Mets 5 Nationals 2 in the First Game after the Scherzer Trade

Steve Cohen likes to burn money as he will be paying $58 Million of Max Scherzer's salary in 2023-24 salary when he pitches for the Texas Rangers.  As of this writing, the Mets have traded their best starting and relief pitchers.  Other trades could be coming as the trading deadline is about 48 hours away.  I don't like these trades as they weaken sellers like the Mets this season.  They have an obligation to their fans to be competitive until the end of the season.

In today's game, Francisco Lindor hit a home run and went 3 for 4 to give starting pitcher Justin Verlander, who could be the next player traded, his 250th career victory.  Brooks Raley, the apparent new closer, pitched the ninth inning for the save.

Game Recap

Mets GM Billy Eppler: 'This is not a rebuild, or fire sale or liquidation, it's a repurposing'

The Mets Have Thrown in the Towel for This Season

 

After reading about speculations about trades, I just heard about one that was actually made.  The Met traded closer David Robertson to the Miami Marlins for infielder Marco Vargas and catcher Ronald Hernandez.  These two players are now at the rookie level in the minor leagues and are at least three years away from the majors.  Several issues are wrong about this trade:

• Why trade Robertson to a team in the division?
• They could have gotten prospects at the AAA level had they waited until the day before the trading deadline.
• Who is going to be the closer? It would have to be Brooks Raley or Adam Ottavino

At least the Marlins will be paying Robertson's salary for the rest of the season.

It is always possible that the Mets would sign Robertson in the off-season for 2024.  He would be a good set-up man for Edwin Diaz.

I think that Billy Eppler is a terrible general manager as he has made many bad trades.  It is safe to say that the Mets have thrown in the towel for this season.  I hope no further stupid trades will be made before the deadline as the Mets have an obligation to be competitive for the rest of the season.

The Sinead O'Connor - Bob Dylan Connection

 Yesterday, it was announced that Sinead O'Connor passed away at age 56.  As of now, no cause of death was stated.  Sinead was invited to appear at the 30th Anniversary concert honoring Bob Dylan in 1992.  She was supposed to sing I Believe in You but sang Bob Marley's War.  This raised some controversy.

Sinead wrote a letter to Bob on his 70th birthday in 2011

Random Thoughts of the Day

 

• I am tired of reading articles in The Athletic and other online publications speculating on trades that will be made before the MLB trading deadline on August 1. If the Mets trade anyone, the new team should pick up the entire salary of the traded player.  Steve Cohen is paying most of the salaries of Edgardo Escobar and James McCann whom they traded.
• I still have crazy dreams about libraries.  I had two last night:
• I was applying for a part-time kob at St.John's University where I worked from 1990-92.  Since I have a good pension, I don't need a part-time job.
• I returned to the NYPL Research Library where I worked from 1983-90.  I encountered two authors of books about Bob Dylan.
• I make donations to several charities regularly.  I constantly receive emails and snail mail from these organizations asking for more donations.  This just adds to their overhead.

Defensive Driving Course

Last week I received an email from my insurance agent suggesting I take a defensive driving course.  I took it about 4 years ago but found it must be repeated after 3 years.  Upon completion my insurance rate can be decreased by 10%.  Fortunately, it can be taken online, which takes about 6 hours to complete.  Pre-internet days, one would have to go to an office and sit through the course for 6 hours.  Some of the topics are:

• Driver Attitude
• Defensive Driving
• Signs, Signals, and Road Markings
• Right of Way
• Stopping Distance

Most of what is covered is common sense, but it is worth the decrease in my auto insurance.  I could understand that it should be required by new drivers, but experienced drivers know what is covered.

 

Bob Dylan Pays Tribute to Tony Bennett

  

Bob Dylan sang "Once Upon a Time" at a tribute to Tony Bennett on his 90th birthday.

RIP Tony

Mets 5 White Sox 1 in a Bonus Game for Us

 

Since the starting time of the Mets-Dodgers game on Sunday, July 20th was moved from 1:40 PM until 5:30 PM, the Mets management stated that all ticketholders can get tickets for any game from Monday - Thursday.  I decided to come to Wednesday night's game against the White Sox.

The highlights of the game were:

 

• 8 innings pitched by veteran Justin Verlander who allowed only 1 run and 3 hits
• A third-inning home run by Bret Baty
• A 4-run fourth inning.

Although the Mets had a 5-run lead I was a little nervous since on Monday night an 11-4 lead was reduced to 11-10 with the go-ahead run on base in the 9th inning. A solo home run by Luis Robert was the only score for the White Sox last night.

I Want You by Bruce Springsteen - Bob Dylan Cover of the Day

 

We discussed this at our monthly Bob Dylan chat last night.  Dylan originally recorded it in 1966 for the Blonde on Blonde album.  The Boss's cover is certainly unique.

Mets 2 Dodgers 1 in 10 Innings

 

The game was scheduled to begin at 1:40 PM. but it was raining steadily all morning.  At 10 AM the team announced the game would start at 5:10 PM when the weather forecast was more favorable.  When we arrived at the stadium the ground crew was still working on the field as the start time was delayed again to 5:30 PM.

Starting pitcher Max Scherzer held the Dodgers to no runs and one hit in seven innings.  The Mets scored one run on a groundout with the bases loaded by Brandon Nimmo.  The Dodgers scored a run in the eighth inning on an RBI single by Mookie Betts.

In the bottom of the tenth inning, pinch hitter Luis Guillorme failed on two bunt attempts but doubled in free runner Bret Baty for the win. Reliever David Robertson won the game for the Mets, while Nick Robertson was the losing pitcher for the Dodgers.  How many times has the winning and losing pitcher had the same surname in baseball history?

Game Highlights

Texting vs Phone Calls - Which is Best?

About a week ago a young lady whom a didn't know wanted to become Facebook friends with me. I thought let me friend her, and if there was a problem, I could always unfriend her just as easily.  She initiated an instant message exchange which then moved over to text messaging.  I always advise online acquaintances of my age and status.  She is 40 years old, widowed with a four-year-old son, and lives in West Virginia.  I discussed my situation with her and my poor experiences with online dating.  After many text messages, I suggested we talk over the phone.  She insisted on continuing on text messaging.

I found this website that gives an objective comparison of the two methods of communication.  I'll take out a few comments.  It is written from a business perspective but can be applied to personal communications.  Here are some comments from that site:

Some situations where texting is best include:

When connecting with younger generations – millennials, for instance, are heavy users of digital technologies and, as such, prefer texting.  She is a Millenial.

Texting may not work well when a detailed conversation is necessary.

A phone call can work best since it can create stronger bonds compared to text messaging, so they're great for communicating with friends and family.

A downside to voice calls is that they can disturb people and make them stop what they're doing. This can cause them to be upset or annoyed and even ignore your call entirely

I hope my text message friend will seriously consider a phone call from me.

 

Oldie of the Day - It's Not Unusual by Tom Jones

  

The local public library has a small collection, so I usually can't find a book of interest to me.  Last week I found the autobiography of singer Tom Jones.  It's Not Unusual was his first hit.

The Service Department of a Car Dealership Let Me Down

 I bought my 2015 Chevy Cruze from a dealership in Queens. For months I have received emails and even phone calls inviting me to have my car serviced there.  They even sent a coupon for $30 off a Mobil 1 oil change. I surmised that business at their service department was slow since they were obviously trying to drum up business.  I phoned them to make an appointment for this morning at 10:30. They even called and emailed me yesterday to verify. I arrived at the appointed time and found the door to the service department closed.  I could not wait on the street with my car since I would be blocking traffic.  I was able to pull over to a bus stop to phone them.  The person in the service said they were quite busy and had to close the doors.  There was no other choice but to leave.  You would think they should accommodate someone who made an appointment.

I needed an oil change and thought I should also flush out the cooling system.  I went to an oil change specialist in my neighborhood who also provided a car wash that I needed.  Flushing out the cooling system was not urgent so I can wait to find another mechanic

The Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour is Going on Hiatus

 Rock music journalists have called the Bob Dylan tour from 1988 to the present The Never Ending Tour.  This moniker has never been embraced by Dylan or his people.  The tour from 2021 is officially called The Rough and Rowdy Ways Worldwide Tour 2021-2024.  In 2023 the tour stopped in Japan in April and southern Europe in June and July.  The last concert was yesterday in Rome, Italy.  I presume after a short hiatus, the tour will resume, but to where?

Dylan fans are intrigued when he deviates from the regular set list and sings songs that he did not write.  Below are recordings of his playing Truckin' and Only a River.  Some concertgoers know how to circumvent security to get recording devices into the venue.

My Experience with Dating Apps Has Been Disappointing

 

After Karen passed away in February 2021, I didn’t want to think about returning to dating for at least a year.  Since early 2022 I have grappled with this.  A month or so ago I joined the dating app on Facebook which is free.  I composed a profile and waited to see what would happen. After a few women clicked on my profile a chat ensued.  Usually after a few messages the chat died.  They call this ghosting as the person disappears.  There were some matches where the woman lived far away. Compatibility cannot be established by looking at photos and a list of interests. I don’t want to travel to eastern Long Island or New Jersey and for an initial date that doesn’t work out.  When I was in college there were many dates that did not work out.  I don’t want to go through that experience again.  So far, my involvement in dating apps has been disappointing.  Getting involved in dating again might just complicate my situation.

You never know what could happen. My nephew met his wife on JDate as they were both interested in running.  For now, at least I don’t want to get involved in dating.

Random Thoughts of the Day

 Meta has just released Threads.  Do I really need another social networking platform?

The New York Mets beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 2-1 by scoring their two runs in the top of the ninth.  They now have won four games in a row.  Can this be a resurgence that puts them into contention for a wild-card spot?  In a short series, anything can happen.

Bob Shannon's daughter announced the time and place for his funeral in Jersey City.  Two of my radio friends will be attending.  There will be two tributes to Bob on Internet radio this Saturday,

I still am grappling with the thought of returning to dating a few years after Karen's passing.  I signed up with Facebook's dating service. It seems too easy to click on someone's profile.  Many of these women live 40 or more miles from me. It is difficult to determine compatibility by looking at a photo and a list of interests.  I remember many bad experiences with dating during my college years and just don't want to go through that again.

Random Oldie of the Day - The Israelites by Desmond Dekker and the Aces

 

Phlash Phelps played it this morning on Sirius/XM

The Mets Finally Won for Me as They Defeat the Giants 8-4

 

Home Runs by Mark Canha and Pete Alonso (the only Met chosen for the All-Star Game) highlighted an 8-4 victory by the Mets over the San Francisco Giants.  It was the first time that the Met won a series in over a month.  Problems don't end with a change in the calendar, but the Mets have won their first two games in July.  They are 18 1/2 games behind Atlanta in the NL East and 8 games out of a wild card spot.  There are still 80 games left, so there is room for optimism.

Game Recap

Chicago Radio Personality Dick Biondi Passes Away at Age 90

 It has not been a good week for Radio Personalities as Dick Biondi passed away at age 90.  Back in the 1990s when I made and traded for radio airchecks, I had several of Dick's recordings on cassette.

There are obituaries of Dick at the following sites:

• Radioinsight
• Chicago Sun-Times