Fall from the Yard

International Day of the Girl was October 11.  The Yard has been surrounded by amazing girls since birth.  With four sisters and three girl first cousins, I was blessed with the International Day of the Girl almost daily since 1963. The American white, heterosexual reign has been crumbling for years.  Many would argue rightfully so after years of exclusion and subjugation of everyone else by this questionably fraternal organization.  The Yard chose not to major in Sociology or Anthropology, so our opinions are as usual just opinions.  We could have studied the evolution of man from Cro-Magnon man to the fully, evolved cretin. Until the girls stood up and said “enough” the entitled only knew entitlement. Most of us do not have this false sense that goes viral when unchecked. The stereotype can stick to all of us like the syrup tray at IHOP. 

The Yard only hopes that our last bastion of male domination is preserved- the classic Boy Band.  NSYNC, Duran, Duran and the Back-Street Boys are still going strong.  Girl bands not so much.  It is probably that there are many more young girls willing to scream at their concerts and they are still screaming today as adults. Diffident teenage boys wishing they were anywhere else but a concert with their parents is not a long market play.  Even the Seahawks were rocking NSYNC for a TD celebration.

When the Yard launched in 2007, it was different time and space.  It was just a lark this Yard.  Who knew it would turn into 150 postings of inconsequential meanderings couched within unknown proportions?  Our legal team has been closely following the late John Steinbeck estate’s battling heirs.  The Pulitzer prize winner did not give much thought to copyright and did not call it out specifically in his will.  At the time of his death in 1968, his estate was worth $1 million, a decent sum in those days.  The original heirs have been dead for decades but the battles rage on over movie rights, digital rights and the rest of things no one thought of in the 50’s and 60’s  It would seem that after nearly 60 years the original $1 million estate might have evaporated?   The Yard legal team is taking a close look at our trove of basement tapes, bootleg recordings and other missives to ensure we protect not just the future of the Yard for our progeny but other stuff as well.

As Joe Kelly stared at the dirt before his feet on the mound and Howie Kendrick watched his game winning grand salami clear Cody Bellinger and the outfield wall, the Yard felt relief.  It has been three years of pressure packed post seasons for the Dodgers and their fans.  We cannot imagine the pressure the players feel but it has been unpalpable from the Yard sofas.  Grinding through seven playoff series over the past three years, the Dodgers went 4-3.  The four series wins are hardly remembered.   The three series losses are burned into our history forever. It was an amazing run without a title.  The Dodgers faced the Amazing Astros in 2017 and the 106-win Red Sox team in 2018.  The Dodgers were not the favorites in either WS. Giant fan is proud of their recent titles and we hear of them often.  A bit dusty but relevant.  The Giants beat the Rangers, Tigers and the Royals. Flash forward to 2019 and these are three of the worst teams in the MLB. Collectively, 61 games under .500.  One might argue the Giants suck also and we are not opposed to that sentiment.  But you can’t take away their three titles unless maybe we can snag #metoo one for the Giant VP with the viral video pushing his wife at the zoo.  Fortuitously, the Giants got the cream of American League Crap during their reign.  The AL is back with Yankees, Red Sox and Astros probably better than any team in the NL possibly for years to come.  We will root for the Nat’s even with their game five rout of the Dodgers.

Although the Dodgers won 106 games this year, there were troubling signs throughout the season that would give this fan pause in the playoffs.  Kenley Jansen had 33 saves, but he finished with a 3.71 ERA and gave up 9 home runs in 63 innings.  Watching Kenley come in with a one run lead in the 9^th in the World Series would be intestine twisting. Creaky Rich Hill going three innings in Game 4 was a “really?” moment for a team with these resources.

Clayton Kershaw’s post season woes were on full display with his 8^th inning three pitch two homerun blow up the season moment.  Dave Roberts bringing Kershaw into the game as a reliever was evidence of the insanity that permeates Roberts psyche during the playoffs.  Kershaw has a nearly 6.00 ERA in deciding playoff games. His playoff ERA is 2.00 higher than his regular season.  And if the game is on the line, it jumps two more runs. He has only given up back to back homeruns on consecutive pitches twice in his HOF career.  Both times in the playoffs. He is not your go-to pitcher to win a playoff game, Dave!  It is not a secret that the Yard has Dodger Blue phantasm.  We do not think there is another team in the MLB that would not trade their starting lineup for the Dodgers projected starters in 2020 except maybe the Yankees and the Astros.

We are starting to feel like the Dodgers are Atlanta Braves of the 1990’s.  Those powerhouse teams won the NL East eleven straight seasons.  They made it to the WS five times during that stretch and won one title over the Cleveland Indians in 1995.  John Smoltz, Chipper Jones, Greg Maddux and Manager Bobby Cox are all in the HOF from those teams.  We hope that Dave Roberts is not going to be our Bobby Cox.  Bobby did lose his first two trips to the WS in 1992-93.  The Braves came back in 1995 to win their sole title of the era.  They went twice more but could not get past those Yankees teams of the era.  We can hope to win 11 straight titles but sprinkle in a few more WS titles before the dirt nap.

In the clubhouse: The best pitching performance that we watched in the playoffs so far was by Max Scherzer of the Nat’s in his game 4 gem over the Dodgers in our nation’s capital.  33-year old Max outdueled the Dodger young gun lefty lineup.  He gave up 4 hits and 1 run in his seven innings.  It was raining off and on throughout the game.  There was Mad Max grunting and heaving the rock over the dish with rain dripping off his bill.  Fist pumping each third strike and taking some rips at the plate.  The National are doing all this without Superman Harper who darted to the 81-81 Phillies so he could watch from home in LV with his new-born.

OT: The hypocrisy of Lebron regarding the NBA tweet skirmish with The People’s Republic of China is surprising.  The King is quick to highlight the perceived abuse of others as when he called the NFL owners essentially slave owners.  He called out the NCAA about not letting their players get paid.  But when it came to that one tweet from the Rockets in support of Hong Kong, Lebron had to call the NBA out on that.  “How can someone make a tweet so insensitive that it costs people millions if not billions?” Bron queried his nation. Lebron felt it would cost Lebron money that is why.  With the Lebron XVII shoe, coming to your store straight from the factory in China, he had to say something. He was probably worried about the workers not his lifetime contract with Nike.

Grace of God:  Thank you everyone for thoughts and prayers for our Jo.  She is 100% recovered and gorgeous as ever.  The humor left the building for about a month, but she has brought the joy back to my life as she always has.  God Bless!