The Magic Continues
After being shut out on Saturday and being shut out through 8 2/3 innings today and Cleveland’s closer Emmanuel Clase’ on the mound with two outs in the top of the ninth, I wasn’t optimistic the Tigers were going to score. Then the magic happened. Jake Rogers, hitting below the Mendoza line, singled to left, Trey Sweeny the rookie shortstop obtained in the Jack Flaherty trade, singled to right. Suddenly the Tigers had runners on first and third with their best hitter, Kerry Carpenter, coming up against Clase’ and his 100mph fastball and 94mph slider.
It was clear Carpenter was ready. He didn’t bite on a couple of 100 mph heaters just off the plate. He had good swings on two sliders, fouling off one with two strikes on him. Clase’ threw one slider too many. Carpenter squared up the third slider in a row and launched it 111mph off his bat deep into the right field seats. Just like that the Tigers were up 3-0. Tiger reliever Beau Briske, shut down the Guardians in the bottom of the ninth. Suddenly, the Tigers are heading back to Detroit with the series tied 1-1, with the next two games in Detroit, and Tarik Skubal in their back pocket if the series goes to 5 games.
Comerica will be rocking like Ford Field last January. It has been nine years since the Tigers hosted a playoff game. There is a lot of pent-up excitement waiting to be unleashed. I can’t wait until Wednesday.
I am so glad I do not have to deal with hurricanes. It is now Milton’s turn to wreak havoc on Florida’s gulf coast.
Per the Washington Post tonight. Hurricane warnings were issued for portions of west-central Florida on Monday evening as Milton, a top-tier Category 5 hurricane over the Gulf of Mexico, continued to rapidly gain strength. The storm is expected to make landfall late Wednesday as an “extremely life-threatening” major hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center, and produce a potentially devastating ocean surge over 10 feet in some areas, including flood-prone Tampa Bay.
“Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida,” the Hurricane Center wrote at 5 p.m. Monday.
Since Sunday night, the storm’s rate of strengthening has reached extreme levels — its intensity leaping from a Category 1 to 5. The storm’s peak winds Monday evening were up to 180 mph, a 95 mph increase in 24 hours.
Lies and disinformation continue
Here are excerpts from Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters from an American on Saturday.
MAGA Republicans are now lying about the federal response to Hurricane Helene in much the same way they lied about Haitian migrants bringing chaos and disease to Springfield, Ohio.
The federal response to Hurricane Helene has drawn bipartisan praise, with Republican governor Henry McMaster of South Carolina thanking Biden by name for what McMaster called a “superb” response.
But on Sunday, September 29, two days after the hurricane hit, the right-wing organization started by anti-immigrant Trump loyalist Stephen Miller posted: “Billions for Ukraine. Billions for illegal aliens. And what for the Americans? Reprogram every single dollar that FEMA has dedicated to support illegal aliens to go towards Americans who are facing unprecedented devastation!”
Yesterday, in Saginaw, Michigan, Trump echoed Miller, claiming that the Biden administration is botching the hurricane response because it has spent all the money appropriated for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on “illegal immigrants.” “They spent it all on illegal migrants.… They stole the FEMA money just like they stole it from a bank, so they could give it to their illegal immigrants that they want to have vote for them,” he said. Today, he claimed that “a billion dollars was stolen from FEMA to use it for illegal migrants, many of whom are criminals, to come into our country.”
But of course, it is NOT happening in front of anyone’s eyes.
On Wednesday, Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security in which FEMA is housed, told reporters that FEMA’s disaster relief fund is adequately funded for current needs. But, he warned, “extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and severity,” and we are not yet out of hurricane season. If another emergency hits, FEMA’s disaster relief fund will be stretched thin.
Congress also appropriated money for a different fund, the Shelter and Services Program (SSP), which is part of Customs and Border Protection but is administered by FEMA. Established under the Trump administration in 2019, SSP gives grants to states and local governments to provide shelter, food, and transportation to undocumented immigrants. After Trump’s accusation, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement: “These claims are completely false. As Secretary Mayorkas said, FEMA has the necessary resources to meet the immediate needs associated with Hurricane Helene and other disasters. The Shelter and Services Program (SSP) is a completely separate, appropriated grant program that was authorized and funded by Congress and is not associated in any way with FEMA’s disaster-related authorities or funding streams.”
…..As in Springfield, a bipartisan group of lawmakers are begging MAGAs to stop the disinformation, which is keeping people from accessing the help they need and gumming up relief efforts as workers and local and state governments, as well as FEMA, have to waste time combating lies.
MAGA Republicans launched another major disinformation campaign today when the Bureau of Labor Statistics released another blockbuster jobs report. It showed that the country added about 254,000 jobs in September, far higher than the 140,000 jobs economists expected. It also revised the job numbers for July and August upward. The unemployment rate dropped from 4.2% in August to 4.1%, and wages have outpaced inflation.
Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody’s Analytics, wrote that the jobs report “cements my view that the economy is about as good as it gets. The economy is creating lots of jobs across many industries, consistent with robust labor force growth, and thus low and stable unemployment. The economy is at full-employment, no more and no less. Wage growth is strong, and given big productivity gains, it is consistent with low and stable inflation. One couldn’t paint a prettier picture of the job market and broader economy.”
Yet MAGA Republicans deny that the economy is strong. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) openly called the jobs report fake. And when a reporter asked Trump, “Jobs are up, the stock market hit that all-time high. Do you acknowledge that the economy is improving?” he answered: “No it’s not.”
But, apparently stung, this afternoon Trump posted on his social media site what appeared to be an announcement. After an emoji of a flashing red light, a headline read, “New: Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase, has endorsed Trump for President.” A representative for Dimon instantly denied such an endorsement, saying it is false. According to a spokesperson for JP Morgan, Dimon has neither contributed money nor endorsed Trump, or anyone else, in the 2024 presidential race. But Trump has not taken the post down.
Hugo Lowell of The Guardian notes that Trump has admired Dimon for a long time and likely craves his support. …
The firehose of lies is designed to make it impossible for voters to figure out the truth. The technique is designed so that eventually voters give up trying to engage, conclude everyone is lying, throw up their hands, and stop voting. Holding on to facts combats the effects of the storm of lies. This paragraph is my Quote of the Day.
Three Quarterbacks and Counting.
Michigan is 4-2 and has still not settled on a starting quarterback after six games. Davis Warren started the first three games but threw six interceptions. Alex Orji started three games but struggled to move the ball, and on Saturday in Washington he was replaced by Jack Tuttle, who looked good in his first three series. Tuttle led Michigan to 17 unanswered points and a three-point lead. Then Tuttle was hit with the turnover bug as he fumbled once and threw an interception, which allowed Washington to take the lead and hold on for a victory.
Michigan has a bye this week, so Head Coach Sharron Moore has time to figure things out with his starting QB. Based on what I have seen, I look for Jack Tuttle to take over the starting QB job for the remainder of the season.
It seems like a long time since Michigan was the undefeated national champion in January.
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Quote of the Day: The firehose of lies is designed to make it impossible for voters to figure out the truth. The technique is designed so that eventually voters give up trying to engage, conclude everyone is lying, throw up their hands, and stop voting. Holding on to facts combats the effects of the storm of lies. Heather Cox Richardson.
Orchid of the Day: The Tigers again.
Onion of the Day: The person or persons who vandalized U of M President Santa Ono’s and Chief Investment Officer Erik Lundberg’s homes with graffiti about the war in Gaza.
Question of the Day: Can the magic of the Tigers continue?
Video of the Day: Kerry Carpenter’s at bat today when he hit the three run homerun.
Kerry Carpenter FOR THE LEAD in the 9TH!! Tigers take late lead in ALDS Game 2! (youtube.com)