Man, Sun Room’s “I Want You” reminds me of summer. School’s out, we would head to Peterson Park, play baseball, volleyball, or whatever presented itself. Sometimes the girls even showed up, which made things more complicated, because I had no idea how to talk to them.

A 10-year-old boy pushed my daughter down last week and after sussing the situation I realized that he liked her but couldn’t convey this through words. At home, she asked, “I thought he liked me?” I said, “Honey, I think he does? I just don’t think he knows how to tell you?” What I meant to say is, “Stay the fuck away from that psychopath!” Kidding!

If Flipturn can stave off the fame, and continue on this incredible writing streak then the sky’s the limit.

I hear a little bit of Starsailor in “Brooklyn Baby” and there’s a touch of Keane. Their pop sensibility is second to none, now let’s see where they can take this?

That new Josh Rouse album, Going Places, is en route (July 29th), and this week we get the second single, “Stick Around.” Josh is in his element, this is a fun jam, upbeat with a banjo and horn section.

Jeff feels retribution on “Tired Of Taking It Out On You.” You can hear the pain in his voice. He’s never been more upfront, and he’s never sounded better. What a heartfelt title too. The double album is on its way.

Grant-Lee Philips is back with a new album, All You Can Dream.” One of the first songs that grabbed my attention was “Remember This.” Acoustics, piano, and steel guitars go so well with this man’s voice that it’s hard to resist. Check out “You Can’t Hide” as well.

Gang Of Youths hooked me with their live performance of “Angel On 8th Avenue,” on the Today show. That was all it took, and I was sold. Pretty much everything they do is good, and this alternate take of “Forbearance” follows suit.

Mando Diao’s “Frustration” is a rocker! These guys are hit or miss for me, but this is a HIT! Put it on any playlist and smile when it comes on!

If Ella is “Putting On The Ritz,” you know it’s hitting your #RADAR.

Polyphia is a newcomer to our Jazz Cut Of The Week category. “Playing God” is like math jazz, if that makes sense? Its precise drumming, mixed with intricate note picking and funky bass lines, is like nothing I’ve ever heard. If they added any sort of distortion to the guitars, this would border a type of speed metal, though not heavy. Have I piqued your interest?

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If you found the title of this piece cringeworthy, you’re not alone. It is indeed, cringeworthy, as well as disturbing and true. For Republicans, it’s all about political gain PERIOD

Many Republicans, including Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy spoke up after the January 6, 2021 insurrection, opining that Donnie Trump was responsible and should be punished. By the end of the week, they were all aboard the It Was BLM, It Was Antifa, It Never Happened Train.

At first Republicans spent endless hours bending themselves into pretzels to avoid alienating the rabid Trump cult. Now they say things out loud that were once only said behind closed doors, all vying for the Trumpier than Trump title.

For Republicans, staying in line is a distraction, but a necessity nonetheless. Number one on their To Do list though, remains protecting and growing gun sales.

Events like the Robb Elementary School Massacre actually stimulate gun purchases across the country, so trying to stop them is actually counterproductive to the Republican agenda.

There are many ways to stimulate gun sales and stirring up motivating emotions like fear and hatred are at the top of that list. The White power movement certainly plays into that, but Right wing media like Rush Limbaugh, TucKKKer Carlson, Alex Jones and Sean Hannity have been casting Liberals as the Right’s mortal enemies for years.

We all blame Donnie Trump for the encroaching schism in America, but he is just a lightning rod. Trump is a fraud, a cheat and a charlatan who has spent his entire life perfecting the art of appealing to the worst in all of us.

It’s not coincidental that gun sales in America surged in 2015 to their highest level ever, with background checks increasing by 10% in just one year.

In 2021 5.4 million Americans bought 20 million guns.

There’s another insidious benefit to the easy access of guns in America and we only need to look as far as the Indiana-Illinois border, where guns flow freely and unchecked onto the streets of Chicago. Every bullet fired in Chicago is ammunition for Republicans to use against Democrats.

The party that is breaking its back to restrict voting and steal elections has no incentive whatsoever to stop the gun violence that seems to be consuming urban America.

Republicans have turned into disaster cheerleaders, welcoming any catastrophe that occurs during a Democratic administration or that can be blamed on Democrats.

In Texas, you can make abortion inaccessible, ban books and end free elections overnight, but now is never the time to talk about any kind of sensible gun laws.

Governor Abbott, scheduled to speak at a National Rifle Association tomorrow night has recently signed 22 (TWENTY TWO!) new laws making it easier to carry a gun, lowering the age to buy a gun and opening up public areas to pistol packing mamas.

No one wants to stop mass shootings in Texas. Or in the Republican Party, it seems.

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Kevin Alcantara (Photo by Stephanie Lynn)

AAA

Iowa SUSP – T8 – Tied 4-4

Game Recap

I’ll cover the game more in depth when they complete it today, but it’s worth noting Robel García homered once again, his 12th already on the season. Caleb Kilian was the starter. He didn’t pitch great as his control faltered in the 4th and he began giving up some hard contact, but what should be of interest is that the Cubs will require an extra starter for their doubleheader next Monday and then again for a doubleheader next Saturday. Both of those outings line up with Kilian’s turn in the rotation.

It isn’t a guarantee we will see him make those starts, or even one of them, but the Cubs have to being weighing the possibility of making a 40-man roster move in order to give Kilian a shot.

The other possibility is the Cubs simply move Keegan Thompson back into the rotation to take those two turns, but it could depend on whether they need innings out of him from the pen this weekend.

AA

Tennessee PPD

High-A

Great Lakes 4, South Bend 3

Game Recap

Jordan Wicks flew through five innings in Wade Miley-like fashion. He was efficient with his 70 pitches and wasted no time on the mound between offerings. It is likely he makes his way to Tennessee in the next wave of promotions. His breaking stuff continues to improve and if he can consistently keep his velo above 93 in the coming years he should prove very difficult to hit considering his good control and plus changeup.

He did take the loss despite only allowing one run through five innings though as the South Bend bats were very quiet until a rally in the bottom of the 9th. Down four runs entering the frame, Yohendrick Piñango doubled in a run and then Caleb Knight hit a two-out, two-run shot to bring the Cubs within a run. The comeback attempt would end with the following batter however.

Top Performers

Jordan Wicks: 5 IP, 4 H, R, 0 BB, 3 K (L, 0-1, 3.55)Caleb Knight: 2-3, HR (1), R, 2 RBI (.211)Yohendrick Piñango: 1-4, 2B, R, RBI (.263)Luis Verdugo: 1-3 (.227)

Low-A

Myrtle Beach 8, Augusta 0

Game Recap

Make it 10 straight wins for the Pelicans.

The big star was Kevin Alcantara, who doubled home three runs in the 3rd, smashed a two-run homer in the 5th, and then drove in a sixth run on a ground out in the 7th.

He did have to share some of the spotlight with the pitching though. Luis Devers continues to get the job done. The 22 year old is just super steady, consistently getting guys from the DSL to AZL and now in Low-A this season. He isn’t a high ceiling prospect but he has a starter’s frame and solid command his repertoire. I don’t easily see him making a big jump in velo from his current low-90s, but it is difficult to gauge such things anymore. He definitely still has room on his frame to fill out some.

Devers was followed by three relievers who maintained the shutout over the final four innings.

Top Performers

Kevin Alcantara: 3-5, 2B, HR (5), R, 6 RBI (.248)James Triantos: 2-4, 2 R, BB (.307)Pete Crow-Armstrong: 2-5, 3 R, RBI, 2 SB (11, 12) (.363)Ezequiel Pagan: 2-4, 2 R, SB (4) (.227)Kevin Made: 1-4, RBI, SF (.323)Luis Devers: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K (W, 4-3, 2.62)Chase Watkins: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, BB, 3 K (4.50)Frankie Scalzo Jr.: IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, K (9.00)Adam Laskey: IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, K (0.00)

Injuries, Updates, and Trends

And this was before Alcantara, Triantos, Crow-Armstrong, and Made added to their numbers yesterday:

And let’s not forget the 20-year old OFs in Myrtle Beach and South Bend

Pete Crow-Armstrong: 362/455/567 (182 wRC+)
Yohendrick Piñango: 264/326/450 (119 wRC+)
Owen Caissie (in May): 333/394/567 (170 wRC+)

May 25, 2022

Some people (such as Barb) are born with green thumbs. Some people (such as residents of the planet Twilo) are born without thumbs. And then, there is me, born all thumbs.

To lay it on the line, I am no handyman. I put this down to nature and nurture. My dad lived to be 80 years old, and I don’t believe he ever held a tool in his hand. From his upbringing in a fairly up-scalish home in Berlin, through adulthood in various Chicago apartments, there was always someone else to do the dirty work.

That’s not to say I haven’t tried to be a macho man. I can pull out a toolbox laden with wrenches and hammers and screwdrivers. Yet every hose I attach to any faucet leaks, every screw I drive quickly becomes stripped, and every smart device I connect laughs at me.

All this is a long way of saying, that the other day when a nice co-worker came to tell me she had noticed my car in the parking lot with a flat tire, my first impulse was NOT to get out the car jack and crank ‘er up. To be honest, I didn’t even know if I had a jack–or a spare.

So I did what most Jewish males would do in my situation–I made a phone call. AAA promised me a service truck within about 45 minutes…and two hours later one arrived. No, the tech didn’t have the right tools to get my old tire off or to properly hitch up my car for a tow. But he was a nice guy, and managed to load the car onto his flatbed, tightened the straps, and took me and my ride to the AAA service center, a country music Sirius station playing all the way.

The guy at the service center desk looked tired and overworked but was nice enough to squeeze my car into the schedule and onto a lift. Up went the car, and after some sledgehammer work, off came the tire, revealing a slash on the inner sidewall. In the More Bad News Department, no replacement tire was available.

On went the slow-drive spare (yes, I did have one), and I began the long drive to the north suburbs. Fortunately, it was now rush hour, so I had no problem limiting my speed to 50 mph on the congested Tri-State Tollway. Also, fortunately, the tire dealer where I have already replaced 7 tires on my 4-year-old car was open and they had my tire size in stock. It would be a 90-minute wait, so Barb picked me up, we had a carry-out dinner, and got back to the tire dealer just before closing time.

As I drove home, I noticed I still had all my thumbs, and they were all still grease and grime free. From Berlin to Riverwoods, some things never change.

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