66 thoughts on “January 28, 2020: Woof”

  1. A hahaha ha, what? I turned it off with the Wolves up twenty assuming they finally won a game. This franchise never fails to be hilarious.

  3. I almost turned the game off with about 30 seconds to go, but then I said I know how this ends and Im going to watch it. Just surprised it went to OT instead of losing in regular time.

  4. Paul Wellstone. That is who Kobe's death reminds me of. I hadn't weighed in on the previous list of similar deaths, because I had nothing to add, and none seemed quite on point for me. Then, this morning, it hit me.

    Both were national figures (Kobe probably more widely so). Both were Hall of Famers in their respective fields (not that the Senate has such a thing), both invited some level of controversy, both seemed poised for impactful second acts (I mean, Wellstone had been diagnosed with MS and was running for Senate again, but ... I have to imagine if he'd survived what he'd be doing now would be different from that... more of an "intellectual leader of the progressive wing" type of thing?).

    Anyway, just wanted to drop that out there.

      1. Yup, same with me. While always sad when someone goes way too early, most celebrity/athlete deaths don't have a huge impact on me emotionally. Wellstone definitely did.

        1. Ditto. Having known him and worked with him personally at the alma mater made it all the more shocking.

          1. I got to know Paul Wellstone when I was a news producer. For at least a year or more, I was the only journalist in the Twin Cities who had his private home phone number in the Twin Cities. He gave it to me so I could call Sheila and set up a story about her work on domestic violence. He made me promise never to use it for anything else or give it to anyone else. There were two occasions I can recall when I was sorely tempted to break that promise in order to score points with my executive producers and news director. I'm very glad now that I never did. When he died, I felt it physically, like a gut punch that knocks the wind out of you.

            1. I was on the phone with my mom walking around the campus of SUNY-Buffalo when the news broke. I was absolutely devastated, and can still almost taste the fall air in my memory.

        2. The somewhat closer political analog might be Hale Boggs. He was the House Majority Leader when his plane disappeared in Alaska in late 1972. Very likely would have succeeded Carl Albert as Speaker rather than Tip O'Neill.

    2. That was the first election I could vote in. I think my age meant his death had an impact but minor because I was only dimly aware of his years as a senator.

      1. I’m somewhat embarrassed to say it, but my opinion of Wellstone has flipped nearly 180° from the one I was raised with when he was our senator. Part of that was the labor organizer side of her family being minimized by my mom; her dad & grandfather were union men going back to the New Deal, if not before, and very staunch HHH DFLers in the Fifties. I didn’t know that until I was in my thirties.

        I have a framed reprint of Gene McCarthy’s 1968 campaign poster hanging in my office. I’d like to put a Wellstone! one up next to it, but I’d feel like a hypocrite.

        1. He wasn't into hero worship. But I think he would be happy to have you (or anyone else) to come around to his views of things. He was a democratic socialist with a deep appreciation for and connection with working people. I didn't agree with him on many economic issues, but I respected his passion and genuine-ness (that's clumsy, but I can't think of the right word at the moment).

        1. By the time Kirby died his long, hard fall from grace was complete, in my eyes, at least. I'll always love him for what he did on the baseball field, and I'll always be sad that he was never the man I though he was for so many years. Because you can love a person in spite of their flaws, you can forgive them for their transgressions, but it's almost impossible to forget all the pain they cause by acting on their worst impulses. As it should be.

    1. This is a very, very good move by the Astros. He brings along a respectability that the organization needs. After Verlander's facepalm-worthy speech the other night, they need someone like Dusty to bring things back in line.

      Plus, he gets another shot. After the whole thing with the Nationals, I like that.

    2. Yesterday, I saw Brad Ausmus' name for that job and I chuckled.
      I think Dusty is a pretty good hire.

    4. A friend asked about him for the Astros or Red Sox and I replied with "extremely unlikely" based on how much a radical change it would be from Hinch or Cora to Baker. Turns out, good guess.

      1. I feel like this is a lot less based off of managerial strategy or adherence to a certain analytical philosophy and a lot more based on the optics and clubhouse reputation of hiring an older school manager. Whether that is grounded even the least bit in reality? I guess we'll see.

        1. Also no doubt some -isms tossed in. Baker hasn't managed for a stats-first team like the Astros, but there's no reason why he couldn't do fine. It's still a great team. Seems like a good "Straight Arrow" hire to set a new culture.

    5. Seems like an odd hire for the Astros. Definitely seems like they're trying to distance themselves from previous regime. Surprised he was hired before new GM.

    2. I'm intrigued. It's going on my reading list, which somehow keeps getting longer instead of shorter. I guess I don't read enough anymore.

      1. I've been working so hard on not buying new books.

        I never told myself anything about winning one though

  7. zooomx, addendum to the restaurant discussion. Ten Sushi is opening a second location in MG. I take this to mean they must be doing something right.

    1. My one regret of living in a smaller city is no quality sushi. We stopped in Maple Grove Sunday morning and had a really nice breakfast at Patrick's Bakery and Restaurant. The Bloody Marys were lame, but the food was great.

      1. We have quality sushi places here, but being in the middle of the continent, I'm not sure we can say we have quality sushi.

        Aww man, now you're getting me jonesing for the good stuff again.

          2. Simply shrimp at 20 dollars a pound? Sweet jesus. I might have to drive up there just for the experience, but 20$ a pound is crazy expensive.

            1. It is expensive. But there are other companies working on larger operations (truShrimp was going to be in Luverne, but is starting in SD first, then possibly a second location in Luverne (apparently environmental regs held things up in MN), and I'm hopeful that eventually prices fall.

              1. I, for one, am looking forward to the wholesome family memories that will be made once the pick-your-own shrimp farms get established.

    1. Also Ween at Surly Field May 23. Also Presale tomorrow. I think the code is Guava.

      guava

  9. Last night, I was watching that Timberwolves have on delay. I had avoided Twitter and the internet. When they were up 27 in the third I figured it was safe to check Twitter. The first tweet I read said, "And we're tied."

    I quickly shut it down and continued to watch. At 16 point lead with 3 minutes left I convinced myself that I read it wrong. Then, I watched the wheels slowly fall off knowing where it was headed. I can't think of a worse collapse. Twins-Indians 1984?

  10. R. I. P. Jack Burns, of Burns and Schreiber, of the Andy Griffith show, and of lots of other things you'll remember if you're an old guy like me, at the age of eighty-six.

    2. The guy who played Deputy Warren Ferguson was George Carlin’s comedy partner? Wow, TIL!

      Replacing Don Knotts’ Barney Fife was going to be practically impossible for any actor, and Burns didn’t get any favors since his character was a Barney stand-in (several episodes were already written with Barney, rather than Warren, in the script).

  11. This is one of the greatest threads ever.

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