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October 8, 2017: Playoff Baseball

37 Comments

My adopted Diamondbacks are poised to exit as well. Next on the cheering list would be Cleveland, I guess, as I still know a bunch of those guys from the Goodyear store.

37 thoughts on “October 8, 2017: Playoff Baseball”

  1. so, we took the plunge yesterday. Test-drove a 2014 Jetta (18L turbo SE). Then re-test-drove a 2014 Civic. The Honda folks were pushy AND wanted more than a thousand more for the Civic (with ~60K miles) than the VW folks (much better at their jobs, and the Jetta had only 32K). And the Jetta was a much nicer car. Better pickup, nicer interior, quieter cabin, slightly better handling.

    so, Jetta it was. More spendy than I would have liked. Our negotiating skills were almost nil. But the Mrs is happy. AND it comes with a dealer-provided, 2-year bumper-to-bumper warranty as a certified pre-own.

    This is the "newest" car we've owned since we bought our minivan in 2000.

        1. Heh.

          We test-drove a 2014 Jetta TDI as well. Much more turbo lag than the 1.8L gas turbo that we bought, and noisier and more expensive (albeit more fuel-efficient, just not nearly enough to make up the price difference). The diesels come with an 11-year warranty on the emissions system. The gas models do not. 🙁

          I guess maybe the TDI _could_ have been worth the price difference when you consider the warranty and the expected longevity of the diesel engine compared to a gas engine. But.... Not for us.

          1. Man, I miss my 2002 Golf TDI. Slow, loud-ish, no amenities, and a bit rusty (OK, lots of rust, which is the main reason I got rid of it.) basically, it was my ideal car were I single and childless.

            Now that you're a VW owner, it's time to invest in an OBDII scanner. Volkswagen didn't invent the check engine light, but they did perfect it.

            1. Now that you're a VW owner, it's time to invest in an OBDII scanner. Volkswagen didn't invent the check engine light, but they did perfect it.

              Achievement unlocked last year! (had persistent O2 sensor issues with the Boy's Ford Escape, and one heart-in-mouth issue with the beemer coming back from Tahoe)

  2. My preferred order at this point is:

    1. Houston
    2. Washington
    3. LA (almost 100% because I want Kershaw to have some manner of huge postseason, but also because I bet my coworker $15 at the beginning of the season. He took Cleveland, I took LA)
    4. Cleveland
    5. Arizona
    6. Chicago
    7. Boston
    8. Player's strike
    9. Everyone just sort of forgets that there's supposed to be a world series
    10. The owners conspire to give the series to the Detroit Tigers
    11. Yankees

    Luckily, the AL East Coast is behind the 8 ball big time today. I think it will be another AL east free LCS.

        1. I have a soft spot for the Dodgers, simply remembering the Koufax/Drysdale/Maury Wills teams I grew up with. They beat the Twins in '65, of course, but even so I always liked those teams.

          1. I have a lot of family that roots for the Dodgers, and I've met and like Kershaw, so asking me to hate the Dodgers is a tough sell. Plus, Jackie. I can't help but think of him.

    4. Flip 1 and 2, drop Cleveland behind Chicago. Otherwise, yes.

      My DC love for the Nats is still true. They're my NL team.

  5. So, I have a deadbolt strike plate that is installed about an eighth of an inch too high (door from interior to garage). It has become increasingly difficult to lock the deadbolt. I tried loosening the bottom screws a bit on the hinge side, which helped for a while. But the Mrs has declared that this Needs To Be Fixed.

    Ugh. I am not a handy man, James Taylor Edition or otherwise. I've removed the strike plate and am contemplating. I fear I will need to fill the old screw holes with toothpicks and putty and drill new holes. And possibly do some chiseling. Ugh. Who wants to fly out and supervise?

    1. Could you just angle the screws slightly? If the plate is too high, just shaving off the bottom should lower it, right? So long as the plate is snug enough and resting at the bottom of the widened screw hole, the filing-in-with-putty should be less essential, right? I'm just trying to brainstorm "simple" fixes here, not correct ones.

      1. What might work better would be to us screws that are an inch or two longer than the current ones. No need for filing the holes, then and no worries about angling the screws and not having the heads flush with the strike plate.

        And bs, don't fear the chisel. It'll be covered up by the hardware so no one will know if you just hacked away at it.

          1. Hah.

            I have to move the plate down about a quarter inch to center the deadbolt on the strike plate hole (upon further review, maybe 3/8th to a half). Already had 3-inch wood screws in play. Gotta fill the old holes to protect against the new holes effing up the old ones.

            I think the cut out in the jamb is long enough that I don't need to extend it.

            1. If they're already three inch screws, yeah...

              I'm wondering how this problem became more of a problem. Are we talking the wood warping or something?

              Would there be enough room to move down half inch so the old holes aren't in the way?

              1. I don't fully understand it either, but the bolt is not quite clearing the bottom of the hole in the strike plate. I have to lift up on the door handle while turning the key to get the bolt to go in. The top screws on the hinges are tight, so that ain't it.

                I suppose that the house might have twisted a bit as it settled over the years (we are on a slab. I think the garage floor is part of the slab, but not 100 pct sure) so that the jamb is out of square?

                Anyway, the strike plate takes four screws....

                1. Any way you can grind out the hole in the strike plate? There were a bunch of interior doors in our house that would not latch when closed (sometimes seasonally...) so I ended up using a dremel to give them more space.
                  Don't do this while your wife is sleeping.

              2. True enough, seeing as how it should already have three inch screws. I was just throwing it out there because, as I found out when I replaced my front door and frame a couple years ago (I really gotta finish that trim), some builders are cheap, lazy assholes and don't want to spend the money on three inch screws.

        1. be patient and let that stuff cure completely. I would have recommended a slightly different product, but oh well. Be sure to pre-drill your screw holes (!!!!) (this is a mistake I make all the time...) because in this situation if the filler isn't completely dry and you try to displace too much material you'll just auger out the patch and will be starting from step one.

          1. thanks for that advice. tube says 2-6 hours for shallow fills and 36 for deep fills. I'm guessing this counts somewhere in-between because deep but narrow? Moisture should migrate to the surrounding wood, no?

            anyway, what would you have gone with instead of the DAP Plastic Wood? My big box store only had DAP (2 flavors), a Minwax product, and something else I don't recall.

            1. btw, I guess I should learn to trust my eyeball measurements. Got the measuring device out and measured my pencil-marked indicators of where to relocate the strike plate: 1/4 inch on the nose.

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