July 19, 2023: Grifters

Not sure what the laws are like in MN, but here in IL, they allow for all sorts of these, I dunno, "gambling cafes"? It's basically a bar with a bunch of slot machines inside. They're in pretty much every strip mall (sometimes next to one another), and they all have women's names. Sabrina's, Dolly's, Sofia's, Daisy's, etc. The fact that they're so prolific makes me worry there's actually a market for them and they're successfully bleeding their clients dry.

32 thoughts on “July 19, 2023: Grifters”

      1. We have plenty of those here too. I wouldn't be surprised if there were shops that had all 3

  1. East
    TBR 60 38 -- 1.4
    BAL 57 37 1.0 0.5
    TOR 53 42 5.5 0.5
    BOS 51 45 8.0 0.5
    NYY 50 46 9.0 0.3

      1. If I had to guess, I'd say medical emergency leading to passing out with foot slamming the gas then hitting a slightly sloped yard or curb.

  2. Here's the scenario:

    Runner on 2nd, no runner on 1st. Nobody holding him on so he gets a real big lead, almost to the shortstop's position. Pitcher does the inside move, not removing his back foot from the rubber, and throws to the shortstop who is playing the shortstop position, not covering 2nd base.

    Balk or no?

      1. So the shortstop position is close enough "towards" second base?

        Of course during the game the runner got back to second in time, the SS threw towards second, missed, and the runner advanced to 3rd anyway. So no harm, but it sure looked strange.

        1. The relational optics probably depend on the handedness of the pitcher, but my understanding is that if no fielder is covering the base, a pitcher may throw to a fielder to retire a runner caught attempting to advance.

          1. Of course, the 2nd baseman was covering the base, so... We all had a good chat about it afterwards. I don't feel strongly either way, but it was a new one for me.

            Meanwhile, Aquinas' team (which earned the #1 seed) won, moving them into the semi-finals on Thursday. They'll be hosting the only team they lost to this year. Should be a good game.

          2. My understanding is that if it's a left hander, no balk because the rules apparently don't apply to them.

    1. My understanding of the balk rule (which certainly could be wrong), is that you have to throw to the base unless you are throwing for the purpose of making a play. If the runner is close to the shortstop, and you throw to the shortstop, that's trying to make a play, and so no balk.

  3. The Pretenders are playing the Entry. Don't think I'll be able to snag tickets

    1. I'm surprised they're at the Entry. Do they just really want to play smaller rooms? I figured they'd at least go to First Ave.

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