It appears that we got about 8" of snow at the SBG World Headquarters. I was able to blow out my driveway and sidewalk... and I still have gas left in my blower. Can't be much, though. There may be more snow this weekend and I'll go out and blow that out or just do whatever until I'm out of gas.
Accumulation here was light, but the roads were iced over and treacherous last night. Hopefully it’s an uneventful drive in an hour here.
I get to drive to Willmar in about an hour. Hooray!
How far to you live from me? I live about 2 miles south of your place of business. Maybe I was at the epicenter.
I’m around four miles southwest of where I work. I do only take well-plowed major roads home, so maybe that colored my thoughts on the snow. Was it really that heavy? I’m tired and in a fog, and was driven to work while paying the world no mind.
At least eight inches. There was little wind so the snow fell straight down and was pretty uniform (i.e. no drifting). When I reached into the snow on my driveway, it was wrist deep, which is more than eight inches. Plus it snowed a little after that.
We got about 2 inches, but my drive in this morning was not unlike driving on an ice rink.
I might be strange, but I always enjoy siphoning gas out of my mower or blower at the end of a season.
I filled it before putting it away. But, per the manufacturer's instructions and recognizing my own laziness, I added fuel stabilizer when filling the first time.
Just as a warning, I put stabilizer in mine last year because the tanks was half full. I still ended up rebuilding the carburetor. So if yours doesn't start next year, start with that.
I’ve never been overly fond of birds, but now I’m definitely jealous of them.
That ICP song must sound extra-stupid to them if they can see magnetic fields.
And to think until now, that, like every ICP song, was unassailable.
Several of you may be interested to know that the Library of Congress has newly posted its Branch Rickey Papers online.
RE: Snowblower
For the better part of the winter I’ve been griping about my lousy snowblower (2-stage Ariens, 21”) that just doesn’t have enough oomph, gets bogged down, throws like a wimp, always leaves a trail on one side…bit of a demoralizer.
Last night as I’m using it again anyway, I stopped a couple passes in to check it because it seemed like maybe it was acting up again. Noticed that one side was clear and the other packed full. Odd. As I dig snow out, I realize that the blades spin free while the clear side blades are fixed and it finally dawns on me that I’ve broken a shear pin, who knows when, and I’ve been using half a snowblower for months.
I get an undue (it’s a sad commentary on my current state, really) sense of excitement at the prospect of being able to competently fix my problem and head for my stuff drawers and grab my spare shear pin. Couldn’t get it insterted down in snowpile I was in on the driveway, in the dark, so hauled it into the garage and futzed with it until I found where the shear pin was still cleanly in the hole, punched that out, couldn’t find the nut for my shear pin, quickly grabbed my spare spare shear pin, insert, reassemble, fire up.
Again, with an unjustified sense of glee, I power through the rest of the driveway, no plow-rows I need to go back and shovel, no riding up snowpiles and backing up to replow. I’m tossing snow as fast as I can run down the driveway. I’m burying children, tossing errant golfballs into the neighbor’s yard…it’s great. Finish the driveway, hit the path, keep going down the neighborhood an extra couple hundred feet.
It’s like a new lease on winter. I’m ready for another couple April snowstorms. It’s gonna be ok.
A bad worker always blames his tools.
An ignorant one, certainly.
That is a good winter story. Fixing a snowblower (as I learned) is a very satisfying experience.
Agreed. Thanks for the fish smile.
My single-stage is acting up a little, but more than anything this season has made me regret my decision not to buy a two-stage a few years ago.
Until yesterday, I was wishing I had one, after watching my neighbors. And I used my Dad's to clear his driveway and the thing was flying, but it was a light snowfall.
It should be illegal for any retailer in this part of the country to even sell single stages.
They work very well for smaller amounts. Plus, the increased agility is nice when you have a smaller area to clear.
About three or four storms ago I fired up the snowblower and after just a few seconds it died, couldn't get it to run at all. Checked the plug and had good spark, so I took the cover off the carb to have a look and found the gas line flopping loose because the end had rotted and cracked. I trimmed it down to good rubber, plugged it back onto the carburetor and fired her up. I was happy it was such an easy fix because there was a lot of snow to move from that storm.
All you people and your machines to do the work for you!
yep.
If you didnt delete your Book of Face account, MLB is offering a free game on the platform today. Its Phillies-Mets, but its a chance to watch baseball while goofing off at work!
But, B of F is not a media company.
Very early, but MLB's top 5 pitching staffs in whiff/swing %, per #Statcast, are a mix of teams you'd expect and teams you wouldn't.
A few poems are on my mind today, which I’ll share with you in the event you have time to read them over lunch:
Claude McKay’s “America,” published in 1921, eight years before Dr. King was born; he almost certainly would’ve been aware of it.
Gwendolyn Brooks’ “RIOT,” published in 1969, and written in response to the Chicago riots of 1968, which began the day after Dr. King’s assassination.
Audre Lorde’s “Power,” published in 1978, as starkly relevant today as it was then.
Yusef Komunyakaa’s “Report from the Skull’s Diorama,” published in 1988, noting the silence many have kept through the years.
Thank you.
Thanks for the links. I was just chatting with my friend at the National Civil Rights Museum about the events today. Just another opportunity to plug that place, and to encourage people to visit.
The Rockies have signed Charlie Blackmon to a six year extension, restructuring his salary for this season and committing the Rockies to him through 2021; the last two seasons are player options. He is guaranteed $108 million. Blackmon is in his age-32 season now, so he may be under contract through his age-37 season.
I’ll be very interested to see what the implications are for Dozier, who is also in his age-32 season now. Blackmon’s a mediocre (by UZR)-to-bad (by DRS) defensive center fielder, while Dozier’s essentially been an average second baseman. Blackmon’s hit 25+ homers in a season twice, and 30+ just once; Dozier’s hit 25+ 3 times (plus one more with 23), and 30+ twice. Blackmon edges Dozier in OPS+, 116 to 112.
If he doesn't sign an extension, it's going to be a tough offseason. It looks like he's now the top second baseman available this offseason, but there are a few players that rank so much higher. It's possible a mid-range club that has no interest in the other side of the infield, the outfield, or starting pitching could sign him early.
I hope Dozier gets paid, but will the FA market be the same as last offseason where it favored the owners ?
I don't see the past offseason as an aberration. The upcoming offseason will be unique because of Harper, and possibly Kershaw, but hard to see it suddenly going back to how it's previously been.
I think Altuve's contract assured Dozier's walking papers.
Perhaps. Altuve won’t even turn 28 until next month, though, so I’m not sure he’s the best comp. Both Dozier & Blackmon are likely to have shifted (far?) down the defensive spectrum by the end of their next deals, at which point Altuve will be still be a year away from free agency.
As I told Bert, We earn our pay with our hands, so we need to keep them warm.
I like Salty LEN3, even if he said it as just for entertainment
All this pissing and moaning from broadcasters & sportswriters about sitting for a couple hours in the cold to watch a baseball game gets really, really tiresome. There are people who are actually there and paying, often for a lesser experience than these goofs, to watch the same game.
Has Michael Clinkscales ever been to Miller Park? Because that’s not the retractable roof ballpark you lead with when you’re complaining about cold baseball. Set aside the LOL, I’d take the Dome over that swamp-ass storage tank with shopping mall atrium acoustics any day.
And how many days does it really matter? I don't see the point sacrificing 70+ days for the sake of few than ten per year that are rained/snowed out or too cold. Eventually someone will figure out/pay for a retractable roof that doesn't negatively affect everything else.
Agree 100%. Nothing beats outdoor baseball in May-September.
Trey's Little League has an Opening Day each year where the parents of the teams have booths with food and games for team fundraisers and they have a ceremony on the field where all the kids of all levels line up and after a ceremony, the teams are introduced and get to run the bases in front of the parents. They also do a raffle and give out the prizes for the raffle and also prizes to the kids who sold the most raffle tickets. This year, Opening Day had been postponed twice by rain last month. The second time, they postponed it till this coming Saturday. In the next two weeks, what is the only day projected to have rain? Yep. Saturday. They also have a closing ceremonies at the end of the season in June. Maybe they'll combine the 2 if they decide to postpone it again.
It appears that we got about 8" of snow at the SBG World Headquarters. I was able to blow out my driveway and sidewalk... and I still have gas left in my blower. Can't be much, though. There may be more snow this weekend and I'll go out and blow that out or just do whatever until I'm out of gas.
Accumulation here was light, but the roads were iced over and treacherous last night. Hopefully it’s an uneventful drive in an hour here.
I get to drive to Willmar in about an hour. Hooray!
How far to you live from me? I live about 2 miles south of your place of business. Maybe I was at the epicenter.
I’m around four miles southwest of where I work. I do only take well-plowed major roads home, so maybe that colored my thoughts on the snow. Was it really that heavy? I’m tired and in a fog, and was driven to work while paying the world no mind.
At least eight inches. There was little wind so the snow fell straight down and was pretty uniform (i.e. no drifting). When I reached into the snow on my driveway, it was wrist deep, which is more than eight inches. Plus it snowed a little after that.
We got about 2 inches, but my drive in this morning was not unlike driving on an ice rink.
I might be strange, but I always enjoy siphoning gas out of my mower or blower at the end of a season.
I filled it before putting it away. But, per the manufacturer's instructions and recognizing my own laziness, I added fuel stabilizer when filling the first time.
Just as a warning, I put stabilizer in mine last year because the tanks was half full. I still ended up rebuilding the carburetor. So if yours doesn't start next year, start with that.
The eyes have it
I’ve never been overly fond of birds, but now I’m definitely jealous of them.
That ICP song must sound extra-stupid to them if they can see magnetic fields.
And to think until now, that, like every ICP song, was unassailable.
Several of you may be interested to know that the Library of Congress has newly posted its Branch Rickey Papers online.
RE: Snowblower
For the better part of the winter I’ve been griping about my lousy snowblower (2-stage Ariens, 21”) that just doesn’t have enough oomph, gets bogged down, throws like a wimp, always leaves a trail on one side…bit of a demoralizer.
Last night as I’m using it again anyway, I stopped a couple passes in to check it because it seemed like maybe it was acting up again. Noticed that one side was clear and the other packed full. Odd. As I dig snow out, I realize that the blades spin free while the clear side blades are fixed and it finally dawns on me that I’ve broken a shear pin, who knows when, and I’ve been using half a snowblower for months.
I get an undue (it’s a sad commentary on my current state, really) sense of excitement at the prospect of being able to competently fix my problem and head for my stuff drawers and grab my spare shear pin. Couldn’t get it insterted down in snowpile I was in on the driveway, in the dark, so hauled it into the garage and futzed with it until I found where the shear pin was still cleanly in the hole, punched that out, couldn’t find the nut for my shear pin, quickly grabbed my spare spare shear pin, insert, reassemble, fire up.
Again, with an unjustified sense of glee, I power through the rest of the driveway, no plow-rows I need to go back and shovel, no riding up snowpiles and backing up to replow. I’m tossing snow as fast as I can run down the driveway. I’m burying children, tossing errant golfballs into the neighbor’s yard…it’s great. Finish the driveway, hit the path, keep going down the neighborhood an extra couple hundred feet.
It’s like a new lease on winter. I’m ready for another couple April snowstorms. It’s gonna be ok.
A bad worker always blames his tools.
An ignorant one, certainly.
That is a good winter story. Fixing a snowblower (as I learned) is a very satisfying experience.
Agreed. Thanks for the
fishsmile.My single-stage is acting up a little, but more than anything this season has made me regret my decision not to buy a two-stage a few years ago.
Until yesterday, I was wishing I had one, after watching my neighbors. And I used my Dad's to clear his driveway and the thing was flying, but it was a light snowfall.
It should be illegal for any retailer in this part of the country to even sell single stages.
They work very well for smaller amounts. Plus, the increased agility is nice when you have a smaller area to clear.
About three or four storms ago I fired up the snowblower and after just a few seconds it died, couldn't get it to run at all. Checked the plug and had good spark, so I took the cover off the carb to have a look and found the gas line flopping loose because the end had rotted and cracked. I trimmed it down to good rubber, plugged it back onto the carburetor and fired her up. I was happy it was such an easy fix because there was a lot of snow to move from that storm.
All you people and your machines to do the work for you!
yep.
If you didnt delete your Book of Face account, MLB is offering a free game on the platform today. Its Phillies-Mets, but its a chance to watch baseball while goofing off at work!
But, B of F is not a media company.
7???!!!!1!!11
Takes awhile to get out from under TR-style.
Pitch. To. Contact.
Garvin Alston for President!
A few poems are on my mind today, which I’ll share with you in the event you have time to read them over lunch:
Claude McKay’s “America,” published in 1921, eight years before Dr. King was born; he almost certainly would’ve been aware of it.
Gwendolyn Brooks’ “RIOT,” published in 1969, and written in response to the Chicago riots of 1968, which began the day after Dr. King’s assassination.
Audre Lorde’s “Power,” published in 1978, as starkly relevant today as it was then.
Yusef Komunyakaa’s “Report from the Skull’s Diorama,” published in 1988, noting the silence many have kept through the years.
Thank you.
Thanks for the links. I was just chatting with my friend at the National Civil Rights Museum about the events today. Just another opportunity to plug that place, and to encourage people to visit.
More bunting, please.
you got it!
Ummm. That's not... nevermind.
The Rockies have signed Charlie Blackmon to a six year extension, restructuring his salary for this season and committing the Rockies to him through 2021; the last two seasons are player options. He is guaranteed $108 million. Blackmon is in his age-32 season now, so he may be under contract through his age-37 season.
I’ll be very interested to see what the implications are for Dozier, who is also in his age-32 season now. Blackmon’s a mediocre (by UZR)-to-bad (by DRS) defensive center fielder, while Dozier’s essentially been an average second baseman. Blackmon’s hit 25+ homers in a season twice, and 30+ just once; Dozier’s hit 25+ 3 times (plus one more with 23), and 30+ twice. Blackmon edges Dozier in OPS+, 116 to 112.
If he doesn't sign an extension, it's going to be a tough offseason. It looks like he's now the top second baseman available this offseason, but there are a few players that rank so much higher. It's possible a mid-range club that has no interest in the other side of the infield, the outfield, or starting pitching could sign him early.
I hope Dozier gets paid, but will the FA market be the same as last offseason where it favored the owners ?
I don't see the past offseason as an aberration. The upcoming offseason will be unique because of Harper, and possibly Kershaw, but hard to see it suddenly going back to how it's previously been.
I think Altuve's contract assured Dozier's walking papers.
Perhaps. Altuve won’t even turn 28 until next month, though, so I’m not sure he’s the best comp. Both Dozier & Blackmon are likely to have shifted (far?) down the defensive spectrum by the end of their next deals, at which point Altuve will be still be a year away from free agency.
I like Salty LEN3, even if he said it as just for entertainment
All this pissing and moaning from broadcasters & sportswriters about sitting for a couple hours in the cold to watch a baseball game gets really, really tiresome. There are people who are actually there and paying, often for a lesser experience than these goofs, to watch the same game.
Has Michael Clinkscales ever been to Miller Park? Because that’s not the retractable roof ballpark you lead with when you’re complaining about cold baseball. Set aside the LOL, I’d take the Dome over that swamp-ass storage tank with shopping mall atrium acoustics any day.
And how many days does it really matter? I don't see the point sacrificing 70+ days for the sake of few than ten per year that are rained/snowed out or too cold. Eventually someone will figure out/pay for a retractable roof that doesn't negatively affect everything else.
Agree 100%. Nothing beats outdoor baseball in May-September.
Trey's Little League has an Opening Day each year where the parents of the teams have booths with food and games for team fundraisers and they have a ceremony on the field where all the kids of all levels line up and after a ceremony, the teams are introduced and get to run the bases in front of the parents. They also do a raffle and give out the prizes for the raffle and also prizes to the kids who sold the most raffle tickets. This year, Opening Day had been postponed twice by rain last month. The second time, they postponed it till this coming Saturday. In the next two weeks, what is the only day projected to have rain? Yep. Saturday. They also have a closing ceremonies at the end of the season in June. Maybe they'll combine the 2 if they decide to postpone it again.