2015 WORLD SERIES, GAME 3

America, we have a series! Mets, 9; Royals, 3.

One of the New York Mets young guns, starting pitcher for Game 3, Noah Syndergaard, also known as Thor (rightfully so, by the way), set the stage with his first pitch last night to Kansas City Royals’ leadoff batter, Alcides Escobar.

In Marine Corps parlance, Thor went “high and tight” on Escobar. A 98 miles-per-hour brush-back pitch. The Royals’ bench erupted! America had a World Series again.

There will be NO sweep. As of this morning, I certainly feel we’ll have, at the very least, a Game 6 back in Kansas City.

Yordano Ventura, the Royals’ starting pitcher, was NOT ready for ‘prime time’ at Citi Field, New York. In fact, he was visibly irritated, and seemed in need of constant “parenting” by the Royals’ all-world catcher, Salvador Perez, during most of his time on the mound.

Game 4, tonight, may well determine our next Major League World Champion. The Mets are now in the heads of Blue Nation. That’s the way the games – sports – is / are meant to be, aunts and uncles.

Two last things. I’ve had enough of Harold Reynolds, one of the FOX analysts – he’s awful, awful; and, secondly, I don’t need to see any more shots of Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock.

GET OUT OF TOWN, JOHNNY

John, you left the barn full!

Your new address won’t be Reading, Ohio.

K Street, John Boy. K Street.

You can climb back in bed with your old pal, Eric Cantor.

You’ve been a fraud…

HALLOWEEN $$$

Happy Halloween, aunts and uncles.

As my better half and I were raising our three sons (truth to told, my wife did most of ‘that’ heavy lifting; while I lived in airports), Halloween was always a fun time around our household.

The week of Halloween, no matter where we were living, consisted of hayrides; donuts; scarecrows; pumpkins; hot cinnamon cider; hot cocoa; leaves on the ground; tons of laughter; apple turnovers; and, the boys using all my old shirts, running shoes, pullovers, sweaters, and charcoal blocks to paint their faces.

Neighborhoods had their own boundaries for ghoulish visitors, of all ages (usually 18 months to 13-years old) with the accompanying parents in tow. It was still a “kids world.”

Up until the second Clinton term, that is. That’s when the adults (?) took the spirit (NO pun intended) of Halloween away from the kids. Remember, every woman wanted to dress up as Gennifer Flowers, and the men as Slick Willie Clinton.

All was lost! Now, Halloween is an adult cottage industry. Big money!

How big? Try these ’15 numbers on for size: source – National Retail Federation

• $2.1 BILLION on candy (Diabetes, anyone?);
• $1.9 BILLION on decorations;
• $550 MILLION for pet costumes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

$4,550,000,000 BILLION, America…

You think Cancer Research could use some of that money?

We, in America, have NO real sense of priorities any more.

Boooo…

A LINE HAS BEEN CROSSED…finally

2013 seems a long time ago…

This afternoon the Obama Administration changed course as far as “boots on the ground” strategy goes in Syria. Somewhere between 38-50 Special Operations Forces will be deployed to Kurdish-controlled areas in Syria against the Islamic State troops.

The administration says that there will be “no direct combat role against the fight against the Islamic State forces.” Horses@#t!

When one is getting shot at, it’s combat! When one is firing back, it’s combat! When one is directing artillery strikes, it’s combat! When one is calling in air-support, and or air-strikes, it’s called combat! Fighting the enemy=COMBAT!

And, Mr. President, the Islamic State is the enemy. Our enemy is the Islamic State, Barry. Which is what your military people have been telling you for over two years.

Josh Earnest, White House Press Secretary, and some classic verbal manure.

CNN. A series of moments displaying governmental ‘flip-flop.’

In a war that I know quite well, even John Kennedy couldn’t get it RIGHT.

There is NO such thing as “advice and assistance” in a combat zone! Only direct combat roles, which means fighting and dying.

BAD NBC…bad people!

Moments ago, the Republican National Committee suspended – for how long, who knows – its future debate partnership with NBC, after Wednesday night’s catastrophe on CNBC.

Stephen Colbert gave full-throttle, last night, to some of the ‘possible’ reasons.

Immature questioning and blatant bias are certainly obvious starting points with the three CNBC trolls assigned to moderate (?; NOT) this week’s debate.

The immediate impact on NBC is the scheduled February 26, 2016 debate at the University of Houston.

Suggestion. Here’s four options for the network: Tom Brokaw; Chuck Todd; Kate Snow; and, Joe Scarborough. Whether one likes any of these four journalists or NOT, they are a guarantee to be very well prepared, and act like grownups.

KINSHASA, ZAIRE

In the jungled world of Zaire, formerly known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, forty-one years ago today, October 30, 1974, one of the greatest sports moments of my life took place.

Kinshasa, Zaire.

The Greatest, Muhammad Ali.

Against the sledgehammer, George Foremean, Heavyweight Champion of the World.

For the title.

Closed circuit. $24.75 / ticket. Arena seating. Motion picture screen. Horrific reception.

NO one cared. NO one! Ali was going after the title again…that’s all that mattered in those days.

Things to watch for in the following video:

• Speed of Ali’s right hand (he NEVER got enough credit for it);
• Punishment that Ali adsorbed by his rope-a-dope;
• Damage done to Foreman’s face as the fight goes on;
• Amount of trash-talking by Ali to Foreman.

Classy Foreman –

There is / was / never will be another Ali, or a “Rumble in the Jungle.”

AMERICA, THIS IS WHERE WE ARE AT

There are NO longer locks on the asylums, aunts and uncles.

An abject embarrassment. Our candidates, and our media.

HELL…is now on earth.

2015 WORLD SERIES, GAME 2

The Royals are now two games up in the series, of a best of seven, against the New York Mets, as the World Series is now in New York for the next three games (if necessary, and I most definitely feel it will be), with Game 3 tonight at 8:07 ET, on FOX.

NO designated hitter (DH) for the next three games due to the fact that the games with be in a National League (NL) park (NL has NOT adopted the DH rule).

Accuweather forecasts the next three nights to be clear to cloudy (at times), with nightly temperatures from the high 30s to the high 40s. NO RAIN in the forecast, as of my post.

I’m picking up a dozen and a half of Apple turnovers so I’ve got to run. Well-stocked with Diet Coke, and Quick!

Roll Blue…

NIKE AD

When The Gronk says it’s a “Snow Day,” it’s a snow day.

Love the ad!

Nothing has, basically, changed in seventy-three years.

Except,

• technology in footwear;
• technology in athletes (sorry, just speaking the truth);
• Title IX (I have 3 granddaughters, I love it!);
• 24 / 76 / 365 cable coverage.

Other than that, you NEVER stayed in the house during a “snow day” in Maine; and, NO one dressed that well, or looked that attractive, in my neighborhood, either.

GET OUT THERE…THAT’S WHERE LASTING MEMORIES ARE MADE.

THE BOULDER DEBACLE

Watching last night’s third 2015 Republican Candidates Presidential Debate was like having a wisdom tooth extracted. And, I, thankfully, have NEVER had such an experience, but I did witness the Halloween Horror Show from Boulder, Colorado.

First, I think it’s fair to say, John Harwood, Becky Quick and Carl Quintanilla, the so-called moderators from CNBC, need to report to the principle’s office this morning for their assignment to Detention Hall for the next six months. It’s one thing to get up each morning and give the country analysis of / on Wall Street, and the international money markets; but, it’s an entirely different proposition to moderate (?) a presidential debate.

None of the above three people were close to being in their ‘comfort zone.’ It was torturous to watch each them fumble with their questions, and attempt to control responses from the candidates. NONE of them should ever be a “moderator” for anything…ever again.

CNBC should be fined, and ordered to pay a heavy fine by the FCC for “citizens’ abuse!”

Senator Ted Cruz (TX) articulated it better than I ever could with this remark.

Finally, the highlight of the evening for me was when Governor Chris Christie (NJ), figuratively, back up his verbal abuse truck, and dumped its poop all over the inane question asked by Carl Quintanilla.