An angry relief pitcher and other headlines that caught my eye
Kenley Jansen is the closer for the Los Angeles Dodgers and he is proud of his selection to the National League All-Star game roster. But he is not pleased with Dodgers fans because none of his teammates are in the starting lineup. In particular he is pissed that the team's 3rd baseman, Justin Turner and the shortstop Corey Seager were not voted in as starters.
The starting lineup, except for the pitchers is chosen by fan voting. Justin Turner finished a distant third in the voting for 3rd base in the starting lineup. He leads all MLB hitters in batting average although he doesn't have enough plate appearances to be among the "official" leaders. He doesn't just lead by a bit, but he's hitting more than 40 points higher than the next hitter. Corey Seager is also having an outstanding season.
So why were those two not competitive among the rest of the players at their positions in the voting? The answer is television. The impasse between the Dodgers cable TV channel, now part of the Comcast lineup and other television providers continues. If you want to watch Dodgers baseball in L.A., you either have Comcast or you don't watch.
Since the All-Star voting is now done online and not at the ballparks, the lack of TV coverage of the Dodgers has had a major impact in fan voting. It isn't the lack of fans going to Chavez Ravine as the Dodgers lead the majors in home game attendance.
Prior to the new cable contract, Dodgers games on TV were a big part of my life. Now I only get to watch on the rare occasion where they are playing a nationally televised game, or it is one of the very scarce occasions where a local game is on cable. Like their games against the Angels in the Freeway Series, which were available on the cable channel that carries the Angels games. I might have taken the time to make the effort to vote, if I weren't so limited in my ability to watch the team I love.
Kenley Jansen blasting the fans may be fair in his mind, but he won't win any popularity contests among those he is blasting.
* * *
The case of Charlie Gard, an 10 month old infant who is suffering from Mitochondrial DNA Depletion Syndrome has became a major news story. The hospital in London where he is being kept alive on life support went to court to get permission to terminate his support. His parents want to fly him to the U.S. for an experimental treatment that most experts say has little to no chance of providing him any relief from his illness.
45 and the Pope are both interested in helping Charlie.
If only 45 were interested in the health of all, and not just those on the front pages of newspapers.
* * *
In Illinois there is a bill sitting on the governor's desk that he needs to sign. It is designed to prevent what was going on in LaSalle County in IL, where the former state's attorney had set up his own police force to confiscate money from people who weren't accused of any crime.
Thing is, when real cops in IL do it, it is still legal. The burden of proof is on the person whose property was taken to prove they were not involved in criminal activity. If they cannot afford an attorney to protect their rights to their own property, they are screwed.
This shouldn't happen. Confiscation pending proof of a crime where there is probable cause to take the property in question is reasonable. But if the accused is exonerated, their property should be returned immediately.
* * *
The Republicans who are in the majority in the Missouri Legislature have passed a law that the governor will allow to become law without his signature. It preempts municipalities from setting a minimum wage that is higher than the state's minimum wage of $7.70.
For people who work within the city limits of St. Louis, this is bad news. A couple of years ago they passed local ordinance 70078 which raised the minimum wage within the city limits to $9.00 per hour beginning on January 1, 2016, $10.00 per hour starting this January. It would have gone up to $11.00 per hour on January 1st of 2018 if the state legislature had not passed this new law.
This means that the workers who were getting $10 per hour beginning this year may see their pay slashed by 23% as soon as this law goes into effect.
The starting lineup, except for the pitchers is chosen by fan voting. Justin Turner finished a distant third in the voting for 3rd base in the starting lineup. He leads all MLB hitters in batting average although he doesn't have enough plate appearances to be among the "official" leaders. He doesn't just lead by a bit, but he's hitting more than 40 points higher than the next hitter. Corey Seager is also having an outstanding season.
So why were those two not competitive among the rest of the players at their positions in the voting? The answer is television. The impasse between the Dodgers cable TV channel, now part of the Comcast lineup and other television providers continues. If you want to watch Dodgers baseball in L.A., you either have Comcast or you don't watch.
Since the All-Star voting is now done online and not at the ballparks, the lack of TV coverage of the Dodgers has had a major impact in fan voting. It isn't the lack of fans going to Chavez Ravine as the Dodgers lead the majors in home game attendance.
Prior to the new cable contract, Dodgers games on TV were a big part of my life. Now I only get to watch on the rare occasion where they are playing a nationally televised game, or it is one of the very scarce occasions where a local game is on cable. Like their games against the Angels in the Freeway Series, which were available on the cable channel that carries the Angels games. I might have taken the time to make the effort to vote, if I weren't so limited in my ability to watch the team I love.
Kenley Jansen blasting the fans may be fair in his mind, but he won't win any popularity contests among those he is blasting.
* * *
The case of Charlie Gard, an 10 month old infant who is suffering from Mitochondrial DNA Depletion Syndrome has became a major news story. The hospital in London where he is being kept alive on life support went to court to get permission to terminate his support. His parents want to fly him to the U.S. for an experimental treatment that most experts say has little to no chance of providing him any relief from his illness.
45 and the Pope are both interested in helping Charlie.
If only 45 were interested in the health of all, and not just those on the front pages of newspapers.
* * *
In Illinois there is a bill sitting on the governor's desk that he needs to sign. It is designed to prevent what was going on in LaSalle County in IL, where the former state's attorney had set up his own police force to confiscate money from people who weren't accused of any crime.
Thing is, when real cops in IL do it, it is still legal. The burden of proof is on the person whose property was taken to prove they were not involved in criminal activity. If they cannot afford an attorney to protect their rights to their own property, they are screwed.
This shouldn't happen. Confiscation pending proof of a crime where there is probable cause to take the property in question is reasonable. But if the accused is exonerated, their property should be returned immediately.
* * *
The Republicans who are in the majority in the Missouri Legislature have passed a law that the governor will allow to become law without his signature. It preempts municipalities from setting a minimum wage that is higher than the state's minimum wage of $7.70.
For people who work within the city limits of St. Louis, this is bad news. A couple of years ago they passed local ordinance 70078 which raised the minimum wage within the city limits to $9.00 per hour beginning on January 1, 2016, $10.00 per hour starting this January. It would have gone up to $11.00 per hour on January 1st of 2018 if the state legislature had not passed this new law.
This means that the workers who were getting $10 per hour beginning this year may see their pay slashed by 23% as soon as this law goes into effect.
posted by me at 6:16 PM
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