Day 1,988, Quasi-Quarantine: The Pack Gets Off To A Positive Start Despite Uneven Effort

 

Staying almost impossibly on brand, the Wolfpack made things unnecessarily hard on themselves last night, outlasting East Carolina, 24-17, after opening up a 17-0 advantage.

Some thoughts:

• It's always good to go 1-0.
• In year 13, coach Dave Doeren is still abysmal at game management. Which -- judging by his title -- is a pretty big part of his job description.
• State's front seven is going to be pretty difficult to deal with.
• One game in, the Pack has serious concerns along the offensive line. Again.
• NC State should never play East Carolina. There is literally nothing to gain from this for the Red and White. Make it stop.

Onward. Go Pack.

Day 1,984, Quasi-Quarantine: "CivilWarLand In Bad Decline" Is The Promising But Immature Debut Of Notable Satirist

 

“How can you take the word of a man with biscuit crumbs under his nose and a habit of walking around holding his hand over his anus for fear of violation?”

Alternating between hilarious and unrelentingly depressing, "CivilWarLand in Bad Decline" marks the memorable debut of perhaps America's pre-eminent satirist, George Saunders.

“The moon comes up over Delectable Videos like a fat man withdrawing himself from a lake.”

The writer depicts a bleak future that features the uncanny valley of consumerism, relying on spineless main characters who see ghosts but exhibit little agency. "Isabelle" is dark but pretty, "400-Pound CEO" was cruel to the point of being difficult to read, and "The Wavemaker Falters" repeatedly withholds any chance of redemption.

“Family. It’s not perfect. Sometimes it’s damn hard. But I look after her and she squeals with delight when I come home, and the sum total of sadness in the world is less than it would have been.

“Her real name is Isabelle.

“A pretty, pretty name.”

"Offloading for Mrs. Schwartz" was my favorite, displaying a sly beauty that most of the other entries seem to lack, opting for cruelty for cruelty's sake instead. 

“Connie’s a prostitute, I’m a thirty-year-old virgin, but all things considered, we could have turned out worse.”

Saunders's work -- characteristic of many debuts -- is a little confusing and a lot depressing, creating space for him to find his true voice in future books like "Liberation Day," "A Swim in the Pond in the Rain," "Fox 8," and "Lincoln in the Bardo."

Nearly 30 years later, "CivilWarLand in Bad Decline" is demented, hysterical, and challenging -- if startlingly prescient.

“‘The writer can choose what he writes about,’ Flannery O’Connor once said, ‘but he cannot choose what he is able to make live.’”

Limerick Friday #637: Farewell To A True Blood -- Day 1,974

Had to swallow a tough pill

Struggling to understand it still

You looked out for the new kid

Saved my whole year, you did

Rest in peace, my friend Phil

Living in baseball hell

Turning every W into an L

Every move backfires

Turning contenders into liars

Will any Mets rise for that final bell?

Look for beauty in small things

And any happy tidings

They're there if you look

Sometimes in a book

And remember there are no kings

Getting punked day after day

Need any hope, just a ray

The coach is a lame duck

The GM is clueless as fuck

The 'Fins just can't find their way

It's that time of year

When the salt air feels near

Saying goodbye to summer

Is always a bummer

But the beach helps me hold back each tear

Last time ...

Day 1,971, Quasi-Quarantine: "On The Hippie Trail" Doubles As Coming-Of-Age Story For Naive, Budding Globetrotter

 

“Travelers learn that fear is for people who don’t get out much; that culture shock is the growing pains of that broadening perspective; that we’re all children of God – and that by traveling, we get to know the family.”

Some 45 years after the fact, Rick Steves has transcribed and edited the notes from his journey from Istanbul to Kathmandu. "On the Hippie Trail" documents the trials and tribulations of he and his friend Gene as as they travel thousands of miles overland.

Just 23 at the time, Steves's observations are often overly romanticized and/or immature. A mid-trip decision to go from spending as little as possible to treating themselves as well as possible goes unexplored, and a choice to mainly wear only one shirt and a pair of shorts for weeks and weeks also seems ... bizarre.

“The road to India is a long one. The pavement stops with Europe – but that’s where the drive becomes a ride animated by exciting potholes.”

Many of the observations have not aged well -- the author apparently shat in a ceremonial garden at one point -- and the sudden availability of plenty of money certainly represented a glossed-over departure.

In a post-script, Steves attributes the experience to leading him to become a travel writer. While the poignant moments are few and far between, "On the Hippie Trail" sheds light on a forgotten time when the world felt less dangerous and more like an amusement ride -- and how exploring it can inspire personal growth.

“Before he left, he told me, ‘A third of the people on this planet eat with spoons and forks like you, a third of the people eat with chopsticks, and a third of the people eat with their fingers like me … and we’re all civilized just the same.’”

Day 1,971, Quasi-Quarantine: "Where The Line Bleeds" Documents Twins Trying To Find Their Way In Opportunity-Bare Gulf Coast

 

“Away from the citronella candles and electric bulbs illuminating the trees into the surrounding darkness, Eze walked into the ascending crescendo of the raucous night, calling back over his shoulder, ‘Well, come on, I got something to show you.’”

Jesmyn Ward's debut offers glimpses of the writer to come, as "Where the Line Bleeds" balances tremendous character-sketching with some clear over-writing, memorable renderings of atmosphere and place balanced against plot shortcuts and confusing shifts in perspective and time.

While the story hovers around the relationship between twins Cristophe and Joshua and how they manage fractured dynamics with Cille and Sandman, their estranged mother and father, Ma-mee is the core of the book. The blind grandmother tries to hold the twins and extended family together, with most of them figuratively blind to the toll it is taking on them.

On the strength of subsequent works like "Salvage the Bones," "Sing, Unburied, Sing," "Let Us Descend," and "Men We Reaped," Ward has become one of my favorite novelists. This work from 2008 documents that artist on the verge of emergence, after she works out some issues with how things escalate in confusing ways, the passage of time, and the omission of the voice of a key character in Laila.

"Where the Line Bleeds" shows a novelist finding her voice, a hint at Ward's eventual ascension as one of our most revered chroniclers of the South.

“His brother, their wounds, Ma-mee dimming like a bulb, his parents’ places unknown and orbiting them like distant moons: it was enough.”

Limerick Friday #636: Nothing Is Great, And Everything Feels Bad -- Day 1,968

Find hope where it belongs

Despite all of the world's wrongs

Heard "Ohio" played off the shelf

And it made me ask myself

Where are this generation's protest songs?

"Ted Lasso" for golf is "Stick"

Owen Wilson does his normal schtick

But it's the summer's feel-good show

If you just let yourself go

And forget how much our country is sick

Football's coming fast

The summer nearly passed

I can't get unhooked

But the 'Fins already seem cooked

Who will play cornerback at last?

A demented, racist coot

And a pedophile to boot

As he wandered around the roof

Hoped someone could make him go poof

And cut out the problem at its root

A dismal June and July

And August makes me want to cry

The Mets are choking something rare

And really don't seem to care

Where does rock bottom actually lie?

Last time ...

Day 1,964, Quasi-Quarantine: Neglect, Grief Propel Devastatingly Emotional "Foster"

 

“I am in a spot where I can neither be what I always am nor turn into what I could be.”

Claire Keegan is a master at packing an emotional wallop in a short number of pages, and she's at her very best in "Foster." The author of "Small Things Like These," "Walk the Blue Fields," and "Antarctica" beautifully renders a neglected child who is sent to live with relatives in rural Ireland while her mother has the latest in a series of children.

“It is something I am used to, this way men have of not talking: they like to kick a divot out of the grass with a boot heel, to slap the roof of a car before it takes off, to spit, to sit with their legs wide apart, as though they do not care.” 

The unnamed child quickly develops a deep attachment to her aunt and uncle, who have suffered an unspeakable loss that they've left unspoken. Focusing their grief and love on their niece, the Kinsellas show her the attention she has never received in her home.

Much is hinted at and little is explicitly stated in "Foster," but a heartbreaking final scene elevates this short story into an unforgettable tale.

“‘You don’t ever have to say anything,’ he says. ‘Always remember that as a thing you need never do. Many’s the man lost much just because he missed a perfect opportunity to say nothing.’”

Day 1,959, Quasi-Quarantine: Boarding-School Misfits Deal With Love And Grief In "Looking For Alaska"

 

“I lit a cigarette and spit into the creek. ‘You can’t just make me different and then leave,’ I said out loud to her. ‘Because I was fine before, Alaska. I was fine with just me and last words and school friends, and you can’t just make me different and then die.’ For she had embodied the Great Perhaps – she had proved to me that it was worth it to leave behind my minor life for grander maybes, and now she was gone and with her my faith in perhaps.”

John Green's remarkable coming-of-age story is at turns wistful, hysterical, painful, and thought-provoking. "Looking for Alaska" documents a small group of outsiders trying to find who they're trying to become at a posh Alabama boarding school.

“No matter how miserably hot it got, I resolved, I would sleep in my clothes every night at the Creek, feeling – probably for the first time in my life – the fear and excitement of living in a place where you never know what’s going to happen or when.”

I did have a quibble: The Thanksgiving week that Miles and Alaska were able to spend alone went by way too quickly. So much more was possible there that it felt distinctly like a missed opportunity not to let Miles and Alaska experience a little bit more together.

“She had the kind of eyes that predisposed you to supporting her every endeavor.”

The gutting loss of one of their friends marks the midpoint of the book, along with a shift toward something of a detective story. Green draws from his own experiences, but infuses "Looking for Alaska" with a bit of magic, beautifully capturing those teen moments when all seems alternately possible -- and awful.

“And if Alaska took her own life, that is the hope I wish I could have given here. Forgetting her mother, failing her mother and her friend and herself - those are awful things, but she did not need to fold into herself and self-destruct. Those awful things are survivable, because we are as indestructible as we believe ourselves as to be. When adults say, ‘Teenagers think they are invincible’ with that sly, stupid smile on their faces, they don’t know how right they are. We need never be hopeless, because we can never be irreparably broken. We think that we are invincible because we are. We cannot be born, and we cannot die. Like all energy, we can only change shapes and sizes and manifestations. They forget that when they get old. They get scared of losing and failing. But that part of us greater than the sum of our parts cannot begin and cannot end, and so it cannot fail.

“So I know she forgives me, just as I forgive her. Thomas Edison’s last words were: ‘It’s very beautiful over there.’ I don’t know where there is, but I believe it’s somewhere, and I hope it’s beautiful.”

Day 1,953, Quasi-Quarantine: "Montpelier Parade" Offers Stark, Oppressive View Of Multiple Dublin Identities

 

“You never understood how that was with people, that they could tell you all kinds of things without saying anything.”

The seedy and privileged aspects of Dublin clash in this remarkable debut novel. Karl Geary relies on second-person narrative to depict the stark and devastating loneliness of Sonny. 

A vivid first two chapters really sketches the characters and sets the tone for the remainder of the novel. A core tension for the reader involves the question of whether Sonny will ever stand up for himself, with the answer provided along the way -- as well as in an ironic ending.

“Your mother. Not so many years ago you would race home to her after school just to know she was still alive and hadn’t left you in that house of men, without a soft thing in the world.”

With a detached father (I selfishly wanted to know more about this man), overwhelmed mother, and nameless brothers, Sonny is almost literally a stranger in his own house, and he looks for companionship in Sharon and Vera, polar opposites.

“The dashboard lit some of his face, showed his age, and added more. Some years later, when he died, he would be buried without you ever touching that face.”

The author explores Sonny's occasionally disturbing relationship to sex, his inability to accept Sharon, and his hopeless pursuit of Vera. "Montpelier Parade" leaves questions unanswered in the most beautiful of ways, creating a gut punch of a short novel that will stick with you well beyond the reading.

Another Geary novel, "Juno Loves Legs," was a "Narrow Miss" in the 2023 Scooties, and you might expect to see "Montpelier Parade" finishing high in the Scooties again this year.

“You could taste the salt at your lips and held your breath for as long as you could, and for a moment you were between worlds, before being thrown from the water, fighting for that precious air.”

Day 1,950, Quasi-Quarantine: Meticulous, Dense "On Air" Can Be Difficult To Absorb

 

“‘What’s advocacy and what’s not?’ she asked. ‘It’s very easy to present both sides and let it go at that. Maybe you become biased because you did all the research and you could come to no other conclusion.’” ~Barbara Newman

Steve Oney's intensely researched tome relies heavily on interviews with scores of former and current NPR employees. As a result, "On Air" can feel rather dense, with attributions occasionally handled clunkily and the prose bogging down with incessant clauses.

The story itself, however, is sublime and well told. The organization's perseverance through a litany of setbacks and obstacles -- continuing to this day -- is inspiring for anyone who values precise, passionate journalism.

“I think the fundamental advantage of narrative is that you can create a context where it’s possible to imagine being someone different from yourself.” ~Ira Glass

Oney's work serves as a timely reminder of the vital presence NPR holds in our culture and in a democracy under siege. While he underplays the role that government plays in undercutting and undermining the organization's efforts, the efforts put into articulating its origin story are instructive, important, and invaluable as the very nature of independent journalism becomes a daily question.

“‘The job of the reporter is to listen to all these distortions and pick up a little bit here, a little bit there. The other stuff you discard. The writer’s job is to search for truth in a world of deception and lies.’” ~Loren Jenkins

Day 1,945, Quasi-Quarantine: The Triangle Takes Center Stage In "A Really Strange And Wonderful Time"

 

“Vertical structures are about power, after all. Horizontal ones are about community.”

Meticulously researched, "A Really Strange and Wonderful Time" evokes a memorable creative era in Chapel Hill and the Triangle. Tom Maxwell -- part of the "scenius" himself -- relied on extensive interviews, a fabulous memory, and first-person accounts to bring this momentous time to life.

Chock full of tales of short-lived bands and collaborations and the steady presence of Cat's Cradle, Merge Records, and other community pillars, this book leans hard on nostalgia and what-ifs -- but a resounding lack of regret. Music is eternal, and Maxwell's account is a welcome reminder in a time of cultural upheaval.

“‘The artist-as-midwife idea is very simple and useful if you want to make art versus being an artist,’ John [Enisslin] said. ‘Every work is a compromise between intention and medium. The less important component is the intention. It is completely disposable at the point the material comes to life. Then, all the practice in the medium and the experience with intuition is there to help as you plop this thing into the world as smoothly as possible, whatever is it, itself. No artist should ask, ‘What am I trying to say here?’ That’s useless and profane. It’s not a code to be figured out. It’s a thing already. Get out of the way. It’s not about you.’”

Day 1,938, Quasi-Quarantine: "Creation Lake" Suffers From A Flat Protagonist, Sinking Promising Premise

 

“People might claim to believe in this or that, but in the four a.m. version of themselves, most possess no fixed idea on how society should be organized.

…

“What is it people encounter in their stark and solitary four a.m. self? What is inside them?

“Not politics. There are no politics inside of people.

“The truth of the person, under all the layers and guises, the significations of group and type, the quiet truth, underneath the noise of opinions and ‘beliefs,’ is a substance that is pure and stubborn and consistent. It is a hard, white salt.

“This salt is the core. The four a.m. reality of being.”

"Creation Lake" had a few elements that would appear to lend themselves to a tremendous story: an existential hermit living in a cave in France, a globe-trotting mercenary charged with infiltrating protest movements, and the overarching conflict between capitalism and individualism.

“Revolution, which back in 1968 he had believed was possible, he now understood to be foreclosed. The world ruled by capital would not be dismantled. Instead, it had to be left behind.”

However, Rachel Krushner struggled to help these variables coalesce into a coherent story. The first proper dialogue takes place more than 40 pages into the book, and a lack of insight into the inner nature of the protagonist renders most of the tale surface level.

For a few reasons, I was somewhat surprised that this book was shortlisted for the Booker Prize a year ago. I ended up wanting and expecting much more out of the work.

“ … He had the sexual energy of a grandmother with bone density issues.”

Despite the presence of a strong female character, there was a difficult-to-parse scene where she was essentially sexually assaulted in public on a bench near a lake, then quickly succumbed to a random blowjob with this stranger, which included her even swallowing a load.

At times, Sadie demonstrates a lot of agency, while at others she appears to just allow events to unfold without her assent or engagement. "Creation Lake" follows much the same path: It can be difficult to determine when it's trying to make a statement and when it is simply meandering through the European countryside.

“But why would you want to survive mass death? What would be the purpose of life, if life were reduced to a handful of armed pessimists hoarding canned foods and fearing each other? In a bunker, you cannot hear the human community in the earth, the deep cistern of voices, the lake of our creation.”

Day 1,932, Quasi-Quarantine: Still Processing Everything That Alaska And The Yukon Had To Share And Reveal

 

The seals near Dawes Glacier were so serene and peaceful. We almost felt bad for interrupting their nap.

Glacier calving is a moving (and depressing) thing to witness.

The dog-sledding portion of the trip in Juneau was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

The resonant blue of some of the icebergs were truly breath-taking, especially against the backdrop of the persistent gray-white of Alaska's inner passage.

A bear? Yes, a fucking bear. Just getting his dandelion on.

So many more pictures and memories to process. 

What a trip.

Day 1,915, Quasi-Quarantine: Stars Hollow Comes To Raleigh

 

A recent gift-giving opportunity allowed me to present a Hallmark puzzle to a long-time "Gilmore Girls" aficanado.

The 1,000-piece puzzle was just challenging enough, allowing for the various locations from the TV show to be built as a collection of mini-puzzles. From Luke's Diner to the Dragonfly Inn to Lorelai's house and more, the pieces were colorful and vibrant.

Measuring 24" W x 30" H, this puzzle was charming and nostalgic, even for those who struggled to follow the fast-talking Gilmores.

8.6/10, would construct with a "Gilmore Girls" fan again

Limerick Friday #635: A Sticky And Turbulent Summer Looms -- Day 1,912

The summer is nigh

Spirits are high

Another school year past

It goes by so fast

Treasure it more, my guy

When your franchise is a meme

Your fandom can run outta steam

Bring mercenaries in

And then you don't win

This is what happens to your team

Haven't situationally hit worth beans

Who knows what that means

But the wins keep coming

And the Mets keep on humming

Could get pretty interesting in Queens

It's so hard even trying

Amidst all of the lying

Overwhelm and crowd

Commit crime out loud

All the wrong people are dying

Out in the Edinburgh milieu

There's Kelly Macdonald, too

Has a bit of a "Fringe" feel

Gritty and grey as steel

What a godsend has been "Dept. Q"

Last time ...

Day 1,908, Quasi-Quarantine: Interviews, Reminiscences Of The Village Voice Propel "The Freaks Came Out To Write"

 

“The Voice is a place that took things seriously – small things, developing things, emerging things – that other places didn’t. That’s what it always did.” ~Joe Levy

A painstakingly researched work, "The Freaks Came Out to Write" relies on an incredible volume of interviews to re-create the rise and fall of the Village Voice. Author Tricia Romano -- a former staffer -- documents the 70-year history of the iconic publication and its role in historical national touchstones along the way.

“So began an era of demoralizing factionalism at the Voice. After a while there were factions within factions. Writers began to forget the reasons for their feuds, only that they were enemies and wouldn’t speak in the elevator. It felt like a combination of high school and Bosnia. ‘It’s like Yeats's description of Ireland,’ said Richard Goldstein. ‘Great hatred, little room.’” ~Jack Newfield

Subtitled as "The Definitive History of the Village Voice, the Radical Paper That Changed American Culture," the book focuses almost exclusively on the personalities rather than the process. The lack of a narrative throughline compromises the ability of the work to coalesce.

“He was always a vicious, horrible man. Forget about being president. If you’d asked me, ‘Who is the worst person in New York?’ I would have said ‘Trump’ at any time over the last twenty years.” ~Tom Robbins

“You gotta grab the reader by the throat. He’s on the train. It’s hot. He’s trying to hit on his secretary; she’s not giving him the time of day. His wife is mad at him. His kid needs braces; he doesn’t have the money. The guy next to him stinks. It’s crowded. You want him to read your story? You better make it interesting.” ~Don Forst

The overwhelming cast of characters can put a lot of onus on the reader to keep everyone -- and every timeline -- straight. However, the effort is worth it, as the result is an accessible collection of quotes about and memories of one of America's defining journalistic endeavors.

“I was asked years ago to address the elementary school that my son attended and tell them what a reporter did, and I went to the auditorium in a trench coat with the collar up and a notebook in my pocket, baring it to announce that ‘we are detectives for the people.’” ~Wayne Barrett

Day 1,901, Quasi-Quarantine: Big Decisions Loom In The Mets Infield

Despite being 15 games over .500 (37-22), the New York Mets have struggled to find offensive consistency this year. This development has led some to clamor for the elevation of prospect Ronnie Mauricio from Triple-A to the big-league club.

However, the Mets already have a glut at second and third base, with Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, Jeff McNeil, and Luisangel Acuna all vying for time. Adding another young player to the mix without guaranteed action is a suboptimal solution.

The reality is that New York has four promising young players for two positions. Some of how the Mets navigate this issue is dependent on where the club sits in the standings at the trade deadline, how the involved players perform in the next couple of months, and what direction the Mets are leaning in terms of retaining Pete Alonso should he opt out of his deal after the season (a likely scenario).

Here's a quick look at the involved players and the likely variables that David Stearns and his team will be taking into account as decisions loom.

Mark Vientos

The most established of the quartet after a tremendous 2024 season, Vientos's weak defensive play at third base has him verging hard toward permanent-designated hitter territory -- never an ideal scenario when you're 25 years old. He's struggled with plate discipline thus far this season, hitting .232 with six homers and 21 RBIs in 185 at bats. Last season, he delivered 27 long balls and drove in 71 runs in just 413 at bats, batting at a .266 clip and serving as the team's most dangerous postseason hitter.

Why the Mets might want to trade him: If Alonso is retained (a somewhat likely scenario), a transition to first base is blocked for Vientos. If the club values Baty's more well-rounded game at third, Vientos becomes dependent on full-time DH play to justify his role -- which may not be viable if he doesn't come around offensively to at least hold off a platoon. Other teams may look hard at his 2024 season and feel that's the version of Vientos they can build on and offer something of intrigue.

Why the Mets might want to keep him: Vientos is a home-grown talent who showed what's possible last year. He's almost certainly going to get going offensively (he's showing signs of less pressing at the plate recently), he can improve defensively, and he has the longest track record of sustained strong play of this quartet.

Brett Baty

After an awful start to the season necessitated another stint in AAA, he has broken through since his return. In the past 30 games, Baty's hit .281 with six homers and 20 RBIs, often serving as the team's most consistent bat. The power seems to be coming around (12 extra-base hits in 120 at bats), he's emerged as a plus defender at third base, and he's a key left-handed bat in the lineup. 

Why the Mets might want to trade him: His value may never be higher than it is right now and separating him from Vientos (while creating room for Ronnie Mauricio) feels like a necessity at some point. 

Why the Mets might want to keep him: Despite seeming like's had a million chances to win the third-base job, Baty is still just 25 years old. If Stearns & Co. sense he is finally coming into his own and realizing his potential, he may be too valuable a commodity. He's the most natural third baseman and the most well-rounded player of the group, and he offers positional flexibility with the chops to play some second base. 

Luisangel Acuna

After hitting three homers in just 39 at bats at the end of last year and then winning NL Rookie of the Month honors for April, Acuna has come back to earth in a big way since. He's hitting just .133 over the past 15 games and overall is at .246 without a homer in 130 at bats, with an awful .298 OBP. His playing time has diminished, though he has been important in roles as a pinch runner and defensive replacement.

Why the Mets might want to trade him: Acuna rarely barrels the ball and offers little to no power, so New York may see a ceiling to his potential. He also brings name recognition, leading to the chance that another team sees a clearly defined role and path to starting for him.

Why the Mets might want to keep him: At just 23 years old, Acuna likely needs more seasoning in the minors and likely has more to offer than we've seen. His speed is a differentiator, he's been better defensively than anticipated (he looks natural at second base, which is unique in this group), and he brings an aggression and energy to the park. Some talent evaluators think he'll eventually unlock more power, and overall, it feels too early to part with that potential.

Ronnie Mauricio

The towering Mauricio stands 6-4, 166 pounds, and brings an intriguing skill set. He's coming off a serious knee injury, but in just nine games at Triple-A Syracuse, he's hit .515 with three homers, eight RBIs, and four steals in only 33 at bats. He saw some time with the Mets in 2023, contributing six extra-base hits in 101 at bats.

Why the Mets might want to trade him: He's still considered one of the most promising prospects in the organization, but he may have a difficult path to consistent playing time with New York. Mauricio also may not have a clearly defined position.

Why the Mets might want to keep him: There is a sense that he has the highest ceiling of this group, with a rare blend of speed and power. He's versatile enough to play multiple positions (eventually even the outfield), has the natural power and bat speed that franchises prize, and he's still working his way back into shape. Mauricio just turned 24 years old, so it's possible you'd be trading him at his lowest value.

Prediction:

I feel New York will eventually send Acuna down to the minors for more consistent playing time and bring up Mauricio for some major-league at bats. I just don't see the Mets trading any of these four at the deadline, instead waiting to see how the rest of the season unfolds before coming to some determinations about roster possibilities in the offseason.

This is a good problem to have, but I think reality dictates that either Vientos or Baty will have to find their future in a different uniform.

Day 1,898, Quasi-Quarantine: "The End Of The Myth" Features Meticulous Research That Shatters The Lie Of American Exceptionalism

 

“What kind of republic was the United States of America that its national border didn’t just move occasionally, in response to episodic war or diplomacy, but constitutively as a quality of its being? What, exactly, lay on the other side of that moving border? And what happens to a nation when that line stops moving?”

This meticulously researched book features parts that are almost impossibly disturbing to read, but Greg Grandin has fashioned a resource that should be required reading for every U.S. citizen.

“Security was commerce, commerce was prosperity, prosperity was power, power nurtured virtue, virtue was freedom, and freedom had to be extended to be secured and secured to be extended.”

"The End of the Myth" is essentially the defining textbook of the nation's history, delving into the development of the frontier spirit and where the promises that the United States has made to its people have been repeatedly broken -- and the impact that has had on contemporary events.

“After centuries of fleeing forward across the blood meridian, all the things that expansion was supposed to preserve have been destroyed, and all the things it was meant to destroy have been preserved. Instead of peace, there’s endless war. Instead of a critical, resilient, and progressive citizenry, a conspiratorial nihilism, rejecting reason and dreading change, has taken hold. Factionalism congealed and won a national election.”

The author is at his most powerful when he documents the cycle of war begetting more war, justifying further violence and savagery by the violence and savagery it had already created.

“In the years ahead, the expected virtues that would come from the next war were regularly prescribed as the solutions for the vices generated by the previous one.”

Subtitled "From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America," the book offers a troubling chronology of the nation's long reliance on brutality and an implicit agreement to ignore self-awareness. How these events have shaped U.S. 2025 -- a country with the highest infant mortality and lowest life expectancy among high-income countries -- is a fascinating component of Grandin's work.

“As vast stretches of the West burn, as millions of trees die from global warming-induced blight, as Houston and Puerto Rico flood, the oceans acidify, and bats, frogs, and flying insects disappear in uncountable numbers, any sentence from Cormac McCarthy’s The Road could be plucked and used as a newspaper headline.”

“Never before has a ruling class been as free – so completely emancipated from the people it rules – as ours.”

The quibbles come from the author's reliance on incredibly long sentences and some really contentious allegations (the "Los Angeles Rams" trading season tickets for illegal Mexican women?!) that aren't cited.

Overall, Grandin pulls no punches in delivering the history that you never got in school -- while offering a glimpse into a future that feels nearly impossible to avoid.

“But instead of having the force of natural law at their backs and the welcoming sun of manifest destiny on their brows, today's American migrants – a ‘sheer mass of humanity,’ as a border patrol agent described NAFTA’s first wave of refugees – are moving into a country that increasingly defines itself by what it hates.”

Day 1,896, Quasi-Quarantine: The Mets Finally Showed Some Life In Beantown At Fenway

While in Boston for work recently, I got an opportunity to finally visit venerable Fenway Park -- the oldest baseball stadium in America -- to see the Sox play my beloved Mets. 

Opening in 1912, the park features the Green Monster and other old-school accoutrements. The weather was listed at 52 degrees and overcast, with a three-mile-per-hour wind coming in from right field (where we were sitting), but it felt chillier than that.

Ascendant infielder Brett Baty carried the day, delivering an RBI single in the second inning (catcher Luis Torrens was pegged at the plate on the play) and a bases-loaded rocket into the left-field corner that plated two and put the Mets up 3-1.

Juan Soto was a target of lusty boos, as Boston fans thought they had a chance to land the $765 million man this offseason before he landed with the Mets. Soto has been barely short of terrible this season, and he continued his performance with a three-pitch strikeout -- all looking -- in the first, another strikeout looking in the third, and a strikeout swinging in the sixth. He redeemed himself slightly by narrowly missing a grand slam in the seventh, driving a ball to deep center that was caught at the wall and resulted in a much-needed sacrifice fly.

After we left in the eighth inning, Francisco Lindor delivered New York's first home run in seven games, depositing a ball over the light stanchion in left field to push the Mets ahead, 5-1. Reid Garrett and Edwin Diaz cleaned up the last couple of innings, combining to give up a hit and a walk while striking out a pair to close out the contest.

On the mound, Tylor Megill struck out 10 in four and two-thirds innings, giving up four hits and a run while walking a batter. Brazoban was nails for two and a third innings, striking out four and giving up a lone hit to earn the win. His highlight was coming in to get a bases-loaded strikeout of Alex Bregman in the bottom of the fifth inning.

The park and the surrounding neighborhood were quaint and amazing, making for a tremendous way to end a quick work trip.

LFGM.

Day 1,880, Quasi-Quarantine: Iffy Role Models And Focus Undercut Promising "Talent"

 

“A world of rampant inequality and insufficient opportunity is, among other things, a world failing to recognize and mobilize talent.”

The science of job interviews and pursuing talent is probably an under-represented part of literature, and "Talent" goes about trying to fill some of that gap.

Tyler Cowen and Daniel Gross take an analytical approach to discussing the topic of identifying corporate game-changers. The work -- which is subtitled "How to Identify Energizers, Creatives, and Winners Around the World" -- includes some fascinating discussion of credentialism, fallibilism, and adhesiveness, leaning hard on the existing research.

“Status-seekers focus on maximizing attention from the perceived elite. Idea-seekers, on the other hand, want to advance knowledge and stimulate curiosity, speaking to the entire room and holding the attention of the group.”

Some of the references to role models have not aged well and the book felt like it lost some focus toward the end (there was a disturbing amount of time spent on scouting supermodels). And while some may be put off by attempts to quantify human beings and the VC mentality, the authors make no qualms about the intent of the book.

“When it comes to team leadership, there is a lot to be said for independent-thinking contrarians who are tough but also fine diplomats when that is called for.”

The ability to pinpoint, court, and sway talent is an essential component of any successful company. "Talent" is a worthy read for those invested in this element of team building.

“The key point here is that the best interviews are not formal interviews at all. We’re sure you can think of other creative ways to take the candidate out of interview mode and into their everyday self. This is important, because the everyday self is what you’ll get if you hire them.”

Limerick Friday #634: Cassian & Crew Ripped From The Headlines -- Day 1,877

 

Story-telling you have to see

With "Bladerunner" vibes, to me

The pace of a hellion

Love in a rebellion

"Andor" is the best thing on TV

A legend in every way

Changed everything with "College Gameday"

"The Sunshine Scooter" was my fave

Every ounce he gave

Lee Corso, an institution we can't repay

Will the injuries calm down

Will the bats ever come to town

The pitching has been sublime

But it's high time

For the Mets stars to come around

A rapist, liar, and thief

Is the bitch in chief

Intentional crime is the point

How is he not in the joint?

His obituary would be a relief

Called NFL games in the nineties

Then moved on to ACC's

A legendary voice he had

Kinda like a friendly dad

Mike Patrick, all the RIPs

Last time ...

Day 1,874, Quasi-Quarantine: Location And Melancholy Fuel Appreciation Of Lego ARC-170 Starfighter Set

 

Our most recent trip to Disney World included the mandatory visit to the Lego Store at Disney Springs, where my building partner landed the iconic ARC-170 Starfigher (set #75402).

Featuring three opening cockpits and two spring-loaded shooters, this 497-piece set is most recognizable for its adjustable wings. The foils move easily and efficiently, the rear guns have cool flexibility, the midship cockpit is nicely detailed, the space for the astromech is clever, and the overall build is both sleek and durable.

For some reviewers, the overall size (smaller than the version from 2010), color mismatching, and the sheer number of stickers are dramatic misses from Lego. In particular, the cockpit stickers are unwieldy and colored much differently than the box representation, while the printed wing pieces feature the wrong maroon hue.

For me, the cockpit for the tail gunner feels incomplete, with no stickers or console, and the price point would seem to justify more printing and fewer stickers. I also find the minifigures (Oddball, Jag, a generic clone pilot, and the R4-P44 mech droid) somewhat uninspiring, though the helmets and face printing are certainly well conceived.

Despite the $70 tag for a set with fewer than 500 pieces, I didn't find this set dramatically overpriced (unlike some others recently). It's a unique build with a few miscalculations on the part of Lego -- your interpretation of how harshly to ding them for them may vary.

Seeing the ARC-170 in action at the recent 20th-anniversary viewing of "Return of the Sith" was incredibly cool, and seeing my building partner rediscover some of his waning Lego passion in Florida certainly gives the set a nostalgia boost in my mind.

Day 1,873, Quasi-Quarantine: Miami Bets On Tools Over Output In Hit-Or-Miss Day # Haul

 

After landing massive trench players on Day 1 and Day 2, Miami didn't stray too far from the emphasis on physicality on Day 3. The second-day shuffling shut the Dolphins out of both the third and fourth rounds (though they did secure a 2026 third-rounder along the way), meaning they went 106 straight selections without a pick. The 'Fins did make three choices in the fifth round, one in the sixth, and two in the seventh.

The pluses: Jordan Phillips of Maryland went 143rd overall in the fifth round despite having a third- or fourth-round grade and being rated 121st overall and the No. 16 defensive tackle by Brugler. The 6-2, 313-pounder isn't even 21 years old yet and has freakish athletic ability that translated to a strong performance in the East-West Shrine Bowl. 

Running back Ollie Gordon (6-1, 226, Oklahoma State) also had a fourth-round grade, considered the No. 136 overall pick and No. 14 running back by Brugler, and Miami snapped him up in the sixth round (179th overall). Another young player (21 years old), he brings a physical dimension to running, short-yardage scenarios, and pass protection that the Dolphins have needed for a while. 

A viable quarterback prospect is always a need, and Quinn Ewers (6-2, 214, Texas) represents that as a seventh-rounder (231st overall). Brugler had him as the No. 6 QB and No. 86 overall player in the draft, with a third-round grade. Even with the signal-caller-value tax, Ewers is worth a flyer based on college production and a fast release.

The minuses: Jason Marshall Jr. (6-0, 194, Florida) was considered a sixth-rounder and the No. 241 overall player in the draft by Brugler, but the 'Fins selected him in the fifth round at No. 150 overall. Even though Marshall is a Miami native who played for the Gators, Dolphins analyst Travis Wingfield had not seen his film -- despite the screaming need the franchise has for cornerbacks. He's a four-year starter in the SEC, but hasn't intercepted a pass since 2022, has shaky technique, lacks speed, and does not have special-teams experience.

Safety Dante Trader Jr. (5-11, 200, Maryland) was Brugler's No. 12 safety with a No. 172 overall rating and went in the fifth round at No. 155 to Miami. Trader is quicker than fast and undersized for the position, though he could benefit from focusing exclusively on football instead of lacrosse, which he also played for the Terps.

On the concerns front for players we've already highlighted, Ewers has durability issues and struggles to extend plays, and he didn't test at the combine or his Pro Day. The inexperienced Phillips managed to record zero sacks in 23 career games and is seen as a one-dimensional, run-stuffing player whose production has not matched his tools. Gordon is a bit of a 'tweener who runs upright, is indecisive, and saw his production fall off dramatically in his final campaign. And Biggers had just two sacks and nine stops for losses in 47 career games.

The bottom line: Half of Miami's eight selections were linemen, and the focal point there was size and potential. For me, too many of the Dolphins' choices were based on projections instead of production, and the lack of attention on the secondary is a massive oversight that leaves the franchise with precious little leverage in negotiations. There are interesting players here who could develop into impactful starters, but general manager Chris Grier and his staff continue to demonstrate a lack of understanding of draft value, scheme fits, and contextual selections.