Toronto Blue Jays at New York Yankees - August 11, 1994.
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This was the final game in a Yankees uniform for shortstop Mike Gallego. The next season he was usurped by Derek Jeter, who went on to have a Hall of Fame career. The two are also linked in that Gallego was the last player before Jeter to don the #2 for the Yanks.
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It's the final weekend of August, which means crunch time in a presidential election year. Today's edition of my 2-hour radio show The Closer will get started at 1:00 PM Central Time.
It's a guest-a-palooza on today's broadcast:
1:30 - Political wonk Matt Mackowiak will join us to give a recap of this past week's Republican National Convention.
2:30 - Townhall.com journalist Julio Rosas, who was on the ground in Kenosha, WI covering multiple nights of unrest.
So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.
Let's face it. Minneapolis is quickly becoming another Detroit or Baltimore.
Wednesday evening was just another sign.
Residents and workers in downtown Minneapolis grappled with shattered peace, broken glass, looted shops and personal trepidation Thursday morning after a suicide of a homicide suspect on Nicollet Mall ignited waves of rioting.
The destruction recalled the damage done in the wake of George Floyd’s death in police custody three months ago but lacked the moral outrage as the suspect, Eddie Frank Sole Jr., 38, died by his own hand.
A city-imposed curfew limited the damage done by looters and rioters and was lifted at 6 a.m. National Guard personnel maintained positions downtown, while Metro Transit service resumed in the immediate area after being halted or diverted for many hours. Mayor Jacob Frey has announced a Thursday night curfew as well.
Fire officials are investigating the apparent torching of four retail outlets overnight that expanded the destruction well beyond the city’s core. One was downtown at Brit’s Pub at 1110 Nicollet Mall. Others miles away broke out at Tires Plus at 1103 W. Lake St., China Wok at S. 2800 27th Ave., and Walgreens at 4323 S. Chicago Ave.
- The 2020 Republican National Convention kicked off Monday evening. As first nights go, it was a very well done.
One thing which gave me significant optimism for the GOP's future is they have some bright young stars ready to lead once President Trump leaves office (whether that's in 5 five months or 4-1/2 years remains to be seen).
But one particular speech that resonated was delivered by Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC). Here's an excerpt:
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 25, 2020
You know this speech really stuck the landing given the utter freakout of "progressives" in their reactions to it. There are few things more racist/bigoted than a group of progs discussing minority and/or female conservatives.
- A lot of schadenfreude being lobbed towards Jerry Falwell, Jr., head of the Christian college Liberty University and prominent Trump supporter.
Jerry Falwell Jr. resigned Monday from his leadership post at evangelical Liberty University amid allegations related to his wife’s sexual encounters with a much younger business partner, according to a school official.https://t.co/v5svgkWKSZ
— Star Tribune (@StarTribune) August 24, 2020
Let he who has never continually proclaimed a moral high ground while at the same time watching another dude shtup his wife cast the first stone.
- An absolutely horrible sight in Kenosha, WI on Sunday as a man by the name of Jacob Blake was critically wounded by police officers.
When will this end? pic.twitter.com/esceEpWs9d
— Charrise Lane (@CharriseLane) August 24, 2020
With the horrific deaths of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd still fresh in people's minds, it's not surprising the visceral outrage in light of Blake (a black man) being shot several times in the back. However, unlike the three aforementioned individuals, Blake is alive, though it's being reported he is paralyzed from the waist down. As a result, we're witnessing Kenosha essentially being burned to the ground.
I'll admit that on the surface, the Blake incident looks awful for the officers involved. The story most circulated is that Blake was merely looking to break up a skirmish between two people. When police arrived on the scene, they attempted to question him when he walked away from officers and towards his car. When he failed to comply with officers' demands to freeze, Blake was hit with a taser and then shot approximately seven times.
All that said, Blake appeared to be reaching for something when he opened the driver side front door of his car. Was it a gun or some other type of weapon? And was he still engaging in these actions even after being hit with a taser? If the subsequent investigation into this incident yields a "yes" answer to those questions, wouldn't that dramatically change the narrative currently being peddled of this just being another instance of police brutality?
Sadly, it all seems anticlimactic since the town of Kenosha is being destroyed and terrorized as we speak.
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New York Giants at Cincinnati Reds - June 16, 1941.
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Reds pitcher Johnny Vander Meer is best known for being the only pitcher in MLB history to pitch a no-hitter in consecutive starts. However, his performance in this game is noteworthy for all the wrong reasons. Vander Meer walked the first four hitters of the game, becoming the first (though not only) pitcher to "accomplish" such a feat.
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Back in the Patriot bunker for this week's edition of my radio show The Closer. The 2-hour festivities get started at 1:00 PM Central Time.
We'll definitely look back at this past week's proverbial clown car that was the Democrat National Convention. Have Republicans set the bar too low for Dem POTUS candidate Joe Biden?
Then on the local scene, the DFL showed a woeful lack of courage in condemning one of their own.
At 1:30, MN House candidate Elliott Engen will join the broadcast. Elliott is running in House District 38B, which comprises North Oaks as well as significant portions of Hugo and White Bear Lake.
So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.
I tweeted this out a month after Donald Trump was elected President in 2016:
If you feel the only way to have "hope" in your life is predicated upon who's President, I contend you're doing life incorrectly.#fb
— Brad Carlson (@Brad_Carlson) December 19, 2016
It's my way of saying that, regardless of who's POTUS, this world is not my home. I love the United States of America and maintain that it's (to quote Michael Medved) the greatest nation on God's green earth. But I refuse to live in angst over the prospects of radical leftist Democrats controlling all the levers of power. Quite simply, life on planet Earth is a whiff of time compared to eternity, so why would I invest so much emotional energy over concerns that my preferred political candidates may not win an election?
With all that said, conservative commentator Erick Erickson perfectly encapsulates how I feel. You should watch.
— Jeff Jarvis (@jeffjarvis) August 20, 2020
This bilious insult to democracy darkens The Post's home page four times. Democracy dies in darkness, indeed. pic.twitter.com/ARltGGiV7Y
— Jeff Jarvis (@jeffjarvis) August 20, 2020
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- As is often the case when a "progressive" engages in nefarious behavior, subsequent media stories seem to put a larger emphasis on GOP/conservative reactions than the proggie actions themselves.
From the Pioneer Press:
A Minnesota House candidate from St. Paul who on Saturday spoke at a Black Lives Matter protest in front of Minneapolis Police Federation president Bob Kroll’s home in Hugo, is facing backlash for his fiery rhetoric.
In videos circulating on social media, John Thompson, a DFL-endorsed candidate for House District 67A, threatened to burn Hugo and said “Blue Lives ain’t sh–.” He also appears to yell at young white girls watching from an open garage, calling them “racist mother-f—–s.”
On Monday, Thompson said he was getting death threats and declined an interview out of concern for his family’s safety.
“When people are calling my family and telling my family they are going to put a bullet in my son’s head, I’m not in a space right now to talk to the press,” he said.
Someone observed this is no better than the Tiki Parade.
— Mitch "Extremist for Western Civilization" Berg (@mitchpberg) August 18, 2020
In a way, it's worse. The Tikis were losers with no power.
Hugo "protesters" *are* the MN political class. In five months, John Thompson will be a state rep.
This is what 'Disparity of Power" looks like. #NARNShow https://t.co/joJKMCxSo1
Indeed.
- An acquaintance I haven't seen in more than 20 years recently took to Facebook to ask for prayers upon being hospitalized with COVID-19.
Because we're in a time where pretty much everything is politicized, someone posted the following in the comment thread:
Her lamentation of lack of "empathy" -- her examples included non-mask wearing and calling the cops on people wrongly -- studiously avoided the greatest examples of non-empathy currently on display: riots, violence and looting in major American cities.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) August 18, 2020
Remember, this was only night one. Ugh.
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I'd have to look back several years, but I believe this may be the oldest game I have ever referenced in this particular feature.
Let's go all the way back to 1909 when the Cleveland Naps (they didn't become the Indians until 1915) hosted the Boston Red Sox.
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Naps shortstop Neal Ball pulled of an unassisted triple play this game, which was the first such occurrence in MLB history.
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With my friend and Northern Alliance Radio Network colleague Mitch Berg away on assignment, I will assume the reins of The Headliner edition of today's broadcast. The 2-hour extravaganza gets started at 1:00 PM Central Time.
It'll be a guest intensive show today:
So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.
While I believe the Republican Party of Minnesota has been inept for some time now, I can say they made a great call in hiring my friend Jack Tomczak as Communications Director.
Here Jack lays out the distinct difference between mail-in voting and voting absentee. Those media figures who are screeching "ZOMG, HYPOCRISY!!!!" over President Trump requesting an absentee ballot despite his (correctly) railing on voting by mail might wanna check this out.
Democrat presidential nominee Joe Biden said from the outset of his candidacy that he would select a woman as his running mate. As his campaign wore on, Biden strongly hinted that it would be a woman of color.
On Tuesday it became official as Biden selected Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), who herself was a highly touted presidential candidate until her inept campaign crashed and burned.
Let's be honest here. Biden is little more than a cadaver being propped up as a moderate so as to give way to his far left VP once the job gets to be too much (a majority of Americans surveyed believe he will not finish one term). The problem here is a close look at Harris's record and stances on issues leave no doubt that she is the most radically left candidate to ever appear on a presidential ticket. Would the country be ready for such an individual to occupy the Oval Office? Many Dems have their doubts, which is why they're already ginning up a strategy to insulate Harris from heavy scrutiny of her record.
A group of powerful, Democratic women has penned an open letter warning media outlets to restrict their coverage of presumptive 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s running mate — expected to be a minority female (ed. - ultimately came to fruition) — so as to avoid any “racism” or “sexism” in their reporting.
The lawmakers, policy professionals, activists, and consultants labeled their effort “We Have Her Back” and directed their missive to “News Division Heads, Editors in Chiefs, Bureau Chiefs, Political Directors, Editors, Producers, Reporters, and Anchors.”
“Given how few women have reached this point, the sometimes disappointing coverage of the process to date and the double standards we’ve seen in the public and media expectations of women leaders over the years – and even more so for Black and Brown women leaders – we wanted to respectfully share some thoughts with you about the media’s role in the scrutiny and coverage of women and women of color candidates in general, and the vice-presidential candidate in particular,” the letter continues.
Specifically, the women warn journalists to avoid “sexism” and “racism” by avoiding commentary on Biden’s running mate’s “ambition,” her relationships with partners and staff, her likeability, her looks (including her weight, style of dress, attractiveness, and “tone of voice”), whether the candidate is “likable” or electable, and any reporting “on the heritage of Black women or women of color” that “perpetuates a misunderstanding about who is legitimately American.”
Failed 2016 GOP presidential candidate and former Ohio governor John Kasich, who will be speaking at the Democrat National Convention next week, had this to say:
John Kasich:
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) August 11, 2020
“I think I have a right to define what it means to be a conservative."pic.twitter.com/bPBfSsQsTN
This from a guy who once used the Holy Bible to justify Obamacare as well as conveyed his belief that the U.S. should strengthen green energy mandates.
Fact check: You gotta be friggin' kidding me.
- An Associated Press story published Tuesday indicated that New York's calamitous nursing home policy regarding COVID-19 patients may actually have resulted in many more deaths than the 6,600 figure that has already been reported.
In what I'm sure was a totally unrelated reason, Gov. Cuomo said literally the day before that he "wouldn't do an investigation" into the actions which resulted in those deaths.
Convenient, that.
- Hollywood celebs bailing out (alleged) violent criminals in the name of "justice" or something.
The Minnesota Freedom Fund (MFF) received $35 million in donations in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd, with many of those donations intended to help protesters who were jailed during the demonstrations and riots in May.
The group’s mission was celebrated on social media with praise from Hollywood celebrities, like Steve Carell, Cynthia Nixon, and Seth Rogen.
It was an unexpected windfall. Prior tax returns in 2017 and 2018 show MFF would pull in about $100,000 in donations.
“We initially got some raised eyebrows especially when we ramped up our activity from $1000 a day to now $100,000 a day, raised eyebrows from our bankers,” said Greg Lewin, the interim executive director of the fund.
Among those bailed out by the Minnesota Freedom Fund (MFF) is a suspect who shot at police, a woman accused of killing a friend, and a twice convicted sex offender, according to court records reviewed by the FOX 9 Investigators.
Another Sunday, yet another broadcast from my home office on today's edition of the Northern Alliance Radio Network. My 2-hour program The Closer gets started at 1:00 PM Central Time.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune endorses the DFL opponent of CD5 Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. Is it enough to tilt the scales?
Also, the NBA continues to make news away from the court, this time involving a current head coach and a former one.
At 2:00 longtime friend of the broadcast Katie Kieffer will join the show to discuss her latest Townhall.com piece entitled The Woke Chokehold. Then at 2:30 I will be joined by Doug Willetts, who is the GOP candidate for MN State Senate in SD 51 (where the Patriot bunker happens to be located).
So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.
Leah Thompson is agreeing with Brad Garrett's assessment of the allegedly toxic work environment on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
The Back to the Future actress, 59, responded on Twitter Friday to PEOPLE's report of Garrett's comments on the daytime talk show's culture.
"Sorry but it comes from the top @TheEllenShow," the Everybody Loves Raymond star, who appeared as a guest on the show six times between 2004 and 2007, wrote on Twitter, tagging Ellen DeGeneres. "Know more than one who were treated horribly by her. Common knowledge."
Thompson agreed that DeGeneres' alleged mistreatment is "common knowledge," writing on Twitter, "True story. It is."
“Let me just say this about (Omar's) opponent then I’m going to wrap it up,” Ellison said Sunday during a virtual day of action for Omar’s reelection campaign.
“I have nothing bad to say about him because I don’t know him. Never met him. I would think that after being in Congress for 12 years, serving in the State Legislature for four, being in the Attorney General’s Office four a year and a half, I would’ve met the guy,” Ellison continued. “Who are these pop-up people who we never met making it to their 40s and decide that their first foray into public service is to be your congressperson? This is absurd.”
Individuals with a cervix are now recommended to start cervical cancers screening at 25 and continue through age 65, with HPV testing every five years as the preferred method of testing, according to a new guideline released by the American Cancer Society https://t.co/gUhYdIIx69
— CNN (@CNN) July 30, 2020
"I handled it really poorly," Kerr said. "I was frankly sort of tongue tied. I'm sitting there trying to figure out what I'm supposed to say to make sure I don't put the league in jeopardy but also trying to find the right balance and I realize it was probably the one time over the years when I haven't just spoken my heart and I sort of got caught in this political hail storm. It was very uncomfortable because it wasn't a topic I was very comfortable with and the circumstances were really strange.
"I've learned of the last four years since I've been... [outspoken] the questions aren't always easy. If you follow your gut and your heart, you generally just speak your truth and you're going to feel good about it afterwards. That's the one episode where I walked away shaking my head saying, 'What the hell was that?'"
Kerr then was asked what he would do differently if given the chance.
"Well I would first of all back up Daryl," he said. "I would just say Daryl, has a right, as an American, to free speech. He can say anything he wants and we should support him in that and that's the main message. And then if you want to get into the depths of a really complex issue (chuckles) then you can have a conversation."
