On Friday night Albert Pujols, hit career homeruns 699 and 700 in Los Angeles against the Dodgers, the best team in baseball. He joins a club, with Aaron, Bonds and Ruth as the only players to hit 700 homeruns. He is one of three players, Aaron and Cabrera, who has 3,000 hits, 500 homeruns, and 600 doubles. It is fitting that he did it in a Cardinal uniform, where he spent most of his career. Thank you to the National League for incorporating the designated hitter into the rules this year, allowing Pujols to come back to St. Louis where he belongs. Like Cabrera, Pujols should be an unanimous selection to the Hall of Fame five years after he retires. Whoever doesn’t vote for him, should have their voting privileges removed.
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Following my round of golf at Boyne Highlands on Sunday, Mike, Frank, and I stopped into the Petoskey Brewing Company to have a cold one. I looked up at the TV to see the Lions were ahead of the Minnesota Vikings 24-14 with less than ten minutes to go. After a brief conversation with the hostess, I looked up again to see Minnesota score a touchdown after multiple missed tackles by the Lions. With less than two minutes to go the Lions were still holding on to the lead and were faced with a fourth and four at the Vikings 35. Not knowing what to do the Lions called a timeout to talk it over. I said to Frank and Mike, the last thing they should do is try a field goal. They should either go for it or punt it. Much to my surprise, they came out and attempted a field goal which was missed. It took the Vikings less than 30 seconds to drive the 58 yards for the winning touchdown. Prior to the winning score the Lions called timeout to set up their defense. I am not sure what they set up, but the receiver was open by five yards and the two Lion defensive backs were looking at each other wondering what went wrong.
Later, I was surprised to read that earlier in the game the Lions had converted four out of six fourth-down plays. Coach Campbell was lamenting after the game that he didn’t go for it when it counted most. He took total responsibility for attempting a 52-yard field goal. Quarterback Jared Goff was lamenting after the game that he didn’t take control and demand that he be allowed to go for it.
It only took me three games into the season to utter that famous line, “Same Old Lions”. Sixty-five years and counting with only one playoff win.
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In a letter to congress, the Congressional Budget Office announced today the student loan forgiveness program is estimated to cost over $400 billion over a 30-year period. Here is hoping those who benefit from the program will use the money wisely to benefit our country who is paying for the forgiveness.
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Inflation continues to be a major problem. Per the NY Times, markets around the world trembled on Monday, extending a losing streak that has been fueled by mounting panic that the global economy is going to take a hit. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 fell to a new low for the year, dropping more than 1 percent on Monday and taking its decline for the year to more than 23 percent. Most benchmarks in Asia and Europe also dropped.
While there are many unanswered questions about the potential for a recession — including when it might start and how severe it might be — investors have come to fear that it is an increasingly likely outcome. Last week, central bankers around the world raised interest rates to combat stubbornly high inflation, moves that were meant to hamper spending by consumers and businesses. In the United States, the Federal Reserve also signaled that more large increases were likely — showing it was willing to tolerate a period of higher unemployment and slower economic growth to get inflation under control.
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Under the category that timing is everything, On Thursday, I got a double dose of vaccines. I got my annual flu shot and my third booster. When I arrived for my appointment at Walgreens in Petoskey, the line at the pharmacy was at least 10 people long. It turns out only one pharmacist was on duty. After waiting for nearly an hour, I was finally able to get my shots. Just as I received my second shot, there was a power outage, and all the lights went out for a second or two. When the lights came back on, all the computers were down. Fortunately for me, the shots were in my arm and there was nothing else for me to do but leave. As I was walking out, the clerks were telling everybody in the store, that they could not purchase anything until the computers came back up, which no one new how long it would take. Seconds matter sometimes.
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Quote of the Day: “It was cool when he got away from everything and he went into that tunnel by himself and he was taking it all in; that’s probably the coolest part of it for me. Him, by himself — with no cameras — I just sat there and watched him a little bit. I’m not sure what was exactly going through his head, but he was taking it all in. He was crouched down and his hands were in his face. It wasn’t a part of the show and everything that was going on [on the field]. It was him realizing all he had just accomplished, and it was pretty damn cool.” St. Louis Cardinal manager, Oliver Marmol.
Orchid of the Day: Albert Pujols
Onion of the Day: Lion’s head coach Dan Campbell
Question of the Day: What was he thinking when he decided to kick the field goal?
Video/Image of the Day: Number 700