Oh My: Los Angeles Dodgers Go Down-Again

       There's no joy in SludgeVille today. Even the army of homeless folks whoo populate the vast street network of Los Angeles are packing  their meager belongings(shopping carts, old TV's, discarded clothing, filthy pots and pans; castoff detritus of every description; half -eaten food stuffs, old sleeping bags, newspapers(for warmth), a magazine or two, and the usual baseball bat used against I.C.E. and other vagrants.

     The home town fans who love Dodger Blue are into heavy drinking, again, as their beloved homers are on the brink of being dumped from the World Series 2026 race. They have lost 3 games in a row. Theyhave lost 3 Games in a row. What an embarrassment :who does that and calls themselves a contender-maybe the Los Vegas team, or San Diego. But not the storied Dodgers formerly of Brooklyn, NY.

     Even 1st baseman Freddie the Freeloader Freeman has been in a slump. Where is Ohtani? Where is Ohtani? Where is Ohtani? NObody is talking. Where is Mookie Betts? LA needs anew coach, that is sure.  What will the owner say when this debacle is in the books? Nobody cares what billionaires say or do unless they are Elun MAsk.

    One more game before the Dodgers go home(oh, they are home).

No more 3-peat rumors, please. As the homers laughed and greeted the change in the lead, they screamed in support. And then-the boys from Milwaukee came back from ther dead hitting 2 homers in a row off of---------Mr. Snell, former great pitcher for LA. He stinks up the yard with a terrible performance worthy of boos and hisses.  Go home; you will not pitch anymore this season, anywhere, 

Milwaukee 6, Dodgers 2

Brewers lead 3-0. 

Milwaukee Brewers Punish Dodgers

       So, sports fans, did you see this coming:  Dodgers lose two in a row to the Brewers in best of 7 league championship series. Shocking.

     Pundits are asking: WHy is Ohtani not on the bench? The player is obviously hurting. Put in a healthy player and look for better outcomes. Keeping him in the lineup tells us you are losing hope. The next pitcher has a lot on his arm in the next game. If L.A. lose a 3rd game in a row- look out: trouble a "brewin'. 

Agriculture and Diesel: Bound Together

       So, the price of diesel fuel continues to rise.  WHo needs diesel anyway?  Is your car runiing on this fuel type? Do you arrive at the filling station looking for the single green hose? Of course not; and you pity those pickup drivers who need diesel to feed the beast under the hood.

     But many others needs this fuel, and many of these 'others work in agricultural production from beginning to end. If you are farming or ranching, your operation depends on a ready supply to run the tractors, harvesters, pickers, shredders, seeders, and all the haulingn units needed at the market end of cycle.  Quite a bit of the cost goes to fuel requirements or diesel. So, as the cost rises, profits diminish and shrink. Have a loan; have payments;  have a family; have student loans; all the above?  

     So sTump in the Oval decides to make a deal with MAd Vlad of the Rus country. Stop bombing energy sites and I'll allow you to export diesel again.  Mr. Putin laughs and continues to bomb.

 

Diesel prices continue to rise. Iran provides more support for Houthis in Yemen who continue to bomb Saudi Arabia.  Prices rise some more.

 

  The elections are 2 weeks away: can the farmers and agricultural folks hold out? 

Chicago White Sox Lost Three in a Row

    It was a sad day in Chi-Town as one of the local teams went down in defeat to its nearby rival : the Cleveland Guardians. Sox Manager-Will Veneable did his utmost to win the last contest that would send the team on. It didn't happen as the Sox bats went silent in the face of dominant pitching and timely hitting by the opponent.

     In a feat of rare quality, the Guardians came back after losing 2 straight at home. It seemed a foregone conclusion that the Sox would win 3 out of 5. No, it was not to be. The boys from Chicago were spent; they had little to offer during those 3 contests, unable to muster the hitting or pitching needed.  SO, the game of baseball demonstrated again: it's not over until it's over! 

So sayeth the baseball gods.  The final score: 2-0. And it wasn't that close. 

The Rus Continue to Attack Civilians in Ukraine

   So, Mad Vlad and his Kremlin gang target public transportation-buses loaded with passengers getting to work and getting home from work. Defenseless civilians. This what Russya is all about these days. Stymied by the defense establishment in Ukraine, totally lacking manpower and equipment, the Russyan army is out of options excepting the possibility of scaring innocent civilians. Oh, and we have not forgotten the kidnapping of children by Little Green Men in the DonBass Region.

   Those millitary units will be uncovered and their soldiers and leaders will be held accountable for their crimes against children. What nation other than uncivilized barbarians capture children, remove them from their mothers , and enslave them in a foreign land? 

   So, we have a modern nation; an educated nation, a nation with historical literary and artistic accomplishments of world class levels; but within this country are legions of madmen, ready to carry out the bidding of poisoned dictators. These children await deliverance from this imprisonment. The world waits for the Rus to return to civilization and give up its failed request to expand the borders of the largest country of the planet.

Riyadh Attacked: Where is the Saudi Military?

    So, Riyadh City airport is bombarded by missiles fired by Houthis in Yemen.  Certainly when an international airport is struck by enemy fire, a response is justified. Something wrong in Saudi Arabiaa. The government is living in an oil-filled bubble and it has been for decades. They have relied on foreign governments to provide security because the governments need the oil.

    What now? The price of oil is shooting upward again, followed by interest rates which together have crippled governments around the world including China, the USA, France, and more. Isn't it time to say enough already. Most of the Middle East crisis is fueled by Iran, a dictator's theocracy whose time is way past. Iran has provided the weaponry that has been used to destabilze multiple countries iuncluding now, Saudi Arabia. The Saudis sit around and bemoan the situation but because they've neglected their own defense, they lack the power and ability to strike back against the attackers on their doorstep.

   And now, as the USA stutters in its attempt to defeat Iran, the world watches. Israel is not in this mix other than its 3 year old war against HAMAS in Gaza, which shows no sign of ending in the near term. The Houthis want to remain a player in the region  if for no other reason than to maintain its position as an Iranian proxy. 

Cleveland Guardians Tie Playoffs With win Over White Sox

      So, a fifth game is required now after Chicago lost 2 in a row to the Guardians. What seemed like a sweep was in the offing, now looks like a run of 3 victories ccould eliminate the White Sox from the playoff cycle.

A devastating inning not only saw a lead evaporate, but it highlighted a 5 run lead late in the contest. Up 9-4 after 6 innings, the Cleveland team was all smiles as they went to the bullpen for high=powered pitching to close the game. Chicago answered with only one more run despite putting two men on with no outs in the bottom of the 9th.

   The fifth game will be played tomorrow in CLEVELAND.