Cup of Coffee

June 21, 2017: Kittens are Ridiculous

53 Comments

The gray one, Samushu, is warming up to me (but only me). Corporal Fuzzington is still pretty terrified of all of us, but will at least look in my direction without bolting for a hiding place.

53 thoughts on “June 21, 2017: Kittens are Ridiculous”

  1. Hector Santiago pitched three no-hit innings for Rochester today, walking two and striking out two. Dick Bremer said last night that Phil Hughes would also pitch today, and maybe he still will, but he wasn't the first relief pitcher used.

    3. Santiago was scheduled to go 4 innings but ran his pitch count too high and came out after 3, so it might be that the Red Wings used somebody to pitch the fourth and then will have Hughes come into the game in the fifth.

        1. D. J. Baxendale is warming up, so it sounds like Hughes is only going to pitch one inning.

            1. There's been some talk that the Twins may move Hughes to the bullpen if/when he comes back. I don't have a problem with one inning for his first time out, but I hope they're not planning to make him a one-inning guy.

                1. I'm not convinced he'll ever be healthy enough to be effective ever again (and with Perkins).

              2. It sounds like they need to make him a one-inning guy because if he pitches too much, his fingers start to tingle or get numb, so short outings will allow him to contribute.

      2. Pitch count was 57, so I assume they had him on a limit of 60. It was probably a little optimistic to think he'd go four in that number of pitches, although it certainly could have happened.

  2. So, is it just Cubs fans that oppose the Posey Rule? And did they oppose it two days ago?

    I wished they'd called it the Fosse/Mauer/Posey/Quintero/McCann/et. al. Rule

    2. Don't forget Alex Avila. He got run over in the postseason and the very next season the rule was implemented. Helps to have your dad be GM.

    3. Facebook seems to be dominated by "old school" types who call that a "good, hard baseball play". Of course, it's easy to say that when it's not your career that's in jeopardy.

      1. He was trying for the plate. He made a split second decision that going in straight was his best bet rather than trying to go for the outside. This was a legal play before the Posey rule. And I oppose the Posey rule.

        Typical comment, and I won't say on whose FB feed, but I find it interesting that he indirectly says it was an illegal play. I also would not call that "going in straight" since straight would have put him at the glove, not the bulk of the catcher.

        1. He was clearly on the infield side of the plate. There is no way you can be standing on third, or round third, go in a straight line to the plate, and be on the infield side.

        2. In his defense, he once bought two 12 packs for $3.50 each because they were charging $6 for a 24 pack. Logic is not his strong suit.

          And the correct answer, no matter the question, is Chicago is the greatest city in the world.

        3. I am deleting Facebook later this week. It's my birthday present to myself, butI wanted to wait until after the actual day because I know people would want to send me a messasge. Exchanges like this is exactly why.

          1. FB Group pages dedicated to information about and identification of flora and fauna are nice, so long as the moderators take their jobs seriously enough to keep things focused.

          2. I don't mind exchanges like this. Whenever I get frustrated with my friends that can't see logic, I remember who they are and it all makes sense.

            1. I hide anyone that shares memes or talks politics. I'm on there to keep up with friends and family.

    1. Sounds like a decent low-risk move. He was a fairly good starting pitcher once, before he started having health problems. If he's healthy, maybe he can be one again. Besides, the Red Wings need some pitchers, too, and as was pointed out by someone the other day, it's not like he'll be blocking anyone. If it doesn't work out, well, no harm done.

  4. Just came across a friend's dad's obit. Didn't realize how awesome he was.

    Age 91 of Rosemount, formerly of Minocqua, WI passed away peacefully on June 2, 2017 surrounded by his family. He was born in Milwaukee, WI, the son of Max C. Fritschel, Jr. and Mary G. (Griffith) Fritschel. Max grew up in Milwaukee and graduated from Shorewood High School in 1944. Like many in his generation, he enlisted in the US Army Air Force (USAAF) and was trained as a top turret gunner on the Boeing B-29 superfortress bomber before the war ended. In 1951, he married Arlyne “Sandy” (Sandell) Fritschel and continued his education under the G.I. bill, completing a B.S. in Business Administration at Marquette University in 1952. In 1952, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was seeking to add to their ranks and Max was recruited to start what became a distinguished career in law enforcement. Trained in Quantico Virginia, his role as a Special Agent brought him to stops in Houston, Denver, New York City, and Chicago. Under J. Edgar Hoover’s direction, he worked criminal investigations that spanned bank robberies, interstate hijackings, kidnappings, and the pursuit of fugitives. His 10 years in New York focused on the surveillance of the most notorious members of well-known mafia families of the 1960’s and 1970’s. Some notable events in his career occurred when he was assigned to help investigate the 1964 murders of civil rights workers in Mississippi and the 1973 occupation of the town of Wounded Knee, South Dakota. Max’s testimony at several trials helped lead the government case against high-profile criminal figures. Although his retirement from the FBI in 1977 was mandatory at age 55, he continued his law enforcement career by helping structure and organize the Illinois Bureau of Investigation as its Deputy Director. In 1981, Max and Sandy chose Minocqua as their retirement home, but Max wasn’t ready to focus only on golf. He joined the Minocqua Police Department as a somewhat over-qualified parking meter attendant, but also served as a mentor to younger officers and acted as a liaison on investigations that involved the State of Wisconsin or federal authorities. Max and Sandy enjoyed 35 years in Minocqua, creating many fond memories with their family on Lake Minocqua and at the Minocqua Country Club. Max was a long-time member of Calvary Lutheran Church and the American Legion. He was a devoted Green Bay Packer and Wisconsin Badger Football fan. He loved to golf and socialize, enjoying an occasional cocktail with friends. Max is survived by Arlyne “Sandy”, his loving spouse of 65 years, his sister Anne (Forrest) Crone of Appleton, WI, daughter Linda (Tom) Reasoner of Lisle, IL, daughter Mary (Tim) Doerr of Montgomery, IL and son Jamie (Colleen) Fritschel of Inver Grove Heights, MN. Also surviving are eight grandchildren and seven great grand-children. He was preceeded in death by his son Mark. At Max’s request, a private memorial service will be held. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Augustana Care directed to the Rosemount Senior Living campus (Augustanacare.org). Max will have his final resting place in the Friends Quaker cemetery in McNabb, Illinois.

    1. That is awesome. One of the benefits of doing as many funerals as I do is that you find out how many "ordinary" people have led extraordinary lives that most others know nothing about. Thanks for sharing.

    2. He needed to be that awesome to overcome these 12 words:

      He was a devoted Green Bay Packer and Wisconsin Badger Football fan

  5. Going to the game tomorrow with my office.
    Right now, I have one extra ticket. I'm not going to promise it to a WGOMer yet (see below), but would anyone be able to drop their afternoon schedule and spend it with me in section 214?

    I was hoping to get two tickets. Then I could bring HPR and AJR (CER is at camp and LBR is at Grandma's).
    EAR said I should take both or neither because they're entertaining each other.
    She's been sick the last two weeks, so maybe I should listen to her.
    (Last week: they worst Pink Eye I've ever seen. This week: bacterial sinusitis that's somehow in her throat. She's been unable to talk and it's hard to swallow and says she feels like she's going to choke to death on a lump in her throat.
    Next week, she's slated to be the musical lead for our parish's Vacation Bible School. At least she got the CD finished.)
    I may still bring one of those two, I'll have to talk it out tonight.
    I took HPR to last week's Saints game with CER, so that means it should be AJR's turn, but HPR plays baseball and cares more.

    If the initials have gotten too confusing:
    AMR: Me
    EAR: Wife
    CER: 13.95-year-old girl (eldest)
    HPR: 11.55-year-old boy
    AJR: 7.25-year-old girl
    LBR: 5.35-year-old girl

      1. I appreciate the precision in the ages and the noting that the one with the largest number is the eldest. Alas, I cannot attend any more games with any notice.

        1. I forgot to remove the "(eldest)" after I started putting ages in.
          I call that "1.2" decimal points: to the nearest 20th. Sometimes I use "1.4": to the nearest 40th.

          I'm thinking I'll ask HPR to be a bigger kid and pass on it. He does have a baseball game that evening and won't drag his mother down the same way AJR would... HPR can go down to the fishing hole.
          If I can snag another, he'll get to be the mensch and get to go to the game.

  6. Saw Paul Simon perform in Sioux Falls on Father's Day.

    I expected as much, but it was good to see he hasn't gone into "cashing checks" mode. He is still very much working, honing, and clearly practicing. His voice is still quite strong and though he doesn't do a ton of guitar work with his large, excellent band, he closed alone on stage with a great rendition of The Sound of Silence, including an incredibly difficult guitar part (AFAICT, anyway). Glad I was able to see him while he is still plenty capable. To be honest, his most recent album is pretty good.

    My parents were most surprised by how good the concert was. I've noticed in the past five years they have been attending a few concerts, usually comprising of artists of advanced age who had a little cache years ago. (Not usually anyone quite as worldwide superstar as Simon.) Those shows have depicted artists that are a shadow of their former selves. So when Simon got up there and was basically 100% Paul Simon…that was a pleasant surprise for my parents.

    Good things all around!

    1. My dad has been going to more concerts than I have. He said Brian Wilson had to be helped on stage and barely sang.

    1. I wonder if it will count as one home game for each team, or if they'll both count against one team's home games.

        1. I remember years ago*, there was a season-opening series between the Devil Rays and the Yankees. They were home games for the Devil Rays, but the Yankees got to wear their home pinstripes, while the Devil Rays wore the forest green vests. Both had (the same) uniform ads.

          *2004, and the ads were sleeve patches for Ricoh:

      2. The Twins are the home team.
        With Cleveland attendance woos (especially early in the season) Im surprised they haven't jumped on Puerto Rico games years ago.

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