Weekend Open Thread: Pitchers and Catchers Report in 23 Days

H. Clay Aalders
Weekend Open Thread
·26 Comments·

…that and the 3-run Homer.

Hey everyone. Another week without a terribly memeable news event, but I came across a cache of baseball memes. Pitchers and catchers report in just over 3 weeks as of this writing. I am for once ambivalent, since as a lifelong fan of the Cleveland Indians, I am now without a team. When I say lifelong fan, I am talking family connections in the Front Office growing up, and Spring Breaks in Tucson with the team. And since some idiot cop killed a fentanyl-addicted criminal in Minnesota (and is rightly going to spend much if not all of his remaining life in prison for it), the team “had” to change a name that honored the memory of Louis Sockalexis and Napolean Lajoie.  I am not so obtuse as to not understand why Wahoo had to go, even if I disagreed. But the name change is virtue signalling bovine-excrement, and I will not support Dolan’s idiocy.

I will probably gravitate towards the Cubs, since Knoxville is home to their AA club, the Tennessee Smokies. I’ve seen a couple of games at Wrigley, my daughter and I go to a handful of Smokies games a year, and the team is moving downtown in a couple of seasons. The hole in my soul is too big to abandon baseball entirely. It is a beautiful game, but the “Guardians” are dead to me.

As an Indians fan, I hate the Braves with a passion. But the Rotation of Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz was the most dominant of my lifetime. And Maddux is one of baseball’s GOATs. He could paint a strike zone like few have ever done.

Legit plan. Especially if the burglar is a pigeon. For those who don’t get the reference…

I love baseball.

And I hate the effing Yankees.

As I said, not many themed memes this week. But these would have worked last week.

The CDC recommends More Cowbell.


“Enjoy Every Sandwich”…

Not funny. Really sad actually. Zevon was the man. He belongs in the Hall.

This next one is really Meta.

Obviously, SHOT Show was this week. It is followed by the Tactical Knife Invitational and Las Vegas Custom Knife Show.

Something is hinky with the website Event Calendar. Will get it fixed next week.

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

As far as not stupid prizes…

Cmeat is the winner of the classic switchblade calendar.

Which brings us to the second Spartan Astor. Once again, it will be a 2-token prize, meaning that your first draw gets you a token. You need to be drawn twice to win the knife.

Usual rules apply. Up to 5 comments or replies count as entries into the drawing. If you are new to the blog, your first comments will be held in moderation until I can approve them. After that, your comments will post automatically.

Good luck everyone. And now on with the memes…

You can’t unsee that one.

Whoseagoodboi?

Karen didn’t like that one. She wants to see the Manager.

This one is for Del…

Speaking of Canada, and “Kraft Dinner”

This is the story of my life.

Reminds me of the “Second Rodeo” meme.

This could be a problem.

 

Seems like everyone has WuFlu. I can’t believe that I haven’t been exposed by this point. Who knows. Life has moved on in Tennessee.

I eat Utz cheesballs with a pair of long tweezers.

Everything is awesome…

Sign of the times.

I am not so sure. I don’t see any discarded ACME boxes.

If I were an eccentric millionaire, this is how I would roll.

I’m in.

Truth…

Mmm…

 

I have a buddy who was an E5 in the Air Force. He woke up one morning to find himself a part of Space Force. We give him a little guff.

I consider myself fairly adept with worthless knowledge. But I need to admit that I never had heard of Schrodinger’s Cat before Big Bang Theory.

That is about all for tonight. Have a great weekend everyone.

 

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H. Clay Aalders

H. Clay Aalders is a lifelong edged tool user. He spent the past 20 years as a woodworker and fishing guide in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Idaho, and Tennessee. While guiding in Idaho, Clay worked part-time writing for a local newspaper, and upon moving to Tennessee began writing for the blog The Truth About Knives - spending his last 5 years there as Managing Editor. His background is in fixed-blade hunting and bushcraft knives, but has jumped into the world of vintage slipjoint collecting with both feet since coming to work at Knife Magazine. Clay’s primary role is as Digital Editor, curating and creating new content for our website and blog, as well as maintaining the Knife Magazine social media accounts (FB/IG: @theknifemag, Twitter: @knifemagazine). He is also a contributor and Associate Editor of the print magazine.

26 Responses

  1. I ate a ‘scotch bonnet’ once . . . on a dare. I think the Scoville is 100K or thereabouts. Never again. Regarding cast iron skillets, griddles and such items, they are my EDCs (Every Day Cooking) utensils. I treat my Griswold & “ERIE”; Wagner; Wapak and others with the same care and respect that I do with my custom knives by “Barnes”; “Nuckels”; “Sowell” et al. My “No. 3 Griswold” skillet traveled with me during my Navy service and has been to “test depth” several times.

    “Two-Alarm Fire”, (1934) this morning on “ME TV”. Popeye and Bluto are firefighters. Olive Oyl’s house is on fire. (Teachable moment: “Do Not Open” windows or doors when your house is on fire. The “rush of air” fuels the fire . . .). Popeye and Bluto do a credible job fighting the fire; however, it is all about saving Olive and being her hero! Popeye revives Bluto, saves Olive and after inhaling his No. 10 can of spinach,he blows out the flames. The house burned down . . . oh well.

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  2. griswold griddle from 1890’s? george foreman wasn’t even a twinkle in his pops eye!
    tabapspo is like catsup, keep an eye out for grace (jamaican/ xaymacan) “very hot” scotch bonnet sauce. very similar, a bit hotter and much cheaper.
    it’s five below and this dangdiesel won’t warm up.

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  3. “Republic of China Crap”, . . . Big Laugh for You, CMEAT! (I do think this “RO CC” stamped steel is old USA, probably ’40s or ’50s). Other “Cubs” that I wanted to be: Ron Santo and Billy Williams.

    Re “tats”, I do not have any. My Mom was strongly opposed to them; and, told me “Not To Come Home” if I had any after enlisting in the Navy in 1972. Now, I think she would be “OK” with it. She liked “Popeye”, too.

    Re “tomato soup and grilled cheese: Sometimes, I jazz up the soup with a dash or two of Tabasco and a pinch of basil. I like to float saltines in it. My grilled cheese must be “toasted” on my Griswold griddle, a 19th century hand-me-down from my grandmother “Mom” Warner. I experiment with cheeses. Your Vermont white “xtracharp” is on my “to-do” list . . . plus the caraway.

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    1. I love floating saltines in my soup too! And grilled cheese as to be made with Kraft singles. Cut into triangles! My wife has a couple of griddles, but none with the provenience of yours. That sounds quite special

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  4. there was a kid that threw kegger parties nearby. met ernie bamks son at one. nice guy. after ernie retired he was the greeter at the bank across from the lawrence ave. sears. when mom asked if i wanted to meet him i thought she had superpowers. “let’s play two!”
    ro cc, well, it must not mean republic of china crap.
    all my tats are from no.2 pencil lead, various altercation/ mishaps.
    tomato soup/ grilled cheese is legendary. but i do open face vermont white xtracharp in the toaster oven- with a sprinkle of caraway.

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  5. “Hocky (. . . No “e”) on this Tuesday morning. The “Earl of Baltimore” . . . ejected nearly 100 times. Seeing him kick dirt on home plate, throw bases and “turn his ball cap backwards” so he could go “nose-to’nose” with an ump was a delight to witness! I think I saw Maddux throw an ‘eephus’ one time . . . kept the batter off-balance. I have always liked the Cubs. Ernie Banks was awesome.

    In the 1960 World Series, I pulled for the Pirates because my older brother was a Yankee fan. Mazeroski’s homer to win the Series made this then 7-year old a happy kid. My only regret was putting my brother’s Yankee BB-cards on the spokes of my bike . . . many years later I realized the “value” of those cards.

    Campbell’s Tomato Soup . . . I bought two, 24-can, cases at $0.50/can (CMEAT . . . that’s “two for a dollar”). I like nothing better than tomato soup and a grilled cheese on these winter days.

    Regarding cartoons . . . “Onion Pacific” (1940) Popeye, Bluto, Wimpy and Olive Oyl viewed on “ME” TV. Popeye’s locomotive has an anchor on it’s smokestack . . . like the ones on his forearms. I am thinking about getting “anchors” on my 70th birthday. Any of you “WOT’ers” got tattoos?

    Regarding submarine flicks . . . “Ice Station Zebra” (1968) on TCM. Breaking through the polar ice is scary! Leaky torpedo tubes is scary, too! No, there ‘wasn’t and isn’t’ an observation window to “look into the reactor compartment” on a “real submarine”. The reactor does not “glow”. . . Ernie Borgnine’s face is expressive enough without the ‘atomic’ enhancement’. (Note: The WW2 submarine, “Ronquil” SS-396, was loaned by the USN to represent the “Tigerfish” SSN-509 . . . with the exception of the “glowing reactor compartment”.) The ‘ronquil’ is mostly ‘jaw’ . . . with a dorsal fin and other parts thrown in for ugly.

    Back to knives . . . I did not make the “Gator” show. I did get some fine, old knives and other stuff at my favorite thrift store in Hagerstown: “Hope Center”. Right time in the right place! Bone-handled “butter” knife marked “Universal, LF&C” (Landers, Frary and Clark”; approximately 13 in. carving knife, full tang and three brass compression rivets (the big ones) holding the walnut slabs; a butcher’s steel marked “RO CC” (?) or something like that; and, a half-dozen vintage scissors, e.g. WISS et al. A decent haul for about $5. Somebody must have donated grandma’s/grandpa’s kitchen drawer!

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  6. I know nothing about hockey other than the Kings suck!
    I am enjoying DCA’s coverage of Shot Show, but I’m struggling to get excited about any of the new products, any one else feeling it (other than Joe Flowers, obviously)

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  9. Clay, I’m a life long Cubs fan.
    Welcome aboard. I have put the Cleveland AL baseball team on my list of most disliked teams due to the name change.
    They are now there with the Cardinals and White Sox.
    The Guardians???? What a stupid name.
    I went to a Smokies game once when Ryne Sandberg was the manger.

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    1. if you want a real old pile, which is to say brewed in la crosse, you wiil have to locate la crosse lager.
      wrigley has been called the world’s largest beer garden (which of course, is ridiculous if you’ve ever seen what goes on in munchen) but it’s hard for me to stomach. much like the crappy product that the mccaskeys toss on the field (they can afford a new stadium but can’t beat the pack), wrigley will be filled no matter what the wins/ losses. when the sox suck (often) no one attends, as it should be. i have fine memories of skipping grade school and riding the elevated both ways for a bleacher seat and a frosty malt for under five bucks. and don’t get mestarted about ronnie woowoo.

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    3. mom took me to wrigley, papa miliato took me to comiskey. around here there is major division of loyalties for most. i share your cards hatred but they are an amazing org. my dual loyalties are constantly challenged, “but who would you want to win against one another?”
      whoever has a chance at the playoffs, that’s who.
      i used to say the cubs were the most consistant team in bb (for 108yrs). look at the contrast between their squeaking oast the (motivational speech during the rain delay, i went to bed after chapman gave up that two run homer, was surprised they hadn’t broken my heart in the morning) champeenship and the way the sox steamrolled everything in their path. the decisive victory was a statement as was the limp dick one.

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    2. I first learned about the cat in high school. It made no sense to meat 15. In college a few years later,I took a laser physics class. Prof was scary brilliant. During a lab one afternoon he got into a discussion with a couple of my friends about Schrodinder’s cat. Prof made the explanation seem simple/clear. I knew I wasn’t cut out to be scientist when he started discussing “the cat is both alive and dead” part of the problem. He looked at the expression on my face, and asked what I was thinking. I said,”That cat is either alive or dead. The fact that we don’t know unless we open the box, doesn’t mean the cat is both alive and dead. It just means we don’t know which it is until we look”. He just looked at me with a very sad and puzzled expression. Shook his head and left the lab!

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  11. Congrats on the calendar, autos are so cool! Used to have a double action made by Charlie Dake, someone made me an offer I couldn’t refuse, you can always get more money, hard to replace a treasure like that!

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  12. the cubs will break your heart. sox look good this year. enjoyed maddux when he was here. zevon looks like berard goetz. his songs went down with his drinking. paul is a hofner bass, dont like thinking of either. maybe the dogs name is muffin. we lived next a dog named lucky that barked at wind. bringing mom a sandwhich named the yummy. corned beef, pastrami, melty cheese, mustard and horseradish on rye. at gene and judes hot dog stand you wont get served if you ask for ketchup. canadians call it back bacon. mom always called it kraft dinner, i used to do that exact same thing. no dukes was funny as im almost done withdownton after years on pause. i read of schrondingers cat on everydaycommentary.

    thanks for calendar, i know where ill hang it. the pete lyons velocity can am one goes over thegrand piano.

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  14. Too funny Clay! Nice to be appreciated though. My dad and mom, older brother and sister were expert curlers. I tried it it once in high school, the game didn’t make any sense to me. Any game played on ice, that frowns on dropping the gloves and hip-checking, wasn’t for me! That’s why everyone calls Hockey “The Greatest Game of All.” 🙂

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  15. I haven’t had my second cup of coffee, please forgive my gibberish typing! I think one of the best descriptions of why baseball is the greatest sport came from the first episode of Deep Space Nine.. Sisco trying to explain to aliens who live outside of time what it means to be human, living “linierly”.
    Canadian bacon was snort worthy! I used to put Kraft Mac on my fork tines! I got the silent head shake from my father more than once!
    I’m enjoying Mark’s reports.
    And Werewolves of London, all by itself, would merit administration in the Hall.
    His hair was perfect.

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