lied. Again. His supporters looked like chumps. Again.

We still have seven interleague games to play of course, three in San Luis next weekend, two at The Yard against the Rockies next month, and two in Milwaukee in September.

We host the Rangers this weekend.

Read Full Post »

The GOP Gamble

City of H-Town Council Member Amanda Edwards is in the race for U.S. Senator. Dems have some pretty good candidates in this race.

Ok. Here is where we are. Commentary has got this figured out. Donald Trump and his GOP are willing to accept full throttle the racist label and in return convince their base, Fox News and Breitbart, that the four Democratic U.S. Congresswomen of color are the face of the Democratic Party. I get that. Here is where their gamble goes awry. Sometime next Spring, the Democratic Party nominee will be determined and she, I say she, will be the face of the Democratic Party – period. Game changer for sure. The GOP will then be solidly the party of racists. Stew on that, please. Not a good gamble.

For those who were making up excuses for Donald Trump for his tweet Sunday morning and saying it was not racist, you can’t deny the “send her back” chants last night in front of him at his rally weren’t. Shut up, you racists.

Soledad O’Brien tweeted this after the “send her back” chants:

This is racist. If you’re chanting this, you’re a racist. If you’re a journalist asking white people if this is racist – you’re an idiot

I retweeted this Peter Gammons tweet with a comment yesterday:

Xander Bogaerts goes into Wednesday night leading all SS in WAR, OPS, w/Obama, wRC+, slugging…

w/Obama?

Then someone retweeted a response which leads to today’s MLB question. Name the Astro whose Dad is a former Chair of a State Democratic Party?

They have a name now. Commentary is talking about The Squad. This is to the media, the GOP, and establishment Democrats. If they looked like the Dixie Chicks, the vitriol would be at a considerably lower temperature.

A GOP U.S. Senator from Louisiana called them the “four horsewomen of the apocalypse.” I wonder if he even knows about the original Four Horsemen? If he does, he certainly is elevating them, pardon the pun, to a level of biblical proportions.

Commentary participated in a live phone survey yesterday. They asked about Trump, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel, the Democratic Party, Sen. John Cornyn, MJ Hegar, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, @AOC, immigration, national security, healthcare, choice and the economy.

Commentary is not going to check out that face app that makes you look older. I don’t want to see how I will look when I’m a goner.

Commentary participated in a survey yesterday that the Astros sent over. Two things I picked up from the survey. They are thinking about making The Yard cashless and all purchases by credit or debit card. Tropicana Field in St. Pete started going cashless this season. The Astros also asked me about a proposed Thirsty Thursdays where drinks will be discounted from a kazillion dollars to a reduced kazillion dollars on Thursdays.

Sam Bregman, Alex’s Dad, was the Chair of the New Mexico Democratic Party a few years ago of course. I didn’t know that.

We sure needed that win last night.

Read Full Post »