Funny Stuff

Looking out of the front window, it was just raining cats and dogs, really coming down.  It still is, although now not quite as heavily.  I can easily see the big raindrops on the large puddles on the street.  Yet, here near the back of the house, it is barely sprinkling.  It's raining, yes, but not as hard as out front.  Why is that?

Watching the Tigers last night, I was struck by a couple of things.  Last week I complained that so few players, at any levels, including the MLB, actually know how to bunt for a hit.  No, I'm not talking about sacrifice bunting.  Even with nobody on it seems, those very few who attempt to bunt square around.  It can't be a sacrifice since nobody is on base.  One would think this would be a great offensive weapon.  There'd be an occasional hit.  It would stymie the increasingly popular shifts.  It would force infielders to move in several steps, opening the possibility of sneaking ground balls or line drives past the shallower infielders.  Then, last night while watching with Michael, a Tampa Bay Devil Rays' player dropped a perfect bunt for a hit.  Indeed, it could be deemed a sacrifice, since there was a runner on second.  But the batter didn't square around; rather he bunted for a hit.  And it was perfectly placed, although the element of surprise didn't require perfection.  It was great to see.  The only downside was the replay only showed the ball staying fair as the Tiger fielders let it roll to see if it would go foul.  I wanted to see the guy's technique again; it was a thing of beauty.

The Tiger outfielders messed up two or three fly balls, too.  It may have been losing the balls in the roof--an indoor stadium.  But it sure looked like miscommunication between players.  In the end, the poor outfield play, along with the continued lousy relief pitching, cost the Tigers a win.

BTW, Miguel Cabrera has found his stroke.  He hit a rocket--a smoking line drive--451 feet the other night.  Last night he had three hits.  Today the announcer (I wasn't watching.) said he "hit four balls sharply with nothing to show for it."  He sure is fun to watch.

I admit if I'd be surprised if I watched that O'Reilly guy's show on Fox three times, if that.  I don't remember ever watching it.  I have no idea if the women's complaints against him are valid.  If they are, throw the book at him.  Don't try to defend him, not at all.  If he's the cad that is claimed, he deserves nothing but scorn.  Why did he get the millions of dollars in a buyout?  Make him sue to get it so all this sordid stuff can become public.  This may or may not be a different thing ("Oh, that's different......"), but why does Dollar Bill Clinton still get hundreds of thousands of dollars for speeches?  And, when he speaks, where are the women's groups who should be protesting?  For that matter, why don't the women's groups protest Hillary Clinton for her aiding and abetting in trying to cover up her husband's escapades?

I'm back to reading books from 30 or so years ago.  This one now is a sequel to My Name Is Asher Lev--The Gift of Asher Lev.  I finished My Name a month or so ago and liked it as much as I remembered liking it.  I even gave it, with high recommendations, to a friend to read.  If I can recall that far back, I liked The Gift even more.  This is the third Chaim Potok novel I've reread and I'm glad I have done so.

BTW, now it's raining equally hard front and back.  Whew!