by John Walters

Starting Five

Repeal And Replace Is Rebuked

On Tuesday afternoon the Senate voted narrowly to begin debate on provisions to overhaul the Affordable Care Act, but on Tuesday night the first provision the GOP suggested lost bigly, 43-57. It fell 17 votes shy of the minimum 60 it needed.

Two female Republicans (Susan Collins of Maine; Lisa Murkowski of Alaska) voted against the original proposal to overhaul ACA, making it 50-50, and leading VP Pence to break the tie. Then seven more GOP’ers joined them in the later vote.

 

Senator @lisamurkowski of the Great State of Alaska really let the Republicans, and our country, down yesterday. Too bad!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017

Per usual, President Trump took the defeat with sanguine wisdom and a unique understanding of statesmanship.

2. Triple Play Todd

Yankee fans recall Todd Frazier as the Little Leaguer from Toms River, N.J., who led his team to the LLWS championship and then stood next to Derek Jeter for the national anthem.

Last week the Yankees traded for Frazier as a first base hedge, and last night he at last made his debut in pinstripes (he played a few games for the Bombers in road gray last week). After three straight singles failed to yield a run in the top of the third and with the game still scoreless, Frazier came to bat.

With family and friends in the stands, Frazier hit a sharp one bouncer just to the shortstop side of second base. Jose Peraza fielded it, stepped on second and threw to first for the double play. Matt Holliday scored from third. Didi Gregorius had held up briefly at second, and so he was caught in a pickle between second and third and ruled out.

A run-scoring triple play in Frazier’s maiden at-bat as a Yankee in the Bronx. Such a play last occurred in 2006. The Yanks won 4-2, their 4th win in five games.

By the way, that’s a fielder’s choice so no RBI for Frazier on that play. Also, Gregorius simply should have returned to 2nd ATER Peraza tagged second, since the force was no longer in effect. Finally, Yankee rookie starter Jordan Montgomery took a no-hitter into the sixth. If the Yanks had won 1-0 on a no-hitter with the only run coming off a triple-play, that would have been sick, no?

3. Science Crushes NFL, 110-1

Dr. Ann McKee, chief of neuropathology at the VA Boston Healthcare System and director of the CTE Center at Boston University, studied the brains of 111 NFL players (posthumously, of course) and found that 110 of them, or 99.1%, tested positive or chronic traumatic encephalothapy, or CTE.

Those are pretty poor odds, Mr. Goodell. Great report here by The New York Times.

In case you were wondering, and I was, too, the player who tested negative, his name was not released, in accordance with his family’s wishes.

4. Trump’s Trans “Pacific” Partnership

Donald Trump’s visit to Youngstown, Ohio, must have revved up his inner red-state mentality, as today the White House announced that transgender people will no longer be allowed to serve in the military (sorry, Hitler, you’re out).

 

After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow……

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017

 

….Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military. Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming…..

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017

 

….victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017

Look on the bright side: As soon as the war with North Korea starts, just begin binge-watching Transparent and dressing androgynously; it’s a lot less trouble than moving to Winnipeg.

 

“What would fire up the base right now?”

A bible that shoots bullets? Deep-fried opioids?

“No, like a policy announcement of some sort…”

— Downtown Josh Brown (@ReformedBroker) July 26, 2017

The always witty Downtown Josh Brown with the best take of the morning….

5. Greyscale’s Anatomy

Finally watched second episode of Game Of Thrones. Thoughts:

–It’s easy to castigate Theon for his cowardice, but he lives to fight another day (assuming he can swim, which I do).

–I hope Samwell Tarly has a good malpractice insurance plan. And that Ser Jorah’s greyscale was not considered a pre-existing condition.

–Littlefinger is going to stop playing nice, isn’t he? You should have killed him in the crypt, Jon Snow.

–Arya could have at least left a tip.

–The Grey Worm sex scene will go down in TV history (I didn’t put quotes there, but you get where I was going).

–Nice to see Melisandre and Lumeria back.

–So you’re telling me a place called Dragonstone has a subterranean reserve of dragon glass?!? Incredible.

–“You’re a dragon. Be a dragon!” will be some D-I coach’s pregame speech come September.

Music 101

Someone To Watch Over Me

There’s a somebody I’m longing to see/I hope that he/Turns out to be/Someone to watch over me. Composition by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, written in 1926. An American classic. If you were a fan of WKRP in Cincinnati (yes, please!), you’ll remember the episode in which Mother Carlson catches Dr. Johnny Fever smoking weed and exacts, for her silence, his promise to “Play Gershwin” during his a.m. rush hour show. He plays this song.

The two most famous, of many, artists to cover this song are Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra, but Amy Winehouse‘s timeless voice is what MH editors went with.

A Word, Please

Incorrigible (adj.)

Impervious to correction by punishment