Yesterday I found buried treasure, shaved beef at the bottom of the meat bin in the freezer. I dug for it because I suspected it might be there. That meant I had Philadelphia cheesesteak for dinner. I had to improvise as I had no hero rolls, I substituted a mini-naan. It looked something like a soft taco when I ate it. If anything, it was better than on a hero. My personal variation of cheesesteak has no onions, but it does have diced garlic that I sauté along with the steak. I topped it with A-1 sauce. I should have taken a picture. It was one of the meals that gives me great satisfaction.
Then I watched the World Series and my team won! I was rooting for the Dodgers. I choose my team contrary to most people, unless I have a personal stake in one of the teams I root for the one that is better. I am against the underdog. The regular season is a much better test of teams than the post-season. It’s simple statistics, it’s based on a much larger sample size. Now that there are multiple rounds of playoffs the odds are against the best team winning. The poor Dodgers have been the best team over the previous six seasons and hadn’t won a think. It was about time they got their chance. I liked Tampa Bay too. They did an amazing job with limited resources. Both teams were built analytically, they rely on data, not hunches. They both excel at developing the talent they have. When players join the teams, they tend to get better. Part of that is using their players optimally. They put them in position to succeed. The only high-priced free agent on the team is Mookie Betts. When they spent on a free agent they spent on the best, a true five-took player. What is it about Mookies that make them lovable?
Justin Turner is a former Met. I didn’t feel bad when the Mets let him go. He didn’t show anything. In his three full seasons with the Mets he was a somewhat below average hitter, 7% below. In his six year with the Dodgers he’s been 39% above average. Why analytics. The Dodgers got him to increase his launch angle, swing with more of an uppercut. That’s turned around the careers of many players. But that’s not why I’m bringing him up. It is why he’s a favorite player of mine. He was taken out of the game in the 8th inning last night because he tested positive for COVID-19. It’s unclear why that wasn’t known before the game started; the players are tested every day. That’s all following protocol.
After the Dodgers won the wheels fell off. At first he stayed in isolation then he came out and celebrated with the team. He didn’t just touch elbows. He ripped off his mask and hugged a teammate! Everyone is getting on him, so I won’t pile it on. He was acting emotionally and turned his brain off. It was stupid and irresponsible, but I can get it. This is what I can’t get. Someone on my Mets group posted a link to this article, Justin Turner joined Dodgers on field to celebrate despite exiting game after positive COVID test , and said, “Can’t we enjoy our Sports anymore and use it as an escape rather than have it politicized even after the game is over?? The fact that this is getting reported more than the game itself disgusts me to no end.” My response is probably the same yours, “Where’s the politics?” As much as I like him, Turner acted like a jerk and was called out on it. There’s no politics. We think that because we live in a world where COVID-19 is a fact of life that we have to deal with. This Met fan lives in Trumpistan where COVID-19 is a big nothing blown up by Trump’s enemies to make him look bad. The fan doesn’t even realize that he’s the one that is making it political.
This is not the first time I had issues with him. I thought I had blocked him over racism, I guess I just set FB to not put his posts on my Newsfeed, but I can still see his posts on the group. Most people on the group are strongly disagreeing with him. He has only two supporters. One took the position that no Major League players have died so COVID-19 is nothing to worry about. I have to keep reminding myself that most people realize what’s going on and it’s only a small minority that deny reality. The data is old but 89% of adults were wearing masks back in June. The CDC study was released yesterday, COVID-19 Mitigation Behaviors by Age Group — United States, April–June 2020. For our mental health and a more accurate viewpoint focus on the many doing right, not the few doing wrong.
Wise Madness 