- First responders in the greater Manhattan area, especially
in and around Queens, pay no mind to the massive flames and smoke emanating
from Citi Field. That’s just your local Major League Baseball franchise
embracing the raging dumpster fire it was destined to be. Some may have that a
talented, high-payroll team would be a contender for the World Series this
season, but these are the Mets, perpetually troubled franchise that finds ways
to melt down, not step up. The latest “That’s so Mets” development came over
the weekend when the team suspended right-hander Matt Harvey three days without
pay for a violation of team rules. Mets general manager Sandy Alderson refused
to identify the violation, but it could be anything from being a competent
player to actually following the team’s medical advice when it orders someone
to get an MRI on a potential injury. Both have been issued of late,
specifically with ace Noah Syndergaard being sidelined through at least the
All-Star break because of a torn muscle behind his right arm, an injury on
which he refused to get an MRI despite the team’s insistence, pithced in his
next start but flamed out and left the game early, followed by the long-overdue
MRI that revealed the injury. Rotation mate Steven Matz has likewise sparred
with the team over whether he’s a) injured or b) too injured to pitch, so you
now have the team’s top three starters all in some manner of showdown with the
front office. Mix in shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera leaving Saturday's game with a
thumb injury suffered while diving for a ball, left fielder Yoenis Cespedes’
absence since April 27 with a strained left hamstring and the fact that a photo
posted by the team on social media unwittingly showed a sex toy in a player's
locker this weekend and it’s clear the Mets are a hot mess of ineptitude at this point......
- Wolves, sharpen those teeth because we’re coming for you,
b’otches. After a federal appeals court recently lifted protections for wolves
in Wyoming, a new ruling from the same group of anti-predator legal eagles
could clear the way for hunters in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan to put
gray wolves in their crosshairs as soon as this fall. The court has a case
before it that will determine whether Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan can
hold wolf seasons as soon as this fall and those who want to blast a hole in the
nearest big, bad wolf refuse to be deterred by the fact that a Minnesota
representative in Congress was instrumental in killing an effort that would
have allowed the three Midwest states to resume wolf hunting. One man cannot
stifle the will or still the itchy trigger fingers of hunters who want to bag
themselves a prize that has been off limits to them for far too long. The reason
gray wolves have been off-limits is because they were once hunted to the brink
of extinction in the lower 48 states, but with the help and protection of Endangered
Species Act protections and reintroduction programs, they’re making a comeback…and
that means it’s time to start doing the very thing that pushed them to the
brink of extinction to begin with! Gray wolves now number around 5,500 and if
the federal court in this case determines that it’s OK to declare open season
on them, that number could be on the decline sooner rather than later………
- Maybe it’s promotional hyperbole, or maybe Kasabian
frontman Tom Meighan is telling the truth when he says the band’s new album helped
him find his way out of dark times and ‘probably saved my life.” Meighan is
referring to ‘For Crying Out Loud,” the sixth full-length studio album from the
indie rockers and one that comes not long after he revealed that a ‘shit year’ which
included parting ways with his girlfriend and the mother of his child left him
left in ‘in the haze.” According to Meighan, he made himself sick simply
through continually being down and depressed, but the optimistic, feel-good
nature of their new record pulled him back from the brink. “This album probably
saved my life. I just needed that back. I’m alright now and this record just f*cking
saved me,” Meighan said. “I said to (bandmate) Serge (Pizzorno), ‘Why couldn’t
we have made this record years ago’? Everyone is in such a good space. It feels
like being reborn. I say it on every album but I think this is our best record,
bar none. ” The recipe, it seems, was as simple as writing “a f*cking rock and
roll album with big songs,” a goal the band seem to believe they have accomplished.
It’s ironic in a sense, as being a rock star can often shave years off a person’s
life through late nights, lots of parties, copious amounts of drugs and hard
living and everything else that comes with a gig, but maybe making a good album
truly can be cathartic and even save a man’s life…….
- Riot Watch! Riot Watch! Iran has seen plenty of upheaval
over the years, but its authoritarian government has made a point of snuffing
out dissent and slamming its iron fist down as firmly as possible on all who
dare to stand against it. But dissenters remain in the Middle Eastern nation,
which is why we can now enjoy some inspiring video of enraged coal miners and
their families attacking a car carrying Iranian President Hassan Rouhani after
he visited the site of a deadly mine explosion. It was a moving display in
which one miner was seen ascending to the roof of the car, another jumping up
and down and kicking its hood and many more surrounding the vehicle as Rouhani attempted
to leave. Exaclty why the miners were so angry at the president is unclear, as
he vowed that "those who are guilty in this incident should be prosecuted,”
but when it comes to rising up against The Man, a clear motive isn't always
needed in terms of getting the riot ball rolling. According to authorities, at
least 35 people were killed in the disaster at the Zemestanyourt mine in
northern Iran's Golestan province, although only 22 bodies have been recovered
so far, with the search ongoing. At a minimum, the miners and their families
clearly want answers and they want accountability for those responsible for the
loss of so many lives……..
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