Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tiger Pitcher Extraordinaire.
To no one’s surprise, Tarik Skubal was a unanimous selection for the American League Cy Young Award. Skubal won the “triple crown” of pitching last year as he was the AL leader in wins, ERA, and strikeouts.
Skubal becomes the fifth Tigers pitcher to win the award. Denny McLain won it twice (1968 and 1969). Willie Hernandez (1984), Justin Verlander (2011) and Max Scherzer (2013) also won the prize while wearing the Old English D.
The King of Clay retires from Tennis.
Rafael Nadal, one of the top three men’s tennis players of all time retired from tennis yesterday following his match in the Davis Cup. Nadal won 22 major tournaments. He was named the King of Clay because 14 of his 22 major tournaments occurred in the French Open at Roland Garros which was the only major tournament played on clay.
Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic the three greatest men tennis players of all time, competed against each other for nearly two decades. They pushed each other to heights never seen in men’s tennis.
With the three men and Serena Williams, we have been fortunate enough to watch the four greatest tennis players of all time.
Even for a non-tennis fan like me, watching Nadal on the clay courts of Roland Garros was like watching Tom Brady playing quarterback, Michael Jordan playing basketball, and Miquel Cabrera at bat.
See my Video of the Day.
The Senate Held for Now. Will it Last?
With Gaetz removing his candidacy for attorney general after realizing he was not going to be confirmed by the Senate, it gave me a flicker of hope. However, it was short lived after reading an article by Michelle Cottle. Here are excerpts.
While the Senate has been trending Trumpier as well, the transformation is not yet complete. There are still some Republican senators who value the chamber’s role as an independent power center. With Gaetz, the MAGA king was watching to see if there was a line that his Senate subjects would not yet cross.
Make no mistake. This is just the beginning of Trump’s efforts to bring the upper chamber to heel. His M.O. is to relentlessly pressure-test people and institutions. Those who don’t crumble at first are hit again. And again. The goal is to shatter the resisters’ spines, one vertebra at a time if necessary, so that they don’t just bow before him but rather collapse in a gelatinous blob. Like, say, former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
But for now, Gaetz’s implosion is cause for a tiny moment of celebration — and for a hat tip to the Senate Republicans who made it happen.
I must remember, this is the same Senate that refused to find Trump guilty at his impeachment trial following his January 6 insurrection because he was already out of office. If only they had done their job back then, we would not be where we are today.
Picking and Choosing what Laws to Follow is Not How a Democracy Works.
Now that the Senate election in Pennsylvania has been decided with Republican Dave McCormick defeating incumbent Democrat Bob Casey, I am giving my Onion of the Day to the election officials who decided to ignore the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s order to stop counting votes that the court ruled should not be counted.
I am not aware of the motives of the election officials, but I do know that our democracy cannot survive if people start ignoring the laws of the land and picking and choosing which to follow and which to ignore.
Whether we like the law or not, it is important we follow the law. If we do not like the law, we need to get it changed. Or we need to get the courts to rule the law illegal.
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Quotes of the Day: “How special is that. To be able to celebrate a Cy Young Award and me turning 28. I know age isn’t necessarily a good thing in this game, but this is a special night, no doubt.” Tarik Skubal said in a national teleconference Wednesday night after being notified that he won the Cy Young Award on his 28th birthday.
Orchid of the Day: My grandson Nolan, who turns 10 on Friday.
Onion of the Day: The Pennsylvania election officials who ignored the Pennsylvania Supreme Court order to not count certain votes.
Question of the Day: Is Hegseth next?
Video of the Day: 35 Times Rafael Nadal Sent Tennis Commentators WILD!