Another week stuck at home. Good times all around. So, what to do this week? Reading, TV and I did get some work done. I can say that I am glad I didn’t pay attention to the mainstream media and stocked up on food before this all happened. I’m still in good shape and my beer reserves are still good. I found out that Liquid Hero was still open for beer to go so I stopped in on Monday and partook.

So my normal day is to get work done in the morning while I have a stable Internet connection. It cuts out sometime in the early afternoon so I go take a walk and read a book. After dinner the Internet comes back and evening TV is coming on so there’s something to watch. I can’t watch daytime TV at all. I was also watching the local news and one of the talking heads said that America has now passed China in the death total for COVID-19. I laughed out loud and asked the TV if they actually believed that. You should have seen the look on Squeaker’s face when I did that. I just don’t see how a country with heavy air pollution that leads to respiratory issues to begin with along with a nation that has the highest percentage of elderly smokers in the world has gotten this under control. I doubt they have and it looks like at most people are starting to realize the CCP are lying their asses off.

I was also watching the press conference where the MSM cut away when Trump let the My Pillow Guy say a few words. Why? (I know why). I’m sorry, I can’t go back to them for my news. I’ve never watched CNN or MSNBC but I am done with NBC, CBS, ABC and all of the others. They are a bunch of liars and manipulators and when Trump calls them out I am laughing at them as time is proving Trump to be correct in so many ways. Independent commentators on YouTube are far more knowledgeable and they are not bought and paid for by the CCP. The only time I will tune in is for the debates for my every four year drinking game. Rules to be determined as the date gets closer.

And that letter that Trump sent to ol’ “Professor” Chuck Schumer was hilarious. Completely inappropriate but hilarious in every sense. I think I am going to miss Donald after he leaves office. The presidency will never be the same. I would feel worse for Schumer if he actually knew how to wear a mask.

Monday would have been the NCAA finals. I remember when Maryland won it back in 2002. I had to work that night in the computer lab until game time and I remember running across campus to get to my dorm so I could get the VHS tape into my roommate’s VCR to record it. It was a small campus so I didn’t have far to run. It’s been that long, 18 years now. I can still remember everyone on that team, from Juan Dixon and Lonny Baxter to Earl Badu and Mike Grinnon. Grinnon an answer to one of those Terp trivia questions as the only player to win the NCAA tournament and the ACC tournament with Maryland. I still have the VHS tape. I think I even still have a working VCR but then I haven’t plugged it in in well over a decade and a half. I doubt that Maryland would have made it this year but it is fun to dream.

Had a nice thunderstorm go through early Wednesday morning. It was enough to scare Haka to have him come up to his human who was deep in sleep and lay on his back licking the back of his human’s neck. After the thunder and lightning died out at about 4 AM he snuggled up next to me for the rest of the night. As a bonus on Wednesday the Internet hot spot started working again. Hooray! No more having to walk down to the end of the street to get Internet. Must have gotten a good reset during the storm.

Made a trip to the grocery store on Thursday. I think I can stop buying cat food for a bit, I think my furry little guys have enough food to get them through this, assuming we start re-opening in early May. I was almost surprised to find that the East York Giant had toilet paper in stock. I bought a 4-pack just to feel special. I am still on the same roll that I put on when this all started so I am in very good shape there though that roll is almost finished.

Finished American Ulysses late in the week. Quite a guy that’s for sure. Bold, aggressive and competent. A dangerous combination in 19th century America and a true rags to riches story. Maybe also the last honest politician this country has seen in the Oval Office. After reading that I would like to change my vote that I cast when I visited Andrew Johnson’s home last summer to not impeach him. Nope, he should have been according to this book. We’ll see if I change my mind (again) after reading the biography of Johnson that I bought when I visited his home last summer since Ben Wade would have become the President which would have presented its own issues. If you think Trump and Congress has a bad relationship, Johnson’s was far worse. That’s book number 4 for this pandemic. Next up is A. Wilson Green’s Campaign of Giants about the Siege of Petersburg. It’s only part one, don’t know if part 2 is out yet. It’s not on Amazon so I doubt it, maybe Christmas time.

In baseball this week would have been a big week with the start of the minor league season. I love the minors. The only option locally was Reading but that wasn’t a bad thing since my beloved Pirates were making their once-every-six year trip to Baltimore. Yeah, I wasn’t expecting much out of them but it is nice to see your favorite team even if that team is the Pirates. I would have also picked up my first bobblehead of the year down in DC. Thanks Chinese Communist Party! I don’t normally wish harm on people but I hope President Pooh Bear and his buddy the Battle Toad gets infected and the people overthrow the CCP.  The bobbleheads are made in China so I would probably have been given a voucher for it anyway.

I’ve seen plans with teams trying to start the season playing in their Spring Training homes with no fans. That would be in my opinion the only way to get it started and eventually allowing fans in as things slow down. Of course what will happen when another outbreak begins is open for speculation. I figure if the season isn’t underway by July 4 there is no reason to start it. Maybe they could play all of the games at either Tropicana Field since the Rays don’t draw any fans to begin with or at Camden Yards since the Orioles didn’t either last year. No issue social distancing there. Of course that is also great for the bigs but what about the minor leagues? Where will they play? Someone’s going to get hurt and a minor leaguer will be needed at some point, or rehab in the minors will be needed.

I think playing in the Spring Training home offers the best bet since minor league games could start early in the day with the big league game starting last. Especially early in the season when only 4 affiliates are playing. It could probably be arranged to have 2 of them play at home and 2 on the road so that would allow for TV time slotting to be set. With no fans the games will go very fast (see Orioles Riot Game with no fans that was played in like 2 hours flat). I’m sure Rob Manfred has thought about this but I still think the next live sporting event to watch will be the Hall of Fame Game in the NFL. The ratings will be huge for that game. I’m not putting money on that but that’s just my gut feeling.

I base that off of the fact that the NPB in Japan is still not starting back up, the KBO in Korea is not as well though the CPBL in Taiwan apparently is giving it a go. Could ESPN get the rights to that? It’s gotta be better than the World Electricians Championships and stone skipping. Lot’s of new Rakuten Monkeys or Fubon Guardians fans to be gained. Until then, more professional arm wrestling and ultimate frisbee championships! And should the local townball leagues play they could see record attenandace. I might even head out to take in some games.

A dull Easter weekend. Got some mulch and cleaned out my flower bed in front of my house on Sunday. It was a nice day at least.