Left Coast Sports Babe

Am a big Becky Hammon fan so glad to see her coach Aces to WNBA finals. But Sue Bird, who will be 42 next month, is impressive as h*ll.

21 years as professional athlete all w/ Seattle Storm & still great in 2022 playoffs. (Only 8 men have played 20 years in NBA.)

Now back to snark.

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All this effort to add an extra wild card team to MLB, so that six make the playoffs in each league.. and all but about seven teams per league are likely to be eliminated before the last week of the season.

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Stephen Colbert talks about how Aileen Cannon was nominated by the Former Guyt & “was confirmed after 2020 election… It’s like head ref of Super Bowl was Tom Brady’s dad.”

Well, actually it does feel sometimes like NFL refs are all Tom Brady’s dad. Otherwise good point.

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Dr. Oz now saying if he were in the Senate that he would have voted to certify Biden’s election. This is going to work as well to get undecided voters as CNN’s attempt to be Fox News is going to work to get conservative viewers.

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Retiring PA Sen. Toomey asked if he’d support GOP gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano, “I have limit of how many political campaigns I’m getting involved in. Going to stick to Senate race & handful of House races.” He didn’t think women would buy “I’ll be busy washing my hair?

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Calif. Gov Newsom signed bill that could raise mimimum wage for fast-food restaurants part of chains w/ more than 100 units nationwide to $22 an hour.

Some complaining higher pay will raise prices. As opposed to McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski being paid $20 million in 2021?

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Dear media. Since it’s all about controversy and clickbait, here’s a suggestion: Please ask on camera, GOP Senate and House members who claim to be pro-law and order, what they think about Velveeta Voldemort saying “FBI & DOJ have become vicious monsters.”

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Hillary Clinton was pilloried because she used private email server some said MIGHT have been less than secure. Velveeta Voldemort left nuclear secrets lying scattered around his open-to-anyone-for-a-price resort like discarded cheeseburger wrappers. See the difference?

Stephen Colbert on same page as many Americans (including me) on Joe Biden’s saying some of this extreme GOP philosophy is like “semi-facism.” “Some people think that’s wrong thing to say & I agree. Semi? It’s not like they tried to overthrow the election just a little bit.”

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It was 105 degrees in Palo Alto, California right now.

No reporter could “both sides” it into feeling comfortable.

Just as these days no reporter can “both sides” MAGA Trumpies into being reasonable.

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If Velveeta Voldemort did shoot someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue, media now would criticize President Biden for calling him a murderer.

Congratulations to Frances Tiafoe. But okay, who before today had even heard of Frances Tiafoe? #USOpen

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His name is Lewis Brinson. I hadn’t heard of him either. 1st round draft pick in 2012. Mostly a career minor leaguer, just picked up by SF Giants from Astros Triple A team. Two home runs tonight against the LA Dodgers. Sometimes I LOVE baseball #ForeverGiant

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Marco Rubio says classified documents at Mar-A-Lago were just “a storage problem.” Well, it’s not like Rubio has much familiarity with national security. He’s only vice-chair of the Senate intelligence committee.

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When they prove they’re lying on own website:

Fox News headline: “Biden slams half of America again, breaking unity promise repeatedly.”

Then their article quotes Joe: I “want to be very clear up front, not every Republican is a MAGA Republican. Not every Republican embraces that extreme ideology. I know because I’ve been able to work with mainstream Republicans in my whole career.”

But the extreme MAGA Republicans in Congress have chosen to go backwards, full of anger, violence, hate and division.”

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Also President Biden to a heckler ‘Let him go, everyone’s entitled to be an idiot.” V

Velveeta Voldemort at one of his rallies: “If you see somebody with a tomato, knock the crap out of them.” But Joe’s the “mean” one?

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So what now? Trump is going to demand Rudy Giuliani be appointed Special Master?

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One of many Velveeta Voldemort fundraising emails today: “Midterm Elections are absolutely vital to future of our great Nation” Politicians often donate $$ to colleagues. But he keeps it ALL for himself. Only good thing. Money lining his pockets doesn’t go to GOP candidates.

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Ailleen Cannon, Federalist Society judge who ruled Special Master was required to review documents found at Mar-A-Lago, said in her 2019 nomination questionnaire she was originally chosen as potential judge by Marco Rubio. If you know anyone in Florida who needed any more reason to vote for Val Demings.

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With all these MAGA candidates wiping anti-abortion language off their websites, remember, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Coney Barrett didn’t talk about taking away women’s freedom during their confirmation hearings either.

People are complicated. Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh is virulently anti-choice, I’d never vote for him for anything. But he hired Milan Bolden-Morris. And yesterday Milan Bolden-Morris becomes first female grad assistant to coach for a Big Ten team.

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Gabe Kapler just gave Carlos Rodon another reason to consider re-signing with SF Giants.

Ignoring analytics to let a tiring Rodon finish a really tough inning with a 3-0 lead, bases loaded, one out. (Carlos got out of it.) Imagine what Rodon could do with Aaron Judge helping him out with run support.

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So all that was necessary for the SF Giants to start playing like a playoff team was for them basically to be eliminated from the playoffs? Okay then.

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Bummed that coach Becky Hammon left the San Antonio Spurs. On the other hand, she’s already been named WNBA coach of the year. And while i admittedly don’t watch much of WNBA, the end in regulation of tonight’s playoff game between Las Vegas Aces and Seattle Storm is worth watching.

https://www.espn.com/wnba/story?id=34525767&slug=las-vegas-aces-prevail-ot-seattle-storm-wild-record-setting-end-regulation

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Meanwhile, with about 4 weeks left in the regular MLB season, do the rules say someone HAS to win the AL Central?

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Hey media. It’s not “hate speech” if you simply call out people who hate democracy.

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Imagine how the media would cover it if Hillary Clinton had a rally.

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Heck time for another reminder that when Hillary Clinton simply wrote a book saying “What Happened?” many including the media were all over her for being a sore loser.

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Used to be mainstream media television journalists aspired to be like Tim Russert. Now seems like they aspire to be Chuck Todd.

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Same media with their knickers in a knot about President Biden’s speech possibly being politically divisive could show us about actual U.S. political division by simply asking EVERY candidate at state and local levels – “Who won the 2020 Presidential Election?”

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Former guy who on Jan 6 wanted to hang his VP, who told a mob the election was stolen & if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore” just claimed Joe Biden gave “the most vicious, hateful & divisive speech ever delivered by an American president,”

SF Giants scored 18 runs in their 7 game losing streak. They scored 13 tonight. Baseball is a funny game.

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But yeah, 15-25 since the All-Star break, losers of 5 of 6, 3 runs or fewer 6 times in last 7 days, and batting .105 with runners in scoring position. It’s been a pretty bad run for the Giants.

Oh wait, never mind, that above sentence is about the NY Yankees.

(who still have a 5 game lead in the AL East.)

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College Football approved expanding 4-team playoff format to 12, starting by 2026 Fear has been extra playoff weeks would be hard for student-athletes. But w/ new mega conferences requiring regular cross country flights, guess CFP & NCAA gave up on fiction of “student-athletes.”

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In Argentina, a man tried to assassinate the Vice President. The country canceled all football (soccer) matches. Imagine if the NFL had done the same after January 6 having heard the mob wanted to “hang Mike Pence”

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Bill Barr knew Velveeta Voldemort was a snake when he picked him up.

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So who’s next to go at CNN? Jim Acosta, Anderson Cooper or Don Lemon? Since apparently speaking truth is now considered partisan.

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Biden didn’t attack all Trump supporters last night. He attacked”MAGA Republicans,” adding “not every Republican embraces their extreme ideology.” If long-time Trump supporter Liz Cheney isn’t conservative enough now because she believes in rule of law, you’re a MAGA Republican.

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Many in the media think turning the US into an authoritarian dictatorship is good for ratings. Have they actually paid attention to what happens to media in a real authoritarian dictatorship?

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It’s not whether or not there are classified documents buried with Ivana. It’s that we have a former President of the United States who is so corrupt and self-serving that we seriously wouldn’t put it past him.

A potential tragicomic detail about the classified documents Velveeta Voldemort took to Mar-A-Lago – have to think there’s a good chance some of them ended up in the garbage covered with spilled Diet Coke and/or ketchup.

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Finally, a brief break from snark, how lucky were all of us to be able to watch Serena Williams?

“You can’t love your country only when you win.”

True sports fans get that statement.

Why doesn’t everyone?

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British Open champion Cameron Smith just said it was “unfair” that players on LIV Golf tour will not receive world ranking points & may not be able to get into major events.

You know who will never be able to attend a major golf event?

Jamal Khashoggi

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“An overdue library book?”

Uh, I did college thesis on Katheryn Howard, Henry VIII’s 5th wife. Like many history students, worked w/ a few valuable books & documents.

They were hardly important to national security, US or British, but libraries don’t even let you take that kind of book home.

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US Presidents have made speeches to rally Americans before. But has there ever been a speech where a President encouraged us to fight for our democracy against enemies not “foreign” but “domestic?”

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President Biden “Not every Republican, not even most Republicans are MAGA extremists, but the Republican party is dominated, driven and intimidated by Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans. And that is a threat to this country.” No lies detected.

If you’re attending a Presidential speech and you think appropriate conduct is to yell “F*ck Joe Biden” during the speech then you might be one of those extreme MAGA Republicans Biden was warning us about.

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Kevin McCarthy bemoaning America, claiming empty shelves & high prices at stores mean “children can’t get the nutrition they need.” While GOP cut child tax credit & many in GOP voted to cut school lunches…. One of those moments I really wish I had Nerf ball to throw at TV.

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Newly elected Alaska Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola said Sarah Palin texted congratulations last night & called her ‘a real Alaskan chick. Beautiful and smart and tough.” Uh oh, will Sarah now be on Velveeta Voldemort’s’ “RINO” list? For an actual gracious moment in defeat?

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Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves says there is “No long-term solution yet for the water crisis.” Maybe if the state tries electing more Democrats?

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Hunter Biden, the son of the President, is not an advisor to his father and is not involved in politics. Ginni Thomas, wife of a sitting SCOTUS judge, DOES advise her husband. And she tried to overturn an election. See the difference?

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Amy Klobuchar, after returning from a trip to Ukraine with GOP Senator Rob Portman talked with Alex Wagner about how Ukrainians are putting their lives on the line.

She points out President Biden is asking Americans to put their votes on the line. And reminds us of Biden’s line: “We honor the will of the people.”

That’s democracy.