Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

The real work of an opposition party is to oppose.

Petty moves from a petty man.

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

If you voted for Trump, you don’t get to speak about ethics, morals, or rule of law.

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

These days, even the boring Republicans are nuts.

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph how is that election even close?

Never give a known liar the benefit of the doubt.

If you don’t believe freedom is for everybody, then the thing you love isn’t freedom, it is privilege.

Weird. Rome has an American Pope and America has a Russian President.

“Loving your country does not mean lying about its history.”

How any woman could possibly vote for this smug smarmy piece of misogynistic crap is beyond understanding.

If you still can’t see these things even now, maybe politics isn’t your forte and you should stop writing about it.

Every decision we make has lots of baggage with it, known or unknown.

The Giant Orange Man Baby is having a bad day.

“Perhaps I should have considered other options.” (head-desk)

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

Oh FFS you might as well trust a 6-year-old with a flamethrower.

Giving up is unforgivable.

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

If you’re gonna whine, it’s time to resign!

One lie, alone, tears the fabric of reality.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Indians at Cubs: The Baseballing!

Reader Interactions

165Comments

  3. 3.

    Villago Delenda Est

    I hope that all of you are planning for the strike of the meteor that will take place somewhere around the middle of the ninth inning of game seven.

  6. 6.

    Steeplejack (tablet)

    Pete Rose, in addition to being a pig in general, sounded like he was high in the pre-game gabfest.

  8. 8.

    James E Powell

    Not expecting a 1-0 pitcher’s duel with Kluber going on short rest and Lackey who is not a dominating pitcher anymore.

  10. 10.

    Eric S.

    Rose was a rambling mess in the pregame. It was actually somewhat humorous. At least I thought so.

  14. 14.

    Eric S.

    @debbie: No. He’ll never realize that.
    @raven: He’s absolutely terrible as an announcer. What I laugh about is how pathetic he is and his attempts to interject in every conversation. The looks his fellow commentators give him, people that know what they are talking about, are priceless.

  17. 17.

    Gravenstone

    Dear John Lackey. You know that bit about “big boy games”? Yeah, you’re in one. Kindly fucking pitch like it.

  18. 18.

    Uncle Jeffy

    Nobody can be a dominating pitcher when your third baseman makes as many errors as Bryant has. WTF?

  20. 20.

    frosty

    @redshirt:

    I was betting on massive solar flare wiping out all electronics on the planet. A more interesting apocalypse.

    That was the first show of the History Channel Doomsday marathon I watched after the game last night. Though to be fair, 3 of the 4 (flare, nuclear war, gamma ray burst) had an EMP that fried the electronics. The fourth (Yellowstone hyper-eruption) was definitely the coolest though. A 50 mile high column of magma!

  23. 23.

    AnotherBruce

    @Uncle Jeffy: Lackey served up that lollipop curveball for a home run before Bryant lost his senses. He couldn’t get out of the second inning. He should be done.

  26. 26.

    Adam L Silverman

    @redshirt: And the number of large, angry, green skinned people running around smashing stuff would definitely be a public safety problem.

  30. 30.

    Pogonip

    @BruceFromOhio: Adam used the politically correct insignia that the Tribe marketed for a while till they found out Chief Wahoo sold better. I think you can still buy the “C” stuff, they just don’t push it much.

  38. 38.

    Adam L Silverman

    @redshirt: Who said they’d all be hulks. Some could be abominations or leaders or ogresses or abominatrixes or aberrations or gargoyles or you get the idea!

  39. 39.

    BruceFromOhio

    @Pogonip: At work they printed up C logo stuff for cubes and windows, and hung a big C banner out front. We have ‘spirit days’ when the games are played, and workers are invited to wear team gear; most of it is C-oriented. Chief Wahoo seems to be the symbol for the old-timers and long-time fans, and the reactions I’ve encountered when inquiring runs along the lines of, yeah, it’s probably insulting, but not to me, so what?

    Personally, I prefer the C logo, it’s more flexible to whatever surface presented, be it a mug, a bumper sticker, or a tattoo.

  41. 41.

    ThresherK

    @Pogonip: I don’t have ESPN on all the time, but they have really steered away from That Other Insignia and towards the block red C on navy in the last couple of years.

  44. 44.

    redshirt

    @Adam L Silverman: Well, what determines the Hulkification then? Is it only the energy level of the gamma rays, or is it just the DNA of the subject, or some of both? What made Banner Hulk when someone else gets turned into Abomination?

  45. 45.

    Schlemazel

    @Mike J:
    Did you see the banner some Ohio HS cheerleaders made for their football game?
    “Indians get ready for a trail of tears”

    That is just lucking fovely

  49. 49.

    Pogonip

    @ThresherK: They’ll definitely go with whichever logo they make more money from, so buy “C” stuff and give it to everybody for Xmas, even those who think a game that can drag on for five hours and end in a 1-0 score is ridiculous.

    Not that I know anybody like that.

  53. 53.

    dmsilev

    @Adam L Silverman: I love this bit:

    The subject’s potential for mutation is dictated by certain mysterious “interstitial” segments of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid),[citation needed]

    Yes, citation definitely needed.

  56. 56.

    Pogonip

    Now that I think about it, maybe the Tribe should ditch tge Chief because he hasn’t brought them any luck in 60 years!

    I never understood articles describing Wahoo as looking “fierce.” He always looked pretty happy to me!

  59. 59.

    ThresherK

    @Schlemazel: It was “second trail of tears”, i.e. the team named Indians was going to lose the football game was the banner’s taunt.

    I’m wondering who the oldest person was to sign off on this thing.

  61. 61.

    Adam L Silverman

    @redshirt: Difference between mutates and mutants according to Marvel continuity. As for being in the MCU: film rights for the the Incredible Hulk and related characters was licensed to Universal. They have since gotten them back for producing a film, but Universal still maintains the distribution rights under the licensing agreement. This is why Hulk, Bruce Banner, and Thunderbolt Ross can be used within non Hulk branded/focused MCU movies right now. To make another stand alone Hulk film – adapted from a comics arc or not – would require Marvel (Disney) and Universal to work out a mutually acceptable agreement to distribute a movie/series of movies. Marvel has done this with Spider-Man and the related characters. This is why even though Sony retains both production and distribution rights, they decided to sub the characters back to Marvel for use in both MCU movies and to produce the next series of Spider-Man movies. Sony’s decision was partially based on the fact that the MCU has produced nothing but hits with its offerings while Sony’s Spider-Man movies have been hit and miss. More info here:
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-cronin/does-marvel-not-own-the-rights_b_9067512.html

    My guess is that if the third Thor movie does well, given that part of the storyline appears to be adapted from Planet Hulk, momentum may build for one or more standalone Hulk movies and Universal, recognizing that they can either share the profit if they play ball or make no money while watching Marvel make money having the Hulk and related characters appear in MCU non-Hulk movies, will get their act together. The real question is how to set up the story arcs for the movies? If you do a full on World War Hulk leading to a proper Planet Hulk, then the character is gone on Sakarsenn and unavailable for anything further without a major plot development.

  67. 67.

    redshirt

    @Adam L Silverman: Wow, I knew everything you just typed EXCEPT that there’s a difference between mutates and mutants. Not sure I understand the difference, but as always, I appreciate your thoroughness.

    Also, so excited for Thor:Ragnarok. Not only will it be partially Planet Hulk, but also the opening chapters of Infinity War.

  68. 68.

    Schlemazel

    @ThresherK:
    I got the reference, didn’t see “second’ on the short video I guess.

    If any adult agreed to that they should spend the rest of the year living on Pine Ridge in hopes they could learn something.

    The kids should just fail American History

  70. 70.

    Adam L Silverman

    @redshirt: Hulk Vs. animated movie. The second half Loki separates Banner from the Hulk and directs the Hulk at Asgard. There’s a scene where the battle winds up in Hell.

  73. 73.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @redshirt: Let me explain again. Without a bunker, you have a camp. Everyone asks you about your bunker construction because we wonder when it will be an actual compound.

  74. 74.

    Adam L Silverman

    @redshirt: My understanding, from when I still read the X-Men, is that mutants are born with their mutation. Its part of their inherited genetic makeup. And their powers eventually manifest – some, like Nightcrawler’s (blue fur, prehensile tail, reduced number of fingers and toes), at birth. Mutates are not born with their mutation. It is not inherited genetic makeup. Rather it develops after exposure to an external stimuli. Bite from a radioactive spider, exposure to a gamma explosion, exposure to a combination of super soldier serum and radiation to trigger its effect, things like that. Captain America is a mutate. Black Widow, because of the treatments in the Red Room Project, is a mutate. Bucky Barnes/the Winter Soldier is a mutate, etc. Wolverine, Cyclops, Kitty Pryde, etc are mutants.

  84. 84.

    Marc

    On the bright side, there aren’t many teams with a streak lastingmore than a century.

    We’ll always have the Cubs…

  87. 87.

    Adam L Silverman

    @redshirt: He’s a mutate. But because he was an associated character of the X-Men/mutant related properties, because he was part of the Weapons X program, his rights belong to Sony as do the X-Men and all the other mutants. Marvel got around this with Scarlett Witch and Quicksilver by redubbing them “wonders” and having them redone as mutates. Their powers are the result of purposeful exposure to an Infinity Stone on orders of Baron Strucker/Hydra. This sort of tracks with comic book continuity where they’ve been both mutants (as Magneto’s children) and mutates not related to Magneto at all.

  88. 88.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @redshirt: Midwestern? How much time have you spent in military? Build a bunker and everyone will concede that you have a compound. Until then, you have a camp.

  90. 90.

    ThresherK (GPad)

    @Schlemazel: Oh, yep. It’s not like the thorough explanation makes anything better.

    I wonder if there’s a First Nations group who saw this, and decided the public response to this was enough of a outcry that they just a released.a statement rather than holding a press conference. I’ll be interested in seeing how this plays out.

    Then again I don’t spend lots of time in the lower reaches of our media. I’m sure Hannity or Savage will find some guest to try handwaving this away.

  92. 92.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Another Scott: Just put a new Comey post up. Michael Isikoff committed an act of journalism. This story is quickly becoming about Comey and Isikoff’s reporting has moved that along quite nicely.

  97. 97.

    redshirt

    @Adam L Silverman: Both apply far better than camp. I’m perplexed over Omnes fixation on the words “compound” and “camp”.

    A camp is a small thing. A single structure perhaps near other similar structures owned by other people. There might be 200 camps around a lake in close proximity to each other and with no barriers between each other.

    A compound is a multi-structure location with large degrees of physical separation – both in distance and in landmarks, walls, fences, etc – from other structures.

    A bunker is a fortified structure underground with the explicit purpose of defense against artillery.

    Not sure how these terms can so easily be confused.

  99. 99.

    Adam L Silverman

    @redshirt: They are ancient humans that were exposed to a not native to earth element called terrigen that mutated them into the most obnoxious characters ever created in graphic storytelling. I was never a big fan, with the exception of Lockjaw (who’s a good 500 lbs teleporting doggie? You are!), but if I recall correctly new Inhumans are born through normal procreation and their powers are awakened through exposure to terrigen.

    Marvel appeared to have tried to downplay the X-Men/mutants in comics and in animation in the hope it would drive down a potential market for more X-Men movies. They tried to replace them with the Inhumans, but that didn’t really work. They’re launching a whole new series of X-Men/mutant related comics and the Inhumans movie has been shelved indefinitely. And since the Fox X-Men movies are just well made enough to draw decent viewership and make decent money, the odds of the rights reverting back to Marvel are slim.

  102. 102.

    raven

    “A bunker is a fortified structure underground with the explicit purpose of defense against artillery.” Who told you that?

  106. 106.

    raven

    @redshirt: Nah, I mean they offer protection but they also can be defensive positions. I spent many a night in them fuckers. (Better than the bush)

  108. 108.

    Adam L Silverman

    @redshirt: Koresh’s compound had a fortified, underground bunker. They’d fortified the basement of the main building and built tunnels connecting it to several different exit points if I’m recalling the research from my masters’ thesis correctly.

  118. 118.

    Drunkenhausfrau

    Pro Trump Ricketts’ promised no Trump ads during playoffs or World Series. That’s all we’ve seen, and we’re in Chicago!! Frickin liar billionaires abusing the true fans.

  132. 132.

    redshirt

    @Omnes Omnibus: What do you call the place your relatives (and you?) go to in the Summer to spend a long weekend fishing and swimming on the lake? Not your home of course, but a secondary place used as a getaway.

  134. 134.

    bobbo

    This is excellent news for Hillary Clinton. Local team (Cleveland, OHIO) winning gives the incumbent an extra 1% of the vote.

  136. 136.

    redshirt

    @Omnes Omnibus: Cabin and camp are used almost interchangeably here, with camp being the more common usage. “Going to camp this weekend George? Ayuh, I heah the fish are jumping” would go a typical exchange.

    If you’re so stuck on Army semantics that you can’t envision the difference between a “cabin” and a “compound”, I suggest you lighten up, Francis.

  145. 145.

    redshirt

    @Omnes Omnibus: Well then, before I begin, can you give me the Omnes approved definition of a bunker? How deep does it need be? How thick the wall? What floorplan must it follow? Do I need a grenade sump(s)? Please be as specific as possible, since I would not want to err on the Word of Omnes.

  148. 148.

    Adam L Silverman

    @raven: Prepped for AF twice, was sent to Carlisle Barracks. I would assume so. They burned a lot of the waste/garbage in Iraq. Some of the bigger bases – FOBs and camps and the bigger/more modern COPs – had proper human waste disposal. But I’ve been to several COPs and Patrol Bases that had piss tubes and burn shitters.

  149. 149.

    redshirt

    @Tom Q: I like the Wild Cards a lot, as it keeps a lot more teams, and a lot more fans, interested at the end. Surely the best team will win out, right?

    Imagine the old school days. The American League winner met the National League winner for the World Series. The end.

    And while that no doubt produced some years of high excitement, I bet there were plenty more other years where the winner of each league was settled pretty far in advance, and as such, who cares anymore?

    Sure, does the wild card give the not best team that year a chance to win it all? Yes. And in that way it’s not fair I suppose. But I look it at it more like the qualification to a second season. If you make it to the second season, everyone starts out anew, and anything can happen.

    That’s far more exciting in concept and in reality to me, even if my team gets hosed.

  151. 151.

    Steeplejack

    Much as I enjoy the (presumably good-natured) tweaking of Redshirt, I call bullshit on all this.

    “Fishing camps” and “hunting camps” are well-known things that don’t (necessarily) involve cabanas or kids in the summer, and compounds don’t have to contain a bunker except in the narrow military sense. For years the press has referred to the “Kennedy compound” in Hyannis Port or the “Bush compound” in Kennebunkport. Just last week I read that infotainment weasel Matt Lauer bought Richard Gere’s “sprawling Hamptons compound” (for $36.5 million!). They may all contain bunkers, but probably not. And certainly a bunker is not a requirement to have a (civilian) compound.

    If you guys want to follow through on your mil-speak rigor, you should probably start complaining when anybody says “one o’clock” instead of “1300 hours.”

  153. 153.

    redshirt

    @Steeplejack:

    Much as I enjoy the (presumably good-natured) tweaking of Redshirt, I call bullshit on all this.

    “Fishing camps” and “hunting camps” are well-known things that don’t (necessarily) involve cabanas or kids in the summer, and compounds don’t have to contain a bunker except in the narrow military sense. For years the press has referred to the “Kennedy compound” in Hyannis Port or the “Bush compound” in Kennebunkport. Just last week I read that infotainment weasel Matt Lauer bought Richard Gere’s “sprawling Hamptons compound” (for $36.5 million!). They may all contain bunkers, but probably not. And certainly a bunker is not a requirement to have a (civilian) compound.

    If you guys want to follow through on your mil-speak rigor, you should probably start complaining when anybody says “one o’clock” instead of “1300 hours.”

    Freaking sanity at last. Thank you.

  155. 155.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Steeplejack: Just last week I read that infotainment weasel Matt Lauer bought Richard Gere’s “sprawling Hamptons compound” (for $36.5 million!).

    Oy. That hack has that kind of money to spend on a summer place. And I’m sure he’s all about “entitlement” “reform” because sanctimonious/self-important/argle-bargle

  157. 157.

    Steeplejack

    @efgoldman:

    I’m watching! Just had to weigh in because the bunkering was getting on my last nerve.

    Vols had a close loss to South Carolina too.

    ETA: And Clemson scores!

  158. 158.

    redshirt

    @efgoldman: lol. That’s a good one.

    I don’t understand college football. I like pro football. But college football is like a big colorful tie dye tshirt of crooked priorities. And without attending one of those big football schools, I’m not sure how/why to root for any of them. To care. Whenever I hear college football analysis, it is ALWAYS the same thing: Well I think so and so is Number 1; Well I think such and such is number one and that’s because…. and so on. So boring. So arbitrary. So…Crooked.

  162. 162.

    Prescott Cactus

    As the Dalai Lama has said

    “It’s the Chicago Cubs, What is happening in October is what should normally have transpired in September”

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