Left Coast Sports Babe

Some days I think I care too much about sports, then I watch into an airport bar where people are actually getting UPSET about a preseason football game.

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Okay, yeah SF season has fallen apart in August. But I am still really really glad Madison Bumgarner is in a Giants uniform.
(and yes, I hope they resign him.)

A temporary 8,000-seat ballpark will be built at the Field of Dreams site in Iowa for the Yankees and White Sox to play an actual MLB game next August.
Well, they’ve got it half-right, shouldn’t it be the Reds – White Sox?

(those were the two teams in the Black Sox scandal world series.)

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Although if MLB wanted teams to feel at home in front of 8,000 they should have chosen the Rays and Marlins.

Cowboys DE Robert Quinn has been suspended for first two games of season for violating NFL’s PED policy.
Taxi squad players for example earn about $7,600 a week. CFL players make about $50,00 for the year. Quinn signed a contract with Dallas for $8 million this year.
And now a two whole game suspension. That’ll deter players who worry about being cut from trying.

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Clemson coach Dabo Swinney won’t give QB Kelly Bryant, who left the team after 4 games last year, a Championship ring.
While I see his point, Dan Uggla has a 2014 WS SF Giants ring.

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Another from Marc Ragovin  “Rosie Ruiz has died. Most people take a stairway to heaven but old Rosie will probably jump onto an escalator 3/4 of the way there.”

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Donnie Jr is sending out a Trump fundraising email attacking Joaquin Castro for posting the name of Trump donors.
Hmm, for some reason he doesn’t mention, if you donate, your name too will become part of PUBLIC RECORD.

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If Trump loves El Paso so much, why doesn’t he pay the city for the $500,000 he still owes for the rally he loves to brag about so much.

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Again, after Mississippi raids….  if Trump wanted to make a point about immigrants, wages and jobs, all he would have to do is offer very high wages at say, Mar-A-Lago, fill the jobs with Americans, and then say, see, we don’t need immigrant workers.

But that would require, a, sacrificing a little bit of profit to make a point, and b, finding Americans who actually want to do those jobs.

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Trump now feuding with Jerome Powell, current Chair of the Federal Reserve.  Now, by law a President can’t fire the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board.  Maybe Donald should fire the idiot who nominated him?

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Most of what I post is snark. This isn’t.  Worth a few minutes, and have tissues handy.

Jackson Proskow: Dallas airport passengers silently salute the return of a fallen hero

Raiders WR Antonio Brown has both feet injured and blistered, reportedly caused by going into a cryotherapy machine without proper footwear.
Well this ought to do wonders to dispel the “dumb jock” image.

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All you need to know about SF Giants season:
Going into today,  Buster Posey had exactly as many home runs, 6, and RBIs, 33, as Geraldo Parra, who the Giants DFA’ed in May.

And now Parra has 7 home runs and 36 RBIs.

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Sadly the Orioles’ Chris Davis came closer to hitting his manager than SF Giants came to getting a big hit against Nationals.

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Although speaking of lousy baseball,  Marc Ragovin points out.  “The Boston Red Sox and the Pittsburgh Pirates played the first World Series in 1903. And I think they should square off again now, since both are setting back the sport over 100 years.”

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Apparently some pundits are saying Clemson only won College Football National Championship because “Alabama was worn out from the grind of a more rigorous schedule.” Well, gosh, with Duke, New Mexico State and Western Carolina on 2019 schedule are the Crimson Tide planning to use that excuse again this year?

No press other than White House employees were allowed for Trump visits to hospitals in Dayton and El Paso. Maybe it’s just me but thinking if you are honestly proud of behavior you don’t hide it.

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Anyone else notice that in all the pictures from Dayton,Trump is grinning like he’s attending a wedding at one of his resorts?

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So did ICE raid plants in Mississippi because even Trump was too embarrassed today to raid them near El Paso?

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Wonder with all the arrest pictures why we didn’t see pictures of the people who hired this immigrants in handcuffs.

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As Trump leaves Dayton he tweets about his “warm & wonderful visit. Tremendous enthusiasm & even Love. “Then he goes after “failed Presidential Candidate (0%) Sherrod Brown….”
Uh Sherrod didn’t even run.
But I bet he polls better now in Ohio than you do.

Trump told police officers in El Paso the gunman is a “coward. He gave up, just gave up.” Then Donald talked about his February rally, which he hasn’t reimbursed the city for – “we could have sold it out four times.”
This is NOT a well man.

About seven years after Matt Cain’s perfect game against a last place Houston team,  Zack Greinke, the biggest name pitcher to get traded at the deadline,  makes his Astros debut, allows five runs in six innings and still gets the win. Easily. The team is that good.

(What’s most shocking, this wasn’t at Coors Field.)

On the other hand, some things don’t change,  the Marlins are still one of the worst teams in baseball.

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Meanwhile, SF Giants DFA former All-Star and World Series defensive hero Joe Panik. And of all the things to be grateful to Panik for, don’t forget that in 2014 he meant SF Giants fans didn’t have to watch Dan Uggla any more.

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Mariners utility player Tim Beckham, the #1 pick in 2008 draft,, has been suspended for PEDs, and of course claims “tainted supplement.”
If that 2008 draft seems familiar to SF Giants fans, it’s when at #5 they got Buster Posey.

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John Lambert, 23, the founder of “Students for Trump” pleaded guilty Tuesday to running a $46,000 scam where he created a website for a fake law firm, posed as a lawyer and gave legal advice.
Wonder how long until he gets offered a job as White House Counsel?

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Apparently, besides having a rape list and a hit list, among other things, the Dayton killer liked Elizabeth Warren. So now Kellyanne Conway is ‘hopping mad’ that Elizabeth Warren isn’t being blamed for that shooting.
Uh, Charles Manson liked the Beatles, do we blame them for Sharon Tate murders?

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Damn. RIP Toni Morrison. Hadn’t thought about this quote in a while…. but she was right.
“In this country American means white. Everybody else has to hyphenate.”

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A more positive Morrison quote  “You wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down.

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Trump has no problem singling out people for condolences or praise if they are his friends or fit his agenda. But crickets on Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison.
Because he has no idea who she was, or because Obama gave her a medal?

American Crime Story features Monica Lewinsky and her affair with Bill Clinton?!! WTF? How much would most Americans now give for a President whose biggest crime was getting a blow job?

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No word on the El Paso’s killer’s arraignment or exactly where he is being held. But I’ll bet he has toothpaste.

Okay, O’Rourke isn’t close to my first choice, and until this week I couldn’t understand how he came so close to Ted Cruz. But he had a real authentic moment after El Paso killings, and is probably at his peak of popularity…
So of course Trump, on the eve of a “healing” goes after him on Twitter……

Against SF Giants, Washington Nationals won 4-0. They scored their 4 runs as follows…

1.  On a single when a runner was at first base.
2.  On a balk
3.  On a missed outfield fly ball
4.  On a steal of home in a badly handled double steal.

Good night to be watching at home. You can still drink after the 7th inning.

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Vince Carter, 42, says he will play one more season for the Atlanta Hawks then retired.
“The first time is the hardest,” said Brett Favre

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Team USA men’s basketball coach Gregg Popovich before the FIBA World Cup  “We can’t fix the divisiveness in our country, but what we can do is be a great example of how people come together for a common goal and achieve it.”   #PopovichKerr2020

48% of US women say they have played video games. So by some GOP logic shouldn’t 48% of mass shooters be female?

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As a travel agent I privately laughed some years ago when an admin wanted flights for their boss to Ohio, and when I asked where, responded “whatever the biggest airport is.””
Didn’t realize someday we’d have a President who didn’t know the cities either.#Dayton #Toledo #BowlingGreen

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Trump tweet – “Republicans and Democrats must come together and get strong background checks.” Uh, they did.   If only Donald knew someone in the Senate who could bring the bills, already passed in the House to the Senate floor for a vote.

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Stock market down over 600 points over China devaluing currency and fear of more trade wars. Who knew tariffs could be so complicated.

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As Trump belatedly semi-endorses “Red-Flag laws,” your reminder that 15 states already have them- Maryland, Connecticut, California, Washington, Oregon, Florida, Vermont, Rhode Island, Delaware, Massachusetts, Illinois, New York, Colorado, Nevada, Hawaii (and DC.)
Notice any commonality?
#BluerthanBlue…

(And two things on  Florida.  One, their law was after Pulse shooting, two, except for the Panhandle the state would be blue.)

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Trump is reportedly traveling to El Paso Wednesday. How is his staff going to keep him from ad-libbing about his beloved wall?

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Miss the days when we could have a weekend and just get upset about Red Sox and Yankees being ESPN’s game of the week. AGAIN.

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Or that MLB has to play meaningful games at the  beautiful little league stadium known as Coors Field.

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Although just wondering, why do the Red Sox EVER let David Price pitch at Yankee Stadium unless absolutely necessary?

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For those who love the good the bad and the ugly about sports, at this point it’s August 3, and pretty sure both the Tigers and Orioles will both be officially eliminated from the playoffs sometime in the middle of the month.

Wonder if in Vegas you can bet on who’ll be first?

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Who says there’s no good news these days.  A few details about NBA schedule are leaking out,  New York fans will apparently be spared having to watch the Knicks on Christmas .

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Anyone who doesn’t like politics and gun control stop reading now. Yeah, I’m REALLY pissed tonight, be warned.

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Ivanka Trump tweeted today “White supremacy, like all other forms of terrorism, is an evil that must be destroyed”

So in her defense does she think because Daddy is orange he can’t be a white Supremacist?

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Trump yesterday morning retweeted a post attacking London mayor Khan and saying he should step down over knife crimes. So what about a US President stepping down over mass shootings?

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Early days, but SF Giants have to be wondering, can they turn back the clock to July?

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16 home runs for Hunter Pence. If only SF Giants could have gotten a player like him at the deadline…

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Yeah, we all know baseball is a business. But Phillies are apparently suing design firm who helped create the Phanatic to keep their mascot from becoming a “free agent.”
Is NOTHING sacred?

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After the crowd shouted “Take it down,” four people were booted from Orioles-Blue Jays games at Camden Yards when they unfurled a large “Keep America Great, Trump 2020” banner from the second deck.

WTF were they thinking, in Baltimore Trump might be the only person more likely to be booed than the Orioles.

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John Ratcliffe withdrew his name from consideration for Director of National Intelligence after only 5 days. Wow. that’s only half a Scaramucci.

Fox News top headlines have to do with AOC’s chief of staff resigning amidst controversy. Gosh, somehow I’ve missed all their similar headlines with Trump administration resignations.

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German customs at the port of Hamburg confiscated a record 5 tons of cocaine, valued at about $1 billion, in a shipping container which was supposed to contain soybeans. Build that seawall?

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The alleged Gilroy gunman apparently killed himself after being shot several times by police. Once again, why can’t these murder-suicide assholes do it in the reverse order?

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Tom Steyer railing “Corporate money’s dictating our politics.” So what’s he doing about it? Spending heaven knows how much $$$$ on Twitter that HE earned as a VC from corporations to promote his own Presidential campaign. WTF?

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Swedish court said Rapper A$AP Rocky and his two co-defendants can be freed from jail until Aug. 14, when judges will announce their verdict.   Congrats to all those who had “about an hour” in the pool of “How long until Trump tweets taking credit?”

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How long until Trump says he COULD have cured cancer and AIDS but the Democrats blocked him?

Is there anyone left in Trump administration who isn’t a complete a**hole? Asking for a country.

I think Klay Thompson is a good guy, but in an interview he just characterized his ACL injury as “obviously the most tragic part of sports.”
Uh, of those that still can, NFL players with CTE say “Hi.”

My friend Dwight Perry adds, a couple  recent boxers might disagree too, if they were still alive.  (And further to his point, a whole lot of thoroughbred horses.)

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MLB has suspended eight players a total of 40 games for Reds-Pirates brawl. Not much thanks for one of the most watched parts of a Cincinnati-Pittsburgh game this summer.

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It’s August 1.  Does that mean the Baltimore Orioles have been officially eliminated yet?

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Broncos vs. Falcons in Hall of Fame pre-season game tonight.  And it was trending on social media. Wonder how many people who tuned in could name a player on either after the 1st quarter.

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So Tomi Lahren decided to accuse Kamala Harris of sleeping her way to the top? Funny, haven’t heard her go after Kimberly Guilfoyle for at least temporarily joining the Trump clan. Or new UN Ambassador Kelly Craft for doing the same by marrying a billionaire?

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Trump going to Cincinnati tonight for a rally. But really, with the Reds this summer hasn’t the city suffered enough?

(And whatever he said about overflow crowd, as of this morning according to the local Cincinnati Enquirer, there were still “Free tickets available)

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Cincinnati is actually a lovely city with nice people, a world-class zoo, interesting museums and great restaurants. Now that Trump has left can we Clorox The City?

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Trump spent some time at his rally today saying how awful things were in California because of Democrats. Right, that’s why the state that went solidly for Hillary then voted so many GOP congressmen out in 2018.

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Trump says of new tariffs on China “They’re paying for these tariffs. We’re not.”
And to think we once knocked George H.W. Bush as being out of touch with consumers because he was unclear on the concept of a supermarket scanner.