Orioles Depressing Week

The Orioles have completed another week of baseball. They have played 80 games and are one game shy of the mid point of the season.

The Highs of the Week:

During the week, the Orioles managed to end a 10 game losing streak, but they now have a 3-game streak underway. 

Chris Davis has increased his batting average to .170.

Trey Mancini is arguably the best player on the team and is sitting in the top 10 among hitters in some categories. He survived a potentially serious injury this week and is still playing baseball.

The Lows of the Week:

Sitting at 22-58 .275, there is not a doubt that the Orioles are the most frustrating team in baseball. They have increased their projected losses for the season to 118 during the week. They are 30 games out of first place and 22 games out of the wild card race. 

The modern day loss records of the 2003 Tigers (119) and 1962 Mets (120) are definitely in danger of being broken. The Mets hold the record for most losses in a baseball season of all time!

But, they are my Orioles and I continue to care. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Defender of the Homestead

Finnegan vs. Dolphin
Elkridge, MD
June 25, 2019

Finnegan is our Yorkie. He is smallish at about 5 pounds, but he thinks he is as big as Chewbacca. 

Least evening he defended the homestead from the attack of the pool cleaner. We call it a dolphin. 

The dolphin was doing its job and Finnegan was having no part of it. Seeing the dolphin as the Creature from the Black Lagoon, he dutifully barked at it each time it surfaced to ensure that it remained in the pool and did not try to attack the home. He was very energetic and persistent in his task.

Chris and I finally had to take him inside to restore peace to the neighborhood and allow the dolphin to complete its task in silence.

It is nice to have such a persistent and animated protector around, but in reality I wonder who would win during a direct confrontation? 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Equal Pay for Equal Play

I have become aware that the U.S. Women's Soccer Team, currently competing in the World Cup is being under paid. 

The women are paid less than the men, yet they are winners.

U.S. Holds Off an Ascendant Spain, for Now, at Women’s World Cup - The New York Times

The men's team never seems to make it very far in the tournament, if they even qualify for the World Cup. 

Here is the basis of the pay dispute. 

The main complaints from the players involve claims of wage discrimination. The petitioners pointed out that men receive a $5,000 bonus for a loss in a friendly match, while women receive nothing for a loss or a draw. However, when the teams win, the men receive as much as $17,625, but women only receive $1,350. Further, in 2011, when the women placed second in their World Cup, they were awarded $1.8 million, split evenly among the 24 players on the team. The men's team made it only to the round of 16 that year; however, they were awarded $5 million. In 2014, when Germany won the Men's World Cup, the US team was awarded $35 million by FIFA, while the women received 5% of that for their Cup victory in 2015. (Source: Wikipedia)

The women's team continues to be a source of national pride, while the men's team is often a source of national embarrassment. It seems that the pay for playing, winning, losing, or drawing should be the same for both teams. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - June 24, 2019

1. It, believe it or not, is the last  Monday of June. Summer began last week and already the days are getting shorter, 

2. That seemingly far-off, mid-summer holiday, Independence Day, is next week! 

Finnegan Looking for Chris to Return
Elkridge, MD
June 22, 2019

3. The presidential election season is upon us already, with 16 and a half months left before Election Day 2020.

4. Finnegan is definitely attached to Chris. On Saturday, while she was out of town for a wedding, Finnegan stood on the sidewalk for quite a few minutes looking down the driveway hoping that he would see Chris' vehicle with her driving. 

5. The flowers in the flower boxes are in full bloom as the long days of summer have stimulated their growth.

6. The Orioles ended a 10-game losing streak on Saturday only to begin a new one on Sunday with a disappointing 13-3 loss to the Mariners. With the loss yesterday, the team remains on track to lose 117 games, which is two more losses than last year's dismal showing.

7. I heard an interesting comment yesterday, as we were cooking ears ob corn in the microwave in 2 minutes. "How did we cook before microwaves?" I remember that, we cooked the old fashioned way with pots and pans on a stove! 

8. Since I almost always mention the weather when it is bad, I have to note that we have had four in a row days free from rain. I actually had to water the outdoor plants yesterday. It has been fantastic.

9. On this Day in History. 

On this day in 1997, U.S. Air Force officials release a 231-page report dismissing long-standing claims of an alien spacecraft crash in Roswell, New Mexico, almost exactly 50 years earlier.

Public interest in Unidentified Flying Objects, or UFOs, began to flourish in the 1940s, when developments in space travel and the dawn of the atomic age caused many Americans to turn their attention to the skies. The town of Roswell, located near the Pecos River in southeastern New Mexico, became a magnet for UFO believers due to the strange events of early July 1947, when ranch foreman W.W. Brazel found a strange, shiny material scattered over some of his land. He turned the material over to the sheriff, who passed it on to authorities at the nearby Air Force base. On July 8, Air Force officials announced they had recovered the wreckage of a “flying disk.” A local newspaper put the story on its front page, launching Roswell into the spotlight of the public’s UFO fascination.



Headlines

Trump’s Iran Reversal Raises Allies’ Doubts Over His Tactics, and U.S. Power - The New York Times

Chennai, an Indian City of Nearly 5 Million, Is Running Out of Water - The New York Times

Trump to visit South Korea as Pompeo raises hope for new North Korea talks after letter - Reuters
U.S. cyber attacks on Iranian targets not successful, Iran minister says - Reuters

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week


Good evening to all of you from California. Tonight, I'd like to talk to you about issues. Issues which I think are involved or should be involved in this primary election season. I'm a candidate for the Republican nomination for president. But I hope that you who are Independents and Democrats will let me talk to you also tonight because the problems facing our country are problems that just dont bear any party label.

In this election season the White House is telling us a solid economic recovery is taking place. It claims a slight drop in unemployment. It says that prices arent going up as fast, but they are still going up, and that the stock market has shown some gains. But, in fact, things seem just about as they were back in the 1972 election year.

-- To Restore America, Ronald Reagan's Campaign Address March 31, 1976

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Sunday Golf

I played golf for the first time since early-April this morning. 

Crofton Country Club
15th Green
June 23, 2019

It was an early morning because I had to take care of Jeremy's dogs before going to the course for the 7:08 AM Tee-time. But it certainly was good to get out onto the course and hit the small white ball around. I got my money's worth since it took me more strokes to get the ball into the holes than the other guys I was playing with. All-in-all, it was a great morning and despite two terrible blow-up holes, I did reasonably well for not having played in such a long time. 

It was in the 50's as we teed off, but soon got warm and it was 81 degrees when we holed out on the 18th green at about 11:00 AM. 

Well, maybe another Sunday morning soon.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Solstice Celebration

Cod and Crabmeat
June 21, 2019

Dinner is a great meal, especially when done with panache and elegance as it was last evening to celebrate the solstice. I gathered with friends to enjoy the meal which celebrated the end of the workweek and the start of both the weekend and the summer.

We gather almost every Friday night--but last night the main course was very special and may have pushed the bar to its limit. 

The conversation was great and as the evening deepened into darkness, our solstice celebration began to break upon--but we definitely celebrated the longest day of the year in a fabulous fashion and with great food and no shortage of well chosen wines. 

Welcome Summer! The best season of the year!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Orioles Train Wreck

Catastrophe. That is how the Orioles season is going right now. Some might call it a train wreck.

It is, believe it or not, worse than last year. Sporting a 21-54 .284 worst record in baseball, they are even worse than last year's edition which lost 115 games. Given their current record they are on pace to lose 117 games this year. And it could get worse!

Their most recent series in Oakland was another sweep--0-3 to start a road trip. Chris Davis' batting average has dropped to .159. The best player on the team, Trey Mancini, was hit on the elbow during the last game and is out for an unspecified period of time. 

The Orioles have used 27 different pitchers this year en route to a MLB worst team ERA of 5.72. They have given up a MLB leading 148 homers. They are currently in 30th place in all of baseball. Did I mention that there are only 30 teams in MLB?

Last night in Seattle they managed managed to lose again 5-2. They now 0-4 for the current West Coast road trip.

And so the season continues to be even more dismal than I expected.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Ugh, The Rain

Raining at the House
June 19, 2019

The daily rains came yesterday evening. Again!

It is amazing how much rain we have been experiencing. It should make for a fun 4th of July because there should be no fire hazard!

Aside from that, however, we are getting far too much rain. It really makes for some difficult times trying to get projects accomplished around the house. 

Last night the rain came straight down. It came in torrents. 

It was much the same for the past four nights. It is almost like winter when we are trapped inside.

At least I do not have to add water to the pool--I have been taking water out because it is too full. 

Hopefully the weather will be better this weekend. Maybe I will be able to play some golf!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Seventeen Months

Here we go again--perhaps it never really ended? 

The presidential election season is running hot and perhaps the candidates will burn themselves out before the actual November 3, 2020 elections arrive.

Here is what happened yesterday:

Trump, at Rally in Florida, Kicks Off His 2020 Re-election Bid - The New York Times

Reading the article, it sounds like more of the same. Here is what the article said about the kickoff. 

President Trump delivered a fierce denunciation of the news media, the political establishment and what he called his radical opponents on Tuesday as he opened his re-election campaign in front of a huge crowd of raucous supporters by evoking the dark messaging and personal grievances that animated his 2016 victory.

It appears that some presidential candidates believe that the road to the White House is paved with hate-mongering, stoking the fires of fear, and blaming others for personal shortfalls. 

In my humble opinion, I think is is time for a different and more coherent and inclusive approach to the presidency. We should celebrate and protect the diversity embodied in the Constitution rather than trying to limit the application of its protected freedoms. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Summer's Threshold

Summer, the best season of the year is upon us. 

I was out working by the pool and noticed this small butterfly. It was a reminder that summer is upon me.

Already this season the fireflies have been gracing the evening providing their cold light to brighten the evening darkness.

As the evenings have stayed moderate and the pool has warmed, the joy associated being outside has increased. I expect to see more summertime animals to grace my poolside lounging.

Friday will be one of the longest days of the year, in terms of sunlight, 14h 56m 19s. I will enjoy every second of the longest day of the year. 

Bring on the sun and the summer.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD