Guanabara Bay will host sailing, rowing, and beach volleyball events for the upcoming 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This is the current condition of Guanabara Bay, with raw sewage and any other form of trash polluting everything in sight:
Dead animals float with other debris:
Massive fish kills:
Dead people too [1]:
Rio 2016 is nothing less than a disaster, an indictment of capitalism w/ all its corruption:
Symbolic protest of Rio 2016:
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There are movies that are so bad they completely stun any sensible viewer. Lone Wolf McQuade (1983) is such a film. Orion Pictures/MGM budgeted $5 million for this turkey– director Steve Carver’s vision of a heroic Texas Ranger in action.
The star was Chuck Norris, and this turd-burger actually catapulted him up to Hollywood B-list stardom. It should be Z-list, or better yet ZZZZ-list, as Norris is unable to express a single emotion with human feeling. He always looks best, silhouetted at a distance:
Chuck Norris is ever expressionless, whether posed in silent rage or deep contemplation– it doesn’t matter, this is always what you get from Chuck Norris:
LWM made $12+M in the U.S. and did very well overseas, particularly in the European dubbed video market, which was starving for anything American action.
This movie inspired Walker, Texas Ranger, the CBS television series which ran 8 seasons, from 1993-2001.
In the opening sequence of LWM, Norris bare-handedly takes down 12-15 horse rustlers, all armed with machine guns.
After this, director Steve Carver establishes the characters:
Most of the sets have an American flag & the flag of Texas, along with guns or pictures of horses. Notice the books under Norris’ foot, and in the trash can:
McQuade is chastised by his boss for being a loose cannon, so he is assigned a partner, against his wishes. Kayo Ramos (Robert Beltran) the young, clean-cut Latino is assigned to partner with Lone Wolf. Norris rejects this at first, like everything else outside of a six-pack of Pearl beer.
While at a party hosted by the film’s vixen Lola Richardson (Barbara Carrera), Norris approaches the bar and asks for a Pearl beer. He’s told there’s only Heineken, Michelob and Dos Equiis. Norris flatly rejects the counter-offer. Got the message? Of course the vixen saves him, and has the barkeeper pull a can of Pearl from the bottom shelf. It’s true love for our hero.
The gun-smuggling villain Rawley Wilkes (David Carradine) is also introduced as an intimate of Carrera at the party:
A bunch of people then get beat up for no good reason, and the action is halted by Carrera, just as Norris & Carradine are about to square off. The viewer is made to wait for the anticipated showdown.
McQuade also has a craggy ex-wife, and a hot daughter named Sally. Guess which one he prefers?
Daughter Sally and her ‘boyfriend’ Bobby, witness the hijacking of a U.S. Army convoy loaded with guns. Bobby is conveniently shot & killed by the hijackers, while Sally is spared, left unconscious after being rolled inside her car down a ravine. Sally survives all this with only a minor gash on her forehead & a little nick on her lip, otherwise she has never looked more fetching in her hospital scene:
Chuck Norris is furious:
Norris needs information, so it’s time to beat someone up & torture them. Norris grabs a delinquent informer ‘Snow’ (William Sanderson), who is reluctant to talk until McQuade’s buddy Dakota (L. Q. Jones) points a machine gun in his direction and sprays a few bullets.
This gets the desired results, and now Norris has a clue about the bad guys.
That’s all he needs. Norris’ buddy Dakota & new partner Ramos get to stay behind and torture Snow some more, just for kicks. Here’s how Robert Beltran felt about his role as Ramos:
David Carradine asphyxiates Dakota in his house, and also has Snow killed, presumably putting him out of his misery. When Norris, who has been flying all over the place in his muddy truck discovers this, he is enraged:
Norris needs more brains, so the feds are brought in to assist, and the token black in the movie is FBI Special Agent Jackson, (Leon Isaac Kennedy). After being introduced, Norris walks out on all of them. He works alone.
Except he still doesn’t know what he’s looking for. Ramos gets on a computer, and hacks into the U.S. military database in about 10 seconds, which takes about 8 seconds too long for Norris, but McQuade now knows it’s guns that have been hijacked from a U.S. army convoy.
Norris pays a visit to a creepy wheel-chaired dwarf called Falcon, who has been spying on him (for some unexplained reason) the whole time.
Norris interrogates the handicapped dwarf:
The dwarf fingers David Carridine’s gun smuggling operation as the responsible party for his ‘daughter’s’ accident. Time to kick ass somewhere in Mexico.
Norris says he works alone, but he needs a lot of help with everything. Like finding & getting to the bad guys. Two federal agents he’s earlier rejected, show up on cue and join Norris’ assault on Carradine and his 20-30 henchmen.
Federal agents Burnside and Núñez are killed during the attack on Carradine’s headquarters. Young partner Ramos is told by Norris to flee during the assault gone awry. Norris is captured, brutally beaten, then buried alive in his truck. Maybe they should have called for back-up, instead attacking when outnumbered 5-10 times?
No worries, while buried alive in his truck, Norris quickly finds an emergency light switch. Then he calmly reaches for a Pearl and pops it open. He douses himself, then guzzles & spits up, before starting the nitro engine—> rocketing himself out of his grave.
All the bad guys are instantly killed or have disappeared. Norris is free, as Ramos who has been frozen, watching in the nearby bushes, rushes to catch him as he heroically collapses out of his truck.
Ramos pleads with Norris not to die after all he has endured. Norris tells Ramos to get him a beer. The similarities to Joe Don Baker’s performance in Mitchell (1975) are striking.
Norris now learns his babe (daughter!) Sally, has been kidnapped and taken by Carradine to Mexico. Ramos & Jackson follow Norris, and the three head into the base for another attack. Norris enters the compound first,…
and finds Sally & Carrera instantly:
Norris calmly escorts the women to safety…
… when suddenly they’re caught wide-open in a firefight. Norris pushes the women down, taking cover behind them both. Sally is shot in the leg.
An intense battle ensues and Jackson is shot in the belly again, yet he fights on– undaunted:
.
The final showdown between Norris v. Carradine arrives and ends. You can guess how it goes. Carradine is defeated, wounded– but not dead. He recovers and fires upon Norris, who has turned his attention away. Carrera steps in and takes the fatal bullet to save her love. Chuck Norris is heartbroken:
Everyone flees. Finally, the token Negro provides Norris with a grenade, and he tosses it into a building, killing Carradine.
Film Critic Roger Ebert gave LWM a 3.5 star rating, proving a serious lack of critical judgement. This is a wretched picture, that deserves to be studied & understood for all its toxicity, then put away forever. Resist this psychic death.
The love scenes between him & Carrera are not believable, with any knowing viewer suspecting Norris doesn’t even have an erection at the fadeout, and will soon opt for a brew as consolation. Intimacy issues at every turn for Chuck Norris.
Below are three different LWM screenshots of Norris literally throwing various forms of garbage, anywhere he feels convenient.
Chuck Norris Takes out the Trash 1:
Chuck Norris Takes out the Trash 2:
Chuck Norris Takes out the Trash 3:
THE END
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Artists create personas to protect themselves, it’s not a new concept. Assuming an alter ego allows freer expression of culturally inexpressible ideas.
A persona adds a layer of personal protection, as the public needs to work through an image to confront & understand an artist on a personal level.
This allows the art & ideas to speak for themselves (at least for awhile), instead of succumbing to the cult of celebrity. Fame brings money and excess, which are dangerous & corrupting influences to anyone.
With the rise of the Internet, anybody with a computer or mobile device can create their own online persona. Andy Warhol’s vision of everybody being famous for 15 minutes is now manifesting itself in all kinds of awful, weird, and simultaneously wonderful ways.
Online, people can be whatever they want without much repercussion, due to the layers of screening & anonymity. The cyber-world is sleazy & creepy, but also filled with revolutionary potential. Communication of ideas has never been faster, and people are starved for real information & discussion on anything & everything.
The downside of social media is that it allows a vehicle for evil & hate to spread its poison, especially when left unchecked, therefore it must be combated effectively & diligently. [1]
Innovative network television programming is virtually dead. Most of the best current films are documentaries created by independent filmmakers, as YouTube & Netflix are rich sources of engaging & serious independent film content. Hollywood needs to be largely understood as a waste of talent at this point.
No thinking kid (or adult that has survived with his/her brains intact) believes any corporate-sponsored news, which is 100% lies & half-truths. One thing I’ve noticed while researching and engaging in social media, is when reading an article on MLB.com, ESPN or NASCAR.com… I often find the comments just as helpful (if not more so) in terms of facts & ideas as compared to the article. Fifteen seconds of fame for the poster.
Dialectics in politics applies when long-term difficulties & seemingly hopeless situations are suddenly wide-open playing fields for opportunity & victory. Personas, when used correctly, allow elusiveness in being focal points for online influence & clout, which is necessary to revolutionarily transform & socialize our planet.
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An assailant, armed with an assault rifle and dressed in military-style armor, ambushed the Dallas police department on Thursday evening, during a planned Black Lives Matter protest. Five police officers were killed, and seven others wounded, along with two civilians.
The shooter in Dallas was identified as Micah Xavier Johnson, an age 25 army veteran who served in Afghanistan. During his killing spree, he expressed his intent to “kill as many white police officers as he could,” due to his anger over the recent police killings in Louisiana & Minnesota. [1]
We now have African-American civilians killing white police officers, so we’ve come full circle on militarism & racial politics, and must conclude they’ve clearly failed us all.
https://www.facebook.com/michaelbautista86/videos/899698650159344/
Workers & students everywhere must join together and organize a socialist revolution. If not, then America will become a police state– constantly under government surveillance, with any of its citizens open to lethal drone attacks. There will be no point in lawyers or a court system, if this is allowed to continue. Drones (controlled from somewhere?) will be judge, jury & executioner. [2]
Texas, once again leads the way in legitimizing (& upping the ante on) barbaric violence, as the robot which blew-up the assailant could just as easily delivered tear gas or a sedative. In Texas, they execute you; and this is this first (acknowledged) lethal drone strike in the U.S.
The media (and those who control it), can no longer be allowed to frame all this as a racial issue. What this really comes down to is the failure of capitalism, which is now rotten-to-the-core, with no answers for its population in terms of jobs, wages, healthcare, education and the general standard-of-living.
All that is promised are more unending wars-of-aggression abroad (to keep us safe from ‘terrorism’), along with hatred & intolerance for the poor & immigrants domestically. This madness ends either with 1) a socialist revolution in permanence, or 2) mutually-assured destruction (MAD). MAD is a term which is debated seriously by bureaucratic fools who pretend to have answers, when they’re really leading us off a cliff.
What it will be, is up to anyone who cares?
Socialism vs. Annihilation
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The EU is essentially a giant trade agreement for Europe.
The 5th largest economy (UK) has just voted to leave the EU. [1]
France, the Netherlands, Spain & Italy are next…
The conditions of the 1930’s have returned, where extreme nationalism & protectionist trade measures are fueling economic wars, which eventually leads to a world war.
Racism & hatred of others is a primary ideological tool of the ruling class.
Mankind won’t survive WWIII.
The only solution: Workers of the World, Unite! [2]
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Facts for those who are straight, or just don’t know:
Orlando, FL has a sizeable gay community. Not coincidentally Orlando has a heavy party & drug scene. There is virtually no artistic activity of substance going on in most of the Orlando area. That is (at least partly) why it so susceptible to this level of violence.
What needs to be done:
Investigate G4S, the FBI and Omar Mateen’s dad’s political connections to the Taliban.
This will inevitably lead to covert CIA wars, with top Pentagon brass & executive White House involvement. Anything else from the media is either flak, or lazy stupidity.
When you connect the dots, it’s capitalism to the core.
On June 1, The Plaza Live in downtown Orlando was bought out, and let go the existing management team. [1]
On June 10th, pop singer Christina Grimmie was shot dead, while signing autographs after her show at The Plaza Live.
Her killer was Kevin James Loibl, age 27 of St. Petersburg, Florida. Loibl fatally shot himself after the singer’s brother, Marcus Grimmie, tackled him. [2]
This is the note his family posted on their front door:
No background or motive has been offered so far by the OPD.
This is their official statement [3].
Five days after the fatal shooting of singer Christina Grimmie, The Plaza Live is reopening for business on June 16.
Too many drug scenes with a generalized low level of political awareness & no significant artistic leadership, is a toxic mixture for the city of Orlando.
This is where U.S. presidential elections are stolen.
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A gunman (later identified as 29-year-old Omar Mateen) walked into Pulse, a gay bar in south Orlando at 2:00 AM Sunday night, and opened fire. When police & SWAT arrived, he had taken hostages. Hours later, he was finally overwhelmed & killed in a hail police bullets. Fifty people were left dead, and another 53 injured. It is now the worst mass shooting is U.S. history.
Mateen was a U.S. citizen reportedly born in New York, with his family from Afghanistan. Mir Seddique, the suspected shooter’s father, claims Mateen got angry when he saw two men kissing in downtown Miami a couple of months ago and that he says that may have been a trigger in the shooting. “We are apologizing for the whole incident. We weren’t aware of any action he [was] taking. We are in shock like the whole country.”
Apologies are nice, but explanations are better. This whole family needs to be investigated, with all political & business links exposed. Don’t expect any real answers to come from corporate mass media or official police/FBI investigations.
Orlando Police Chief John Mina at the news conference, “The suspect is dead. He appeared to be carrying a rifle, an assault-type rifle, and a handgun, and had some type of device on him. That’s what we’re doing right now. Checking the area for devices.” This will obviously be used as an opportunity for an urban lock-down run-through, with OPD ‘assisted’ by the FBI & military.
CNN’s Evan Pérez reported that Mateen had rented a car in Fort Pierce (about 120 miles south of Orlando) as transportation for the attack. Reportedly Mateen worked as a security officer, but for whom & in what capacity is still unknown? Curiously, Mateen was a registered Democrat, which is suspicious considering the claimed homophobic motivation for the massacre. [1]
Was Omar Mateen a military/CIA asset? What about his family? Where did he receive the military training to kill so many people? And the hardware?
Law enforcement officials told ABC News that Mateen had been “on the radar” of U.S. authorities for a while, but that he was not the target of an investigation. In intelligence terms, this has ‘rogue asset’ and ‘blowback’ written all over it.
Proper lessons need to be learned by everyone, before this escalates much further. Political grandstanding & business-as-usual can no longer be tolerated. Real questions need to be asked and their true lessons learned, or else this becomes our combined fate.
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Muhammad Ali died yesterday at age 74 of respiratory illness. He had been afflicted with severe Parkinson’s disease for the final three decades of his life.
Ali one proclaimed himself to be “the Greatest.” To many he still is. Facing Ali (2009) is a 5-star documentary of his career, in the words of those who most notably squared off in the ring with “The Greatest.”
It must also be noted that in many ways Muhammad Ali will be the greatest example of why boxing must be banned, if we are to be a civilized society.
If this is how it ends for ‘the Greatest,’ then how horrible must it be for all the others?
His autobiography My Own Story published in 1975 tells his it as no one else can, up through the George Foreman ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ in 1974.
As loved as Ali is at the time of his death, it is hard for some to believe that he was once vilified; exiled from boxing for 3 years during his prime, for refusing draft entry into the U.S. military during the Vietnam War.
White mainstream media had refused to recognize his name change from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali, reflecting his conversion from Christianity to Islam.
Muhammad Ali’s religion & politics became the line between brash & charismatic versus uppity & dangerous in the late 1960’s.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OOaMfVsxIc
When Ali spoke his mind on the unfairness of being drafted into a war he didn’t believe in, he became a global icon for the oppressed fighting against U.S. imperialism.
Ali embraced his role (and sacrificed more than any superstar athlete ever sacrificed), for a cause nobler than himself.
This is why he was so loved, and today is so mourned.
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Donald Trump will be the Republican Party nominee in July, as his hardcore supporters of racists, xenophobes and other forms of haters never wavered. The conservative establishment threw its dream-team of candidates from Jeb Bush to Marco Rubio to Ted Cruz, and each foundered upon itself trying to take out the Trump campaign. There had been very little that was humanly sensible left in the Republican party, but today it can be said there is nothing left. The Republican party is now the official U.S. party of fascism.
Near-sighted fools in the liberal & conservative media never took any of this seriously, until it was too late. Donald Trump has been the recipient of the most free media coverage in election history. It is an indictment on the entire corporate media establishment from CNN & FOX to Yahoo, that this reactionary bigot has been elevated to such respectable status. Attempts to bias media coverage & manipulate social media against him are now useless, as fascism ignores any inhibiting rules while insisting they apply to others. Donald Trump is the truest essence of capitalism in all it’s ignorance, arrogance & ugliness. Simply look at him physically. That fact that so many people can support this filth, is an indictment of capitalist society– sick & rotten to the core. When toxic waste is allowed to dominate politics, then conventional politics is dead.
Now is the time for workers everywhere to organize their revolution, as it’s nearing fight time. This coming world war must be turned into a civil war, whose objective is to overthrow the capitalist state and replace it with socialism– globally. It must be a socialist revolution in permanence, from the working people, everywhere; otherwise the reaction from fascism will be merciless to humankind.
Fascists don’t value life, in any form; they are only obsessed with conquest & power. They never know when they’ve gone too far, because they’ve always strayed too far from rational ideas. Donald Trump’s ‘platform’ is nothing but ignorance, hate & ugliness.
Hillary Clinton has been anointed the Democratic party nominee for weeks now, despite losing the majority of the primaries & caucuses held in that time period. Her ‘superdelegate’ stranglehold from the Washington political machinery (Bill Clinton) ensured her the Democratic nomination from the start. Tens (and really hundreds) of millions of Americans don’t want this presented choice for ‘savior from Trump.’ Americans been down this road before with Barack Obama in 2008, and his Audacity of Hope. Any ‘feminists’ who insist on a woman for similar reasons, are just as delusional.
These will surely be the most reviled candidates in U.S. political history. Why bother with primaries, debates, or any meaningful political discussion when these are the only choices? Nothing good can come from either candidate, and most will be voting against the other, more than for their own.
No, this just won’t do anymore. There are too many important issues being ignored, while the issue of issues– social inequality, is ignored. The official narrative that the U.S. economy is recovering is a lie.
Please note that these are the freedoms for which our brave servicemen fought & died.
Perhaps they were fighting for the wrong causes? Does anyone know what the right causes are?
Is it okay to ask (or think) these thoughts on Memorial Day?
IF FREEDOM ISN’T VIGILANTLY GUARDED & REGULARLY EXERCISED, IT BECOMES A TOOL OF THE RULING CLASS FOR MANIPULATING THE WORKING PEOPLE.
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Update 6-2-16: Best current article on the Democratic party nomination [1].
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Content gathered & edited from the MLB.com forums, primarily SD Padres
Shields tallies 9 K’s as Padres blank Brewers 5-13-16
Let’s be clear on what James Shields is: 2-5, 3.12 ERA in 52 IP– in less than a quarter of a season, on track for another 200+ IP with an excellent ERA. He has been poorly supported in most of his outings, hence the losing record. All the other young pitchers (Colin Rea, Drew Pomeranz, Cesar Vargas, etc…) will likely be restricted to 120-150 (max) IP-limit, for their own protection. Padres can no longer count on Tyson Ross and possibly Andrew Cashner for awhile. $21M/year is what quality reliable starting pitching costs, and actually Shields’ contract is fair in open-market (capitalist) terms. If he doesn’t opt-out after this season he has $21M, $21M & $16M (team option- $2M buyout) remaining through 2019, his age 37 season. No one expects much after that, so it’s a good contract and I hope Shields stays– if the Padres can be competitive.
Note: James Shields was my favorite player in Tampa, until he was traded in December 2012 for Wil Myers. I understood why the Rays did it at the time, but it still hurt as a fan. The results of this deal illustrate how much a GM means to an organization, as soon as TBR GM Andrew Friedman left for LAD, new Padres GM AJ Preller was able to swindle Myers from their new Rays GM Matt Silverman. It cost the Padres a nice pitching prospect in Joe Ross to WAS (let’s see if he stays healthy under Dusty Baker?), and SS prospect Trea Turner who’s hitting .310/.377/.442– in AAA Syracuse. It’s the Rays who really got nothing out of the deal, and lost their franchise hitter to boot. Padres fans are grateful 🙂
Friedrich slated for Padres debut in series rematch 5-13-16
I don’t see the Padres 23-inning scoreless pitching streak lasting much longer in today’s game, as LHP Christian Friedrich is an emergency call-up with all their injuries (Tyson Ross, Robbie Erlin, Andrew Cashner?). Hopefully they can get 5+ innings out of him (with run support) and a good extended-relief stint from someone like Luis Perdomo. Another good challenge from Andy Green last night earned Alexei Ramirez a hit. Padres are threatening to climb out of last place, starting to come together, etc…
Suitors for Lincecum reportedly whittled to three 5-12-16
Padres fan here: I don’t see Tim Lincecum as a starting pitcher in the AL. His fastball velocity isn’t what it was, and it’s not enough to consistently get through stacked AL line-ups with DH’s. He belongs with the Giants, but needs to at least be in the NL. My $.02
Any organization has to insist on a reasonable base salary ($4-6M?) with performance incentives for Tim Lincecum. He’s got reward potential, but obviously is a huge injury risk– and clubs need to protect themselves. That’s surely what’s being negotiated now.
Pomeranz leads Padres to DH sweep of Cubs 5-12-16
“I got a long memory… He’ll learn.” — John Lackey on how Christian Bethancourt — whom the veteran hurler had never faced — watched his home run.
That just sounds like an excuse to throw at Bethancourt the next time they meet. Padres (and their fans) have long memories too.
For perspective, Christian Bethancourt is a 24-YO kid from Panama, trying to establish himself as a major-leaguer. He was obviously excited in the moment, but there was no intent to show up John Lackey, who is a quality veteran pitcher. Bethancourt will ‘learn’ from Padres manager Andy Green, hitting coach Alan Zinter, and bench coach Mark McGwire– who knows all about HR etiquette.
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Padres closer Fernando Rodney shoots 2 arrows at Wrigley, in one day!!
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To Cubs fans– your team’s winning percentage is no longer double that of the Padres. Wrigley Field is the most beautiful ballpark ever. Great series, tight games–good luck until Petco! Over & out
Padres claim catcher Sanchez from White Sox 5-11-16
AJ Preller trying to add some catching depth, which you can never have too much of. Example– top prospect C Austin Hedges (was raking in AAA) is now out with a hamate fracture. We’ll see if Hector Sanchez, the switch-hitting witch sticks. I just wanted to say that 😉
Wallace ends up-and-down day with a blast 5-11-16 Beats Cubs 7-4 @ Wrigley
Padres need Brett Wallace to stick at 3B. Both his errors earlier today were throwing, which is easier to fix than a bad glove. He showed a decent glove with a nice pick to snuff a Cubs rally later, so there are signs of improvement. This lets GM A.J. Preller wait for Yangervais Solarte get 100% healthy, while getting a good look at Wallace who walks a TON and has a stick. A bunch of organizations have tried this guy and given up on him. He just needs some coaching, and a chance to play. Preller cleaned house (mostly), and kept what was essential (Balsley) this off-season, so their dugout staff is much stronger. Brett Wallace is another Preller lottery ticket, and it’s great that fans have bought into his plan of trying these guys out, with less regard for winning.
It’s Andy Green’s job to put the expectation of winning on the players, so they don’t embarrass the organization and their fans, Green has done this well so far and Padres fans have (mostly) noticed & appreciate it. Padres now have much more upside, with young players like Wallace, Colin Rea, Drew Pomeranz, Cesar Vargas, Luis Perdomo, Jabari Blash, & others. An organization with brains that isn’t afraid to lose games, can quickly spot & develop its talent.
Weeks strains hamstring, likely headed to DL 5-8-16
How many groin/hamstring/quad injuries for the Padres so far? Looks like Adam Rosales at 2B with Brett Wallace at 3B for awhile. Infield depth is now stretched to its limit, any more injuries at those positions and the Padres are well below replacement level. Who gets the call up?
@Alvin77 & Rolfes: I’d forgotten about 2B Jose Pirela. AJ Preller got him from the NYY for 21-YO RHP Ronald Herrera, who’s in AAA (Scranton). That indicates depth, which is something this organization has lacked in the past. GM did his job (extremely) well this off-season, and this is where it shows up. Manager Andy Green still has usable options, which is nice 🙂
Sabathia says injured groin improving daily 5-7-16
I know it was a great start for him, to get a win the Yankees needed– but it wasn’t worth it to land on the DL. A player has to be honest with himself & his team in that situation. CC Sabathia’s quotes indicate he’s still in denial about his injury. Sad & scary; hope he figures it out.
Ross progressing, but not ready to throw 5-4-16
Thanks for this injury report, AJ Cassavell.
The Padres approach with RHP Tyson Ross is correct– let the labrum tear heal, while building protective muscle in the shoulder. You can’t rush tears of ligaments, cartilage and tendons; if you try, you just risk setbacks with no real improvement. The labrum is a piece of fibrocartilage, therefore no throwing yet for Ross. He’s probably at least 4-6 weeks away from throwing, if things go well in his rehabilitation. If things aren’t going well, then much longer.
Also, it sounds like LOOGY Matt Thornton will likely be awhile w/ his Achilles tendonitis.
Kemp & Myers work well together 5-3-16
Appreciate Matt Kemp (career .289/.344/.491) is the point. He may soon be a luxury the Padres can no longer afford. Meanwhile, appreciate him.
For the record, it’s at least a push for the best player Wil Myers has ever played with. Evan Longoria 3B (gold glove) career .270/.346/.485.
Vargas cements spot in Padres’ rotation 5-4-16
Can the Padres keep him healthy, or will he flameout? That is always the question with promising young pitchers.
Vargas turns in solid outing, but Padres fall short
PadsFans: 8 shutouts in out first 28 games. I really don’t know any other way to describe it except pathetic.
RicSize: Don’t be sad, two out of three ain’t bad
Upton, Rea lead way in game-changing 5th inning 5-1-16
Luckily there’s some depth a C, so the chances of that turning around for the Padres are decent. ATL is the worst team in the NL (by far), precisely because they do stupid stuff like giving up on C Christian Bethancourt, who at least has upside. Instead ATL went with veteran CWS-rejects– Tyler Flowers & AJ Pierzynski.
Matt Kemp is better defensively in RF, partly because BJ Upton covers so much room in LF, so CF Jon Jay can shade more to right field. Thus Kemp’s lack of range becomes less of a liability. Still not great, but at least passable in RF at present. BTW– if Jay (presently .271/.333/.323) can move his walk rate up a tick, he becomes a very valuable player.
Kemp’s homer snaps Padres’ skid in LA 4-30-16
Matt Kemp increases his potential trade value, while beating the Dodgers– Padres fans approve!
Wallace is becoming an elite pinch-hitter 4-30-16
What the Padres like about Brett Wallace is that he walks. In 31 PAs so far in 2016 his line is .174/.387/.217. He’s walked 6 times, and been HBP twice. For comparison Matt Kemp has walked only twice (!) in 91 PAs for a .284/.297/.591 line. It’s the low OBP (lack of walks) that hurts Kemp’s value at the plate. Wallace is brutal defensively at 3B, and not much better at 1B, so his value is primarily depth off the bench– until an opportunity presents itself. His career .399 SLG is pedestrian, and needs to improve.
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Posted @ wsws.org
Support White and Niemuth in 2016!
Socialist Equality Party announces presidential campaign 22 April 2016
SEP has tried ballot access in the past and has always been blocked & cheated (every step of the way) by Democratic Party machinery, proving it’s mostly pointless to pour resources into reformist measures.
Obama in Flint: Let them drink lead 6 May 2016
Barack Obama drinking Flint water is reminiscent of gubernatorial candidate Montgomery Burns eating 3-eyed fish on The Simpsons.
Look at today’s filmmaking … then look at the world 11 May 2016
There are important parallels between David Walsh’s discussion of ‘feminist filmmaking’ and current ‘feminist’ politics, personified in Hillary Clinton.
Obama and the bombing of Hiroshima 13 May 2016
“The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb” by Gar Alperovitz is the scholarly work on the subject, and was referenced in an older WSWS article. Also read the “Hiroshima Diary: The Journal of a Japanese Physician, August 6th – September 30, 1945” by Michihiko Hachiya for details of its horrible aftermath. The Hiroshima & Nagasaki atomic bombings were imperialist war crimes of the highest magnitude.
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