Wednesday, February 10, 2021

Baseball is Almost Back!

The winter of my discontent is nearly over. It appears that baseball will be back on time. 

Spring training in Sarasota for the Orioles is about to begin. Pitchers and catchers report on February 16th. But even better, the one player that the Orioles missed last year has already reported to camp-- Trey Mancini! Recovering from colon cancer, Trey appears ready to hit the field and be the team leader.

Covid has changed baseball. Doubleheaders will now be seven inning games and extra innings will start with a runner on second. I fear that the era 19 inning games is over. Baseball has become to commercialized to allow giving away free games as extra inning affairs.

Here is the big news: Opening Day is April 1st. Pushing back the start of the season has been dropped.

Take me out to the ball park--I hope.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD


Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Super Bowl LV Review

From start to finish the BIG game fell short of expectations. 

It was not the most super of Super Bowls. 

The expected matchup between the quarterbacks did not materialize. I was expecting an offensive led game, but instead it was a one-sided affair. 

Of course, part of my disappointment has to do with the Chiefs losing 31-9 to the Bucs. But, it goes much further than that. There was no drama. Kansas City was never in the game. The offense never got into a rhythm and the defense made stupid penalties at critical times.

The highlight of the game was the flyover of bombers: B-1B, B-2, and B-52. Now that really excited me to see the the backbone and workhorses of the Air Force's power projection force on display. 

The halftime show left me wondering--what was that? I have an idea for next year's halftime show--get the best rated college marching band and have them do a classic show to restore the roots of football to the big game.

That may be the problem. The Super Bowl has strayed too far from the roots of the game. It has become primetime entertainment rather than a sporting event.

Even the commercials left me wondering--why? 

Well, there is next year, right? Maybe things will change.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD


Monday, February 8, 2021

Monday Musings - February 8, 2021


 


1. Well, here it is--the second Monday of February 2021. It is the Monday after the Super Bowl. There are 46 Mondays remaining in the year. 

2. The tax man cometh! April 15th is just two short months away and I get to pay for all of the stimulus checks that others received.

3. The Super Bowl, wasn't. Kansas City failed to board the jet and didn't show up to play their game.  They demonstrated a lack of defense, and the offensive line failed to protect Mahomes. Tom Brady won a record 5th MVP and the Bucs beat the Chiefs 31-9. 

4. The predicted snow for the weekend thankfully failed to materialize. I have come to expect the forecasts to be wrong. That is a dangerous situation.

5. The week ahead could be a bit tumultuous with the Impeachment Trial in the Senate to provide comedic relief. It is a classic case of trying to close the barn door after the horses have escaped. Yet, inciting an insurrection is not a protected act under the Constitution.

6. Today in History. On February 8, 1943, Japanese troops evacuate Guadalcanal, leaving the island in Allied possession after a prolonged campaign. The American victory paved the way for other Allied wins in the Solomon Islands.

Guadalcanal is the largest of the Solomons, a group of 992 islands and atolls, 347 of which are inhabited, in the South Pacific Ocean. The Solomons, which are located northeast of Australia and have 87 Indigenous languages, were introduced to Europe in 1568 by the Spanish navigator Alvaro de Mendana de Neyra (1541-95). In 1893, the British annexed Guadalcanal, along with the other central and southern Solomons. The Germans took control of the northern Solomons in 1885, but transferred these islands, except for Bougainville and Buka (which eventually went to the Australians) to the British in 1900.




SoftBank Turns $11 Billion Profit, Helped by DoorDash - The Wall Street Journal

Rollout of AstraZeneca Covid-19 Vaccine Halted in South Africa - The Wall Street Journal

Impeachment Case Aims to Marshal Outrage of Capitol Attack - The New York Times

France’s Latest Covid Measure: Letting Workers Eat at Their Desks - The New York Times

Biden says Trump administration’s handling of pandemic was ‘more dire than we thought’ - The Washington Post

Four skiers killed in Utah, bringing U.S. avalanche death toll to 21 this season - The Washington Post

Monks and nurses join nationwide protests against Myanmar coup - Reuters

Transports of delight: Chinese get a taste of home for Lunar New Year - Reuters




Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

  • “As the years pass, if you have let yourselves absorb the spirit and tradition of this place, you’ll find the 4 years you’ve spent here living in your memory as a rich and important part of your life. Oh, you’ll have some regrets along with the happy memories. I let football and other extracurricular activities eat into my study time with the result that my grade average was closer to the C level required for eligibility than it was to straight A’s. And even now I wonder what I might have accomplished if I’d studied harder.” (May 9, 1982)



-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Sunday, February 7, 2021

Insomnia

Ugh. I hate it when I wake up at 4 AM and can't get back to sleep.

I want to sleep, but I just can't. I lay there--trying to calm my mind. Sometimes it works. 

This morning it did not.

I cannot believe all of the crazy things I can think about during the early hours of the morning. Most of them nonsense. 

Did it snow? Will it snow? Why do I care?

I went downstairs and laid on the couch to try to sleep a bit more. It was met with mixed success.

Someday I need to learn to sleep in.

It will be a busy day. 


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Saturday, February 6, 2021

SUPER!

 

In a manner that none expected to happen, it is Super Bowl Weekend. It is different, there are few, if any, fans at the site of the big game. but, the game will go on despite coronavirus. And it will occur on the date planned many months ago. 

That the game is going to happen on time is testament to the American spirit. Through a season fraught with rescheduled games and m missing players--the NFL player on and provided quality entertainment for a country suffering the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic of any country in the entire world.

This morning there is news of an automobile crash with injuries to children involving the linebackers coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, who is the son of head coach Andy Reid and will miss the game.

But--the game will go on.

And what a contest it will be pitting the greatest of all time (GOAT) quarterback against the clear rival to that title. That would be Tom Brady (GOAT) versus Patrick Mahomes (GOAT wannabe).

I am excited for this game because I am expecting an offensive show and a high scoring game. Both quarterbacks should be able to pick apart the opposing defense with ease. It will be a matter of which offensive line gives their "gunslinger" enough time to find receivers down field. 

I am a Kansas City fan from my youth. I remember years ago as Chris and I were driving through Kansas City while traveling that I made us exit the interstate so that I could see the famous Arrowhead Stadium. So, it should be no surprise that I am again cheering for the Chiefs to win and become repeat champions. 

Bob's prediction: Chiefs 37 and Buccaneers 34. I will even go further and predict that the Bucs will miss the tying field goal (from 47 yards) on the last play of the game. 

Disclaimer: I am NOT a professional handicapper.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD


Friday, February 5, 2021

It Won't Go Away

The election just won't go away. 

It seems that people are actually going to be held accountable for the misleading and false statements they made or repeated in the absence of evidence. 

This morning in The Wall Street Journal I found this headline:

Smartmatic Sues Fox News Over Election Claims

In reading the article I am at the same time gratified and concerned. Here is a quote from the article:

The suit, filed Thursday in a New York court, focuses on a series of statements made about Smartmatic on Fox News by lawyers who supported former President Donald Trump’s claims that the election was rigged, including Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell. The lawsuit also mentions remarks made about Smartmatic by Fox News Media anchors including Lou Dobbs and Maria Bartiromo.

Smartmatic’s complaint claims that the segments on Fox News contained numerous errors involving the reliability of its technology, and that Fox News knew its statements about Smartmatic were untruthful.

While I am happy that people are being held accountable for their words and the damage it has subsequently done to companies and people, I am concerned that a news organization is at the center of the complaint. News organizations are supposed to report news--both sides and allow the viewers to make decisions. Perhaps this suit would suggest that Fox News is not a news organization, but rather a mouthpiece for right-wing disinformation?

And then there is the impeachment trial coming next week. Will anything good come of it? We all knew when the House of Representatives voted to impeach the then president a second time that the Senate would likely not vote to convict. And apparently even before the trial begins it appears there are not nearly enough votes to potentially convict. I am saddened that so many senators have so short a memory. 

But we, who are doing the best to make it in our day-to-day lives need to move on. We cannot continue to look behind us or we will not see the obstacles yet to come. 

I wish our Congress would stop looking in the rearview mirror and start supporting our president in planning to meet the future.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD  


Thursday, February 4, 2021

My Dog's Life

Makayla in the Snow
Elkridge, MD
February 2, 2021
I love my dog, Makayla.

She is at the same time a companion and a pest. The have developed an understanding and when she needs something she makes her requirements known. I am generally able to distinguish between wanting more food, needing to got outside, and just wanting another treat. 

She has a good life. 

Makayla Rolling in the Snow
Elkridge, MD
February 2, 2021
She also likes snow!

 She likes the snow a lot. On Tuesday morning she went outside and laid in the snow and just rolled around. I could tell that the old girl, she is 12 years old now, really enjoyed being outside in the snow. She rolled and rolled in the cold white precipitation.

Makayla keeps me grounded and she can be a pain, but when she reminds me of the simple pleasures that life can bring, I remember why I have a dog. 


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Wednesday, February 3, 2021

The Finger of God

Finger of God
Patagonia, Argentina
My video biking trainer pointed out the Finger of God as I continued my biking workout through Patagonia yesterday. I tried to find the exact spot on a map, but could not. The rocks do look like the Finger of God pointing up to the sky. I'm glad that it was the index finger and not some other digit. I think the trainer said that we were riding the Road of Enchantment. 

I had an enjoyable and tough ride along a river while the snow was melting outside of my house. Another day of total escapism. I was lucky because I was delayed in going to work and I was able to ride before leaving the house. I almost didn't know what to do with myself when I got home in the afternoon because I and already done my ride for the day. 

It was better than the news of increasing mutant strains of COVID and a skyrocketing death count. 

I am becoming more burned out by the news. I think it is the mid-Winter burn-out while waiting for the promise of Springtime to get outside again and enjoy the world. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

Biking through Storms

Chris on the Bike
Elkridge, MD
January 31, 2021
With all of the political activity in the country during this past year, I had forgotten how therapeutic it is to write about the weather.

The weather just is and there is nothing we can do about it except prepare and cope. 

Weather is the wildcard in our lives. Plans change with the weather. We are currently ending one pair of Winter storms and preparing for the coming weekend onslaught of snow and ice.

What has been different this year is that despite the COVID-19 closures, and the weather Chris and I can visit other places from the safety of our own home and workout. Chris is currently biking through Montana while I am biking through Patagonia, Argentina. 

No matter the weather outside, we are able to raise out heart rates into the training zone and get a good cardio workout. 

We should be ready for the springtime, no problem!

Biking through the storms is the best.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday, February 1, 2021

Monday Musings - February 1, 2020

 



1. It is Monday, February 1st. Obviously it is the first Monday in February and the 5th Monday of 2021. There are 47 weeks remaining in the year.

As the Storm Began
Elkridge, MD
January 31, 2021
2. We received about 3 inches of snowfall. Not nearly as much as forecast, but enough so that I used the snow thrower twice and helped a number of neighbors get clear. 

3. It was a weird Sunday without football. Next week: The Super Bowl. Let me put it out there right now. Like last year: Go Kansas City!

4. Thinking of warmer climates? I know that I am. I am not a fan of snow and cold. 

About Sunset as the Storm Continued
Elkridge, MD
January 31, 2021
5. As it turned out I did not watch the Farmers Insurance Open yesterday. I was busy with other things including using my show thrower.

6. Orioles pitchers and catchers are supposed to report to Spring Training in 15 days, but MLB may delay the start of the season and Spring Training.

7. The hard reality of a snow day and virtual learning was evident this morning. The kids attending public school were still scheduled to receive virtual instruction despite the freezing rain when most all of the private schools were closed. 

8. Today in History. February 1, 1884: The first portion, or fascicle, of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), considered the most comprehensive and accurate dictionary of the English language, is published. Today, the OED is the definitive authority on the meaning, pronunciation and history of over half a million English words, past and present




Not Yet Desperate, Japan and South Korea Plod Toward Vaccinations - The New York Times

Russia Protesters Defy Show of Force as Signs of Kremlin Anxiety Mount - The New York Times

Exxon, Chevron CEOs Discussed Merger - The Wall Street Journal

Jan. 6 Rally Funded by Trump Donor, Helped by Alex Jones - The Wall Street Journal

Trump’s legal team exits as he urges defense to focus on false election claims - The Washington Post

Experts urge faster vaccinations and efforts to curb spread in response to virus variants - The Washington Post

Wall Street gears up for another Reddit traders bout - Reuters

Shell targets power trading and hydrogen in climate drive - Reuters


Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

We honor the giants of our history not by going back but forward to the dreams their vision foresaw. My fellow citizens, this nation is poised for greatness. The time has come to proceed toward a great new challenge -- a second American Revolution of hope and opportunity; a revolution carrying us to new heights of progress by pushing back frontiers of knowledge and space; a revolution of spirit that taps the soul of America, enabling us to summon greater strength than we've ever known; and a revolution that carries beyond our shores the golden promise of human freedom in a world of peace.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

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