1776

Broken record here: Don’t want Bregman wearing the Old English D. A platoon will work for me.

An apolitical wow!

January 27, 1756 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria. His music will exceed time itself.

…and take it from me, coffee is definitely a part of my national security.

Well, it’s good to see Skubs got it all figured out. Wonder when he’s going to run that by Harris.

This week may be the beginning of the Trump/Powell stare down over the future of interest rates. Should provide some entertainment to close out January.

Wouldn’t surprise me but I’d prefer he go elsewhere.

They’re currently on layaway.

No doubt. So when Harris says a particular player fits their profile, I’m thinking that includes a salary window as well as their other criteria.

That you survived a roll over on that car is beyond words good. I don’t think safety was Ford’s priority when they were marketing the Fiesta.

Awesome! Before I bought the Festiva I had previously owned a second hand 1972 Vega GT hatchback. It was orange with the black racing stripe down the center. Every single word of your description of your Vega, I experienced as well. Fun to drive but not built to last. As I recall, certain parts of the engine were built with aluminum. Genius.

Thank you for this information. I’d noticed the name changes on the signs on our trips to Richmond but didn’t recognize the names.

I purchased my first new car in 1980. It was a Ford Fiesta. Similar look to the VW Rabbit. Stick shift and sunroof. Living large back then.

Editor In Chief: Paul Joseph Goebbels

Wow! What a shocking revelation! 🙄 WASHINGTON—The Central Intelligence Agency has now concluded that the deadly Covid pandemic most likely arose from a laboratory leak, according to a statement issued on Saturday by the agency. In doing so, the CIA has now joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Energy Department in identifying a laboratory mishap in Wuhan, China as the probable source of the Covid-19 virus. It has killed more than 1.2 million Americans and over seven million people worldwide. WSJ

That’s why I didn’t get into that. Rehash something that didn’t solve anything. I think everybody here knows what went down. It was discussed at length at the time.

Politicians say whatever it takes to be elected. After that…

Front and center, I did not vote for Trump. I believe the current response to the immigration issue is an over reach. I think it is a very good example of the, “throwing the baby out with the bathwater” quote. The primary issue is that we have been in dire need of reformed/updated laws regarding immigration for years. Unfortunately, the recent attempt to act on it imploded. I’ll leave it at that. I’m sick of immigration policies being determined by the revolving door of presidents. Until congress can work to find a compromise on this, we’re where we are.

Expected that response and I totally agree. That’s not going to get us to where we need to be on its own though. Reducing rates is not an option and the bond market doesn’t seem to respond anyway. As I’m sure you’re aware, mortgage rates a moved up since the last cut. Article in WSJ yesterday that consumer spending, for the most part hasn’t slowed down. That’s a problem. Powell will speak this week and that will be very interesting. Still open to ideas for addressing the inflation issue.

In all seriousness, be it Biden or Trump, what would you suggest either do in this specific instance and time? The swearing in was what, a week ago? May be a little early to call broken promises.

To your point: WSJ U.S. existing-home sales fell in 2024 to the lowest level since 1995, the second straight year of anemic sales due to stubbornly high mortgage rates. High costs related to homeownership sapped sales again. The average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage has hovered between 6% and 8% since late 2022, making it prohibitively expensive for many Americans to buy homes at current prices, which hit record highs last year. Rising home insurance and property tax costs are also adding to homeowners’ expenses. Unlike mortgage rates, which fluctuate, these costs are poised to continue rising.

Good piece on Jack Flaherty https://www.mlb.com/news/jack-flaherty-statcast-free-agent-analysis

AI generated 😉

Robo umpires coming to a spring training game near you this season. Looks as if they’re going with the challenge system this spring. Sort of old news but I had forgotten this.

HOUSTON — Conversations between the Houston Astros and free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman have resumed within recent days, according to three league sources, reigniting some hope of a reunion between the franchise and one of its cornerstones. -the athletic