Last Wednesday evening, NY Mets brass rushed into a panic room after Edwin Sugar Díaz, the best paid reliever in baseball, tore his patellar tendon. Díaz got injured while celebrating with fellow #TeamRubio mates, after PR eliminated the Dominican Republic 5-2 in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. It felt kinda… Deflating.
You: How deflating was it?
I felt for Díaz, a victim of a major, yoooge fluke. Slipping in bathtub and breaking your neck is more probable (source: Secopad Marketing Labs). It was a fluke injury, something inconceivable to the gaggle of scolds calling for the end of these unnatural baseball exhibitions that have been playing in Asia and the US for the past several weeks. Christ; almost everyone paid money to comment on sports is a certified expert on what already happened—retrospective savants who, in colloquial boricua, tell you it’s a dog after cupping its balls.
It goes like this: if it happened, it’s possible. And if it’s possible, it’s foreseeable—foreseeable! Which means that the injury is the product of, of… something. Yeah, something that must be done away forever!, goes the think-of-the-chilluns alarmist soapboxing.
It’s simplistic bullshit, and, as provocation, the rotting fruit fallen off the taeks tree.
Yeah it pisses me off, but I’ll try being objective. Let’s see… Ok, I guess not all Democrats are concerned about the sex lives of abuelas.
Shit happens. Loads of crap are beyond ones’ control. There is risk in everything. In everything. I have nothing against folks who always pick the safest alternative. Hell, that takes discipline. Much respect, you consistent toe-dippers you.
But I have no patience for fuckers who rush to pick the least fun alternative. Being a coward AND a spoilsport is sad way to live.
Bonus! Implying that the MLB is the only entity noble enough to exploit income from baseball is… Wow. You, sir, are an action figure.
The WBC is big in the Caribbean and in Korea and Japan. PR against Dominicana is like Falcons vs. Saints, Haagen Dazs vs. Ben & Jerry’s, Bears vs. Packers and Probity vs. Dan Snyder all rolled into one. They should hold the WBC every three years. And eventually the World Series will be this tournament because sometime all people born before 1970 will die, Pete Rose will get into FanDuel’s Hall of Fame, and Roger Clemens will find someone who is not beneath him.
NFL NEWS
-Oh! Almost forgot. Houston Astro José Altuve is sidelined indefinitely for a fractured right thumb by a bean ball in yesterday’s Venezuela @ USA! USA! According to what little I know of current baseball, pitcher Daniel Bard is a hero to mankind.
-Some signings, nothing of consequence. I just didn’t have the heart to delete the section header. Here’s a link to English espendeportes, if yer ticklish curiosity-wise.
SPROTS TONITE
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Hockey gets eastern times, glossy paper stock:
All times Central
Professional Roundball
Creighton (6) vs Baylor (3) – 6:10
Fairleigh Dickinson (16) vs Florida Atlantic (9) – 6:45
Miami (5) vs. Indiana (4) – 7:40
TCU (6) vs Gonzaga (3) – 8:40
I gots Gonz. as my winner. No, you are the one pre-crowing.
Overtly Professional Roundball
Tirana @ Milwaukee – 7:00
Clips @ Portland – 8:00
Orlando @ Lakers – 8:30
Top Flight Fútbol (full list)
Venezuela
Caracas FC hosts Metropolitanos – 6:30
Uruguay
Racing hosts Wanderers – 6:30
Argentina
Talleres (Córdoba) hosts Banfield – 7:30
Sarmiento (Junín) hosts River Plate – 7:30
Sarmiento is the last name of a most humorless man: XIXth Century’s Domingo Faustino Sarmiento—educator, minister, president, sourpuss. Sarmiento opened Argentina’s borders to Germans and other northern Europs. However, Argentina wound up with half of Italy, to Sarmiento’s personal dismay. But that was to be expected: Argentina’s thing is having clear instructions and ignoring them at will, whether it’s fútbol laws or immigration quotas.
Land of Contrasts! “Sarmiento” means grapevine in Spanish. And, Club Atlético Sarmiento plays in Estadio Eva Perón, named of course for a very, very fun first lady. Wine and party vibes, great counterpoint to a public life of stern gazes:
Via enlace
Chile
Magallanes hosts Universidad Católica – 6:30
Unión Española hosts Palestino – 6:30
Games between these two teams is called El Clásico de Colonias, named teams that represent the biggest immigrant communities in Chile: Unión Española for the Spanish, Palestino for the bulldozed mercilessly.
Paraguay
Trinidense hosts Guaraní – 6:30
At a New York Review of Books party, Truman Capote once called V.S. Naipul “Trini – dense”, and Roland Barthes replied with a snort and “Behave, Bulldog. Fetch”, gesturing towards martinis.
Ecuador
Emelec hosts Técnico Universitario – 7:00
Colombia
Independiente Medellín hosts Jaguares de Córdoba – 8:00
FINALLY, its the WBC:
Cuba @ U.S.A., 6:00 in Miami!
Miami, of course, has a huge community of Cuban exiles steadfastly opposed to the Cuban regime. The Cuba Cubans call the exiles gusanos–you know, worms. And, traditionally, Miami Cuban have been pro-embargo and doing whatever it takes to oust the Castroseses. Fortunately, it seems those old cold warriors have been dying and Cuba has been Castro-less for a coupla years now. There’s even major leaguers playing for the Cuba team now, but gotta keep it honest: the only thing that interests me in this game is whether Cubans will root for the U.S.A. against Cuba.
By the way: Puerto Ricans would never. No way. If Puerto Rico is competing, you don’t root for anyone else. I may watch some of this Cuba @ USA game, even though it’s baseball. Have a great week, sickos.
I watched PBS shows all evening. I’m feeling pretty classy, like a fucking lady! Which is kind of exhausting, I’m going to hit the fainting couch now. Off to my boudoir, later my Tiffany blue taters!
Thanks Don T. Your writing always makes me laugh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKWoI6ivRyw
I’d like to think they’ll be a portrait of Danny Boy Snyder on the wall of this place eventually.
Got my rainy night playlist going, and doing some cocktail experiments. Currently enjoying something called a Good Cork: 1 oz Irish whiskey, 1 oz. mezcal, 1/2 oz. Benedictine, dash Peychaud’s. Over ice with an apple slice (no, I don’t know why) garnish.
Just got an email from a cigar retailer titled “Five Inches of Fury!” Which would be a good name for a fantasy team.
“Oh, that is a fantasy, for sure.” — Deanna F.
Meanwhile, in Miami…
https://twitter.com/stephapstein/status/1637642451367149568
So the shih tzu left again. Pops went downstairs. I just heard him yell something.
Looks like you may as well have named the dog Indiana, because they’re leaving too.
/gets sued by George Lucas
…. the dog is mostly white with a few brown patches……
Holy shit I am going to hell for this one
Somebody get a wellness check on Brocky’s dog.
I just gave him a belly rub.
He needs a haircut
Cool story that is, unfortunately, also no longer relevant.
https://twitter.com/Jake_Trotter/status/1637624666226401281
The WBC is wonderful and I will watch it forever. The games are the best. The love of country even better. It’s been a blast.
I may have said this before, but while I like the WBC I cannot compare it favorably to the World Series simply because Daniel Bard is a legitimate pitching option in the WBC.
But it’s still a great idea and it’s a lot of fun to watch. Also that cheating piece of crap Jose Altuve got his thumb broken, (and it wasn’t intentional because said Daniel Bard threw the pitch and if Bard’s trying to hit you you’re the safest person in the ballpark), and that’s some karma right there.
It’s so much more than just an exhibition. There are countries that worship baseball like most of the world worships futbol. This is the fucking world cup of baseball. It’s the Olympics of baseball and its fantastic.
Viva la WBC!
It is indeed the Olympics of baseball, in that the Russians aren’t allowed to compete in it.
How much would you care to wager that most of the kids on the UConn team have no idea why Coach Luke Murray’s dad is such a big deal?
https://twitter.com/Griffin__Haas/status/1637616188413861889
Been out drinking and watching the Fightin’ Horatios, Netball Division, revert to where they were at the beginning of the season and looking like world-beaters. Will they look that way next week? WHO KNOWS!! Just a completely schizoid team that could beat anyone in the country one night and lose to a CYO team the next.
But they’re going to Vegas, so I would consider this season a success and anything beyond this gravy.
/DOOR FLIES OPEN
Uh, no Coach Reid, it’s a metaphor
//DOOR FLIES CLOSED
Update: The clock has struck midnight. Cinderella is no more.
That makes Purdue’s loss all the funnier
I thought Buddy usually wrote the Grindr posts.
Youngest GTD just used “raw-dogin” in a non sexual way. She’s 17. Kinda weirded out by it
It makes sense if they’re the youngest because they’ve likely had the most bad influenced in their life while having the parents who are the least overprotective …
But how do you use that in a non sexual context?
…eating a cold hot dog?
I don’t know, this may be worthy of a Monday Mock Draft. How to use sexual terms ina a non-sexual context.
It’s fairly common among the younger set these days. Anything you do just diving in head first with no preparation qualifies as raw-dogging.
Now if you’ll pardon me I have to go raw-dog these kids off my lawn.
(may not be doing this right)
Something to do with her socks falling off and just putting her feet into her slippers raw-dogin
Think I shut down in the middle of it so may have it wrong
Sounds like the things my kids will occasionally say that make me do a double-take and crack my neck really badly, because I am very old, so old that I remember when raw-dogging was limited to meaning the thing I did to their mother that put them on this planet in the first place.
Right with you on that reaction
Can you imagine how more screwed up football would be if it had a Possession Arrow like basketball?
It’s called the catch review.
FDU and FAU has descended into the JV BB version of that 54-51 MNF game a few years back. I’m not sure if its even possible for both teams to be on scoring runs at the same time, but they are.
Oh God hippo did you see that Miami cheerleader?
My dad just rewound that twice
I was making some oatmeal. Sadly, not a euphemism
God damnit were not recording.
There was some shoulder action there. The camera was back and to the left, cheerleader looking to the left, shoulder shimmies and looks to the left, all in slow motion.
I hate to sound Pervy but my goodness
“BACK AND TO THE LEFT!? THAT’S MY FETISH!!”
-Oliver Stone
I don’t remember the Zapruder film being this shakey…
Aka the Blue Steel
I hope so, because if that was your euphemism for “churning the butter” or “fluffing your Garfield” than you need to see a doctor.
Wtf counter: 6
The shih tzu has left the room
He’s back. Scrounge dog ate some food and came back.
He’s a good boy. Dumb as a rock. But a good boy
The same fucking commercials on a loop for 4 days on TSN for teh hoops up here. I am ready to smash my tv the next time this Amazon Prime commercial comes on.
“Perfect! You can order a new one using Amazon Prime!” – Jeff Bezos
This made Mrs. Cola guffaw.
CTire and which grocery store?
I think Galen has taken a wee step back right now with all the profits and all.
Hey Coca Cola! Do I have the best asshole ever?
TakeaTaste!
Brocky and Brocky Sr. – pretty please put the ACC out of its misery already
You say that but….
The cheerleaders can stay. They can be a barnstorming homeless squad, like the Baltimore Colts Marching Band after they bolted for Indy or Youppi!.
Don’t tell Scotchnaut…
Bub-bub bye, Bay-Bay.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo-KmOd3i7s
No one puts baby in the corner
Dad: don’t let them drive through the lane
Miami drives the lane
Dad: What the FUCK?
WTF Counter at 5
I’ll admit I’ve never paid any attention to University of Miami’s basketball program, but I am not surprised at the “enthusiasm” of their cheerleaders
IU cursing update: my dad has graduated from “God Damn it” to “What the Fuck!?!
I had somehow managed to forget how asinine basketball broadcast teams are.
Interesting choice of a video thumbnail photo by ESPN:
That is kind of how she plays, though: A bit rough. She thrives in the half court game. She is a scorer, the best Utah has, but not next level competition.
It honestly looks more like a still from a rugby match.
Basketball haka would be awesome
Trying to work my way thru the second book of the Jodi Taylor time travel series that Zymm rec’ed. Not gonna lie-it’s not for me.
Needs more cat.
Reporter: “What’s it like being the least shitty Hurley? I mean your dad and your brother… Wow!”
Danny Hurley: “Sometimes, late at night, I dream of fining players for not being at a meeting a 1/2 hour before the designated time but I try very, very hard to ignore those impulses.”
Reporter: “You are truly are a hero for our times.”
Danny Hurley: “One might say a Super Hero.”
Reporter: “Oh my god, here we go…”
Can the Big 12 swap Creighton for Baylor straight up?
Why ask for consent? It’s Baylor, they should understand.
This is the correct answer.
Creigh-Creigh >>> Bay-Bay >>>>>>> Wolven Sort
Between Ken Starr and Art Briles is there any university that’s easier to hate than Baylor? Yes, of course: Notre Dame. But Baylor makes a strong argument for 2nd place.
To me it’s always different to hate alumni for their post collegiate actions vs hating the university outright.
I dislike UNC, Duke, Notre Dame & and probably Kentucky for the colleges themselves, but the alumi’s transgressions aren’t as easily remembered
Same here. I’m not going to blame a kid for choosing to play basketball at Duke; if you are serious about having a future in the sport it’s a great place to go.
My early assessment is FAU really would have kicked Purdue’s ass.
Cuban culture in Miami is SUPER interesting and complicated. More so than Mexican culture in LA.
Tom Izzo is the reincarnation of St. Patrick. There’s no other explanation for what this guy does in March.
Danny Hur,ey teams always defend like mad. MUST BE NICE.
I’m waiting for the big rivalry game in Colombia –
Independiente Medellín Vs. Affiliated Medellín
It’s the Emotional Intelligence Medellín derby!
It’s now on my WASP scold bucket list to attend a Sarmiento match.
The original Milford man!
That is my daughter’s favourite part of the series.