Left Coast Sports Babe

Again, how cool is it that the top headline story tonight on ESPN is — about a WNBA basketball game.

(In this case, the Indiana Fever beating the Phoenix Mercury

Wondering before this year how many casual sports fans could name more than one or two WNBA teams

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If the Dark Brandon plan was to have a bad debate night so President Joe Biden would FINALLY get some media coverage for the public events he has been doing regularly, it succeeded admirably.

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If the Press had been covering President Biden’s public appearances in the last year even half as much as they’ve been covering Trump’s appearances, one bad night wouldn’t have so affected many people’s perceptions of Joe.

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Biden isn’t great at nicknames for his opponents, maybe in part because he’s too nice a man.

But “Putin’s Puppy” is impressive.

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ICYMI,

J.D Vance actually is co-sponsoring legislation in the United States to outlaw birthright citizenship.

So the venture capitalist Senator who survived being born poor and desperate in Appalachia wants to make sure other children don’t get that lucky.

Very “Christian” of him.

Four days after Hurricane Beryl hit over a million people in Texas still don’t have power. And may not have it until next week with triple digit temperatures. It’s a good thing at least we’re at the end of hurricane season… Oh wait, never mind.

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Forget the really hard questions, who else wants some reporter on camera just to ask Donald Trump what NATO stands for?

·Susan Collins is the Susan Collins of Susan Collins’s

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who makes over $60 million a year, said the league is committed to “following the litigation all the way” after an LA jury ordered the NFL to pay over $5 billion in a class action lawsuit that accused the league of violating antitrust law with their Sunday Ticket subscription service.

All the way to the Supreme Court I assume.

Wonder if they’ll offer the justics box seats etc. not like this SCOTUS has shown itself susceptible to bribes from billionaires or anything…

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Rookie Pittsburgh Pirates pitching star Paul Skenes threw seven no-hit innings today but was pulled after 99 pitches.

Trying to imagine if a manager tried to pull Bob Gibson during a no-hitter. Or more recently, Madison Bumgarner in game 7 of the World Series after 60 pitches on one day’s rest. …

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Washington Post with a headline indicating they actually get it. “Biden shows foreign policy depth in news conference with few stumbles.”

Must have been written by a night editor.

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Lawrence O’Donnell, reminding us 2024 election is not reality TV show but rather choosing the leader of the free world. “You have never seen a more masterful televised Presidential press conference on foreign policy than President Biden gave tonight. Never.”

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Thinking Lawrence O’Donnell now is the closest man many Americans will ever get to watching Walter Cronkite.

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Convicted felon Trump is fundraising selling black MAGA hat Donald said he would have worn if he were sentenced today.

Thinking Trump is UNHAPPY he didn’t get sentenced. Because he would’ve appealed, all the way to SCOTUS, but could have used sentence to get more money from his cult.

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Been writing jokes for a hobby for about 30 years. Sometimes taking advantage of low hangingi fruit. Joe Biden has been a foot in mouth gaffe machine as long as I can remember. Meanwhile the world is full of articulate idiots who can read a speech.

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CNN reports: US and Germany foiled Russian plot to assassinate CEO of arms manufacturer sending weapons to Ukraine.

Imagine if “Russia, do whatever the hell you want” was in the White House.

Nancy Pelosi today, pushing back about interpretation of her morning interview: “I don’t know what’s happened to the NY Times, but they make up news.” As always, Madam Speaker Emeritus is bad-ass.

Not that it will happen but for all the talk about age and looking young, I’d love someone to challenge Donald Trump to appear without on camera without makeup.

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Meanwhile Elon Musk wants to sue advertisers who boycott Twitter. Who’s gonna explain “capitalist free market” to him?

England just voted out their Conservative government and today their soccer team got a goal in the 91st minute to send their team to the European Championship final. For those who believe that God cares and sends signs with sports.

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Tough night at Oracle Park. 10-6 loss for Giants to the Blue Jays. But on a brighter note for SF Giants fans, after SF Giants ace Logan Webb had the worst inning in recent memory, giving up seven earned runs. to Torono after getting one out in the fifth,, at least this means Webb probably won’t start the All-Star game. (Yes, it’s an honor, but historically it hasn’t gone well for Giants pitchers.)

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GOP Speaker Johnson said NATO world leaders he’s met with this week are privately telling him they’re concerned about President Biden & his ability to lead the US. Uh, this is same MAGA Mike who said God told him he was the new Moses. Take it with a large grain of Red Sea Salt.

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NY Times headline “How Mar-A-Lago Became the Center of Gravity for the Hard Right.”

Deeply buried lede “As Mar-a-Lago’s owner, Mr. Trump is the beneficiary of its profits — and the club’s evolution seems to have been good for his bottom line.”

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In California, Santa Clara County Valley Medical Center apparently dealt with over 100 firework injuries this Fourth of July. Including one patient who blew off his testicles. Does it count as a Darwin award if you survive but still remove yourself from the future gene pool?

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Meanwhile, if you want to see what federal government with no corporate regulations under second Trump administration might look like…

Take a look at GOP led Texas, two-days after Beryl, “Almost 1.7 million homes and businesses remained without power Wednesday across a swath of Texas.”.. With no estimations of when it will be restored for many of them….

Chris Hayes just complained that for all the scrutiny of President Biden that the media doesn’t cover the nonstop insanity spewing from Donald Trump’s mouth. Gosh, if only Chris Hayes knew someone in the media with a platform.

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Pundits love to tell us they think Americans would be unenthusiastic about voting for Joe Biden. But they don’t say, because they don’t know yet How unenthusiastic swing state Democrats might be about voting for a possible replacement? There is NO slam dunk answer here. Period.

SF Giants won recently on a walk off walk.

Not to be outdone, today they tied the game in the 9th with a seeing-eye single that went about 35 MPH through the infield, and a walk off wild pitch.

Baseball is a weird game.

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NY Times top headline. On Capitol Hill, Democrats Panic About Biden but Do Nothing Fixed it for NY Times: “On Capitol Hill, Republicans Panic Listening to Trump Rambling Again about Hannibal Lecter and do Nothing.”

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Non-citizens already do not vote in federal elections. What’s next, the GOP will write a bill demanding the sun set in the West?

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Anyone else wondering if Trump is still trying to figure out how to make Ivanka his running mate?

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CNN doesn’t have time to cover Trump’s Project 2025. But they have time to cover jury selection in Alec Baldwin’s manslaughter trial.

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While NATO leaders meet in DC, will someone please ask Donald Trump on camera this week if he stands by his comments about pulling the US out of NATO?

As media’s latest obsession is claiming Democrats are increasingly resigned but unhappy about backing 81 yr-old Biden. Why isn’t there more coverage of how many Republicans, including former Never-Trumpers are resigned but unhappy about backing 78 yr-old convicted felon Trump

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Stephen Colbert on RNC describing Milwaukee as “ground zero on the road back to the White House.”

“Uh, you know stuff doesn’t START at ground zero….?”

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Stephen Colbert also says if J.D. Vance is chose as Trump’s running mate he’d be the first VP candidate in 150 years with a beard. Must. Not. Make. Lindsey. Graham. Or. Tim. Scott. Jokes..

How cool is it that a brand-new SF Giants centerfielder is named an All-Star a month after Willie Mays passed away?

Heliot Ramos, age 24, was called up to SF GIants on May 8, two days after Mays’ 93rd birthday, and Ramos made a basket catch at Rickwood Field during the game that honored Mays. and he is tied or close to team lead in RBIs and home runs.

Concidence?

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In a crazy uncertain world I suppose there is some comfort in the fact that when the Yankees play the Red Sox fans of 28 other teams can complain they are ALWAYS on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball.

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And whatever else is going on in the world, how much fun will it be to see Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark as teammates on the WNBA All-Stars against the USA women’s Olympic team?

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Since Woodward & Bernstein played big part in getting Nixon to resign many in media want to emulate them.

Except Bernstein as brilliantly novelized by Nora Ephron in Heartburn is a misogynistic jerk.

Worse, Woodward hid interview w/ Trump on COVID being airborne – for book sales.

All you need to know about Maureen Dowd is that she never forgave Barack Obama for standing her up for an interview. She wasn’t fond of Bill Clinton either.

Marco Rubio, who wants to be VP, on CNN made claim that if Kamala Harris were the nominee she couldn’t run with Gavin Newsom because they are both from California. While shrugging off that he and Trump are both from Florida.

Sometimes it’s really hard to write satire.

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Judge Cannon was given one job by Donald Trump. To make sure his classified documents case never goes to trial before the election. And as bad a judge as Cannon is, she’s doing that job perfectly.

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Four people and three more in critical condition after a mass shooting at “birthday pool party” in Florence, Kentucky, just across the river from Cincinnati. And it barely makes headlines. It’s the guns, stupid.

Give me a bleeping break. Lindsey Graham: “I’m worried about Biden being the commander in chief for the next four months.” He supposedly isn’t worried about Vladmir Putin & Kim Jong Un’s good friend being commander in chief again? I hope John McCain is haunting Lindsey’s dreams.

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Gosh, for some reason Fox News seems to be ignoring the fact that in one week both Britain and now France have avoided putting their country in the hands of hard-right politicians.

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Stunning to think that with all the controversy amongst Democrats about President Biden right now, that we can count on one hand the number of leading Republicans who have called on Donald Trump – for either his crimes or dementia – to drop out.

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Bernie Sanders, 82, now one of Biden’s most vociferous surrogates.

This week he said Joe’s debate performance might have been “painful” but alternative is worse.

“I’m going to do everything I can to see Biden gets reelected.” He could have added. And Joe, 81,is such a nice young man.

Beginning to think if we knew for sure that Trump really did plan to emulate Hitler and Project 2025 is even worse than most of us can imagine, that CNN, NY Times etc would still decide it was worth trashing Biden and Democrats for ratings.

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Sadly seriously pointing out, this SCOTUS seems willing to go to any lengths to break precedent for conservative aims & to treat Trump as King.

IF Biden doesn’t run again & Harris becomes nominee, what’s to say they wouldn’t vote 6-3 that’s she’s illegitimate candidate & overturn her win?

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So remind me where in the US Constitution it says we should give judges OR journalists the power to decide who should lead our country?

WE THE PEOPLE.

(if we vote)

In 2024, the 4th of July, USA Independence Day is Election Day in England.

Also in 2024 the 5th of November, USA Election Day, is Guy Fawkes Day in England – (the day terrorists tried to blow up Parliament.)

England celebrates because the would be terrorists were stopped.

In Guy Fawkes case it was because he was caught. In the US it will be because we VOTE.

Logan Webb has pitched 7 innings or more 11 times this season for the SF Giants – the most by an MLB pitcher in 2024.

And Webb has never allowed a run in the 7th either. “

Siri what is an ace?”

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Scott Ostler has great piece in SF Chronicle on As playing next year in Sacramento. It’s 78 in Oakland now, 107 in Sacramento & field will have artificial turf. “Study at BYU found surface temperature of synthetic turf was 86.5° F hotter than grass & 37° F higher than asphalt.

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We do realize, if President Biden publicly takes a cognitive test, media will immediately demand he take another one in a few weeks. At most. All the way until November.

Whereas we take Trump’s word for “person, woman, man, camera, TV.”

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Rishi Sunak has conceded. Keir Starmer will be Britain’s next prime minister, ending 14 years of Conservative government. How long until Donald Trump calls Sunak a “sucker and loser”?