tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16121871685693003252024-03-13T02:53:53.771-07:00The Will To WinWill Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11015726311843735151noreply@blogger.comBlogger166125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612187168569300325.post-89745783726287605362017-07-04T18:38:00.000-07:002017-07-04T20:01:39.481-07:00Tank Cubs, Tank: The Chicago Cubs Should Sell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><u>Danville, Kentucky</u></b> -- Folks, sometimes it's tough to know when to throw in the towel. Men of my generation were taught to persevere - to keep grinding, even as our bodies fail us and our spirit breaks. That drive to survive and outlast your opposition is what kept brave men alive in the jungles of Guadalcanal and the forests of Ardennes; it's what kept tired men toiling on the assembly line long after their dignity and the union were gone. That instinct is what gives me the strength to finish my 6th hot dog at a 4th of a July barbecue, long after my stomach is full and my wife tells me to stop eating, for the love of God.<br />
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Folks, the <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/10/forgot-about-cleveland-twtws-2016-world.html">Chicago Cubs - 2016's miracle team</a> - need to throw in the towel. We all know why. Ben Zobrist, the World Series MVP, looks old and broken. Addison Russell has played exactly like you'd expect somebody drafted by saber-nerd Billy Beane to play. Kyle Schwarber has been demoted to Triple-A Iowa, and might not be back in the majors until the 2020 <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/01/trump-will-win-iowan.html">Iowa Caucus</a> showdown between Chelsea Clinton, Mark Zuckerberg, and Corey Booker. The team's chemistry is shot, in part thanks to <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2017/06/28/miguel-montero-chicago-cubs-jake-arrieta">Miguel Montero throwing his own teammates under the bus</a>. Jake Arietta's ERA is more inflated than Evan McMullin's sense of self-importance. Worst of all, there's no David Ross around anymore to anchor the team with veteran presence.<br />
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The final nail in the coffin for the Cubbies? They disrespected our President. Bad things happen to people who cross the Donald - ask Mika or Morning Joe.</div>
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<a href="https://t.co/zYGgRIFwyG">pic.twitter.com/zYGgRIFwyG</a></div>
— Roguish Behavior (@SimulacruMusial) <a href="https://twitter.com/SimulacruMusial/status/880138310785609728">June 28, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Meanwhile, Chicago's competition in the NL Central is formidable. While the Cubs' roster looks broken and deteriorated, the Milwaukee Brewers look like a complete team. The Cubs' offense has looked utterly lost at the plate and totally un-clutch (batting a PATHETIC .231 with Runners in Scoring Position), while the Brew Crew are led by bashers like Eric Thames (aka Barry Bonds reincarnated), Travis Shaw, and the inexplicably filthy Eric Sogard (hits the ball So-Yard). Don't sleep on <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/03/trump-will-win-wisconsin.html">Hernan Perez</a> either - with 10 home runs, 8 steals, and defensive versatility, he looks a true <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/07/everyday-andrew-why-romine-is-key-to.html">super-utility</a> player, perhaps the next Ben Zobrist. Also Ryan Braun is on this team.<br />
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Point is, the sun has set on the North Side of Chicago. It's time for Theo Epstein to be realistic. <b>This is Milwaukee's division</b>. A team that can't stay above .500 has no business buying at the deadline - the prudent thing for the Cubs to do is tank and try to collect some prospects for their next run.<br />
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Kris Bryant should be traded to the Boston Red Sox, who have a deep farm system and are in desperate need of a third baseman. Throw in Jon Lester and Koji Uehara for old time's sake. The Cubbies could probably, at a minimum, get Andrew Benintendi, Rafael Devers, and Jay Groome in return.<br />
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Since the Cubs won't be contending this year, they have no use for a lights out closer. Wade Davis should be traded back to the resurgent Kansas City Royals for Jorge Soler. Unlike the Cubs, the Royals have managed to stay above .500 this year.<br />
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Nobody should be off limits: Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, etc., should all be moved for whatever the Cubs can get. The Cinderella Story was nice while it lasted - but it's time for Epstein to act before this supposed "team of destiny" turns into a pumpkin.<br />
<br />Will Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11015726311843735151noreply@blogger.com0Danville, KY, USA37.6456329 -84.772170237.5450479 -84.9335317 37.746217900000005 -84.6108087tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612187168569300325.post-2514430987607984182017-06-07T20:00:00.000-07:002017-06-08T11:06:43.545-07:00Ban the Warriors<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><u>Danville, Kentucky</u></b> -- Thomas Jefferson, the father of enlightenment liberalism, <a href="https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson">once wrote</a>: "it is not by the consolidation or concentration, of powers, but by their distribution that good government is effected." Indeed, America has long grappled with the problem of power being concentrated in the hands of an elite few, preventing many honest Americans from sharing in the bounties of our great nation. President Andrew Jackson, hater of <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/03/trust-deficit-how-credit-cards.html">paper money</a> and the plundering financial barons, recognized this problem and rightly vetoed Congress's attempt to re-charter the Second Bank of the United States in an effort to restore economic independence to the common man. President Franklin D. Roosevelt knew this, and rightly cracked down on the Wall Street marauders responsible for the Great Depression, re-distributing wealth from the rich few to the hard-working many. <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-twtw-election-model-trumps-path-to.html">President Donald J. Trump</a> will soon follow in this great tradition, and is on the precipice of launching a fierce attack on entrenched oligarchy and corporate globalist robbery like no President ever before.<br />
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Folks, the NBA should take a page from Jefferson, Jackson, Roosevelt, and Trump's book. It is not by the consolidation or concentration, of players, but by their distribution that good basketball is effected. Despite boasting more exciting superstar players than ever before, NBA basketball has never been less compelling. A historically good (but historically choke-prone) 73-win <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/04/bench-steph-curry.html">Golden State Warriors</a> team added Kevin Durant last off-season. The Warriors and <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/05/nba-finals-preview.html">Cleveland Cavaliers</a> absolutely cruised to the NBA finals, facing no real competition en route to winning their conferences. In the NBA, the rich keep getting richer. Next season the arms race will continue once the Cavaliers inevitably acquire <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2017/02/bring-carmelo-to-cleveland.html">Carmelo Anthony</a> and Chris Paul. It's time to stop this madness before it spirals out of control, and the NBA becomes a two-tiered league of contenders and D-League wannabes.<br />
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President Obama's greatest mistake, other than attending an Ivy League school and being a weak-kneed liberal, was that he didn't break up the big banks after the 2008 financial crisis. <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/02/heartbern-why-sanders-must-be-stopped.html">Bernie Sanders</a> knew this, and would've won the 2016 Democratic Nomination with this argument had George Soros and Debbie Wasserman Schultz not <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/05/make-debating-great-again-why-donald.html">rigged the game </a>to stop him. It's time for Adam Silver to do what Obama couldn't: break up the big teams, the teams that have become too big to fail. Redistribute the wealth by putting Kevin Durant on the Brooklyn Nets as punishment for <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/05/thunder-must-not-resign-kevin-durant.html">betraying Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder</a>. End the concentration of the league's premier talent in two teams, or basketball's inequality crisis will escalate until upward mobility for weaker teams is extinguished. The fate of the game of basketball is on the line.Will Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11015726311843735151noreply@blogger.com0Danville, KY, USA37.6456329 -84.772170237.5450479 -84.9335317 37.746217900000005 -84.6108087tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612187168569300325.post-2800948558100942652017-04-28T13:24:00.001-07:002017-04-28T13:24:45.466-07:00Return of the Pelf<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><u>Danville, Kentucky</u></b> -- A man cannot undo his mistakes. He can only learn to live with them. This is the lesson taught to us when we wake up on a Sunday morning with aching, heavy limbs and a throbbing migraine, with vodka sweats oozing out of our pores after a night of sorrowful drinking alone. This is the lesson taught to us when the dream of NAFTA withdrawal -- the dream of undoing the foolish trade policy mistakes of Clinton and Bush -- <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/news/john-cassidy/trumps-nafta-reversal-confirms-the-globalists-are-in-charge-for-now">recedes further and further into the realm of fanciful and wishful thinking</a>. This is a lesson the <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/12/theyre-shuttin-detroit-down-tragedy-of.html">Detroit Tigers</a> must learn after foolishly parting ways with <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/02/affordable-electricity-in-defense-of.html">Mike Pelfrey, electric right-handed pitcher and ground-ball artist</a>.<br />
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The Tigers cannot now undo the mistake of unconditionally releasing Mike Pelfrey; he has been signed by the <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2017/01/invade-chicago.html">Chicago White Sox</a>, who will happily throw him out on the mound every fifth day on the Tigers' dime. The Tigers may deeply regret this move. A White Sox rotation anchored by Mike Pelfrey and <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-royals-must-re-acquire-james-shields.html">James Shields</a> would've been quite formidable in 2010. Pelfrey will join a White Sox team that is already off to a surprisingly strong start, thanks to Detroit Tiger turned Tiger-killer Avisail Garcia, a man on a mission to exact revenge against the team that traded him at the 2013 trade deadline. Pelfrey and Avisail will find common cause in their efforts to avenge the team that said they were no good. Fangraphs keeps calling Garcia a major regression candidate, but the eye-test says he has turned a corner. Avi is seeing the ball well; he has confidence at the plate and appears to have changed his swing approach in the off-season. The Tigers dismiss the newly-stacked White Sox at their own peril, especially since they offloaded known <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/03/clubhouse-chaos-why-i-dont-believe-in.html">clubhouse cancers Chris Sale and Brett Lawrie</a>.<br />
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The Tigers must learn to live with their mistake to put Pelfrey in the hands of a hated divisional rival. They have, to a degree. They sport a winning (11-10) record. Yet their bullpen remains a bigger, stinkier, hotter mess than the Creamy Jalapeno Wings at <i>Chili's</i>.<br />
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The Tigers bullpen bungles high-leverage situations like <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/10/benedict-ryan-paul-rino-for-prison.html">Paul Ryan</a> bungles <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2017/01/hands-off-my-trumpcare.html">Obamacare repeal-and-replace efforts</a>. They could really use a guy like Pelf right now; who can wiggle his way out of jams by inducing double-plays. Unfortunately, the Tigers will now be paying Pelfrey to turn those double-plays against them.<br />
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The circumstances are cruel; Pelfrey will face off against Matthew Boyd, the handsome young man who out-pitched him for the final rotation spot back in spring training. Pelfrey doesn't have Boyd's boyish good looks or disappearing change-up, but he does have pluck born from years of major-league experience.<br />
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It won't be easy for Pelfrey to return to Comerica Park, the stadium where he was regularly greeted with groans, hisses, boos, and obscenities. Pelf is a man of steel, and won't let the cool reception he inevitably faces shake him. With ice blood in his veins, Pelfrey will twirl ground-ball after ground-ball, doubling up plodding sluggers like Victor Martinez and <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/06/sins-of-father-avila-story.html">Alex Avila</a> with ease. Pelf has pitched well in Comerica Park as a visiting pitcher before. As <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/05/ladies-and-gentlemen-your-1st-place.html">the ace of the Minnesota Twins in 2015</a>, Pelf turned in some of his finest performances against the Tigers:<br />
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That being said, Pelf will have his work cut out for him. The Tigers offense is not at full strength with Miguel Cabrera and JD Martinez missing in action, but Jim Aducci and John Hicks are just as dangerous in their own wily, gritty way. </div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck">
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He's 2-2 with 2 RBI today. Give me a 31 year old journeyman who wants his shot over blue-chip top 100 prospects any day. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tigers?src=hash">#Tigers</a> <a href="https://t.co/ncG7JvIV2c">https://t.co/ncG7JvIV2c</a></div>
— The Will To Win (@TWTWsports) <a href="https://twitter.com/TWTWsports/status/856225106561044480">April 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
When Pelf returns to the Motor City for his first game as an opposing pitcher since his untimely release, I predict a strong effort. Pelf will labor through 5 innings of 2 run ball, the only runs coming off a mistake pitch to the red-hot Tyler Collins. The Tigers have already made the mistake of releasing Pelfrey; the worst mistake they could make now is to underestimate him.<br />
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<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Will Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11015726311843735151noreply@blogger.com0Danville, KY, USA37.6456329 -84.772170237.5450479 -84.9335317 37.746217900000005 -84.6108087tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612187168569300325.post-92117633761824953912017-04-17T19:09:00.000-07:002017-04-17T19:10:57.182-07:00Royal Rematch: The Giants Return to Kansas City<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><u>Danville, Kentucky</u></b> -- There is no feeling more disturbing than the familiar becoming foreign. I think it was the spring of 2009. I was exhausted after a long day of working at the tire factory, and eager to go home and recuperate. But when I got home, the fridge was empty. I had eaten my last pepperoni <i>Hot Pocket</i>® for breakfast. Grudgingly, I went back to my car and headed to a nearby <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/11/ban-mcdonalds-all-day-breakfast-lie.html">McDonald's</a>.<br />
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McDonald's is great because it's familiar. McDonald's is a pillar of stability in a fragmented world torn asunder by the forces of globalization, the decline of the conventional nuclear family, ideological polarization, and forcible secularization. The connective glue that once held society together has disappeared. All the old institutions that once gave a man certainty -- the church, the union, the <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/04/free-billy-butler.html">Blockbuster video store</a> -- are all gone. Yet, a man can find comfort in the knowledge that at McDonald's, you can get the same burger in Danville as you can in <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/01/in-memoriam-of-west-virginian-pizza-hut.html">Marmet</a>, <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/01/ban-rick-snyder.html">Flint</a>, <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/09/hungry-like-wolf-twtws-92-tigers-royals.html">Bakersfield</a>, and <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/03/trump-will-win-wisconsin.html">Deerfield</a>. Or you could, at least.<br />
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That evening in the spring of 2009, I walked into McDonald's; but I didn't recognize what I saw. Apple slices. Side salads. Carrots. Parfait. Cucumbers. Sandwich wraps. Oatmeal. It dawned on me how long it had been since I had last been to a McDonald's. In a few short years, McDonald's went from being an unabashed all-American staple, to a weak-kneed Panera-wannabe. McDonald's was great because it had a formula: tasty food served quick for a cheap price. It wasn't healthy, but that wasn't the point. In attempting to cater to health-conscious liberals, McDonald's forgot what made them great.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No thanks, McCommunists.</td></tr>
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Folks, for a while it looked like the Royals forgot what made them great as well. I felt a similar sensation -- that disconcerting vibe when something familiar feels foreign -- when I watched the <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/12/too-big-to-fail-how-to-fix-2017-royals.html">2017 Kansas City Royals</a>. The <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/10/kansas-city-special-twtws-2015-world.html">2015 World Champion Royals</a> were great because they played their brand of baseball. They stole bases. They bunted. They played great defense. They made productive outs. They did the little things. They went to third base on a single. They put up runs without hitting dingers. It was Royals baseball, and they were proud of it.<br />
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The 2017 Royals had an abysmal 2-6 start because they forgot this formula. They were without Jarrod Dyson, the teams's swaggering <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Id,_ego_and_super-ego">id</a>, and one of their primary threats on the base-paths. They uncharacteristically signed Brandon Moss, a lumbering slugger who had previously been their sworn enemy as an Oakland Athletic and Cleveland Indian. They traded elite closer Wade Davis for some kid from the Cubs who hits dingers and can't play defense. Their once invincible bullpen was a shadow of its former self, giving up runs in bunches in the late innings. The Royals looked out of their element, like a fruit salad at a burger joint. Until one man stepped in.<br />
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With two dominating starts, Jason Vargas got the Royals back on the winning track and stopped their season from being smothered in the cradle. So far this season Vargas has been the unquestioned ace of the Royals staff, besting even the <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-only-world-baseball-classic-preview.html">beastly Danny Duffy</a>. His most recent start -- a 7.2 inning, 8-strikeout, 4-hit performance against the Oakland Athletics -- not only put an end to a horrific losing streak; it put Vargas firmly in the Cy Young conversation. That's no small feat for a man recovering from Tommy John surgery. On a pitching staff that is now full of mercenaries like Ian Kennedy and Chicago Cubs castoffs, Jason Vargas is an anchor of familiarity, a reminder of the glory days when guys like <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/02/take-chance-on-me-why-lincecum-and.html">Jeremy Guthrie</a> and Bruce Chen were mainstays of the Royals rotation.<br />
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Folks, some familiarity is just what the Royals needed. Thanks to Vargas, the Royals are looking like their old selves, having clawed back to the .500 mark after that awful start. That momentum is a good thing, as the San Francisco Giants -- their rivals from the 2014 World Series -- come to town for some inter-league action. On Wednesday, Mr. Vargas will square off against Madison Bumgarner, the man who single-handedly thwarted the Royals' World Series hopes that autumn. Although Bumgarner's reputation as a postseason God was tarnished this past fall when he ran into the Cubs buzz-saw, nobody in Kansas City has forgotten what he did in 2014: 3 games, 20 innings, 1 run.<br />
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Vargas doesn't usually crack baseball's list of dominant lefties: <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/07/replacing-irreplaceable-twtws-dodgers.html">Clayton Kershaw</a>, Madison Bumgarner, Chris Sale, <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2017/03/save-our-sox-how-to-replace-david-price.html">David Price</a>, etc., etc. After a couple more starts and a chance to prove himself against a hated rival, that will change. And when it does, the league better watch out.Will Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11015726311843735151noreply@blogger.com0Danville, KY, USA37.6456329 -84.772170237.5450479 -84.9335317 37.746217900000005 -84.6108087tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612187168569300325.post-68695285152813415112017-03-16T11:22:00.000-07:002017-03-16T11:22:32.392-07:00TWTW's 2017 March Madness Preview<b><u>Danville, Kentucky</u></b> -- It's that time of year again, folks. The time of year where kids leave it all on the court. The time of year when boys become men. The time of year where my panicked wife frantically calls the police for information about my whereabouts after my phone dies while watching basketball at <i><a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/02/affordable-electricity-in-defense-of.html">Buffalo Wild Wings</a></i> for days at a time. It's March Madness time, folks.<br />
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Unlike Rachel Maddow, I won't waste your time with a twenty-minute buildup culminating in nothing. I'll cut right to the chase. Here are the games to watch during the first round of this year's tournament:<br />
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Maryland (6) versus Xavier (11)</h3>
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Folks, I'll be upfront that I have a slight bias for the Musketeers, a scrappy team hailing from Cincinnati. But this game has huge upset potential. This Maryland team is soft; softer than the mushy interior concealed within every terrapin's protective shell. This is to be expected from Maryland, a soft state. I once spent a night at the <a href="http://www.carolinemd.org/131/Corrections">Caroline County Department of Corrections</a> for using non-standard crabbing technology in violation of state regulations. Maryland's crabbing scene isn't the only thing that's overrated: their basketball team has had some bad letdown losses to the likes of Penn State and Nebraska. The Musketeers will get it done.<br />
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Michigan (7) versus Oklahoma State (10)</div>
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This is another intriguing can't miss game. Brad Underwood is one of the most underrated coaches in the country. Michigan, on the other hand, is the school that <a href="http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/index.ssf/2012/10/rick_pitino_recalls_how_close.html">passed on the blue collar fierceness of Rick Pitino en route to irrelevance for most of the 2000s</a>. Stillwater is a much tougher town than Ann Arbor. Take the upset, folks.<br />
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Cincinnati (6) versus Kansas State (11)</div>
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I'm taking K-State here folks. Don't get me wrong - I'm a Cincy man through and through; the city that brought us <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/11/ban-76ers-and-free-pete-rose.html">Pete Rose</a>, the best chili on the planet, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_H._McElroy">Neil H. McElroy</a>, the Defense Secretary under President Eisenhower. But K-State has so much momentum after falling just a point short of winning the Big 12 tournament when nobody expected them to. Don't best against momentum, folks.<br />
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Dayton (7) versus Wichita State (10)</h3>
This is the crowned jewel of first round match-ups during this year's tournament, featuring two of my favorite teams. Wichita State and Dayton are teams that love to beat Ohio State; both of them handed the Buckeyes shocking Ls in 2013 and 2014 respectively. I have nothing but respect for Dayton; it's a great area, with one of the best <i><a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/09/bring-back-volcano-taco.html">Taco Bell</a></i> restaurants I've ever been to - this place was clean as a whistle. But pick the underdog here, folks. Not that Wichita should be underdogs; they've been criminally under-seeded by the crooked NCAA elites that want to lock out small schools from the competition. The Shockers are a team that could run the table at this tournament.<br />
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Teams to Watch:</h3>
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<b>West Virginia:</b> The Mountaineers are a team on the upswing, fresh off of an excellent Big 12 tournament where the 'experts' thought a Kansas Jayhawks victory was a fait accompli. This team plays with such tenacity, using the full court press for entire game to grind down the willpower of their opponents. I think this is the year they make a deep run. <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/01/in-memoriam-of-west-virginian-pizza-hut.html">They say the Appalachian mountains are alive with the sound of coal mining once more, folks</a>. They're bringing home some hardware this March too.<br />
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<b>Purdue:</b> Purdue is another blue collar team that is going to turn some heads. This is the school run by Mitch Daniels; former Republican governor of Indiana who handed over control of the state to our current Vice President, Mike Pence. The Boilermakers are not to be trifled with.Will Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11015726311843735151noreply@blogger.com0Danville, KY, USA37.6456329 -84.772170237.5450479 -84.9335317 37.746217900000005 -84.6108087tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612187168569300325.post-17845095807887619932017-03-12T17:20:00.000-07:002017-03-12T17:20:32.437-07:00Not the End of the Line: Omar Infante for Tigers Opening Day Center Fielder<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><u>Danville, Kentucky</u></b> -- It's easy to forget what a marvel trains are. Before Al Gore's internet, before Dwight Eisenhower's interstate highways, before Henry Ford's Model-T, only railroads connected Americans to one another. America's system of rail transportation has roots dating back to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Transcontinental_Railroad">First Transcontinental Railroad of the 1860s</a>, a marvelous but loose network of train tracks that connected the country's breadbasket to the western frontier and the still fledgling settlements on the Pacific coast. Before the dawn of the railroads, America didn't have time-zones. Life was isolated, parochial, and pastoral. The emergence of railroads made every corner of the continent accessible and revolutionized our way of life.<br />
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Folks, in the summer of '75, there was nothing better than hopping aboard a train and seeing how far it would take you. One hot, smothering day in July of that summer, I was feeling particularly defeated. The bitter taste of the Watergate scandal was still depressing my spirits. An oppressive tax code and restrictive land use ordinances were hindering my dream of opening Danville's first ever combination sports bar and daycare center. I needed to see the world beyond my humble Danville abode. I longed for the sense of adventure that my ancestors must've had as they broke fresh ground in the New World and explored the vast and uncivilized frontier lands. So I headed down to Louisville's historic <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Station_(Louisville)">Union Station</a>. I took a train to St. Louis. Then Fort Worth. Then El Paso. I took train after train after train till I ended up in Salt Lake City, Boise, and finally Reno.<br />
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Several hundred dollars worth of train tickets and a few weeks later, there were no more trains left to ride. No more sights I hadn't seen. Unlike my ancestors who were lured out west by the promise of unexplored land and new challenges to conquer, by 1975 all the blank spaces on the map had been filled in. I didn't find adventure or new beginnings out west; all I found was a gang of bikers that jumped me and left me for dead in the desert after a misunderstanding over gambling. I can still feel the coarse sand in my beard and the midday sun beating down upon me as I laid there in Nevada's barren wastelands, my face in the dirt. I can still smell the scorched dusty earth. I can still taste the sand. It tasted like the end of the line.<br />
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Many folks are saying that <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/05/in-defense-of-omar-infante.html">Omar Infante</a> has reached the end of the line as well. The thirty-five year old second baseman from Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela certainly seems to be past his prime, a relic of a bygone era of baseball, an anachronism like the idea of riding trains in 2017. He has had a storied career. Since making his debut with the Detroit Tigers in 2002, he has played every position except pitcher, catcher, and first base. He's been an AL Champion four times: with the Tigers in 2006 and 2012, and the Kansas City Royals in 2014 and 2015. He's had a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBzj2lbLP3Q">7 RBI game</a>, <a href="http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/63106348/v36845543/ws2014-gm2-infante-homers-before-benches-clear">been a postseason hero</a>, <a href="http://m.mlb.com/news/article/139368934/omar-infante-alcides-escobar-star-on-defense/">spun gem defensive plays</a>, and done everything else under the sun. But last season he was unceremoniously cut by Kansas City, seemingly marking the end of the line for him.<br />
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But it wasn't to be the end for Omar. <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/12/theyre-shuttin-detroit-down-tragedy-of.html">Al Avila's Detroit Tigers</a> have brought Mr. Infante's career full circle by giving him a minor league contract with an invite to spring training, and one last opportunity to prove he belongs in the majors.<br />
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Omar has risen to the occasion, folks. He sports a massive .400 batting average so far this spring. Earlier today he netted a pair of doubles and RBI while turning several eye-popping defensive plays in the field. Omar's efforts to revive his career haven't gone unnoticed.<br />
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Omar Infante continues to impress. Two-run, two-out double puts Tigers in front 4-3. His second double today</div>
— Chris McCosky (@cmccosky) <a href="https://twitter.com/cmccosky/status/841002760267010049">March 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Ausmus on Infante: "He certainly has the ability to still play baseball at the Major League level."</div>
— Jason Beck (@beckjason) <a href="https://twitter.com/beckjason/status/841024074017038338">March 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Barring injuries, Omar Infante probably won't make Tigers roster. It won't be for lack of defense. Has looked good all spring.</div>
— Jason Beck (@beckjason) <a href="https://twitter.com/beckjason/status/840989118217781249">March 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Yes, that is Omar Infante tearing it up for the Detroit Tigers this spring. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VoteOmar?src=hash">#VoteOmar</a> <a href="https://t.co/zJ5NKUpskB">https://t.co/zJ5NKUpskB</a></div>
— Jeffrey Flanagan (@FlannyMLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/FlannyMLB/status/841025053223354368">March 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
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I gotta believe Omar Infante can help the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tigers?src=hash">#Tigers</a> as a super-utility type.</div>
— Tony Paul (@TonyPaul1984) <a href="https://twitter.com/TonyPaul1984/status/840995853892505601">March 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Detroit Tigers' Omar Infante showing he still belongs in majors <a href="https://t.co/wPT8Gc168V">https://t.co/wPT8Gc168V</a> via <a href="https://twitter.com/freep">@freep</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/tigers">@Tigers</a></div>
— George Sipple (@GeorgeSipple) <a href="https://twitter.com/GeorgeSipple/status/839608910520729600">March 8, 2017</a></blockquote>
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In spite of Omar's monstrous spring training output, the Tigers won't commit to giving him a roster spot for the regular season. That's a mistake, folks. The Tigers need to think outside the box. Mr. Infante is thinking outside the box. <a href="http://www.freep.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2017/02/19/omar-infante-detroit-tigers/98127694/">He suggested that he'd like to play center fielder for the Tigers</a>.<br />
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let's go. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VoteOmar?src=hash">#VoteOmar</a> <a href="https://t.co/dpEU9MdYdV">pic.twitter.com/dpEU9MdYdV</a></div>
— The Will To Win (@TWTWsports) <a href="https://twitter.com/TWTWsports/status/833492347124084737">February 20, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The organization should take him seriously and give him a chance. Their season depends on it.<br />
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The Tigers' infield is set: future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera is a fixture at first base. Gold Glove winner Ian Kinsler will be the starting second baseman. Defensive specialist Jose Iglesias will be the starting shortstop, while up-and-coming slugger Nick Castellanos mans the hot corner.<br />
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The Tigers' center field situation is much less clear. Anthony Gose struggled in Double-A last year after <a href="http://www.freep.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2016/07/13/detroit-tigers-anthony-gose/87028612/">being demoted for a clubhouse incident with Toledo Mudhens manager Lloyd McClendon</a>. <a href="http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/15414620/detroit-tigers-option-tyler-collins-minors-incident-fans">Tyler Collins has had unfortunate incidents of his own</a>, and has not set himself apart in spring training. Recent acquisition Mikie Mahtook has had an abysmal spring training, sporting a .074 batting average. Youngster JaCoby Jones holds the most promise but probably needs some more seasoning in Triple-A.<br />
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Omar, on the other hand, is major league ready right now. Omar's offensive explosion in spring training has laid to rest fears that his bat won't play. His glove will play in center field too. He has a total of 609 major league innings played in the outfield under his belt, including 182.2 innings in center field. Even the most ardent stats-lover would have to acknowledge Omar is the man for the job:<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">[source: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/i/infanom01.shtml]</span></div>
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He's never committed an error in center field. His fielding percentage in center field is a perfect 100%. Folks, that's a track record that none of the Tigers' other center field options have.<br />
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Omar is the center field solution the Tigers didn't even know they had. Omar's veteran presence, playoff experience, smooth glove and hot bat would solidify the Tigers' center field situation and give the team certainty heading into the regular season. Louisville's Union Station has laid dormant for several decades, but it's clear that this is not the end of the line for Mr. Infante. It's up to the Tigers to let Omar aboard, lest he ride off into the sunset with one of their competitors.<br />
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<br />Will Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11015726311843735151noreply@blogger.com0Danville, KY, USA37.6456329 -84.772170237.5450479 -84.9335317 37.746217900000005 -84.6108087tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612187168569300325.post-69868799046631521112017-03-05T22:00:00.000-08:002017-03-05T22:07:10.765-08:00The Only World Baseball Classic Preview You'll Need - Part II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><u>Danville, Kentucky</u></b> -- Welcome to Part II of my power rankings of all 16 World Baseball Classic teams. <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-only-world-baseball-classic-preview.html">You can read part one here</a>. I'll cut to the chase, folks. These are the bottom eight teams. Some are worse than others. All are worse than America. Without further ado, here they are:<br />
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9. Korea</h3>
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Korea has an exciting team, folks -- and not just because these players were born and raised in the shadow of a nuclear-armed madman. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/north-korea-launches-another-missile-perhaps-one-that-can-reach-us/2017/03/05/943010ee-96e2-4ff4-83aa-2fe09cd65831_story.html">Although doubts remain as to whether North Korea has ICBM technology capable of striking the mainland United States</a>, there can be no doubt that the Korean national team is stacked with power. Korea has one of my favorite players in the whole world, folks: Dae-ho Lee, native of Busan, South Korea and former Seattle Mariner. Dae-ho showed some real pop last year with the Mariners, hitting 14 bombs with 49 runs driven in.<br />
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But the real reason to love Mr. Lee is his demeanor. He's always smiling; as a Mariner, he was truly a ray of sunshine in an otherwise perpetually overcast and grungy city. He's a jolly, rotund fellow, evoking a simpler era of baseball when sluggers like Babe Ruth crushed hot dogs in between innings in the dugout. I dare you to look at this man and not feel a warm, tingly sensation deep in your heart.<br />
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More importantly, he made his homeland proud, becoming an ambassador of the game and hero to Koreans everywhere. Thanks to Dae-ho, we have some of the greatest home run calls of all time.<br />
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(<i>skip to 50 seconds</i>)<br />
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Dae-ho represents everything that is great about the game of baseball. It breaks my heart that he has left the MLB and announced his intention to return to Korea's league. But I have to respect the man for loving his country. The fact that the Korean team also has Seung-hwan Oh -- aka the "<a href="http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/03/seung-hwan-oh-st-louis-cardinals-final-boss-mlb">final boss</a>" -- is just a cherry on top. This Korean team could go places.<br />
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10. Colombia</h3>
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Don't sleep on Colombia, folks. Not that Colombia's amphetamine snorting population does much sleeping anyway thanks to abundant supply of narcotics. Colombia lacks the position player talent of the teams ranked higher than them here, but they can pitch. Although they often fly under the national radar, Colombians Jose Quintana and Julio Teheran are two of the most quietly brilliant pitchers in the MLB. I'll also be playing close attention to Colombia's Dilson Herrera, one of the prospects my Reds acquired in the <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/12/a-reds-fans-christmas-list.html">foolish Jay Bruce trade</a>.<br />
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But the real guy to watch on this squad is Yohan Pino, or as I like to call him, "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6yttOfIvOw">Pino Noir</a>," because his slider has more depth than the bitter notes of a fine red wine. Mr. Pino was an unsung hero in the Royals 2015 World Series championship. Yes, I know he got put on waivers mid-season. But before that he had an impressive 3.26 ERA and several excellent high-leverage appearances. Like <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/05/make-debating-great-again-why-donald.html">Bernie Sanders after the DNC conspired against him</a>, Pino spent 2016 watching all the action from the sidelines. But he recently signed a minor league deal with the Twins. I think he could go places. During the World Baseball Classic, we'll find out if he can. Because of their strong pitching -- led by Quintana, Teheran, and Pino -- this Colombia team has sneaky upside.<br />
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11. Japan</h3>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">I'm not very high on Japan's team, but I'm obliged to mention that Japan's own Nori Aoki, Kansas City Royal turned San Francisco Giant turned Seattle Mariner turned Houston Astro, is a hell of a player. He's a world class talent. I love his swing. He won't hit for much power. But he can slap the ball all across the field and boasts a career .286 batting average in the MLB. It's a joy to watch him play. In an era where the nerds have decided that strikeouts don't matter and that batting average is irrelevant, Nori shows how valuable it is to have a guy that can put the ball in play. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">That being said, I'm down on Japan. The rest of the team outside of Aoki isn't particularly interesting. And as a country, Japan is adrift. Several weeks ago, Japanese Prime Minister Abe looked out of his element with a real leader like Trump.</span><br />
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The World Baseball Classic is about the talent on the field, but it's also about the intangibles, like the national mood of each respective country. With Japan's precious TPP trade deal recently killed by Trump, momentum is definitely against Japan. It's not happening for Japan this year.<br />
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12. Netherlands</h3>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">On the surface, the Netherlands has quite a bit of talent. Although most of the team has names like "Stuifbergen," "van den Hurk," "Heijstek," or "Thijssen," the discerning baseball fan might notice a few big names. Xander Bogaerts, Didi Gregorius, Andrelton Simmons and Kenley Jansen all apparently play for the Netherlands. But I'm not buying it. To illustrate why, let me point you to a map.</span><br />
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Yes, that's the Netherlands right next to Merkel's Germany and right across the <i>European-body-of-water-I-learned-in-high-school-but-can't-remember</i> from the lawless crime-hole Sweden. European social democracy has been a failure. The Netherlands national baseball team will be too. Next.</div>
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13. Canada</h3>
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Canada is a team so pathetic they couldn't even persuade <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/07/divorce-joey-votto-why-2015-reds-can-be.html">Joey Votto</a> to take some time away from meaningless spring training games to stand around with a bat on his shoulder and try to draw walks on behalf of his country. Don't get me wrong. Canada has some interesting players. Like Braves slugger Freddie Freeman. Or <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/12/how-to-conquer-coors-field-and-make.html">2006 AL MVP Justin Morneau</a>. There's also the intriguingly named Blue Jays outfielder Dalton Pompey. But this is Canada, folks. A country that's perpetually second fiddle to the U.S.A. Not happening.</div>
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14. China</h3>
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To be honest, I know absolutely nothing about China's team. I think the Chinese Communist Party has more or less suppressed all information about their national team, which is par for the course with this authoritarian nightmare of a country that stifles freedom of expression and the open exchange of ideas. I'll still put them ahead of Mexico and Australia because of China's sheer ruthlessness. </div>
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15. Mexico</h3>
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Mexico has some real gems on their team. Like Joakim Soria, the Royals' designated 8th inning guy and one of the best free agent signings Dayton Moore has ever made. There's also Sergio Romo, the scary-as-hell looking guy who recorded the final outs of the 2012 World Series for the Giants and for some reason got signed by the Dodgers. Did I mention that team Mexico has a lot Dodgers? Also on Mexico's team is the <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/10/boys-to-men-julio-urias-story.html">left-handed wunderkind Julio Urias</a> and hitting guru Adrian Gonzalez of the Los Angeles Dodgers. But it's just not Mexico's year. Not with <i>The Wall</i> on the way, along with punitive tariffs aimed at bringing back manufacturing jobs that Mexico stole via NAFTA. Next.<br />
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16. Australia</h3>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Australia occupies the last place spot in my power rankings. Look, I love <i>Outback Steakhouse</i> as much as the next guy. In fact, I've praised <i>Outback</i>'s excellent Australian cuisine in glowing terms <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/06/ban-st-louis-cardinals.html">not once</a>, <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-royals-must-re-acquire-james-shields.html">but twice</a>. This team has some pieces I like. </span>Peter Moylan, the bespectacled ex-Royal with a slider juicier than <i>Outback</i>'s QUEENSLAND CHICKEN & SHRIMP PASTA™, plays on this team. He had a 2-0 record and a 3.43 ERA last year with the Royals.<br />
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There is some fight in this team. Literally. Aussie Warwick Saupold of the Detroit Tigers organization got in a brawl last summer. We can assume this fight started when another bar-goer made an insensitive joke about Steve Irwin. </div>
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Warwick Saupold pleads no contest to charge stemming from bar fight <a href="https://t.co/TnThtPmtVo">https://t.co/TnThtPmtVo</a> <a href="https://t.co/Y7BFb94sTa">pic.twitter.com/Y7BFb94sTa</a></div>
— Evan Woodbery (@evanwoodbery) <a href="https://twitter.com/evanwoodbery/status/775804557444218880">September 13, 2016</a></blockquote>
But outside of Moylan and Saupold, things are looking bleak for Australia in my opinion. Countries that get on <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/07/us-senators-send-message-to-australia-after-donald-trumps-heated-phone-call">Donald Trump's bad side</a> won't be long for this world, folks. The folks down under may serve <i>Bloomin' Onions</i> with the best of them, but they're bad allies and even worse at baseball outside of a few exemplars like Moylan. They're dead last, barring a miraculous effort to make amends with President Trump from Prime Minister Turnbull or a major splash like an official sponsorship from <i>Outback</i>.<br />
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CONCLUSION</h2>
There you have it folks. All 16 teams. Or rather, America and 15 losers. Enjoy the WBC, folks.<br />
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Will Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11015726311843735151noreply@blogger.com1Danville, KY, USA37.6456329 -84.772170237.5450479 -84.9335317 37.746217900000005 -84.6108087tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612187168569300325.post-36295585575715842092017-03-03T16:35:00.000-08:002017-03-03T16:35:49.926-08:00The Only World Baseball Classic Preview You'll Need - Part I<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><u>Danville, Kentucky</u></b> -- Folks, baseball is a uniquely American game: made for Americans, by Americans. Baseball is a game played in cornfields and on blacktops across our great nation; sometimes with sticks and stones where bats and balls aren't available. But like anything truly worth treasuring, it is the sacred mission of all Americans to spread the great game of baseball across God's green Earth. America saved Europe from the scourge of fascism and war. We brought capitalism to the satellite states of the Soviet Union that were trembling from behind the Iron Curtain. We guided Iraq along the path towards democratization. Now, thanks to the World Baseball Classic, America has brought the greatest game ever played to nearly every corner of the globe.<br />
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It wasn't an easy job, folks. The primary driver of historical development is the ongoing antagonism between the forces of capitalism and communism. Just as the battle between capital and labor for control of the means of production has animated all conflict since the dawn of industrialization, the battles between America and its socialist opponents like Cuba, Venezuela, and China will be the most fiercely contested match-ups of this year's World Baseball Classic.<br />
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In this article, I preview the 2017 World Baseball Classic and 8 of its 16 competitors. Lots of folks are dismissive of the WBC. Critics have a point: the field of teams is very limited. It is nothing short of a travesty that Max Kepler, the <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/05/ladies-and-gentlemen-your-1st-place.html">Minnesota Twins</a> slugger who hails from Berlin, will not get to participate in this spring's events, due to the lack of a German national team. But let's be honest, the last thing Angela Merkel's re-election efforts need right now is for Germany to get embarrassed on the global stage by Trump's America.<br />
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It is also unfortunate that many national teams fail to entice their country's best players into playing in this globally significant event. There is no reason for so many great players to be sitting on the sidelines. The fire of patriotism does not burn brightly enough these days, folks. But until President Trump implements compulsory conscription of all eligible young men into the WBC, it's what we're left with. But folks, it ain't so bad. The competition looks to be stiff. Here are my power rankings of the top 8 World Baseball Classic teams:<br />
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<b>1. The United States of America</b></h2>
I can't pick against the good guys this year. They have finally put together a team worthy of the red, white, and blue. The management will be top-notch, led by Jim Leyland, one of the wisest skippers in the game. This team can do it all. They can pitch. Led by <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/10/kansas-city-special-twtws-2015-world.html">Kansas City Royals</a> ace Danny Duffy, a gnarly bearded man who embodies the pioneering spirit of the American frontier, this team will be able to hurl with the best of them.<br />
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They also boast Andrew Miller, the man who almost single-handedly won the <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/10/forgot-about-cleveland-twtws-2016-world.html">World Series for Cleveland</a> last fall. If I'm Leyland, I'm using Miller aggressively. No need to hold anything back: the pride of our country is on the line. Use the starting pitcher for 6 innings then immediately turn to Miller to close out the last three innings. If Miller is a true patriot, he should be willing to sacrifice the health of his elbow just as our men in uniform make sacrifices for our nation every day. Country first, arm health second.<br />
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The U.S. team also boasts an excellent pool of position players. <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/06/leaving-hosmer-hanging-chad.html">Eric Hosmer</a>: the reigning All Star Game MVP. Matt Carpenter: one of the best looking guys in the game and greatest underdog stories around. Ian Kinsler: a gritty as heck guy who <a href="http://www.blessyouboys.com/2016/9/4/12795804/ian-kinsler-blood-rub-dirt">bruises and bleeds for his team</a>. Daniel Murphy: a man unafraid of being politically incorrect, and precisely the kind of guy we want to represent the U.S. in the era of Trump. These are just a few of the All Star talents that in my opinion will put Uncle Sam's team over the top.<br />
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<b>Player to watch: A.J. Ellis</b><br />
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Folks, I know Buster Posey is a sure-fire Hall of Famer and looks like he could play Captain America on the big screen. But the U.S. national team has a secret weapon behind the dish: <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/12/wouldnt-it-be-nice-how-to-take-2017.html">A.J. Ellis, the man who was once Clayton Kershaw's best friend and personal catcher</a>. Look for him to call a nice game and make some great blocks on pitches in the dirt if called upon by his country.<br />
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<b>Player to ignore: Chris Archer</b><br />
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Folks, I was disappointed to see Chris Archer made the team. He's always been more style than substance. <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2017/02/16/chris-archer-tampa-bay-rays-world-baseball-classic/97984650/">Instead of watching tape, he spends his free time tweeting at the Obamas. He spent all winter criticizing his own front office for not pursuing a more aggressive offseason strategy</a><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2017/02/16/chris-archer-tampa-bay-rays-world-baseball-classic/97984650/">.</a> Folks, nobody is more sympathetic than me on this front: the <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/03/cuban-baseball-crisis-why-tampa-bay.html">Tampa Bay Rays</a> are indeed an incompetent organization who are squandering the prime years of their young players. But a young man should know not to attract attention from the crooked media by speaking out on these issues. The team needs a leader, not a whiner. Keep that stuff within the family, Mr. Archer.<br />
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2. Venezuela </h2>
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Folks, Venezuela has a scary team this year. They are America's greatest competition. The baseball genius of Jim Leyland is matched only by that of superstar shortstop Omar Vizquel, Venezuela's skipper. Their team is absolutely packed with talent: Miguel Cabrera, Jose Altuve, Salvador Perez, Victor Martinez, Francisco Rodriguez, Felix Hernandez, and many more. The baseball bonafides of this crew are beyond reproach.<br />
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But I can't pick this team over team USA. Venezuela's horrific experiment with socialism has wrought unimaginable suffering upon its people. Venezuela's economic success has proven to be nothing more than a mirage: the recent decline in international oil prices has been absolutely devastating to their resource-dependent economy. Their failure is our gain: Venezuela's hyper-inflationary turmoil ensures that baseball players bring their talents over to the United States as fast as they can.<br />
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There is an argument that Venezuela's team is more talented than America's, but there is no argument that the Venezuelan team's hearts are filled with more love of country than that of the American team's.<br />
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<b>Player who might surprise you: Hernan Perez and Alcides Escobar</b><br />
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I have always been high on Hern, <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/03/trump-will-win-wisconsin.html">super-utility guy from the Milwaukee Brewers</a>. The Detroit Tigers nearly ruined this 25 year old kid's development by rushing him to the major leagues in 2015. When they put him on waivers in the middle of the 2015 season, the Brewers snatched him up and haven't looked back. In 2016, little Hern hit 13 bombs with 50 RBIs and notched a whopping 34 stolen bases. Look for this kid to make an unexpected impact for the Venezuelans.<br />
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Alcides Escobar is another Venezuelan to watch. I know he's attracted lots of scorn lately, mostly from irate Royals fans who don't understand how the game of baseball is played.<br />
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Trying to go to sleep, but all I can think of is why Yost keeps batting Escobar lead off.</div>
— Chris (@belleisleasylum) <a href="https://twitter.com/belleisleasylum/status/836430459898744832">February 28, 2017</a></blockquote>
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1st Spring Training game. Escobar lead off batter. My hair just grew back from pulling it out last year, Ned. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Royals?src=hash">#Royals</a></div>
— Jackson Manship (@JacksonManship) <a href="https://twitter.com/JacksonManship/status/835528948134068224">February 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Is there any particular reason that Alcides Escobar is still batting second for the Royals, aside from the fact that Yost is an idiot?</div>
— Rob Pizzola (@robpizzola) <a href="https://twitter.com/robpizzola/status/743532304488890368">June 16, 2016</a></blockquote>
If Omar Vizquel is half as sly as Mr. Yost, he'll bat Escobar first. <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/04/alcides-escobar-must-bat-lead-off.html">I've already written about why, contrary to fangraphs, Escobar is the ideal leadoff hitter</a>. With Escobar in the leadoff spot, the Venezuelan national team could become the most serious challenger to U.S. hegemony since the Soviet Union.<br />
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3. Israel</h2>
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After 8 years of abandonment and betrayal by Obama and Clinton, things are looking up for the Israelis. Prime Minister Netanyahu knows he has a true friend in the White House these days. The Jewish state has a nice mix of fine young men playing for them, along with a new sense of confidence thanks to the imminent repeal of the awful Iran nuclear deal. Better yet, team Israel may actually stand a chance this year without Dartmouth nerd Brad Ausmus at the helm. This team is on the upswing, folks.<br />
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<b>Player who might surprise you: Ty Kelly</b><br />
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Perhaps the greatest "Ty" in baseball since the legendary Cobb, Mr. Kelly is a truly underrated player. Ty Kelly is a toolsy utility guy from the <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/10/twtws-2016-nl-wild-card-game-preview.html">New York Mets</a>; a team that every bit as much of a staple of Jewish culture as pastrami and Seinfeld. With better defensive skills than an IDF officer, Ty Kelly is a slick defender anywhere on the infield or in the outfield. Mark my words, he will make more noise than one of Hezbollah's scud missiles with team Israel this spring.<br />
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4. Italy</h2>
Italy is my dark-horse team for 2017. Italy is a country on a mission these days: a mission to <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/06/brexit-velocity-chaos-is-coming.html">escape the clutches of the treacherous European Union via an <i>Italexit</i></a>. I can't bet against the country that brought us <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/08/twtws-royals-reds-preview-818-819.html">Olive Garden</a>, DiGiorno Pizza, and proto-Trumpist strongman Silvio Berlusconi. I know the Italian team isn't as stacked as some of the teams lower on this list. But they've got heart where it counts, namely in Drew Butera. Drew is the backup catcher for the Kansas City Royals, a World Series champion, and has James Bond levels of suave. His resume is impressive. Aside from admirably spelling Salvador Perez from time to time, he caught the game-winning strike from Wade Davis to clinch the Royals' first World Series win in two decades back in 2015. Not to mention, he might have the best hair in all the WBC.<br />
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5. Taiwan</h2>
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Folks, I know I'm supposed to call this team "Chinese Taipei." But I won't. The Taiwanese deserve the right to organize as their own nation, the right of self-determination, and their right to independence from Chinese suppression. The Chinese think of Taiwan as a renegade province that will inevitably be absorbed back into the mainland, but Taiwan is its own democratic nation; it is a pinnacle of freedom in a sea of authoritarianism, a capitalist success story just a stone's throw away from the brutal communist Chinese regime.<br />
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Things were looking bleak for Taiwan prior to 2017. But with Trump having reversed the "One China" policy and the pro-secession DPP party now in charge, Taiwanese independence looks closer than ever. You can bet they'll be motivated to prove themselves at the WBC.<br />
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6. Cuba</h2>
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You can always expect the Cuban team to be packed full of talent, folks. But they're always fighting with one hand tied behind their back because <a href="http://www.si.com/mlb/2016/05/02/cuba-national-team-mlb-players-2017-world-baseball-classic-defectors">they won't allow defectors to play on their team</a>. That means no Yasiel Puig, no <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/05/profiles-in-yardage-twtws-preview-of.html">Yoenis Cespedes</a>, no Jose Abreu, no Kendrys Morales, no Jose Iglesias, no <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/07/divorce-joey-votto-why-2015-reds-can-be.html">Aroldis Chapman</a> and even more tragically, no <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/05/twtws-5-20-reds-royals-preview.html">eternally-smiling Brayan Pena</a>. Hate to say it, but it's hard to see this team going anywhere until the Castro regime inevitably collapses under its own contradictions. But until then, they'll still be great entertainment. Keep an eye on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoelkis_C%C3%A9spedes">Yoelkis Cespedes</a>, a budding superstar and half brother of Yoenis. If he has half the swagger and arm-power of his brother, we could be in for a bigger treat than <a href="http://observer.com/2014/12/6-cuban-cigars-youll-want-to-buy-when-the-embargo-lifts/">a fat, freshly rolled Partagas cigar</a>, folks.<br />
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7. Puerto Rico</h2>
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I like this Puerto Rican team quite a bit. They have a great mix of young kids and wily veterans. Any team would kill to have Carlos Correa, Javier Baez, and Francisco Lindor on their roster; though <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/03/why-francisco-lindor-must-bunt-for-his.html">I'd get more excited about Frankie if he hadn't taken sac-bunting out of his game last season</a>. On the pitching side, they have exciting young closers like Edwin Diaz of the Mariners and Joe Jimenez, the Tigers' closer of the future and rare bright spot in a farm-system more barren than the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/11/09/the-remarkably-thin-democratic-bench-just-got-badly-exposed/">Democratic Party's depleted bench</a>. That being said, the Puerto Ricans also have some serious veteran presence: namely the eternally smooth pure-hitter Carlos Beltran and catching maestro Yadier Molina,<a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/06/ban-st-louis-cardinals.html"> one of the only men to wear a St. Louis Cardinals uniform I will ever respect</a>.<br />
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But I can't get fully behind this team. Look, I love <i>West Side Story</i> and its bunch of salsa-dancing Puerto Ricans as much as the next guy. But their country is going bankrupt. It's like a miniature Greek debt crisis just a few thousand miles from Florida. Until Puerto Rico gets their fiscal act together, it's hard for me to take them seriously.<br />
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<b>Player who could surprise you: Mike Aviles</b><br />
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Folks, I know lots of people were counting Mike Aviles down and out after the Atlanta Braves cut him last summer. But you can't keep a multidimensional guy like Aviles down for long. Look for him to prove his doubters wrong with team Puerto Rico this spring. Keep an eye out for his 80-grade batting stance. Unlike Lindor, this guy isn't afraid to lay down a wicket sac-bunt.<br />
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8. The Dominican Republic</h2>
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I hate to put the Dominican Republic this low, because they have a hell of a team, folks. They can pitch. They can hit. And with <a href="https://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/07/twtws-second-half-al-east-predictions.html">Jose Bautista</a> on their team, they could very well spark an international crisis if one of his bat-flips is poorly received in a foreign capital. They might have the best pitching of any team here, folks. What other pitching staff is led by Bartolo Colon and boasts such arms as Fernando Rodney, <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/08/pitchers-from-caribbean-curse-of-black.html">Edinson Volquez</a>, and Dellin Betances? Not to mention they have mashers like Nelson Cruz and Adrián Beltré.<br />
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However, there are some serious headwinds facing the Dominican Republic's team. <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/09/johnny-be-good-why-cueto-can-be-fixed.html">Johnny Cueto</a>, one of the most electric pitchers around, <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/giants-johnny-cueto-unavailable-for-first-round-of-wbc/">might not be available to pitch for them</a>. Losing Cueto would be the biggest blow taken by a Caribbean country since <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_San_Juan_Hill">Teddy Roosevelt's charge up San Juan Hill during the Spanish-American war</a>.<br />
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Other aspects of their roster worry me. Manny Machado and Hanley Ramirez are talented, but perhaps destined for some sort of dramatic incident that will distract the team and take their eyes off the prize. This team has too many hot heads for my taste. Not to mention they are carrying <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/11/breaking-cleveland-how-to-make-2016.html">Carlos Santana</a>: the OBP-obsessed base-clogger who strikes out like 11 year old Will Hart at a Danville Middle School dance. I can't believe in this team.<br />
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<br />CONCLUSION</h3>
That's all for now folks. Stay tuned for teams 9 through 16!<br />
<br />Will Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11015726311843735151noreply@blogger.com0Danville, KY, USA37.6456329 -84.772170237.5450479 -84.9335317 37.746217900000005 -84.6108087tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612187168569300325.post-15826996532020428432017-03-02T09:35:00.001-08:002017-03-02T12:17:00.805-08:00Save Our Sox: How to Replace David Price<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><u>Danville, Kentucky </u></b>-- Folks, disaster can strike when you least expect it. Take it from me. Just the other day, my whole lunch was ruined when I tried to use an expired <i>Wendy's</i> coupon. The only thing that got me out of bed that morning was the idea of digging into a hot bowl of chili, baked potatoes with sour cream, topped off by a Baconator.<br />
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I planned my entire day around a trip to <i>Wendy's</i> for an early lunch. I got to my local Wendy's promptly at 11:15 AM, and placed my order: 1 bowl of Dave's famous chili, 1 baked potato with all the fixings, and 1 extra-large Baconator. My mouth was watering at the mere thought of that heaping stack of beef with thick peppery bacon snugged between those sizzling patties. I could practically taste the rich sour cream, chives, and shredded cheese that so lovingly adorn every wholesome baked potato served by <i>Wendy's</i>. I had a coupon for each component of my order. But when I went to pay, the cashier shot me down. My coupon was expired - the promotion only lasted through January. My world was upended. I was not prepared for this contingency. I had to improvise.<br />
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Good baseball teams are prepared to deal with unpredictable contingencies: like the <a href="http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/red_sox/clubhouse_insider/2017/03/david_price_has_mri_will_see_dr_andrews_due_to_elbow">stunning news that David Price might have to undergo Tommy John surgery</a>. This revelation has caught the unprepared and poorly-managed Boston Red Sox totally flat-footed. Aside from acquiring the temper-tantrum prone Chris Sale in a blockbuster trade, the Sox have spent the off-season <a href="http://nesn.com/2017/03/david-price-injury-highlights-red-soxs-lack-of-starting-pitching-depth/">shedding invaluable pitching depth</a> like <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/05/clay-buchholz-must-stay.html">Clay Buchholz</a>, despite the voluminous injury histories of Steven Wright and Drew Pomeranz.<br />
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The Red Sox would be better positioned to absorb the loss of Price if they had kept Buchholz and been more aggressive in pursuing many of the high marquee pitchers available via free agency and trade. Jered Weaver could've been had. John Danks, <a href="https://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/07/twtws-second-half-al-east-predictions.html">R.A. Dickey</a>, and <a href="https://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/10/kansas-city-special-twtws-2015-world.html">Bartolo Colon</a> were available as well. Any of those four pitchers would've made great additions to the suddenly thin Red Sox rotation. Big Bart Colon, in particular, was signed for a bargain price - he would've been an excellent fit in Fenway, and has been considerably more successful in the postseason than the <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/10/twtws-2016-alds-preview.html">overpaid playoff under-performer David Price</a>.<br />
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But the past is past. The Red Sox need to look to the future. Fortunately, all is not lost. David Price is not as hard to replace as you might expect; especially with <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/06/boston-massacre-whats-wrong-with-rick.html">Rick Porcello</a>, the reigning Cy Young champ and stalwart groundball guru, still leading the rotation. There are plenty of worthy arms available on the free agent market or via trade that would make excellent additions to the Red Sox rotation. Here are just a few:<br />
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<b>DOUG FISTER</b><br />
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If I'm Dave Dombrowski, this guy is #1 on my list of replacement options. I laid out the case for <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/12/how-to-conquer-coors-field-and-make.html">why the Colorado Rockies should sign him earlier this winter</a>. He's a groundball guy - the type of batted ball profile you want when you play home games in Fenway Park, a toy stadium that turns lazy fly balls into two-baggers thanks to the Green Monster. He rebuilt his value by winning 12 games in limited action with the Houston Astros last season. Just a couple of seasons ago he was a serious Cy Young candidate with the Washington Nationals, posting a sterling 2.41 ERA and 16 wins.<br />
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Moreover, Doug makes sense from a chemistry perspective. Dave Dombrowski knows this - back in 2011 he swung a season-changing trade for Doug Fister while serving as GM for the Detroit Tigers. In addition, Doug Fister and Rick Porcello are former teammates; while Rick is clearly now the groundball master, he wouldn't be what he is today if Fister hadn't taught him how to Dougie.<br />
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<b>JAKE PEAVY</b><br />
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If I'm Dave the dealer, Peavy is option #2. The chemistry case for Jake the Snake is obvious. As the GM of the Tigers at the time, Dave is no doubt aware of the three team trade made in 2013 between the Tigers, Red Sox, and Chicago White Sox that won Boston the World Series. Avisail Garcia to Chicago. Jose Iglesias to Detroit. Jake Peavy to the Red Sox. And from there, the Red Sox to a World Series championship. In 2013, Peavy helped shepherd the Red Sox to the promised land. The next year, Peavy won the World Series again with the San Francisco Giants. Rings on rings on rings.<br />
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Peavy was injured in 2016, but posted a solid 3.73 ERA in 2014 and an even better 3.58 ERA in 2015. Both of those ERAs bested David Price's bloated 3.99 ERA in 2016. It's shocking to me that he is still unsigned. With the 2013 championship core slowly disappearing from the team - David Ortiz has retired, Mike Napoli has moved on, Buchholz has been traded - it's important to have some guys who have "been there before" around. Peavy has been there before. Bring him aboard, Dave.<br />
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<b>CONCLUSION</b><br />
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There are other great options to be had. Perhaps the Tigers could be persuaded to part with the electric <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/02/affordable-electricity-in-defense-of.html">Mike Pelfrey</a>. <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/02/take-chance-on-me-why-lincecum-and.html">Tim Lincecum</a>, Tim Hudson, and Matt Cain are other veterans who could be had for a bargain price, and who also have extensive postseason experience during the<a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/10/twtws-2016-nl-wild-card-game-preview.html"> </a><a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/10/twtws-2016-nl-wild-card-game-preview.html">San Francisco Giants' reign of even-year dominance</a> over the MLB. But Fister and Peavy are both no-brainers for the Red Sox. They can go toe-to-toe with David Price, particularly in the postseason where Price has always been a non-factor.<br />
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Sometimes you have to improvise. I ultimately didn't get my chili, baked potato, and Baconator. I planned my day around that <i>Wendy's</i> coupon - but life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans. An expired coupon, like an unexpected elbow surgery, can be a bit of a gut punch. But it wasn't the end of the world, though I did have a bit of a meltdown that resulted in an embarrassing trip to the county sheriff's office and my expulsion from that <i>Wendy's</i> restaurant. I ate at <i>Popeye's Chicken</i> later that day and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of their mashed potatoes and spicy chicken. It wasn't the Baconator that I so craved, but sometimes, your second best option can be just as good as the real thing. Hopefully the Boston Red Sox learn that lesson before it's too late.Will Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11015726311843735151noreply@blogger.com0Danville, KY, USA37.6456329 -84.772170237.5450479 -84.9335317 37.746217900000005 -84.6108087tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612187168569300325.post-86570853674179273422017-02-16T19:51:00.000-08:002017-02-16T19:51:43.802-08:00Bring Carmelo to Cleveland<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><u>Danville, Kentucky</u></b> -- Folks, I do not speak Chinese. I made a point of avoiding foreign language classes during high school. Why learn how to speak like some foreigner when you could be taking <a href="http://time.com/3849501/why-schools-need-to-bring-back-shop-class/">shop class</a>, learning how to build stuff with your own bare hands? Moreover, learning Chinese (or any other non-American language) is utterly unnecessary for a man like myself with no plans to leave the United States (or even the Eastern Time Zone). With jobs rapidly returning to the United States thanks to Trump, there is no longer any business rationale for learning the tongue of Middle Kingdom either.<br />
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Yet, there is one word from the Chinese language that every American should know and internalize: 危机.<br />
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This is the Chinese word for "crisis." It is composed of two characters; the character that signifies "danger" and the character that signifies "opportunity." Out of crisis comes opportunity.<br />
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Folks, the <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/05/nba-finals-preview.html">Cleveland Cavaliers</a> are in crisis. Kevin Love blew out his knee. He will likely miss the rest of the regular season. When he returns he may be a hollow shell of himself, representing a huge question mark for the Cavaliers as they attempt to defend their NBA title. The last thing the Cavaliers need is for one of their key pieces to be hobbled as they make a push for a second consecutive NBA championship against a formidable <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/04/bench-steph-curry.html">Golden State Warriors</a> team that has added the <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/05/thunder-must-not-resign-kevin-durant.html">traitorous but highly talented Kevin Durant</a>. The Warriors cared more about breaking regular season records than winning rings last year, but that might not be the case in 2017. The Cavaliers will need to be at full strength. They need Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks.<br />
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Folks, <a href="http://www.nba.com/article/2017/02/15/carmelo-anthony-all-star-game-phil-jackson-kevin-love">Carmelo has already replaced the injured Kevin Love on the Eastern Conference All Star team</a>. It's time for him to take Love's spot on the Cavaliers' roster as well. You have to fight fire with fire. The Warriors think adding Durant gives them an advantage? The Cavs should re-raise by acquiring Melo, one of the league's premier scoring threats.<br />
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It makes too much sense, folks. Carmelo has played in blue states like <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/08/legalize-banning-colorado.html">Colorado</a> and New York his entire career, a sad reality that has limited his potential. Playing in a hard-working red state like Ohio would be a welcome change of scenery.<br />
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Mr. Anthony is a three time Olympic gold-medalist and a patriot. He led the Syracuse Orangemen to an NCAA title en route to becoming the NCAA Tournament's "Most Outstanding Player" in 2003, a simpler year when nobody had heard of kale or quinoa. Carmelo guided his college team to a title; when Kevin Love's UCLA Bruins lost in the Final Four, he abandoned ship. I know which guy I'd rather call my teammate.<br />
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In addition, playing in Cleveland would fix many of Carmelo's chemistry issues. He would no longer be playing in the shadow of the tyrannical Phil Jackson. Jackson keeps trying to change Melo, <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2691601-phil-jackson-knicks-stymied-by-wanting-carmelo-to-be-something-he-is-not">to turn him into a player he's not</a>. Folks, as a man who has been divorced four times, let me tell you that people are who are they are. For a relationship to work, you have to accept your partner unconditionally, faults included. If you try to change people, you'll only bring misery upon yourself. If the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Jackson#Personal_life">twice-divorced Jackson</a> had a few more divorces under his belt, he'd probably have figured this out by now. Melo has chafed as Jackson has attempted to <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/james-dolan-stop-phil-jackson-bullying-carmelo-anthony-article-1.2966777">bully</a> and intimidate him into changing his game by moving away from isolation plays. If Melo were traded to Cleveland, he'd no longer have anything to prove to Jackson. Indeed, Melo could escape the spotlight - the Cavaliers will always be LeBron's team.<br />
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Trading Carmelo makes sense for the Knicks as well. The injured Kevin Love will not help them much in the short term, but in the long term they will have brought a ceasefire to the Jackson-Anthony Cold War while obtaining a player that they can rebuild around. It's time for the Melo era of the Knicks to end; the Ron Baker era must now begin. By trading Carmelo, the Knicks can move past the era of constant feuding between players and the front office, and begin an era characterized by players that simply show up and do their jobs, like millions of other Americans do every day without fanfare or renown. No player better encapsulates this blue-collar lunch-pail mentality than the inveterately gritty Ron Baker, proud product of <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/search/label/Wichita%20State%20University">Wichita State University</a>. By clearing their roster of high-profile tabloid characters like Anthony (and eventually the aging and ineffective Derrick Rose) the Knicks can give folks like Ron Baker the playing time they deserve and bring some heartland-raised common sense to their team in the process.<br />
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The Cavaliers and Knicks both face a crisis. The injury of Kevin Love has put the Cavaliers' title defense in grave jeopardy. The Knicks organization faces a crisis of confidence as the war between Jackson and Anthony escalates. Both sides need to remember that out of crisis comes opportunity. Make it happen, James Dolan and Dan Gilbert. Bring Carmelo to Cleveland.Will Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11015726311843735151noreply@blogger.com0Danville, KY, USA37.6456329 -84.772170237.5450479 -84.9335317 37.746217900000005 -84.6108087tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612187168569300325.post-27132685571438279592017-02-05T07:31:00.000-08:002017-02-05T10:36:57.862-08:00TWTW's Super Bowl LI Preview<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><u>Danville, Kentucky</u></b> -- Long, long, ago, in a far-off distant land called Foxborough, legend tells of a boy who rose from obscurity to become a great leader of men. A man who stood in the shadow of lesser men while serving as the backup quarterback of the <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/12/cracker-barrel-country-twtws-orange.html">Michigan Wolverines</a>. A Michigan man who became a New England man, thrust into service after the injury of Drew Bledsoe back in that fateful 2001 NFL season. An unheralded 6th round draft pick who showed America that any man can do anything with hard work and a little luck.<br />
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Folks, I remember where I was in February of 2002, when Tom Brady and the New England Patriots faced a team from St. Louis that belonged in Los Angeles in Super Bowl XXXVI. After Bledsoe's injury, I followed Mr. Brady with a great degree of curiosity; even then, it seemed as though we were witnessing history in the making. Fast forward 15 years, several lousy trade deals and disastrous forays into nation-building in the Middle East later, and Tom Brady is on the precipice of providing a tidy bookend to an illustrious NFL career that began with an improbable Super Bowl victory all those years ago.<br />
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Tom Brady's path to Super Bowl LI, to be played tonight against the Atlanta Falcons, was not without controversy. Folks, I thought Brady was dead to me after news of the heart-breaking Deflate-Gate scandal of 2015 broke. To an uninformed outsider, it seemed as though Brady had abandoned the Michigan Man grit so central to his legend and mythos, in favor of becoming a member of the NFL aristocracy that plays by a different set of rules. But sometimes, a man must admit when he has made a mistake.<br />
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Folks, more often than not I'm right. I correctly predicted that the Kansas City Royals would emerge victorious in both the <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/10/twtws-2015-alds-preview.html">2015 American League Championship Series</a> and <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/10/kansas-city-special-twtws-2015-world.html">World Series</a>. I correctly predicted the resurgence of Detroit Tigers ace <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/08/justin-verlander-once-and-future-ace.html">Justin Verlander</a>. <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/02/closing-time-why-manning-is-man-and-cam.html">I correctly predicted that Peyton Manning would lead the Denver Broncos to victory in the last Superbowl</a>, despite the scorn I received from liberal commentators heralding the rise of Cam Newton. <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-twtw-election-model-trumps-path-to.html">I correctly predicted that Donald Trump would win the 2016 election</a>. Folks, if liberals didn't look at me like I'm some sort of neanderthal just because I enjoy a good bowl of queso at <i>Chilis</i> now and then, I'd already have a job at FiveThirtyEight given this pedigree and resume of correct forecasts. But I'll admit: I got Tom Brady wrong.<br />
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When the Deflate-Gate news broke, I was dumbstruck. How could the man who had authored so many Super Bowl success stories be nothing more than a liar and a crook? <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/05/ban-brady.html">I even called for the man to be banned from the NFL</a>. In retrospect, the swiftness with which I condemned Mr. Brady was uncalled for. But the mainstream media deserves its share of the blame. The media is always quick to pounce upon those who wear their political opinions on their sleeves like Mr. Brady. Crooked Roger Goodell was also quick to stack the deck against Brady by falsifying pounds-per-square-inch data, cooking the books worse than the National Park service did with Trump's historically well-attended inaugural address.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden" data-conversation="none" data-partner="tweetdeck">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/wikileaks">@wikileaks</a> I was at Trump's inauguration! I know what I saw! --> <a href="https://t.co/6fWNZwWpb7">https://t.co/6fWNZwWpb7</a> <a href="https://t.co/OociYZHsiC">pic.twitter.com/OociYZHsiC</a></div>
— The Will To Win (@TWTWsports) <a href="https://twitter.com/TWTWsports/status/823212094837420036">January 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
I was misled by the corrupt NFL establishment and their media toadies. But I won't be misled again. I un-apologetically predict a Tom Brady triumph tonight, on the biggest stage in all of professional sports.<br />
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Touchdown Tom has so much more to play for than the Atlanta Falcons: with his 5th Super Bowl victory, he would secure his legacy as the greatest NFL quarterback of all time. A final Super Bowl ring would be a fitting bookend to career that has spanned nearly two decades, beginning with his first Super Bowl win at age 24 and a 2017 swan song at age 39.<br />
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My unabashed admiration for Mr. Brady is no longer fashionable; the radical left is determined to politicize this Super Bowl, citing Brady's "<a href="http://www.sbnation.com/2017/1/12/14231496/new-england-patriots-donald-trump-fan-problem">Trump Problem</a>." Folks, I don't know when it became a "Problem" to be on the winning team or why it is now politically incorrect to be an outspoken supporter of the President of the United States. <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/06/ban-st-louis-cardinals.html">St. Louis Cardinals</a> slugger Stan Musial didn't get lambasted by the media for <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2013/01/stan-musial-on-the-campaign-trail-086450">campaigning with John F. Kennedy</a>, the man who brought us the <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/03/cuban-baseball-crisis-why-tampa-bay.html">disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion</a>. Folks, I don't remember <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/04/bench-steph-curry.html">Steph Curry</a> getting criticized for being an avowed supported of Marxist tyrant Barack Obama.<br />
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Nope, this is just part of the continuing double standard, a double standard that leads the media to smear good men like Brady, a double standard that keeps me unemployed while Nate Silver lives large despite an awful track record of predictions. It turns out that in the world of sports, only liberals are allowed to express their political opinions.<br />
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The Atlanta Falcons really have nothing on the Patriots. Teams from Atlanta can't win; it probably has something to do with lingering humiliation over Sherman's March. Just ask the Atlanta Braves: perennial regular season champs, permanent postseason losers. I have no respect for the city of Atlanta ever since my wife deserted me at <a href="http://www.thevarsity.com/">The Varsity drive-in restaurant</a>, taking my kids, my car, and my collection of Bon Jovi cassettes with her. Matt Ryan, aka "Matty Ice," is a Boston College educated elitist who has never known the crisp taste of "Natty Ice," a drink of the people.<br />
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Super Bowl LI has become more than a football game. It is now a referendum on Trump's America writ large. The stakes are high: this game will decide the fate of both Tom Brady and Donald Trump's legacies. This Super Bowl presents the nation with an easy choice: a New England Patriots win will be yet another victory for the still-young Trump administration, imbuing further momentum in Donald's efforts to Make America Great Again. An Atlanta Falcons win would be a catastrophic setback, imperiling Trump's efforts to <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2017/01/hands-off-my-trumpcare.html">repeal and replace Obamacare</a>, secure our borders, and reverse globalization. Tom Brady's journey to legend status began some 15 years ago. It's ending has not yet been written. Tonight, Mr. Brady will not only deliver a win for the New England Patriots; America itself will be taught a valuable lesson on how to win with class and dignity. That should cause every loyal American patriot's heart to inflate with pride.<br />
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Will Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11015726311843735151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612187168569300325.post-68253514723796268822017-02-02T09:10:00.003-08:002017-02-02T09:10:58.103-08:00De-Fund Berkeley and Bring Back Logging<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><u>Danville, Kentucky</u></b> -- For several fruitful centuries, the lumber industry was a vital driver of economic prosperity and job growth in the nascent American colonies. When the English settlers landed in the New World, they encountered massive forests full of fresh timber, begging to be logged and used as the raw material for houses, furniture, and sturdy wooden paddles perfect for disciplining an unruly child. The lumber industry was the lifeblood of the newly independent American nation's economy; millions of feet worth of timber were exported each year, providing bountiful profit to industrious loggers and millers while employing thousands of honest Americans. A man could make a dignified living by going out into the woods and communing with nature before harvesting the mighty oak, elm, and pine trees of America's forests.<br />
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But somewhere along the line, something went wrong. The sawmills of old were shut down, no longer churning out freshly-hewn logs at their once prolific rate. Many an ax became dull and rusty as it fell into idleness and disuse. The stout lumberjacks of old were forced to leave this once proud industry for other jobs. The sounds of swinging axes and slicing saws in the forests became anachronistic and rare.<br />
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Why did the logging industry suffer such a precipitous decline? Some would say overbearing big government regulations. Some would say NAFTA. Some would blame tree-hugging environmentalists, with their shrill shrieking about "deforestation" and "irreversible ecosystem collapse culminating in devastating loss of biodiversity." They all have a point. But the true culprit was much more sinister: college education.<br />
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Somewhere around the 1960s, American men went soft. They stopped going out into the woods to appreciate its sights, sounds, and smells: the tarry trickle of sticky maple sap, the sound of wind whispering through leaves, the feel of dirt and bark in one's fingers. They went to college instead. Economists heralded the advent of a "consumer" economy rather than a production-oriented economy.<br />
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Look where college education has gotten us, folks.<br />
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Kids these days don't make anything with their hands like greater generations of Americans once did. They'll never know the smooth touch of a well-crafted ax in one's fingers, and the feeling of power that toppling a majestic tree brings. College educated snowflake brats don't know what it feels like to make something, to produce something. They only know how to riot and destroy whenever they encounter somebody who disagrees with them.<br />
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If U.C. Berkeley does not allow free speech and practices violence on innocent people with a different point of view - NO FEDERAL FUNDS?</div>
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/827112633224544256">February 2, 2017</a></blockquote>
President Trump is exactly right to demand that our college campuses protect free speech while remaining riot-free. Instead of funding some rebellious urchin's Art History degree, why not put our taxpayer dollars to better use? All that money could be better spent building The Wall, <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/04/why-cruz-must-lose-real-story-of-rafael.html">investigating Rafael Cruz</a>, or <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2017/01/invade-chicago.html">invading the crime-ridden scum-hole of Chicago</a>.<br />
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These days, a college degree isn't worth much. So many kids can't find jobs after graduating college, and find themselves eternally burdened with student loans. We could use big government socialist loan bailouts to fix this problem, as <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/02/heartbern-why-sanders-must-be-stopped.html">Bernie Sanders</a> has suggested. Or we could teach America's youth a valuable lesson in diligence.<br />
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The President should immediately de-fund Berkeley and similarly riotous universities. Instead, this money should be devoted to the logging industry, to encourage timber companies to hire America's youth in their lumber and sawmill operations. Teach America's youth how to produce, rather than teaching them how to riot and destroy. The best way to get America's youth off the streets is to get them back in the forests, harvesting our nation's glorious wooden bounty.<br />
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck">
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WH briefing<br /><br />Spicer: “I want to go to my 3rd Skype seat: Lars Larson of the Lars Larson show.”<br /><br />Lars: “Commander Spicer, it's a pleasure...” <a href="https://t.co/CixxjU7wgk">pic.twitter.com/CixxjU7wgk</a></div>
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) <a href="https://twitter.com/BraddJaffy/status/826894308661932032">February 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Will Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11015726311843735151noreply@blogger.com0Danville, KY, USA37.6456329 -84.772170237.5450479 -84.9335317 37.746217900000005 -84.6108087tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612187168569300325.post-70604323265838442272017-01-29T22:20:00.001-08:002017-01-29T22:20:41.132-08:00Rudy Giuliani for Supreme Court Justice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><u>Danville, Kentucky</u></b> -- The moment of truth has come. The moment they said would never come. The moment that Nate Silver and Nate Cohn and countless other bespectacled data gurus named Nate said would never happen. The moment when Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States, picks a Supreme Court Justice and forever alters the destiny of our great nation.<br />
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Folks, I'll give you a recap if you're just tuning in. Last season on the smash-hit TV show "American Democracy," beloved textualist, traditionalist and constructionist Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia mysteriously died. This left a vacancy on the nation's highest court, one which Donald must now fill. Scalia had dutifully held that seat since 1986, a simpler time when America's enemies wore uniforms and our battles were fought on ideological rather than civilizational grounds. The circumstances of his untimely passage are still murky, and I suspect <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/08/hillary-clinton-has-to-go-to-jail.html">Hillary Clinton</a> was involved, adding to the already prolific count of important political figures to have been slain by the former First Lady and Secretary of State.<br />
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Donald Trump can delay no longer. He must appoint Scalia's successor; a man who will uphold our precious constitution. A man who knows that the constitution is not a "living document" because documents are definitionally just pieces of paper and not sentient beings capable of adapting to rapidly changing political contexts. <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/02/trump-for-supreme-court.html">I once thought Donald should appoint himself to the Supreme Court</a>. I still stand by that plan; Donald would easily win confirmation. But now I have a better plan: Rudy Giuliani for Supreme Court Justice.<br />
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It makes too much sense, folks. Not only is Rudy America's mayor, he knows the ins and outs of the US legal system. <a href="http://thehill.com/opinion/lanny-davis/306408-comey-likely-cost-clinton-the-election-and-giuliani-could-face-criminal">He used his connections at the FBI to help convince FBI director James Comey to investigate Hillary Clinton, flipping the election to Donald</a>. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/01/29/trump-asked-for-a-muslim-ban-giuliani-says-and-ordered-a-commission-to-do-it-legally/?postshare=4661485754343886&tid=ss_tw&utm_term=.f8c894d81c8a">He helped craft Donald's wildly successful and expertly-implemented travel ban</a>. More importantly, he's loyal to both the constitution and Mr. Trump. I know many conservatives are hoping Trump picks one of the names on the list of egghead lawyers that is currently circulating. I know these men have more law degrees and trial experience than Mr. Giuliani. But Trump shouldn't pick people just because they were writing for obscure law reviews nobody will read while Rudy was busy being America's mayor. We all know any college degree except a <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/02/dump-trump-why-im-un-enrolling-from.html">Trump University</a> degree isn't worth the paper it's printed on.<br />
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Donald has done a fantastic job assembling a <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/10/filling-out-president-trumps-cabinet.html">cabinet full of experts like Ben Carson</a>, Betsy DeVos, and <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2016/12/08/news/companies/puzder-hardees-carls-jr-ads/">that guy who made the sexy Hardee's commercials</a>. But he hasn't rewarded Rudy, who steadfastly defended Donald throughout the brutal 2016 campaign. Rudy's has been Donald's bulldog; barking loudly in defense of Mr. Trump in the face of a biased and malicious media. This type of loyalty must be rewarded. America needs a bulldog on the Supreme Court: somebody willing to defend Donald's signature accomplishments like The Wall, NAFTA renegotiation, taking ISIS's oil, <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/04/why-cruz-must-lose-real-story-of-rafael.html">prosecuting Rafael Cruz</a>, <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/12/trumps-first-100-days-agenda-deport-all.html">deporting robots</a>, <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-true-pizzagate-scandal-crooked.html">investigating Pizzagate</a> and <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/11/ban-76ers-and-free-pete-rose.html">pardoning Pete Rose</a>. All of these policies and more will come under immediate fire thanks to the army of liberal lawyers chomping at the bit to hit Donald with frivolous lawsuits. These policies need a defender. They need a bulldog. Rudy can be that bulldog. Rudy Giuliani for Supreme Court, Mr. President.<br />
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Will Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11015726311843735151noreply@blogger.com0Danville, KY, USA37.6456329 -84.772170237.5450479 -84.9335317 37.746217900000005 -84.6108087tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612187168569300325.post-33591286447870398812017-01-27T18:39:00.001-08:002017-01-27T18:39:43.906-08:00Invade Chicago<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><u>Danville, Kentucky</u></b> -- Sometimes, folks don't know what's best for them. People are often short-sighted and myopic, and don't always act in their best interest. Sometimes, even good and decent folk need to be saved from themselves. Nobody likes being told that they're ruining their own life; I've never responded kindly to my wife's criticism that spending $200 a week at <i><a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/08/twtws-royals-reds-preview-818-819.html">Olive Garden</a></i> is imprudent. She rightly outlines both fiscal and health reasons why I need to lay off the unlimited soup, salad, and bread-sticks festivities. Yes, I know a man only making about $20,000 a year shouldn't be spending hundreds of dollars a month on gnocchi and chicken parmesan. Yes, I know the intake of trans-fat, calories, sodium, and cholesterol associated with my <i>Olive Garden</i> habit is slowly killing me. But old habits die hard. Thank God I have my wife to badger me in to going to <i>Subway</i> or <i>Jimmy John's</i> instead once in a while so that I can eat healthier and more affordably.<br />
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Folks, somebody's got to set Chicago straight. They definitely do not know what is best for them. Chicago is rapidly becoming a warzone, a hell-scape, a nightmarish urban zone of sacrifice comparable to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallujah">Fallujah</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabul">Kabul</a>, or <a href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Jakku">Jakku</a>. Worse, there's no voice of reason like my wife to fix this situation. It's time for drastic action. It's time for President Trump to send in a federal <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counter-insurgency">counter-insurgency</a> force of National Guard units, military personnel, special forces commandos, <a href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Death_trooper">death troopers</a>, Navy Seal teams, and heavy artillery pieces. The United States Navy should immediately deploy a <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwid8oP90OPRAhVjqFQKHU8FBncQFggcMAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FNimitz-class_aircraft_carrier&usg=AFQjCNFBlGcvIQOn4mxZ87RA6Ats4MjS2w&sig2=QSFHvPVexBM_KgN3AvM4-g">Nimitz-class aircraft carrier</a> -- perhaps a newly minted "U.S.S. Trump" -- to Lake Michigan's western shore so as to blockade this crime-infested murder den and prevent liberal sympathizers from sneaking supplies into the city.<br />
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Nothing less will bring an end to the bloodshed in Chicago. Nothing less will ensure lasting peace and stability in the Great State of Illinois, Land of Lincoln.<br />
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If Chicago doesn't fix the horrible "carnage" going on, 228 shootings in 2017 with 42 killings (up 24% from 2016), I will send in the Feds!</div>
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/824080766288228352">January 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
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So much is at stake in Chicago right now, which has become a lawless sanctuary city thanks to the corrupt reign of President Obama, Rahm Emanuel, and <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/10/forgot-about-cleveland-twtws-2016-world.html">Joe Maddon</a>. Here are the ironclad reasons Trump must swiftly restore order to Chicago by any means necessary:<br />
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<b>1) <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago-style_hot_dog">Chicago-style hot dogs</a> are a clear and present danger to national security</b><br />
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Folks, there are a two wrong ways to eat a hot dog: in the south, or in Chicago. Folks living south of my homeland Kentucky don't know how to cook and prepare a hot dog correctly. Southerners are best at preparing pork if it's barbecued or pulled, but not if it's served in hot dog form. Chicago's problem isn't that they don't know how to prepare a hot dog. It's that they load it up with foul and unnecessary condiments to the point where it becomes unrecognizable, a veritable atrocity warranting decisive federal intervention.<br />
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Two condiment choices in particular strike me as indefensible: the bright green sweet pickle relish and tomatoes. The sweet pickle relish pairs awfully with the savory and spicy notes of the peppers and onions that top this dog. It is also redundant with the pickle spear that typically accompanies any Chicago-style dog. Not only is this relish unappetizing, it's bright green color is aesthetically revolting, and reminds me of radioactive waste or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flubber_(film)"><i>Flubber</i></a>. The choice to put tomatoes on a hot dog is similarly misguided and un-American. Folks, no true American eats tomatoes unless they are served as <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-true-pizzagate-scandal-crooked.html">tomato sauce on a pizza</a>, in salsa form, or as a canned Campbell's soup served with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldfish_(snack)">Goldfish crackers</a>. These disgusting and slimy vegetables do not belong anywhere near a hot dog. If you want to eat a hot dog correctly, try a <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/06/twtws-reds-tigers-preview-615-618.html">Cincinnati-style chili dog or a Detroit-style coney dog</a>. Mr. Trump, please direct the United States Air Force to neutralize any known manufacturers of hot dogs in the Chicago area. The fate of American cuisine hangs in the balance.<br />
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<b>2) Guaranteed Rate Field is a crime against humanity</b><br />
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No organization has suffered more from the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Chicago than the <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/03/clubhouse-chaos-why-i-dont-believe-in.html">White Sox</a>. The escalating violence has caused baseball talent to flee the city, with stars such as Chris Sale and Adam Eaton among the players to have left the south side in exile. The violence has taken its toll on the White Sox roster, but it has also taken its toll on the dignity of the franchise. Since leaving the legendary Comiskey Park, which hosted the White Sox in their glory days and also hosted a pair of <a href="http://www.avclub.com/article/fifty-years-ago-today-beatles-played-two-shows-chi-224181">famous Beatles concerts</a>, the franchise has played in some really lousy stadiums. Cellular Field was an ugly tin can, more uncomfortable than a red-eye flight on a packed plane. The team's new digs, Guaranteed Rate Field, promises to be no better.<br />
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We’re excited to unveil the new Guaranteed Rate Field! <a href="https://t.co/pAOXZM1R9h">pic.twitter.com/pAOXZM1R9h</a></div>
— Guaranteed Rate (@GuaranteedRate) <a href="https://twitter.com/GuaranteedRate/status/793457644316995585">November 1, 2016</a></blockquote>
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What corporate focus group is responsible for creating that logo? Not to mention the fact that "Guaranteed Rate Field" is perhaps the blandest, most nondescript stadium name in any sport. Nothing says "come to our ballpark" like a red arrow on a downward trajectory. Then again, the White Sox are also on a decades-long downward trajectory of their own.<br />
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White Sox branded with symbol of decline even though <a href="https://twitter.com/GuaranteedRate">@GuaranteedRate</a> admits "some fans disliked the down arrow" <a href="https://t.co/HMYGMtnyuu">https://t.co/HMYGMtnyuu</a> <a href="https://t.co/nr0XxHj6Pk">pic.twitter.com/nr0XxHj6Pk</a></div>
— Kurt Gessler (@kurtgessler) <a href="https://twitter.com/kurtgessler/status/793464545452892161">November 1, 2016</a></blockquote>
To save the Chicago White Sox from themselves -- the once proud franchise that gave us legendary announcer Hawk Harrelson, Hall of Fame slugger Frank "the Big Hurt" Thomas, and <a href="https://twitter.com/TWTWsports/status/625371725652455426">all-time great glue-guy Tyler Saladino</a> -- President Trump must impose martial law, occupy Guaranteed Rate Field, and begin the long process of building a new stadium with a less humiliating name. If we can tear down and rebuild Iraq, we can tear down and rebuild this awful stadium.<br />
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<b>3) Jay Cutler is an enemy combatant and must be detained</b><br />
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The Cubs won the world series - but the rest of Chicago sports are in a largely sorry state. Dwayne Wade has not made the Chicago Bulls great again. But the biggest crime is happening just a stone's throw from the majestic Lake Michigan at the splendid Soldier Field. The formerly mighty Chicago Bears are mired in mediocrity thanks to their oft-injured and ineffective quarterback, Jay Cutler. He was recently signed to a massive extension. <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/vincentfrank/2015/06/09/is-jay-cutlers-contract-the-worst-in-the-nfl/">There is a strong argument that this is the worst contract in the NFL</a>. Jay Cutler's continued existence is an existential threat to the Chicago Bears. President Trump should immediately issue a warrant for his arrest, and indefinitely detain him without trial at Guantanamo Bay or an equivalently secure C.I.A. black site.<br />
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<b>Conclusion</b><br />
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Chicago is a tinderbox waiting to explode. Trump is faced with an unenviable choice. He can leave Chicago to fester and burn, sacrificing many innocent lives in the process. Or he can boldly order a federal intervention into the city, risking prolonged occupation, radicalization, blowback, and even more bloodshed. Abraham Lincoln was once faced with a similarly unenviable choice, and history rewarded him for risking blood and treasure to preserve our union. President Trump cannot delay any longer. Chicago must be invaded, for its own good.Will Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11015726311843735151noreply@blogger.com0Danville, KY, USA37.6456329 -84.772170237.5450479 -84.9335317 37.746217900000005 -84.6108087tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612187168569300325.post-30718551391674065282017-01-09T19:53:00.000-08:002017-01-09T19:57:24.897-08:00Hands Off My Trumpcare!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><u>Danville, Kentucky</u></b> -- America is a nation of builders. We love to create, construct, craft, and assemble. We built the glorious visages of Mt. Rushmore, the Washington Monument’s skyward spire, the winding highways upon which our systems of commerce depend, and the <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/11/ban-mcdonalds-all-day-breakfast-lie.html">golden arches</a> that litter strip malls around our good land.<br />
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But America also loves to destroy. To demolish, obliterate, erase, and unmoor the foundations of yesterday to make room for tomorrow.<br />
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Folks, I know this truth more than most Americans. Around 2009 I had a gig on a demolition crew. We were the most over-qualified demolition crew ever. In the aftermath of the 2008 Obama recession, folks were desperate for jobs. My co-workers and fellow demolition enthusiasts included ex-real estate agents, laid off auto engineers, some scrawny kid with a degree in supply chain management, an ex-quality control specialist, a guy from middle management of a dishwasher manufacturer, and recent college graduates who left their cozy campuses only to find a barren job market. We were an unlikely bunch, but we all needed to provide for our families, and folks willing to get their hands dirty while knocking down old buildings are always in demand. Some of these folks were not accustomed to the blue-collar lifestyle, unfamiliar with the sound and the fury that accompanies demolition projects. But they didn’t complain. Beggars can’t be choosers. They were just grateful to have any job at all.<br />
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Folks, if you ignored the pressing economic conditions that led us to enter the demolition business, it was rewarding employment. Dismantling a building brick by brick and stone by stone is quite a rush. There's nothing more exhilarating than knocking down walls with only a sledgehammer and your own inner fury. Sometimes, as I would hack away with my trusty chainsaw, I’d imagine the faces of the elites who authored the financial crisis: John McCain, Harry Reid, Meryl Streep, George Bush, Bill Clinton, Michael Moore. It was an outlet for the lingering rage I felt towards a country and government that had abandoned and forsaken me.<br />
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A few months after starting the job, I had a horrible workplace accident. Some bozo dropped a tool-case full of heavy equipment on my right foot and shattered several bones. The foot had been infected with gout a few years prior. Insurance companies wouldn’t cover the injury because of this pre-existing condition. I can't really blame them, folks. Why would they want to insure me? I would cost the insurance company a ton of money, and the insurance company folks are trying to run a business after all. I couldn’t afford to pay for the surgical procedures that would repair my foot, or even a cast. But whose fault is that? I can't afford a Blu-Ray player or a motor scooter either, should the government provide me subsidies to purchase those too?<br />
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My dilemma illuminates the basic crisis facing the American healthcare system: folks get hurt or sick, and want big government to fix all their problems. Thanks to Obamacare, a startling throwback to the centrally-planned nightmare of Soviet Russia, America’s healthcare system is in worse shape than ever. The problem is that millennials want free stuff from the government, and they want taxpayers to foot the bill. Folks, we should know by now that government is the problem not the solution, as President Reagan once said. What America’s healthcare system needs is not more communist solutions like Obamacare. We need to unleash the ingenuity of America’s private sector.<br />
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When I look around America, I see folks struggling. I see folks in my own Kentucky neighborhood suffering from black lung, or toiling because of opioid addiction. Trump needs to fix this morass, and turn the socialist horrors of Obamacare into the free market brilliance of Trumpcare. Here’s how to make American healthcare great again – greater than ever before:<br />
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<b>PROHIBIT DENIAL OF COVERAGE BECAUSE OF PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS</b><br />
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Folks, the government needs to make sure that what happened to me never happens to anyone else. Because no company would give me insurance after my demolition accident, I could never receive treatment for my gout or the shattered bones in my foot. I had to wrap duct-tape around my foot until it healed. I went through so many pairs of socks because of my foot’s annoying habit of continually bleeding. It’s a no brainer for the government to step in and guarantee that the insurance companies don’t snub hardworking folks who are between a rock and a hard place.<br />
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<b>CREATE TAX CREDITS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES THAT PROVIDE INSURANCE</b><br />
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Folks, providing healthcare can be expensive. Especially if you’re a “mom and pop” business. Many small businesses would like to offer healthcare plans to their employees, but have trouble finding the resources to do so. To nudge the market in the right direction, the government should offer tax credits to compensate businesses that help their employees pay for coverage. Loyalty to one’s employees should be rewarded, folks. Offering tax cuts to businesses that exhibit loyalty to their employees allows us to both expand coverage while adhering to conservative principles.<br />
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<b>LET KIDS STAY ON THEIR PARENTS’ PLANS</b><br />
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Folks, it’s hard for young kids to get insurance these days thanks to the Obama recession. Fewer jobs means fewer employers willing to offer coverage to their employees. If their parents already have a coverage plan, why not let the kids stay on it just a little bit longer? How about until the children turn 26? Kids these days are already freeloaders, so there’s no harm in giving parents some peace of mind by making sure they can keep their kids covered for a little bit longer.<br />
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<b>KEEP MEDICARE AND SOCIAL SECURITY</b><br />
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Trump did not campaign on <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/10/benedict-ryan-paul-rino-for-prison.html">corporate lackey Paul Ryan</a>’s callous austerity platform which entails huge cuts to Medicare and Social Security. I voted for Trump because he promised to keep the good government programs that help people like me while ensuring that foreigners don't steal our entitlements. Trump reached me like no politician since Barry Goldwater or Joe Biden has reached me before. Trump understands that sometimes the government needs to lend a helping hand to hardworking folks like myself. That’s why Donald said “<a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-oreilly-10-dollar-minimum-wage">you need to help people” even though “it's not very Republican to say.”</a><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/atkX3gCtvJs" width="560"></iframe>
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Donald Trump is the man that told Americans he wouldn’t allow folks to die in the street. Meanwhile, Paul Ryan wants us to die in the streets, or at a minimum to be sent to poorhouses like Victorian England. Every senior citizen receiving affordable life-saving treatment thanks to LBJ’s Great Society programs is just a leech sapping resources and committing theft against taxpayers in the eyes of Paul Ryan, America's blue-eyed executioner. The silent majority did not vote to kill our grandparents. We did not vote for Paul Ryan’s “Better Way,” Donald.<br />
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<b>REQUIRE PEOPLE TO BUY INSURANCE, AND OFFER SUBSIDIES TO THOSE WHO CAN’T</b><br />
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Nobody should have to foot their own healthcare bill when disaster strikes. When I grievously wounded my foot, I had to sell my <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015_12_01_archive.html">cherished baseball card collection</a> and favorite motorcycle to afford treatment. That’s not ideal. If we’re going to stop insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, we need to mandate that everyone has insurance or the market will enter a death spiral. We can’t have ONLY sick people in the insurance market, we need healthy people as well. Thomas Paine would call that commonsense, folks. The best part is that my plan utilizes free market forces to help increase coverage.<br />
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<b>CONCLUSION</b><br />
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Thanks to my hard work, I eventually paid for the treatments and my foot healed. These days, I enjoy going to the old Danville High football field and practicing my field goal kick with that formerly maimed foot. I’m still a great kicker, better than lots of NFL kickers I’d reckon. But not all folks are as lucky as me. For those who can’t raise the funds to pay for their expensive medical treatments, the government should be a force for good and help these folks achieve their American Dream. America loves to both create and destroy. That’s why Trump should annihilate Obamacare and replace it with the commonsense conservative plan I have outlined here. From the ashes of our current healthcare disaster, we will build a workable alternative. You’re gonna love Trumpcare, folks.<br />
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Will Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11015726311843735151noreply@blogger.com0Danville, KY, USA37.6456329 -84.772170237.5450479 -84.9335317 37.746217900000005 -84.6108087tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612187168569300325.post-88244047832038126592016-12-31T21:35:00.000-08:002016-12-31T21:43:34.898-08:00TWTW's Packers vs. Lions Sunday Night Football Preview<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><u>Danville, Kentucky</u></b> -- President Reagan once said "it is better to be respected than loved." This motto was the driving force behind his administration as he restored American moral authority worldwide and brought an end to the Cold War. Reagan's timeless adage is not only true in the realm of politics; it is also true on the gridiron. But respect is earned, not given. Like many men of my generation, I learned this lesson on the football field.<br />
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In my youth, football was the sport of choice for young Danville men during the brisk Kentucky fall. Every day after school we'd head to a patch of grass near an old, abandoned bottling factory and play two-hand touch football. As a 3rd grader, I fell in love with the game of football. I fell in love with the smell of dead leaves, the feel of slick mud and grass stains on my pants, and the touch of the leathery pigskin in my palms.<br />
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But there came a day when my gridiron utopia was assaulted. Some 5th graders showed up at our favorite playing spot near the long-closed bottling factory. They took over the field and imposed their own rules. The big kids didn't want to play two-hand touch. They played tackle football, a scary idea given the size and heft of some of these 5th graders. I could've backed down that day, and found some other place to play football with kids my own age, but I didn't.<br />
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Against my better judgement and my mom's pleas to not play such a violent and dangerous game, I began to play tackle football with the 5th graders. It didn't go well initially. The 5th graders wouldn't pass me the ball. When they did, I'd immediately get decked by kids twice my size. They seemed to enjoy beating up on me. We didn't wear helmets or pads, folks; each tackle meant a mouthful of earthy muck and unsightly bruises.<br />
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I remember the day I earned the respect of the 5th graders. It was winter of 1966. The ground was damp, and cold. We had already played three or four games of football that day, and everybody was more tired and worn-out than Megyn Kelly's sorry excuse for a prime-time news show. We agreed to play one last game that day before we would all head home for dinner. My team -- a rag-tag bunch of my fellow 3rd graders and a couple of 5th graders nice enough to join us -- had trailed most of the game but had an opportunity to head home on a high note. The game was tied. It was fourth down, and we were deep in enemy territory.<br />
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I was playing fullback, because I was one of the few kids big enough and wide enough to not get totally knocked around and brutalized by the 5th graders. Our quarterback called a fullback dive. He put the game in my hands. He had faith that I could punch the ball across the goal line to give our team the win. He believed in me. But he didn't respect me. Not yet.<br />
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On that fateful final play, I scored a touchdown, but not before getting mercilessly slammed into the ground. After emerging from the mangled pile of limbs in the end-zone, I had done it. I had EARNED the respect of the 5th graders. With blood trickling from my knees and dirty grass stains on my favorite Cleveland Browns shirt, a wry smile crept across my face as my teammates congratulated me. I felt a special type of satisfaction as I ate my mother's meatloaf that evening at dinner.<br />
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<b>Lions vs. Packers: Pride and Respect On The Line</b><br />
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This Sunday night, the NFC North title is on the line. But respect is on the line as well. Folks, the <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/02/dying-with-dignity-why-detroit-lions.html">Detroit Lions</a> are on the cusp of finally earning the respect of the NFL's big kids; of graduating from two-hand touch to tackle football. Having endured decades of ridicule and derision from the NFL's talking head commentators, the Lions have a chance to silence their doubters and begin a new era of football in the Motor City. All they have to do is beat the Green Bay Packers and their immaculately photogenic quarterback, Aaron Rodgers.<br />
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Folks, it won't be an easy task. The Packers are a formidable opponent, and it's no secret that the NFL would rather have playoff games hosted in Lambeau than Ford Field. The NFL has a financial stake in continuing the Aaron Rodgers iron man narrative; he's one of the league's most recognizable faces and sells a ton of jerseys. Roger Goodell and company want Rodgers to succeed, and they're perfectly willing to stack the deck against the Lions do to so. The NFL hasn't hesitated to keep the Lions down in the past. The history of the Detroit Lions is a history of questionable calls against them.<br />
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Remember the 2014 playoffs, <a href="http://www.nfl.com/videos/dallas-cowboys/0ap3000000454201/Referees-throw-late-flag-pick-it-up">when the refs called pass interference on the Dallas Cowboys, only to pick up the flag</a>?<br />
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Remember the no-call on Seattle's illegal bat last season?<br />
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Remember the phantom face-mask last year that set up an NFL-manufactured Packers comeback victory?<br />
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Folks, just a couple of weeks ago a referee admitted to <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/look-nfl-referee-in-bears-lions-game-calls-penalty-on-wrong-team-twitter-erupts/">improperly penalizing the Lions for an infraction committed by the Chicago Bears</a>.<br />
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This is but a small taste of the daunting task before the Lions: not only do they have to defeat the NFL's golden boy Aaron Rodgers, they have to defeat the officiating crew, which is typically composed of a bunch of closet cheeseheads.<br />
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Lots of folks dismiss this line of argument as conspiracy theorizing. But rigging happens all the time. Wikileaks showed us that the democratic primary was rigged against <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/05/make-debating-great-again-why-donald.html">Bernie Sanders</a>. The NCAA playoff selection committee was rigged against <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/11/harbaugh-vs-urban-meyer-part-ii-head-to.html">Penn State</a>. What makes people think the NFL doesn't also engage in rigging, especially with so much money on the line? It's naive to suggest otherwise.<br />
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<b>PREDICTION</b><br />
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Fortunately, there may be hope for the Lions. Don't get me wrong. The Lions have their weaknesses. Their running game is weak. They are over-reliant on the passing game, and have struggled to score points in the red zone because they can't punch the ball across the goal line like I did back in '66.<br />
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But the Lions have several factors working in their favor. First, Wisconsin men are not men of their word. Aaron Rodgers promised that Green Bay would "<a href="http://www.espn.com/blog/green-bay-packers/post/_/id/36129/aaron-rodgers-run-the-t-a-b-l-e-wasnt-a-prediction-but-something-bigger">run the table</a>" in their final games of the season en-route to a playoff berth. Folks, I'm old enough to remember when <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/10/benedict-ryan-paul-rino-for-prison.html">Paul Ryan</a>, a republican representative from <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/03/trump-will-win-wisconsin.html">Wisconsin</a> and Speaker of the House, promised our nation Obamacare repeal, a restored economy, and high paying jobs. He's been the house speaker for a full year and we're still no closer to a return to small government principles. Men from Wisconsin often promise things they can't deliver, Rodgers is no different folks. The Packers may very well take this "L" like Paul Ryan has been taking Ls all year.<br />
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Second, the Lions have home-field advantage. Ford Field will be packed with tens of thousands of hungry Lions fans rooting for something that hasn't happened in Detroit for more than twenty years: a division championship. The Lions will be led by Matthew Stafford, an MVP candidate entering his prime. Folks, if I were a Lions fan (<a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/12/twtws-battle-of-ohio-preview.html">I'm not, I'm a Bengals fan</a> wishing a blue collar team well from afar) I'd be encouraged by what I saw in the first half of their showdown in Dallas last week. Stafford looked like the best field-general I've seen since Douglas MacArthur. He orchestrated an excellent up-tempo, no-huddle offense that reminded me of <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/12/buffalo-blues-twtws-browns-vs-bills.html">the glory days of Jim Kelly's Buffalo Bills</a>. Such an offensive assault may leave the defensively-challenged Packers in disarray.<br />
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That wasn't the only positive sign for the Lions last week. A legit running game option for Detroit emerged: Zach Zenner, an un-drafted free agent and former South Dakota State Jackrabbit. Folks, when I see Mr. Zenner pound the ball across the line of scrimmage, I see myself 50 years ago in that abandoned field back in Danville. This kid knows how to run. He's got more heart than all of Milwaukee. He may just help the Lions win their first division championship since 1993.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's Zach Zenner in the thick of that dog-pile, being gritty as heck.</td></tr>
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It won't be easy, folks. The deck is stacked against them. But the Lions might -- just might -- beat Green Bay tonight. With an NFC North title under their belt, the Lions will not only be beloved by their loyal fans: they will be respected by a league that was dead-set on their elimination.Will Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11015726311843735151noreply@blogger.com0Danville, KY, USA37.6456329 -84.772170237.5450479 -84.9335317 37.746217900000005 -84.6108087tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612187168569300325.post-74396156149459138022016-12-30T13:37:00.000-08:002016-12-30T13:38:28.605-08:00Cracker Barrel Country: TWTW's Orange Bowl Preview<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><u>Danville, Kentucky</u></b> -- Michigan football's renaissance can be chalked up to one man: Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh is America's coach, a coach of the people. No man in college football has better intuition than Jim. At a time when it would've been politically expedient for a man teaching in a liberal snowflake bubble town like Ann Arbor to be seen eating kale or driving a hybrid car, Jim took a stand for American family values and fine dining.<br />
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Jim felt the winds of change in the air. He correctly intuited that America is no longer a <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/11/chipotle-genetically-modify-its-death.html">Chipotle</a> country, or a Panera country. America is now a <i>Cracker Barrel</i> country. Jim knew this: just as the <i>Crack Barrel</i> ethos propelled Donald Trump to the presidency, it is now poised to make the Michigan Wolverines winners of back-to-back bowl games. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigdgZ7tCSi7k7bPIdkd-nqD4yDtKs6ald7SzlV2Ot8IZ3NzrCPqcoRjrLDkxkGCVsajw35Cxs_Q5q0yPGb-ulYhcf1ihmuz9Fvsxa0RAvkS7JxdY48RbIk8eNltu4nKxWawaZ5XwNW0-Km/s1600/2016-11-09T22-40-45-366Z--1280x720.video_770x443.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigdgZ7tCSi7k7bPIdkd-nqD4yDtKs6ald7SzlV2Ot8IZ3NzrCPqcoRjrLDkxkGCVsajw35Cxs_Q5q0yPGb-ulYhcf1ihmuz9Fvsxa0RAvkS7JxdY48RbIk8eNltu4nKxWawaZ5XwNW0-Km/s400/2016-11-09T22-40-45-366Z--1280x720.video_770x443.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[<a href="http://cookpolitical.com/story/10201">source</a>]</td></tr>
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<i>Cracker Barrel</i> is a restaurant (and old country store) where deep familial bonds of love are formed over hot plates of meatloaf and country fried steak. As a man who has dragged his children kicking and screaming to numerous <i>Cracker Barrel</i> establishments across our fine nation during family road trips, I can vouch for the restaurant's ability to nurture relationships. Kids love the gift shop, and the plump blueberries snugged tenderly into each buttery pancake. Adults like myself love the rustic, cozy atmosphere and great decorations, which are a throwback to simpler times. </div>
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The best part about <i>Cracker Barrel</i> is that they don't try to <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/12/trumps-first-100-days-agenda-deport-all.html">shove robots down your throat</a>. You won't find any of those annoying, gimmicky touch-screen tablet devices that are now all the rage at Chilis and Applebee's. Chilis and Applebee's love to plant these things on your table in hopes that your child will steal your credit card and pay $20 to play Angry Birds while you aren't looking. </div>
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Not only are these tablets prone to abuse by unruly children, they also put perfectly suitable human employees out of a job. These tablets detach restaurant-goers from their fellow man by making face-to-face interaction with other flesh-and-blood human beings unnecessary. </div>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/Applebees">@Applebees</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TWTWsports">@TWTWsports</a> promise to get rid of those iPad things at the table! They are confusing and disrespectful to the waitstaff</div>
— amac (@amacthursday) <a href="https://twitter.com/amacthursday/status/812770395233329152">December 24, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/Applebees">@Applebees</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TWTWsports">@TWTWsports</a> golden age of Applebees was 1994. My family went every Sunday, and enjoyed a meal just fine sans some table machine</div>
— amac (@amacthursday) <a href="https://twitter.com/amacthursday/status/812770891117498369">December 24, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<i>Cracker Barrel</i> has resisted this technological onslaught. <i>Cracker Barrel</i> values old-fashioned human interaction. If you want to entertain yourself at <i>Cracker Barrel</i>, you have to play a simple, non-electronic game like the pioneers of old. It's not as flashy as Angry Birds, but the pegs game teaches kids the value of concentration, perseverance, and mental stamina. </div>
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Mr. Harbaugh, a brilliant tactician on the football field, coaches like a guy who has completed the pegs game a few times. Yet Harbaugh's most shrewd tactical decision may have happened off the field when he decided to take his team to <i>Cracker Barrel</i>. The family that eats together, stays together. The family that eats <i>Cracker Barrel</i>'s<i> </i>famous "Sunrise Sampler"<i> </i>together, triumphs together. It's no coincidence that Michigan football began to win again after hiring a coach who understands the restorative power of a hearty helping of hickory smoked country ham. </div>
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Contrast Mr. Harbaugh to his counterpart from Florida State. Folks, Jimbo Fisher cannot win. <a href="http://www.gossipextra.com/2016/01/05/jimbo-fisher-divorce-settlement-5536/">Jimbo's wife left him after cheating on him with one of Jimbo's own wide receivers, landing a hefty divorce settlement in the process</a>. Like Jimbo, I am also a coach (of my nephew's little league team) who has been through divorce. However, if my wife cheated on me with one of the kids from the team I coach, you can bet I'd have the decency to retreat from the public eye. Jimbo should have the good sense to get out of college football while he can.</div>
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Harbaugh and the Wolverines made quick work of the Florida Gators last year in the Citrus Bowl; I predict a similarly decisive victory over the Florida State Seminoles. When Jim faces Jimbo, don't bet against Harbaugh. Don't bet against the man who has <i>Cracker Barrel</i> on his side.</div>
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Will Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11015726311843735151noreply@blogger.com1Danville, KY, USA37.6456329 -84.772170237.5450479 -84.9335317 37.746217900000005 -84.6108087tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612187168569300325.post-37735240482497874402016-12-23T18:02:00.000-08:002016-12-23T18:13:24.346-08:00How to Conquer Coors Field and Make the Rockies Contenders <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><u>Danville, Kentucky</u></b> -- Folks, <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/08/legalize-banning-colorado.html">I won't pretend to be a fan of the Colorado Rockies</a>. I will always harbor reservations about a team that plays in a state conducting a dangerous experiment with legal marijuana. If it were up to me, baseball would only be played in the prairies and fields of America's heartland, not in the bizarre atmospheric conditions of the Rocky Mountains, a cruel and inhospitable terrain barely fit for habitation by humans.<br />
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Nonetheless, in spite of Colorado's deadly tryst with the devil's lettuce, the Rockies are here to stay. Coors Field and its anomalous playing conditions are also here to stay. The powerhouse <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/07/the-yankees-must-not-sell.html">New York Yankees</a> of old used to dominate because they crafted a roster that gelled with their stadium: by pursuing left-handed power bats, the Bronx Bombers were able to create high-octane offenses that could take advantage of the short porch in right field with ease. The <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/10/kansas-city-special-twtws-2015-world.html">2015 Royals won the World Series</a> because they prioritized excellent defensive outfielders with the speed and range to patrol the spacious <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/05/my-first-kauffman-trip-in-30-years.html">Kauffman Stadium</a>. Colorado needs to follow this blueprint and construct a Rockies team that takes full advantage of their dinger-friendly stadium.<br />
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It's now or never for the Rockies. They have an opening to seriously compete in the National League West, but only if the front office shows some serious strategic vision. The Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres are not contending; a smartly-built Rockies team could rack up wins against these bottom-feeders. In addition, 2017 is an odd year, so the San Francisco Giants will suck. Throw in a <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/12/wouldnt-it-be-nice-how-to-take-2017.html">Los Angeles Dodgers</a> team that is just treading water by extending certain players like Kenley Jensen while allowing key pieces like <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/10/joe-blanton-for-nlds-mvp.html">Joe Blanton</a> and Chase Utley to leave, and you have something of a power vacuum within the division. The Dodgers will still be the team to beat in the NL West, but with a good off-season the Rockies could give Los Angeles a run for their money and seriously contend for a Wild Card.<br />
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I know it would be tempting for the Rockies to pat themselves on the back for the Mike Dunn signing and call it an off-season, but there's still work to be done to create a Rockies roster that fully exploits the idiosyncratic characteristics of Coors Field. Here's how to create a Rockies team danker than <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/9-most-popular-weed-strains-2016-9/#5-blueberry-diesel-5">Blueberry Diesel</a>:<br />
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<br />BRING BACK RABURN</h3>
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There's no sugar-coating how bad Ryan Raburn's 2016 season was. The Rockies were expecting a little more productivity than a measly 9 dingers and 30 <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/08/in-defense-of-rbis.html">RBIs</a>. But saavy baseball fans like myself could've seen this coming. In fact, Raburn's underwhelming 2016 campaign was totally predictable, and followed a long trend for the 35 year old slugger:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raburn's numbers, 2011-2016</td></tr>
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Raburn is a volatile player. In even years (like 2016) Raburn is all but useless, a worse investment than a donation to the now-defunct <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/08/hillary-clinton-has-to-go-to-jail.html">Clinton Foundation</a>. In contrast, odd year Raburn is quite good, boasting a higher batting average, more power, and more RBIs. It's not Raburn's fault the Rockies signed him in the decline stage of his boom-bust cycle. That being said, the Rockies should absolutely bring Raburn back next year to reap the righteous harvest which they have sown. Sign him to another one-year contract and bask in the glory of odd year Ryan Raburn. Raburn's true power in Coors Field will be quite a sight to behold.<br />
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SIGN DOUG FISTER</h3>
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Folks, it's no secret that many of Colorado's problems are pitching related. The Rockies have great young position players like Nolan Arenado, Trevor Story, and reigning NL batting champ DJ LeMahieu, but have struggled at run prevention. Colorado's Achilles Heel is pitching. It's difficult to develop quality starting pitching in a punishing ballpark that gives up home runs more freely than Colorado's marijuana dispensaries wantonly give edible marijuana candies to unsuspecting children.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg64HILglWTN0_Zya6UT1sfOLtuaFVHq7T6qQMv9mgabA9vhE1kVXufwUWxIU2MUKJ57vFLoVXCchUpwASQnC0KqTpCRDMSXxesBebWbAg9ggaIlR8nUUu3Y_puwwOUaFcuA2Wde2GEcDDM/s1600/colorado-police-worried-over-new-halloween-fun-threat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg64HILglWTN0_Zya6UT1sfOLtuaFVHq7T6qQMv9mgabA9vhE1kVXufwUWxIU2MUKJ57vFLoVXCchUpwASQnC0KqTpCRDMSXxesBebWbAg9ggaIlR8nUUu3Y_puwwOUaFcuA2Wde2GEcDDM/s400/colorado-police-worried-over-new-halloween-fun-threat.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Which candies are safe and which are drugged? Children don't know either.</td></tr>
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Enter Doug Fister. Doug quietly had a solid year with the Houston Astros last season, as he tried to rebuild his value on a one-year contract. There was a lot to like about Fister's 2016 season. Despite missing April, May, and most of June with an injury, Fister racked up 12 <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/05/why-pitchers-wl-record-matters.html">wins</a> and pitched nearly 200 innings. The 180 quality innings that Fister threw last season would've been the 2nd most on the 2016 Rockies: only Chad Bettis, who threw 186 innings, pitched more. If healthy, Fister would be a lock to throw well over 200 innings next season. He's still just a few years removed from a borderline Cy Young campaign in 2014 with the Nationals where he had a 2.41 ERA and won 16 games. Not sold yet?<br />
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Fister isn't an enticing free agent option for the Rockies merely because of his workhorse, innings-eating track record. His profile would be an excellent match with Coors Field. Fister's xFIP and K/9 numbers aren't going to get the nerds at fangraphs hot and bothered; but when he's on top of his game, he generates lots of ground balls. Let me tell you something about ground balls, folks. When I was 6 years old, my father put me on his knee and taught me some life lessons I'll never forget: never drink on an empty stomach, don't eat the tomatoes at fast food restaurants, and don't let fly ball pitchers pitch in high altitude environments. Here's another true fact: balls hit on the ground can't be home runs, folks, unless through defensive incompetency someone nabs an inside the park homer. Fortunately, Dougie Fresh is a ground ball guru. He generated a whopping 19 double plays last year. The Rockies need guys who can keep the ball on the ground. The Rockies need quality pitching at an affordable price. They need Fister to team 'em how to Dougie.<br />
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<h3>
DOUBLE DOWN ON POWER BATS</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There are tons of reasonably priced power bats available on the open market this off-season. If I were the Rockies GM, I would start by signing some guys who can actually play first base. Ian Desmond was a good signing, but he's never played first base before, and the Rockies' replacement options are weak if Mr. Desmond gets injured. I'm skeptical that Desmond, who played exclusively in the outfield last season, will seamlessly plug into first base. Playing first base isn't easy, just ask Ron Washington. Fortunately there are some solid options on the free agent market: Chris Carter and Justin Morneau in particular stand out.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix31szTOkB_WHoteklWK5Bi5q1bH20D5eoCMby3uUZzPLB71K5B-uxdUwB5exklm2E-qz6XS18JiNtCZUJrDKWwpL-KYh1DvOhtW085EE4S5-kAAluMxzWYb9FYDN5wDlpDODKryb5UiJ6/s1600/giphy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix31szTOkB_WHoteklWK5Bi5q1bH20D5eoCMby3uUZzPLB71K5B-uxdUwB5exklm2E-qz6XS18JiNtCZUJrDKWwpL-KYh1DvOhtW085EE4S5-kAAluMxzWYb9FYDN5wDlpDODKryb5UiJ6/s1600/giphy.gif" /></a></div>
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<div>
If the Rockies are smart, they'll create a Chris Carter/Justin Morneau platoon at first base next season. Carter hit a whopping 41 dingers last season, 6th most in all of the MLB and more than every Colorado player except Arenado. Carter's right-handed bat would represent a fierce power threat smack dab in the middle of an already stacked Rockies lineup. Crucially, Carter's right-handed power would pair perfectly with the left-handed batting prowess of former Rockie Justin Morneau, another free agent first baseman. It's not everyday you have an opportunity to lock up the 2006 AL MVP, folks. Remember the good old days of Morneau in a Rockies uniform? In 2014, Morneau batted .319 with 17 HRs and 82 RBIs with Colorado. He looked surprisingly good in very limited action with the <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/03/clubhouse-chaos-why-i-dont-believe-in.html">White Sox</a> last season as well, providing modest power and a .261 batting average along with some veteran leadership. You could expect his offensive numbers to surge next season playing in the harrowing confines of Coors. As a package deal, you'd be hard pressed to find a better righty/lefty one-two punch at first base than Carter and Morneau.<br />
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Don't stop there either, Rockies. There's lots of other ways to upgrade the team's offense. Mark Trumbo is still inexplicably available. <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/10/mark-trumbo-for-mvp.html">He hit 47 HRs last year with the Orioles in an MVP-worthy campaign</a>. He could easily crack 60 dingers if he played a full year in Coors. A Rockies lineup that featured Trumbo, Carter, and Morneau would give Clayton Kershaw nightmares and make every opposing pitcher lie awake at night, terrified at the idea of pitching to that lineup in Coors Field. You might be wondering: what are the Rockies going to do with all these first basemen and outfielders? Let them duke it out for the starting roles at Spring Training, and deal the extra players for pitching. Get it done, Rockies.</div>
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<h3>
CONCLUSION</h3>
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<div>
The time to play it safe has come and gone. There is blood in the water in the NL West. The Giants' even year magic is dead. The Dodgers have not upgraded their roster and may even get worse in some respects. The time has come for the Rockies to get serious about contending. Their talented core of positions players isn't getting any younger. Some smart moves could easily get the Rockies into the 85-win range that would thrust them right into the thick of the Wild Card race.<br />
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The Rockies organization owes it to their fans to win a World Series championship before Colorado's medical infrastructure collapses under the weight of an imminent marijuana-poisoning epidemic. The leaf-lovers in Denver and Boulder are probably too stoned to care that the Rockies have not lived up to their potential. But the good people of blue-collar towns like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Cliff,_Colorado">Silver Cliff</a>, Colorado -- a community built by the grandsons and granddaughters of hard-working silver miners -- deserve to see a World Series victory in their lifetime. If the Colorado front office stops messing around and locks up phenom talents like Mark Trumbo, they'll have taken a small step towards doing right by the folks in Colorado sober enough to appreciate a quality baseball team.<br />
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Will Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11015726311843735151noreply@blogger.com0Danville, KY, USA37.6456329 -84.772170237.5450479 -84.9335317 37.746217900000005 -84.6108087tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612187168569300325.post-33288740880722490532016-12-22T20:16:00.000-08:002016-12-22T20:16:14.604-08:00My Little Caesars® "Pepperoni & Cheese Stuffed Crust Deep Dish Pizza" Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><u>Danville, Kentucky</u></b> -- Folks, I'll be honest, I get depressed in the wintertime. Winter in Danville is dark, dreary, and cold. Come December, the rich Kentucky blue-grass is a garish, dead yellow color. Often times I find myself blankly staring out the window at the barren fields and mucky grey slush that litters our roads, wishing I were elsewhere. The numbing monotony of the lifeless, overcast skies sucks all the energy from me. There isn't much to look forward to in the midst of a Kentuckian winter. It can be hard to find the will to persevere.<br />
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Yet, <i>Little Caesars</i> has offered me hope in this deepest and darkest of winters. I'm blogging here today to spread the good word about an instant-classic 'za concoction from the good folks at <i>Little Caesars</i>.<br />
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I first heard about this pie during a commercial break while I was watching <i>Hannity</i>. It sounded like something out of a dream: a deep dish pie, with real pepperoni and mozzarella cheese stuffed into the crust.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soak it all in, folks.</td></tr>
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Folks, this pizza truly is a dream come true. Let me break down it's deliciousness:<br />
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<b>DIMENSIONS</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Let's talk dimensions really quick. Upon opening <i>Little Caesar</i>s' signature orange cardboard box I was taken aback by the sheer size and girth of this pizza. This puppy features 8 slices. I want to say there is about three and a half feet of crust. Each slice is about 1.5 or 2 inches deep. If you have to carry the pizza's box for an extended period if time, you'll immediately notice it's a heavy pie: I'm told it is 10-times heavier than a regular <i>Hot-N-Ready</i> pizza. It has 10-times the flavor too, folks.<br />
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<b>TOPPINGS</b><br />
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While this pizza is extravagant in many ways, its toppings are understated. The culinary geniuses at <i>Little Caesars</i> are willing to let the quality of the pie speak for itself and not overload the pizza with extraneous toppings. Nothing is worse than a pizza with too many toppings, especially when we're dealing with non-meat toppings. Who wants to eat a pizza topped with pineapple, peppers, onions, or worst of all, mushrooms? Not me - if I'm at a party and see pizza with vegetables on it, I'll be headed toward the door before you can say "anchovies."<br />
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Fortunately, the pizza I'm reviewing today recognizes the beauty of simplicity. It is adorned only with pepperoni -- very crispy and spicy pepperoni, I might add. If you're lucky, the pepperoni might be a little burnt around the edges like mine was, which imbues a rich, smoky flavor. So far, so good.<br />
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<b>CHEESE</b><br />
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The cheese on this bad boy was divine. Nice and greasy, goopy, and at times, baked right into the crust so that it's difficult to tell where the cheese ends and crust begins: one seamless, cheesy pizza masterpiece. Cheese is often a bit of a throwaway item on lesser pizzas, but <i>Little Caesars</i> outdid themselves here. When cooked to golden brown perfection, few pizzas utilize better raw materials than the cheese featured here.<br />
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You'll want to keep a lot of napkins handy. This pizza is more slippery than <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/04/why-cruz-must-lose-real-story-of-rafael.html">Ted Cruz</a>; it's served fresh out of the oven and dripping with hot grease. You'll want to take a shower after eating it, but make sure to take the time to luxuriate in this flavor roller-coaster along the way, folks.<br />
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<b>SAUCE</b><br />
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The sauce is the secret to this pizza's brilliance. It's sweet, tomato flavor is a perfect complement to the salty, savory taste of the pepperoni. On my pie, the sauce was piping hot and spilling out from underneath of its blanket of melted mozzarella cheese. It gets messy folks, which is just how I like my pizza. Be warned though, due to the greasiness and general sloppiness of this pizza, the <i>Little Caesars</i>® "Pepperoni & Cheese Stuffed Crust Deep Dish Pizza" might not be appropriate to eat at formal occasions like a business meeting or romantic encounter.<br />
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<b>CRUST</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pepperoni was stuffed in the breading with care.</td></tr>
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The crust is where the magic happens on this pie, folks. Pizza novices should be aware that this is a Detroit-style, square deep dish pizza; not round, Chicago-style deep dish or wimpy New York-style pizza. Notably, each slice is a corner slice, intensifying the toasty goodness of each bite. <b>Prepare yourself accordingly.</b> This crust is not for the faint of heart. It's thick. It's heavy. It's dense. I skipped breakfast and fasted prior to eating this pizza for lunch; if you don't have an empty stomach before eating this pie you might not get through more than a half a slice.<br />
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The crust is perfectly textured: buttery, crispy, flaky, crunchy. Satisfying as hell to eat. But folks, let's get to the main attraction. You weren't here to read about the cheese or sauce or toppings. This pizza is all about what's hidden inside.<br />
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Folks, the pepperoni and cheese stuffed crust was world-changing as advertised. The entire length of the crust was stuffed with the equivalent of six-feet worth of spicy, tongue-singeing pepperoni and cheese. This is a very family-friendly pizza: if you have children, they'll love playing with the cheese that is stuffed in the crust, as it is very stretchy. For adult consumers, the savory notes of the "Pepperoni & Cheese Stuffed Crust Deep Dish Pizza" pairs nicely with <i>Boone's Farm</i> wines and <i>Kentucky Deluxe</i> whiskey.<br />
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The pepperoni in the crust was of an even higher quality than the pepperoni that rested atop the pizza; I can't confirm this, but my intuition is that the the pepperoni stuffed in the crust was closer to deli/sandwich style pepperoni. It was thinner, but had a richer, porkier taste. You could tell that each pepperoni was tucked into the crust with the same gentle, loving touch that a mother might use while tucking her children into bed. I could taste the care that went into making this magisterial pie, folks. You can't fake the deep, undying affection that goes into making this pizza. This is the type of pizza that could only be created by the warm, tender touch of a human. You'll appreciate your memories of eating hand-crafted delicacies one day when <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/12/trumps-first-100-days-agenda-deport-all.html">robots enslave humanity</a> and force us to eat industrially-manufactured sludge.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>CONCLUSION</b><br />
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The <i>Little Caesars</i>® "Pepperoni & Cheese Stuffed Crust Deep Dish Pizza" is a culinary triumph, a comprehensive victory unlike anything America has seen since <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-twtw-election-model-trumps-path-to.html">Donald Trump's triumph on November 8th</a>. <b>I would give it two thumbs up, five stars, 10 out of 10, 100% fresh</b>. You won't be disappointed folks, and if you're a fan of the Detroit Tigers, you should feel doubly satisfied as your money will go towards helping Little Caesars CEO and <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/12/theyre-shuttin-detroit-down-tragedy-of.html">Detroit Tigers owner Mike Ilitch</a> pay the fantastic <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/02/affordable-electricity-in-defense-of.html">Mike Pelfrey</a>'s contract.<br />
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That being said, there is still room for improvement. For one, it's a travesty that <i>Little Caesars</i> doesn't allow you to order this pizza with bacon wrapped around the crust. A "Bacon-Wrapped, Pepperoni & Cheese Stuffed Crust Deep Dish Pizza" is exactly what America needs right now. In addition, <i>Little Caesars</i> should allow more customization of this pizza. Why not offer a meat-lovers version that is both topped and stuffed with bacon, ham, hamburger, and Italian sausage? In a country primed for an economic rebound because of the election of Trump, there would certainly be demand for such a hot commodity. In addition, <i>Little Caesars</i> should consider letting customers choose what type of cheese to stuff their crust with: offering some sort of three-cheese blend or spicy nacho cheese stuffing is a no-brainer, folks. In the long term, offering a mac-and-cheese stuffed crust pizza makes a lot of sense too.<br />
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This is already a perfect pizza but there's so much room to improve it and take it in new, exciting directions. I look forward to seeing the next generation of stuffed crust pizzas as <i>Little Caesars</i> continues to boldly innovate and experiment with tasty new varieties of a classic American staple. If nothing else, they've put a smile on one Kentucky man's face.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFXCjmZNv2hyphenhyphenurvFnWSjoBudptWONucHI6bU7wkvh3KgsxLJ-BLocutIdLqsq1I4ST3LxWvY1TwUkYAn1HWNmBpcAU8JthMJs5ReC0LBkIVi96ehhqIB8nFqRy-WmHGfm7Hc8wceYRW-I_/s1600/giphy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFXCjmZNv2hyphenhyphenurvFnWSjoBudptWONucHI6bU7wkvh3KgsxLJ-BLocutIdLqsq1I4ST3LxWvY1TwUkYAn1HWNmBpcAU8JthMJs5ReC0LBkIVi96ehhqIB8nFqRy-WmHGfm7Hc8wceYRW-I_/s640/giphy.gif" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of My Heroes Eating the <i>Little Caesars</i>® "Pepperoni & Cheese Stuffed Crust Deep Dish Pizza" </td></tr>
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Will Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11015726311843735151noreply@blogger.com1Danville, KY, USA37.6456329 -84.772170237.5450479 -84.9335317 37.746217900000005 -84.6108087tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612187168569300325.post-10495626433292724772016-12-22T13:01:00.000-08:002016-12-24T14:03:30.461-08:00Shut Down Duke Basketball<br />
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<b><u>Danville, Kentucky</u></b> - How did it come to this? Two weeks ago, Coach K was ready to lead the boys of Durham to another championship. Today, he should be ready to hand in Duke's resignation letter.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jay Williams, bereft of knowing what would happen to Duke baketball, proudly representing his University before Grayson Allen ruined it for everyone</td></tr>
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Duke basketball is a storied program. They feature some of my favorite players, like Jay Williams, Shane Battier, and Elton Brand. Those men are proven winners. They gave it their all on the court, and Elton Brand even stared in an episode of the last great Disney show, "The Jersey."<br />
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But Grayson Allen must go. We know of his crimes. Hopefully his <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/04/why-cruz-must-lose-real-story-of-rafael.html">resemblance to those that went after Kennedy is not true. </a><br />
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Some would surmise that a man who so frequently calls for a ban or resignation does this once again with the ease of throwing away a Panera gift card. But I understand what it means to say <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/12/dak-prescott-must-resign.html">Dak Prescott should resign</a>, and I'm so upset while writing what must be written, I can't even link to my brilliant piece today calling for the deportation of millions of robots.<br />
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Folks, I do want to add some credibility to my insight. I was the one who <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/05/thunder-must-not-resign-kevin-durant.html">rightfully said the Thunder should not resign Kevin Durant</a>. And look at them now, Russell Westbrook may average a triple double for the first time since Oscar Robertson and the dream of Goldwater '64. And look at the Warriors, they're not going to win 73 games again. They're worse. The Thunder are better. And if you'd read me, you'd know this.<br />
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But anyone can get lucky once. I've gotten lucky many times, and in the bathroom of many Pizza Hut restaurants no less. Nobody is right more than I am because I only talk about what I know: fast food, politics, sports, life, religion, love, pop culture, and miscellaneous. Few called the election. I did. <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-twtw-election-model-trumps-path-to.html">I correctly predicted 49 of 50 states</a>. <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/03/twtws-2015-al-central-preview.html">I said the Royals would win the A.L. Central in 2015</a>, and predicted they'd win the <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/10/twtws-2015-alds-preview.html">ALCS in six games</a> and the <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/10/kansas-city-special-twtws-2015-world.html">World Series in five</a>. Meanwhile, Fangraphs focused on mean variance or some other shit and took the 'not Royals'. <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/07/twtws-second-half-al-east-predictions.html">I said the Blue Jays would win the A.L. East in 2015</a>. In August of 2015 when the Nate Silver crowd said Verlander was done,<a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/08/justin-verlander-once-and-future-ace.html"> </a><a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/08/justin-verlander-once-and-future-ace.html">I noted he'd be a winner again</a>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How did it come to this? </td></tr>
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And as I've said: Grayson Allen must go. Allen has tripped not one, not two, and not even three players. Sure, the liberal media says he's tripped three guys. This is the same liberal media that said Donald Trump was going to lose. The same liberal media that said <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/11/chipotle-genetically-modify-its-death.html">Chipotle wouldn't make us all sick</a>. Chipotle has made us sick, and Grayson Allen is likely to trip a man to death if he's not stopped.<br />
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Allen has ruined a special season for Duke. Marquis Bolden is simply a player, folks. You can throw away the stat sheet with him. I've had love at first sight nine times. And noticing a great prospect is like that. When I first saw LeBron James, I just knew: hey, this guy is going to be good. Yet again, I was right. Luke K. is also the same way. Excellent player. He has incredible gristle (grit + hustle). Jason Tatum shoots like Dirk Nowitzki. A skill he developed by shooting a basketball. Imagine if Allen had done that, instead of tripping, folks.<br />
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This is when someone would say: Will, why not just ban Grayson Allen? Because Duke is a team. College basketball is a team sport. It's about 13 men who work day in and day out for literally zero money. They don't want any of Coach K's $7 million plus salary. No, they do it for the team.<br />
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And as a team rises together, they fall together. Grayson Allen has committed an awful offense. And now the whole team must pay. The rest of the team has done nothing wrong. Coach K has never done anything wrong in his entire life. But he too must pay. You see, folks, when our quarterback was caught with moonshine before the Kentucky state football semi-finals in 1974, no doubt precipitated by the unfair targeting of Richard Nixon in the Watergate investigation, he was suspended. But in a way, we all were because we were all at the party and also suspended. But had we not been at the party, we would have been suspended anyway. Our coach wouldn't have let us play in the game without our quarterback because we were a team. Duke is now in that same moment.<br />
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How Duke could disband their program is not easy. Coach K. is a true professional though. He'll think of the right way to handle this, which is why he wasn't focused on saying what penalty Grayson Allen would face. He was probably starting to think about dismantling a program he built. And now, a program he'll close.<br />
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The end of the night can be looked at a few different ways. Sure, sometimes the bar closes and deprives us of that one last series of fireball shots. One can sulk about that. One can become consumed by that. One can hate because of that. Or one can start anew. Don't cry for Duke basketball's end. Celebrate that it only took the life of Duke basketball to end Grayon Allen's tripping.Will Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11015726311843735151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612187168569300325.post-51757507005917777152016-12-21T18:27:00.000-08:002016-12-21T19:02:06.462-08:00Trump's First 100 Days Agenda: Deport All Robots<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><u>Danville, Kentucky</u></b> -- Folks, if there's one thing that liberals don't get, it's economics. That's because most of them have never owned a business or even held a job. In contrast, my family and I have years of experience working in many crucial industries. The Hart family has proudly labored in <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/07/everyday-andrew-why-romine-is-key-to.html">General Motors assembly plants</a>, <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/01/in-memoriam-of-west-virginian-pizza-hut.html">coal mines</a>, <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/03/trust-deficit-how-credit-cards.html">oil drilling rigs</a>, <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/12/buffalo-blues-twtws-browns-vs-bills.html">snow-plowing</a>, and <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/12/dak-prescott-must-resign.html">rubber manufacturing mills</a>, to name a few. But one-by-one, all those industries have disappeared. Now I'm forced to blog about sports and politics to make ends meet.<br />
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For generations, good-paying jobs were abundant in this country. You could go as far in life as your ambition and determination took you. But lately quality, dignified jobs have hemorrhaged from America to foreign countries like Mexico, China, and Vietnam. These days, steady employment is harder to come by than <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/03/why-francisco-lindor-must-bunt-for-his.html">an MLB player that knows how to bunt correctly</a>. <br />
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Those of us on the front-lines of America's most productive industries -- energy production, heavy manufacturing, fast food -- know that the departure of blue-collar jobs is primarily due to several decades worth of awful, unfair trade deals like NAFTA and TPP. Lots of liberals on twitter like to accuse me of being a partisan hack just because I openly supported <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-twtw-election-model-trumps-path-to.html">Donald Trump</a>; but let me be the first to say that these awful trade deals are a bipartisan affair. They've been pushed and supported by both Democrats and Republicans alike. Reagan gave us the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada%E2%80%93United_States_Free_Trade_Agreement">Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement</a>. Bill Clinton gave us NAFTA. George W. Bush supported China’s entry into the World Trade Organization. And Obama gave us TPP. It takes two parties to tango, folks. We wouldn't be where we are without a bipartisan consensus in favor of hollowing out American industrial manufacturing.<br />
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But many economists won't own up to this. They like to create all kinds of far-fetched excuses for the outsourcing of American jobs. They blame these losses on the uncontrollable forces of globalization, the tax code, cheap labor in other countries, climate change, and even robots.<br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/NewellNYC">@NewellNYC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/paulkrugman">@paulkrugman</a> ~20% of manuf jobs since 2001 lost to China/EMs. Rest of 80% due to increases in productivity->mainly automation.</div>
— Christopher Vecchio (@CVecchioFX) <a href="https://twitter.com/CVecchioFX/status/802359027074117632">November 26, 2016</a></blockquote>
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The long-term jobs killer is not China. It's automation. <a href="https://t.co/QbhCu2p5Fu">https://t.co/QbhCu2p5Fu</a> <a href="https://t.co/Dgvbd9IuAe">pic.twitter.com/Dgvbd9IuAe</a></div>
— The New York Times (@nytimes) <a href="https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/811686450756550656">December 21, 2016</a></blockquote>
Leave it to a bunch of ivory-tower computer geeks to totally misdiagnose the problems that America's manufacturing sector is facing.<br />
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A debate about the true causes of the decline of American manufacturing is healthy. The problem is, these bogus arguments that automation is the primary cause of industrial job losses get used to justify the status quo. Whenever a tough guy like Trump comes around -- who breaks from the bipartisan establishment consensus in favor of job-killing trade deals and speaks out in favor of re-making the rigged global trading system -- he gets hailed with a chorus of jeers from egghead academics who claim that the true cause of job losses is advances in automation technology that render humans expendable.<br />
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Folks, it's not an either/or, forced choice. The U.S. government should take actions to address the multiple economic factors that have contributed to the decline of good-paying jobs. Trump has proposed a highly detailed program of reforms that would accomplish precisely that. Trump should move forward with that program. He should build the wall. He should slap tariffs on companies that ship jobs overseas. He should re-negotiate awful deals like NAFTA. He should hold China's feet to the fire so they stop manipulating their currency and dumping their cheap products everywhere.<br />
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He should also deport robots.<br />
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Trump has already promised to deport all 11 million illegal immigrants currently residing in the United States in violation of our immigration laws. While he's at it, he should round up job-stealing automatons as well. Paul Krugman and the gang are wrong to say that automation is the primary driver of American job losses; the distinguished title of "biggest job-killer" still belongs with NAFTA, my friends. Nonetheless, they have a point. Robots have stolen plenty of jobs from hard-working Americans. They've stolen factory jobs. They've stolen cashier jobs at fast food restaurants. Combat drones have even stolen jobs from our soldiers, folks. That's why I'm proposing a complete and total ban on job-stealing robots. I urge President-elect Donald Trump to vigorously pursue this policy during his first 100 days in office.<br />
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The benefits of an aggressive robot deportation policy would be plentiful. First and foremost, deporting robots would bring back lost jobs, causing millions of down-on-their-luck Americans to re-enter the workforce so they can provide for their families and put Spinach & Artichoke Dip on the table.<br />
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Once touch-screen ordering machines are tossed out of the country, teenagers will return to work as cashiers in our nation's multi-billion dollar fast-food industry, learning the importance of hard work and proper facial hygiene in the process. Once those creepy claw-machine things are left for dead on the Mexican border, the assembly lines of our nation's automobile, steel, rubber, and textile factories will once more be operated by flesh-and-blood humans. When you call your credit card company to complain that someone in Hungary has stolen your identity and is fraudulently purchasing sewing machines in your name, you'll speak to a human being and not a pre-recorded robot voice. Hundreds of industriousness people around our good country will find employment providing family-friendly live entertainment and music at <i>Chuck E. Cheese's</i> restaurants once those automated performers they've used in the past are efficiently and humanely expelled from the United States.<br />
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The benefits of my robot deportation proposal don't stop there. It's not enough to bring back the jobs of yesterday; Trump must also help create the jobs of tomorrow. A robust robot deportation program can help there too. My robot deportation policy would create millions of new high-paying jobs in the police force. Kicking out every last robot will require a lot of manpower, especially since we can't use robots to do it (we don't want this to turn out like <i>Robocop</i>, folks). Pursuing a policy to deport all robots will <b>instantly</b> create demand for skilled workers capable of apprehending, de-programming, and destroying these robots while also suppressing any uprisings if necessary. It's a win-win for the whole economy!<br />
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I'm tired of being told by liberals that I lost my job as a factory worker because my skill-set is outdated and irrelevant in a high-technology society. That's just false. It's not my fault they didn't teach software programming at Danville High in 1972. We didn't even have software back then, folks. I'm smart enough and hard-working enough that I could get a high-tech job if I wanted. I'd just rather work at a job where I have to get dirt under my fingernails than some job where I have to push pencils and sit in a cubicle all day. There's no dignity in working for a software firm or a tech start-up and staring at a computer all day, folks. That's why millions of hard-working blue-collar Americans voted for Trump in droves this past November. We want the pride and dignity that comes with CREATING and BUILDING things. It's time for Trump to make good on his promises and bring back the glory days of American industry. Deport all robots. Make America Human Again, Donald.Will Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11015726311843735151noreply@blogger.com0Danville, KY, USA37.6456329 -84.772170237.5450479 -84.9335317 37.746217900000005 -84.6108087tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612187168569300325.post-30649572099518206592016-12-19T20:23:00.000-08:002016-12-19T20:23:13.869-08:00A Reds Fan's Christmas List<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><u>Danville, Kentucky</u></b> -- Sometimes, it's hard to criticize those you love. <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/06/free-pete-rose.html">Pete Rose</a> won my heart with his reckless slides, lunch-pail mentality, and gritty home-plate collisions. I'm a huge fan of Pete Rose, so I'm willing to overlook his questionable gambling decisions. I'm a big fan of chicken tenders and onion rings, so I'm willing to overlook that my unhealthy intake of cholesterol is slowly killing me.<br />
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Folks, I'm a life-long Cincinnati Reds fan. It's easy for me to play armchair General Manager and give advice to the <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/12/dak-prescott-must-resign.html">Dallas Cowboys</a>, <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/12/theyre-shuttin-detroit-down-tragedy-of.html">Detroit Tigers</a>, <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/12/too-big-to-fail-how-to-fix-2017-royals.html">Kansas City Royals</a>, and <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/12/wouldnt-it-be-nice-how-to-take-2017.html">Los Angeles Dodgers</a> from the comfort of my favorite booth in my local <i>Chilis</i>. I don't care about their players like I care about my own team. But it's much harder to criticize the Reds, a team that has taken me to both euphoric heights and melancholic lows. I want to believe in my heart of hearts that Dick Williams, the Reds' new GM and successor to Walt Jocketty, understands the strengths and weaknesses of this Reds team well enough to make well-informed and competent decisions, but my faith has been shaken by the gross mismanagement of this once-proud franchise in recent years.<br />
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The Reds need a new direction. On their current trajectory it may take a decade for them to compete for the NL Central crown again. There's no sign of the <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/10/forgot-about-cleveland-twtws-2016-world.html">Chicago Cubs</a>' reign of terror ending any time soon. <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/06/ban-st-louis-cardinals.html">The cheaters from St. Louis</a> have made some saavy moves this offseason, and with Cardinals Devil Magic™ on their side it is likely that any remaining roster holes will be filled by anonymous farmhands that unexpectedly become All Stars, à la Aledmys Diaz. This confluence of factors could leave the Reds locked in the basement unless radical changes are made.<br />
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This Christmas, I don't want a Playstation, a new Baseball Prospectus, <i>Applebee's</i> gift-cards, John Wayne DVDs, or expensive liquor. All I want is for the Reds to win again. Luckily, I know exactly what needs to be done to right the Reds' ship and restore glory to this franchise. My strategy might be bitter medicine or a difficult pill to swallow -- I for one routinely ignore warnings from my doctor that I should take my anti-cholesterol medication -- but it's absolutely what's needed to make the franchise competitive again.<br />
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Here's this Reds fan's Christmas wishlist:<br />
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<h3>
<b>1) A Trade That Sends Joey Votto to the Toronto Blue Jays</b></h3>
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Folks, as someone who loved every minute of <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/07/divorce-joey-votto-why-2015-reds-can-be.html">Joey Votto</a>'s 2010 MVP campaign, I feel totally comfortable saying that it is time to cut ties with him. Joey looks like he's fed up with the situation in Cincinnati; you can tell by the sullen look in his eyes that he's lost the passion he once had for the Redlegs and Great American Ballpark. Votto's contract has become an albatross -- his $225 million contract won't expire until 2023, well into <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-twtw-election-model-trumps-path-to.html">President Trump</a>'s second term. Votto has become a one dimensional player: good at clogging the bases with his "plate discipline" and "OBP" but not the dynamic offensive player the Reds need.<br />
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It's time to send Joey across the border to his Canadian homeland. The <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/07/twtws-second-half-al-east-predictions.html">Toronto Blue Jays</a> are a perfect trade partner for the Reds. Bringing Toronto native Joey Votto home would be the most exciting thing to happen to Canada since the blockbuster R.A. Dickey trade. In addition, the Blue Jays will be in dire need of a slugger like Votto given that Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion are likely to depart Toronto and sign elsewhere. Fortunately, the Blue Jays have some players that could help the Reds compete in the short term as well. The Reds should start by asking for <b style="text-decoration: underline;">Troy Tulowitzki</b>, <b><u>Francisco Liriano</u></b>, and <b style="text-decoration: underline;">Jason Grilli</b> in return.<br />
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<b>Tulo</b> -- a two-time gold-glover and perhaps the most sublime defensive shortstop in the MLB since Derek Jeter -- would solidify the Reds' shortstop position for years to come. In the meantime, infielders Zack Cozart and Eugenio Suarez could be converted to play first-base and third-base, giving the Reds sterling defenders around the diamond. It's a match made in heaven.<br />
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<b>Francisco Liriano</b> would give the Reds the starting pitching depth they desperately need. It's been no secret that the Reds rotation has been a bigger disaster than a <i><a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/11/chipotle-genetically-modify-its-death.html">Chipotle</a></i> restroom since the <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/08/twtws-royals-reds-preview-818-819.html">misguided Johnny Cueto trade</a> and the departure of Mat Latos. The Reds had a historically abysmal pitching staff last year. They even set a record for the most homers allowed in a single season. Only three starting pitchers threw more than 100 innings for the Reds, while only two threw more than 150 innings. That's a recipe for overworking an already soft bullpen. Fortunately, Liriano has thrown more than 160 innings in the past four seasons while posting a good ERA as well. Franky Liriano was a 16-game winner as recently as 2013. He'd easily plug into the top of the rotation and bring respectability back to the Reds' pitching staff.<br />
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<b>Jason Grilli</b> would instantly improve the horrific Reds bullpen. In 2015, Grilli amassed 24 <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/07/save-save.html">saves</a> with the Atlanta Braves; the Reds have had absolutely no stability in the closer role since they foolishly traded Aroldis Chapman to the <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/07/the-yankees-must-not-sell.html">New York Yankees</a> in the biggest ripoff since the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrupt_Bargain#Election_of_1824">Corrupt Bargain of 1824</a>. He'd be the cherry on top of what is already a great deal for the Reds. Do it, Tricky Dick Williams!<br />
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<br />2) The Return of Jay Bruce</h3>
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The Reds offense just didn't look the same after the New York Mets fleeced Cincinnati for Jay Bruce last season. They stranded so many runners in scoring position, mostly because of Votto's phobia of putting the ball in play. Folks, it's hard to score runs with men on second or third when Joey Votto only cares about drawing walks and getting to first base. It breaks my failing, decrepit heart to know that not all of Jay Bruce's 33 HRs and 99 <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/08/in-defense-of-rbis.html">RBIs</a> in 2016 came in a Cincinnati uniform. Some analysts have suggested that the Mets might make Jay Bruce available. For the right price, the Reds should absolutely be in on him.<br />
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<h3>
3) Joey Bats</h3>
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Free agent dinger-machine Jose Bautista would not only give the Reds a formidable middle-of-the-order bat; he'd give the Redlegs what they need most: swagger. Folks, this Reds team had no personality last season. There's plenty of blame to go around for their 94-loss 2016 campaign, but let's not forget the lack of fire that the Reds showed sometimes. Joey Bats is the perfect guy to light a fire under this Reds team. He plays with gusto. Just imagine 42,000 screaming Reds fans on their feet after a titanic 450-foot no-doubt moonshot from Mr. Bautista. No team wins without a little attitude. For his star-power alone, the Reds must secure Bautista for 6 years and $150 million. Get it done, Dick.<br />
<h3>
<br />4) Catcher Insurance</h3>
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Folks, catcher Devin Mesoraco used to be one of my favorite Reds. I remember watching all 25 of his dingers in 2014. Devin might've been the best catcher in the NL Central not named Yadier Molina, but he's been perennially injured since then. The Reds need some insurance in the event that he is injured for an extended amount of time in 2017. The Reds could attempt to lure grandpa David Ross out of retirement; that would give the Reds privileged insights into the inner workings of the World Champion Chicago Cubs rotation. But the obvious solution is to bring <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/05/twtws-5-20-reds-royals-preview.html">Brayan Pena</a> back, who was recently DFA'd by the Cardinals. Brayan had great chemistry with all our pitchers, and was a fan favorite during his tenure in Cincy. The Reds should have never let the emotional rock of their team go to their divisional rivals. <a href="http://www.theplayerstribune.com/brayan-pena-cuba-catcher/">I dare you to read Pena's tear-jerking expose on his defection from Cuba and tell me the Reds shouldn't sign him</a>. Right this wrong, Mr. Williams.<br />
<h3>
<br />5) Big Pasta</h3>
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One of the only good moves the Reds made last offseason was bringing back Alfredo Simon to shore up the rotation. Unfortunately, the move didn't pay off exactly how the Reds wanted it to. Simon started only 11 games and pitched only 58.2 innings, thanks to injuries. It was a low risk move: Simon was only signed to a 1 year, $2 million contract. It's time to for the Reds to get a second helping of Pasta. Sign him to another 1 year deal. The last time Pasta was healthy, he won 15 games with the Reds in 2014 and 13 games with the Tigers in 2015. Pasta is only a couple years removed from being an All Star with the Reds.<br />
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When healthy, Pasta's eephus is meaner than Dick Cheney on a hunting trip.<br />
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What do the Reds have to lose by signing him? If he stays healthy and things go right, he has the floor of a back-end innings-eater and an All Star ceiling. It's a no-brainer.<br />
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<h3>
CONCLUSION</h3>
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The Reds are not as helpless as the biased mainstream baseball media would have you believe. Ken Rosenthal and the gang have already penciled the Cubbies in for another World Series victory, but with an aggressive offseason the Reds could put themselves right in the thick of things in the NL Central. Dick Williams can never undo the cataclysmic decisions to trade Cueto and Chapman, but he can restore a winning culture by bringing bonafide, proven major league talent back to Cincinnati.<br />
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The time for rebuilding is over. The Reds already have young stars like Billy Hamilton, <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-ring-that-got-away-twtws-royals.html">Brandon Finnegan</a>, and <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/06/twtws-reds-tigers-preview-615-618.html">Eugenio Suarez</a> to lead the team into the future. It's time to cut the dead-weight like Votto and give Cincy's young-guns a real supporting cast of productive veterans like Joey Bats and Tulo.<br />
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Every year at Christmas, Americans face a choice. They can take the easy way out and get their loved ones a candle or an Amazon gift card. Or they can go big. Reds General Manager Dick Williams faces a similar choice. 2016 could be another year of irrelevance for the Reds, another year of "trusting the process" and tanking. Or 2016 could be the year where the Reds push all their chips to the center and try to take the mighty Cubs head on. I know which one I'd rather unwrap on Christmas morning. Give Cincinnati the gift of winning, Mr. Williams.<br />
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Will Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11015726311843735151noreply@blogger.com0Danville, KY, USA37.6456329 -84.772170237.5450479 -84.9335317 37.746217900000005 -84.6108087tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612187168569300325.post-6553746868724003552016-12-17T22:10:00.000-08:002016-12-17T22:10:40.628-08:00808s and Will Hartbreak: The SHOCKING Truth Behind Kanye's Body Double<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><u>Danville, Kentucky</u></b> -- Folks, I'm no fan of hip hop music. It's too commercial, too crass, and too full of synthesizers and artificial sound-effects these days. I like music that can be performed live by real people playing actual instruments, not music that can be played by pushing a button on a computer or by messing around on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GarageBand">Garage Band</a>. Folks, nobody embodies the decline of American popular music better than Kanye West. After Kanye's meteoric rise to fame some 13 years ago, he's since devolved into a crude caricature of himself, a circus act of tabloid rumors, egomania, and vulgar narcissism. Mr. West used to be a perfect American success story: a self-made man who rose from obscurity to become fabulously successful. Now, Kanye is a symbol of the decadence and dotage of America's upper class. But it wasn't always this way, folks.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hillary Clinton's body double with Kanye's body double</td></tr>
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I'm no fan of hip hop, but even I can admit there was some merit to Mr. West's first two albums, <i>the College Dropout </i>and<i> Late Registration</i>. Those albums had several songs that my nephew and his buddies would describe as "bangers." Only a fool would deny that Kanye has written many classics. Kanye was once an excellent songwriter and rapper because he drew upon the pre-existing canon of American soul and blues music and modernized it: bringing the American songbook into the 21st century with swagger and style.<br />
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Take "Gold Digger" for instance. In this song, Kanye sampled Ray Charles' jubilant rendition of "I Got A Woman," a song released in 1954 that I remember hearing on the radio back in the sixties while riding in my daddy's truck. Whenever I paid a visit to my local diner to grab a malted milkshake, I'd spend a nickel to put that song on the jukebox. Mr. West took Ray Charles' joyous celebration of the bliss of requited love, and turned into a scathing criticism of gender relations circa the new millennium. The pain of a woman trying to take all your money is something I, a thrice divorced man, know all to well. Kanye gave voice to my pain and the pain of many other folks, thanks to his uncanny ability to create new music while building upon all that came before him.<br />
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How did Kanye West, the man who expressed such raw, authentic anguish and frustration on songs like Gold Digger, end up selling out and collaborating with softie euro-junk bands like <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/11/crooked-nme-publishes-hit-piece-on-me.html">Coldplay</a>? How did the man who wrote something as visceral and real as "All Falls Down" write something as unabashedly abstract, pretentious, and awful as <i>808s & Heartbreak</i>, which sounds as though Kanye recorded it while singing through a tin can? Kanye used to be a man willing to speak truth to power, a man willing to drop bombs like "George Bush doesn't care about black people" to a national television audience. Now Kanye is just a fake. Literally.<br />
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The enigma that is Kanye West has puzzled me for years. But now we have an answer. Kanye sold out and became an awful songwriter because he quite literally lost touch with himself. Everything Kanye has done since <i>Late Registration</i> has not been Kanye. It's been a body double.<br />
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It makes too much sense, folks:<br />
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We know Kanye's wife Kim Kardashian has been using a body double since her kidnapping scare in Paris earlier this year. We've known for years that Kimye have even gone so far as to hire a body double for their child North in the interest of protecting her. But now, thanks to Mr. West's high-profile meeting with <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-twtw-election-model-trumps-path-to.html">President-elect Donald Trump</a>, we now have decisive visual proof that Kanye himself has been using a body double.<br />
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The real Kanye had a smaller head, different skin tone, different jawline, different eye shape, and different cheek structure than the imposter Kanye photographed with Mr. Trump several days ago. The dyed blonde hair of Kanye's double is a false flag, meant to draw attention away from the obviously different facial features.<br />
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THIS IS NOT KANYE WEST. THIS IS AN IMPOSTER! I refuse to believe. Look in those eyes, they're dead inside. BRING BACK KANYE!! <a href="https://t.co/i3BlE0oW7B">pic.twitter.com/i3BlE0oW7B</a></div>
— Zaddy. (@greythekid_) <a href="https://twitter.com/greythekid_/status/808804258158149633">December 13, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
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Let's take a second to do a deeper forensic analysis of Yeezy's facial features.<br />
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The proof is stunning and irrefutable. There's no doubt Kanye is using a body double. The mystery is why.<br />
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Kanye has flirted with a possible run at the presidency for quite a while now. We know the Democratic National Committee has mandated the use of body doubles for democratic presidential candidates in the past. Several months ago I laid out the iron-clad case behind Hillary Clinton's use of body doubles <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/10/double-trouble-why-clinton-must-drop-out.html">HERE</a>. Hillary Clinton's body double served several purposes: having an imposter handy allowed the real Hillary to rest and recuperate from her numerous health issues while the clone flew around the country to appear in rallies. Having a body double also allowed real Hillary to court wealthy globalist foreign donors in secret while the faux-Hillary pretended to care about the American people by campaigning. The real Kanye may have quit music and decided to use a body double for similar reasons.<br />
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<b>Here is the truth:</b> sometime after the release of <i>Late Registration</i> (2005) and before the release of <i>Graduation </i>(2007), Kanye enlisted a doppleganger. This explains why <i>Graduation</i>, with its gaudy synthesizers and allusions to electronic house music, sounds so radically different from Kanye's first two albums. The real Kanye would have never made that terrible album or collaborated with Coldplay. The real Kanye also would've seen his <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graduation_(album)#Background">planned tetralogy of education-themed studio albums</a> through to its conclusion. Clone Kanye abandoned this plan and instead released albums that have nothing to do with college like <i>808s & Heartbreak</i> and <i>The Life of Pablo</i>. What else can explain Kanye's musical U-turn over the past few years other than the fact that the real Kanye has gone the way of Jimmy Hoffa or Amelia Earhart, mysteriously vanished forever?<br />
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Donald Trump needs to watch out. I'm amazed that the secret service allowed him to meet with Kanye's double; there's no way the CIA and FBI aren't aware that Mr. West has been replaced by a body double. The democrats were likely using Kanye's body double to spy on Trump in hopes of providing sensitive information to democratic strategists. Kanye's body double may be planning to mount a presidential campaign in 2020 or 2024 to challenge Mr. Trump and the Republican Party. <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2016/12/12/house-benghazi-committee-files-final-report-and-shuts-down/95336692/">The House Benghazi Committee recently released its final conclusions and announced that it would be shut down soon</a>. Now that Congressional Republicans will have a bunch of free time and money since Benghazi doesn't need investigating anymore, they should devote their attention to Kanye by launching a full Congressional inquiry into his use of body doubles, and possible ties to the Democratic Party. The truth must be revealed. Sometimes, <a href="https://youtu.be/8kyWDhB_QeI?t=1m53s">the prettiest people do the ugliest things</a>. The American people deserve to know why.Will Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11015726311843735151noreply@blogger.com0Danville, KY, USA37.6456329 -84.772170237.5450479 -84.9335317 37.746217900000005 -84.6108087tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612187168569300325.post-4123024430952467372016-12-17T11:40:00.000-08:002016-12-18T16:55:25.386-08:00Buffalo Blues: TWTW's Browns vs. Bills Preview<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><u>Danville, Kentucky</u></b> -- On the eastern shores of Lake Erie, north of Pittsburgh and west of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicknames_of_New_York_City">The City That Never Sleeps</a>, lies a fateful city that never gives up. Buffalo, New York, tidily snugged into the state's westernmost corner, didn't give up in 1813 when the treacherous British army pillaged and razed the city in what came to be known as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Buffalo">Battle of Black Rock</a>. As part of their larger campaign against the young American republic during the War of 1812, the British cruelly plundered and dispossessed the good people of Buffalo. But Buffalo didn't back down. Those Erie-dwellers, living in the shadow of the majestic Niagara Falls, picked up the pieces and rebuilt their city, transforming it into a shining center of commerce and trade in 19th century America.<br />
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Did the people of Buffalo sit around and feel sorry for themselves when <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_William_McKinley">President William McKinley was murdered in their city in 1901</a>?<br />
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No: they put their heads down, got back to work, and rallied behind a great leader and huntsman, Teddy Roosevelt. Buffalo did all this and more. They became a center of manufacturing in the 20th century prior to the great de-industrialization of NAFTA. They gave our nation the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_wing">Buffalo Wing</a>, the single greatest culinary creation in the history of human civilization.<br />
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They also gave us the Buffalo Bills of 1990-1993, the runners-up in Super Bowls XXV, XXVI, XXVII, XXVIII. Wow, I hope I never have to use that many roman numerals again, unless I'm talking about Star Wars. You have to be <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRz8-EXlhBo">pretty, pretty good</a> to appear in four straight Super Bowls. And indeed, the Bills beat legends like John Elway, Dan Marino and Joe Montana en route to their Super Bowl appearances. You can't fake that. Yet to many Americans, the Bills are all but forgotten or a laughing stock. That's an insult to this storied franchise and its loyal fans.<br />
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Folks, I'm a Danville man not a Buffalo man, but I remember where I was during Buffalo's Silver Era of football. It was January of 1991, just a few months shy of 90 years since McKinley's grisly demise. Earlier that winter I decided to make a pilgrimage to the Allegheny mountains of Pennsylvania, taking only my truck and <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/05/ladies-and-gentlemen-your-1st-place.html">my trusty basset hound, Barry Goldwater</a>. I hoped to discover the natural beauty of this region and hopefully discover some things about myself as well, as I was still reeling from an acrimonious divorce a few months prior.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the Allegheny Mountains, folks.</td></tr>
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Barry and I ended up making our pilgrimage something of a semi-permanent relocation. I got a job plowing snow in nearby Olean, New York, a sleepy town some 74 miles from Buffalo.<br />
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I fell in love with the sights and scenery of the Allegheny region, and of course, the buffalo wings. Plowing snow was rewarding work. Sitting atop a plow gave me a feeling of might and omnipotence. Behind the wheel of a snow plow, I could feel power flowing through my fingertips as I effortlessly cleared the streets of white, fluffy tufts of sparkling white snow and occasionally knocked over a garbage can or two for fun. The best thing about being a snow-plower in Olean was that there was never a shortage of work in America's snowiest city south of Anchorage.<br />
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I used my salary to rent a cozy apartment on the floor above a bustling pub. I remember Super Bowl XXV like it was yesterday. I had just come back from an emergency plow session. I went downstairs to the pub to watch the game; it was dimly lit and there was an frigid breeze coming in from the pub's front door as folks walked in and out. I took off my coat, scarf, and gloves which were damp from the snow. I sat down at my usual spot in the pub next to an old trucker and ordered some beer and wings. The atmosphere was tense but excited. Many lifelong Bills fans from the great city of Olean were in the bar, giddy with anticipation for what could be Buffalo's first championship. If I close my eyes, I can still remember the feel of the warm, saucy wings in my numb, frost-bitten fingers.<br />
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The Buffalo Bills and the New York Giants played a tightly-contested game. With seconds remaining and the Bills trailing by a single point, the pub went silent. As Buffalo kicker Scott Norwood lined up to attempt a 47-yard field goal, Buffalo seemed poised for its biggest victory since the construction of the Erie Canal. But Norwood missed. Wide right. The ball was blasted as though struck by Thor's Hammer, but sailed far right before bouncing harmlessly in the end zone. I'll never forget the look I saw in the eyes of those hard-working men from Olean: it was a cold, dead look, the type you might see from an old, blind dog. <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/12/twtws-battle-of-ohio-preview.html">As a Bengals fan</a> I'll never understand their suffering.<br />
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Three more Super Bowl appearances and three more Super Bowl losses later, the city of Buffalo never got the championship it deserved. The 1990-1993 Bills had no shortage of heroes: the resilient Jim Kelly, Bruce Smith, Thurman Thomas, their excellent punter Rick "Bootin'" Tuten, and <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2013/1/31/3930348/super-bowl-2013-don-beebe-leon-lett-bills-packers-interview">Don Beebe, the man who taught an entire generation of children about the virtues of never giving up</a>. But at the end of the day they fell short of the ultimate prize and were denied the catharsis that accompanies a Super Bowl ring. The days of glory from 1990-1993 eventually became the days of irrelevance during the Doug Flutie era.<br />
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This past summer, <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/05/nba-finals-preview.html">the Cleveland Cavaliers</a> finally brought a championship to the folks on the burning river. That leaves Buffalo, home of the championship-less Bills and Sabres, as the <a href="http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/06/sad-depressing-miserable-sports-cities-2016-ranking">saddest sports town around</a>.<br />
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This Sunday, the sad sports city of yesterday will face the sad sports city of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. I'm referring to the match-up between the 0-13 Browns and the 6-7 Bills. Some folks might get excited about the <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/05/ban-brady.html">Patriots</a> and <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/10/manning-madness.html">Broncos</a> game this Sunday, but I consider Cleveland vs. Buffalo the match-up of the week. Why? Allow me to explain.<br />
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Cleveland is fighting to avoid a miserable 0-16 season, the Bills are fighting for a slim chance at a playoff spot and dignity. With a losing record and coach Rex Ryan's future in Buffalo looking uncertain, the Bills are wounded and vulnerable. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fancy-stats/wp/2016/12/11/the-bills-give-the-browns-their-best-hope-to-avoid-0-16-infamy/">The liberal Washington Post has speculated that this game might be Cleveland's best shot at avoiding infamy</a>. Folks, I hope the Bills do the right thing and keep Rex Ryan. A man brave enough to speak out in favor of our president-elect Donald Trump is hard to come by. The Bills need bravery on the sideline. They need Rex. Rex and Donald Trump embody the gritty lunch-pail mentality of Buffalo. Under Rex's leadership Buffalo will be made great again, I know it.<br />
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Although this would appear to be a meaningless game, a lot is on the line. The Bills' faint playoff hopes are on the line. Rex Ryan's job is on the line. Cleveland's potential 0-16 season is on the line. On top of that, this game will feature two very exciting young wide receivers: Terrelle Pryor and Sammy Watkins. That's worth the price of admission for me. By the way, the price of admission is dirt cheap. <a href="http://www.espn.com/blog/buffalo-bills/post/_/id/26890/no-one-wants-to-pay-even-20-for-bills-browns-tickets-fan-says">Apparently demand for the tickets is so low that you can get them for $20</a>. $20 is nothing. I spend like $40 each time I go to <i>Buffalo Wild Wings</i>. If you're in the area, get to this game folks.<br />
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I wish I had the strength and toughness of the sturdy folk from Western New York. I eventually left my apartment in Olean and went back to Danville. I couldn't take the year-round bone-chilling winter. I still miss the chicken wings I used to get in the Buffalo area. Buffalo wings crafted by the Buffalonians themselves are simply unmatched in quality, though if I'm drunk I might tell you that the offerings of <i><a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/02/affordable-electricity-in-defense-of.html">Buffalo Wild Wings</a></i> and <i>Chilis</i> come close. Some men are born to persist and withstand every obstacle laid in their path, like Jim Kelly. It pains me to admit I am not one of those men.<br />
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In the past couple of years we've seen championship droughts in <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/10/kansas-city-special-twtws-2015-world.html">Kansas City</a>, Cleveland, and <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/10/forgot-about-cleveland-twtws-2016-world.html">Chicago</a> come to an end. This should give hope to my friends in Olean, the Allegheny region, and the good people of Buffalo. Certain laws of nature that we take to be immutable and true -- the Cubs are cursed, Cleveland are losers -- can be undone overnight. Buffalo sees snow 9 months a year, but heck, if this crackpot "man-made climate change" theory that <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/02/leonardo-dicaprio-is-best-at-being.html">Leonardo DeCaprio</a> keeps peddling is true, we could see a snow-less winter in Buffalo some day soon. Anything can happen in this great country, folks. Keep the faith, Buffalo fans. Your day will come.<br />
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Will Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11015726311843735151noreply@blogger.com0Danville, KY, USA37.6456329 -84.772170237.5450479 -84.9335317 37.746217900000005 -84.6108087tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1612187168569300325.post-53302057302997933472016-12-11T21:52:00.001-08:002016-12-11T22:16:44.148-08:00Dak Prescott Must Resign<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><u>Danville, Kentucky</u></b> -- America loves a fresh face. This was a lesson I learned the hard way while I was an employee at a <a href="http://www.americansyntheticrubberco.com/">rubber mill in Louisville</a>. I loved my job. It was an honor and a privilege to help produce the material that is the lifeblood of our civilization. Think of how important rubber is, folks. Rubber puts tires on our cars so we can drive to work and to <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/08/twtws-royals-reds-preview-818-819.html">Olive Garden</a>. Rubber puts treads on the tanks that our men and women in uniform use to deliver freedom abroad. Rubber bullets allow American law enforcement to suppress protesters without resorting to lethal force.<br />
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I was born to work in a rubber mill, folks. I dutifully put in 8 years working at that rubber mill. I did my time, gradually working my way up the company's food chain and earning the respect of my superiors. But then one day some punk showed up. I think he was roommates with my boss's nephew or something. He even had a fancy college degree. Before I knew it, this twenty-eight year-old carpetbagger had earned a position in management in no time.<br />
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Why? What that kid knew about making rubber I could fit into my eye with little to no discomfort. I spent almost a decade working on the assembly line. This kid was part of the company for only a couple of months. He had never even taken a whiff of the toxic smell of molten rubber. The injustice of it all was infuriating.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">rubber production in action, folks.</td></tr>
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America loves a fresh face. Every season, the NFL talking heads fawn over the improbable success of a rookie quarterback. Carson Wentz. Mark Sanchez. Robert Griffin III. Colin Kaepernick. Nothing sells more jerseys and <i>NFL League Pass</i> packages than an exciting rookie QB that <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/05/ban-skip-bayless.html">Skip Bayless</a> can label "the next <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/02/closing-time-why-manning-is-man-and-cam.html">Cam Newton</a>" or "the next <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/10/manning-madness.html">Peyton Manning</a>" or "the next <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2015/05/ban-brady.html">Tom Brady</a>." We've all seen it: a season or two of serviceable football from a fresh-faced rookie, followed by uncontrollable hype and a massive let-down.<br />
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Folks, Dak Prescott, over-hyped rookie QB of the 11-2 Dallas Cowboys, is just the next RGIII that will be hyped for a year or two before fading into irrelevance. He's the <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/03/trust-deficit-how-credit-cards.html">Marco Rubio</a> of quarterbacks. Marco Rubio, like that yuppie at the rubber mill in Louisville, was an annoying twerp because he didn't wait his turn. He was impatient and cut in line, unfairly shunting more deserving guys like Governor Jeb Bush aside. Just like Rubio betrayed his own mentor Jeb in cold blood, the upstart young Dak Prescott has stolen the job of the more deserving Tony Romo.<br />
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How Marco slew his ‘mentor’ Jeb Bush <a href="https://t.co/eshqasti5g">https://t.co/eshqasti5g</a> | Getty and AP Photo <a href="https://t.co/xhZVWO7mGH">pic.twitter.com/xhZVWO7mGH</a></div>
— POLITICO Magazine (@POLITICOMag) <a href="https://twitter.com/POLITICOMag/status/702604674231365632">February 24, 2016</a></blockquote>
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The great quarterbacks in this league wait, my friends. Patience is a virtue. Tom Brady waited until Drew Bledsoe was no longer fit for the job. Aaron Rodgers waited for Brett Favre to retire. Prescott, on the other hand, cut in line. Dak performed admirably as a substitute for the injured Romo, no doubt. But with Romo healthy Dak has no business being the starter anymore.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the best things in life are worth waiting for, folks.</td></tr>
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Tonight against the New York Giants, Dak turned in his worst performance yet. He looked lost, and unready for prime-time. He made the classic rookie mistake of favoring one receiver while under pressure, like young Matt Stafford used panic and over-target <a href="http://twtwsports.blogspot.com/2016/02/dying-with-dignity-why-detroit-lions.html">Calvin Johnson</a>. Tony Romo has far more experience playing in high-leverage games. I have no doubt the Cowboys would be 13-0 under a healthy Romo's leadership.<br />
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The Cowboys have now turned the ball over 3 times.<br />
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All 3 times happened when Dak Prescott targeted Dez Bryant. <a href="https://t.co/yewMnYKNjF">pic.twitter.com/yewMnYKNjF</a></div>
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNNFL/status/808166947108122624">December 12, 2016</a></blockquote>
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America loves a fresh face, but America doesn't always need a fresh face. Sometimes America needs a man who has been there before. A man who knows the smell of molten rubber. A man who has more political experience than a one-term senator from Florida. A man who has played more than a season in Jerry Land. That's why I call on Dak Prescott to tender his letter of resignation to Jerry Jones. This is Tony's team. It will live or die by Tony's hand. For the good of the team, Dak must step aside.Will Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11015726311843735151noreply@blogger.com0Danville, KY, USA37.6456329 -84.772170237.5450479 -84.9335317 37.746217900000005 -84.6108087