The Astros Magic Number Update has been temporarily replaced by the Astros Choke Watch. Astros are now 2.5 games behind the hated Texas Rangers after getting swept in a 4 game series in Arlington. A combination of 18 Ranger wins and Astros losses will now eliminate the Astros from winning the AL West. Winning a Wildcard Playoff spot looks increasingly meaningless since it would likely mean a one game playoff in New York and Red can predict how that will come out.
From the Annals of the Republic – In 1848, Sam Houston dedicated the Monument Hill cemetery just south of La Grange on a bluff overlooking the Colorado River. Those to be buried there had died in the Dawson Massacre and other conflicts between the Republic of Texas and Mexico in the years after independence. On September 18, 1842, Capt. Nicholas Dawson and his fifty-eight volunteers fought a losing battle against 500 irregular Mexican cavalrymen and their two cannons. The Texans were slaughtered. A few escaped, and fifteen were carted off to Perote Prison. Nine survivors from the brutal imprisonment were eventually released. The dead were later transferred to Monument Hill.
Photo from Texas Parks & Wildlife.
Ted Cruz: The sky is falling. The sky is falling. Why? Because Obama is not a leader. I know how to lead, I was a patrol leader in my Canadian boy scout troop.
Jeb!!!!$$$$?: I know how to lead too, I was the corresponding secretary for my fraternity at UT. Oh yeah, and governor of some state. I forget which.
Marco Rubio: The problem is that Obama is weak, really weak, disgustingly weak. Pero, yo soy muy fuerte.
Chris Christie: I’ve seen weak leaders before, but he’s weakest weak-kneed, weakling that was ever weak.
Carly Fiorina: Yeah, killing Osama bin Laden and all those Al Qaida leaders and not having a terror attack in the U.S. on his watch just shows how weak he is. Very weak. Weaker than Rand Paul.
Rand Paul: Weakness in the defense of liberty is no vice!
Ben Carson: It’s past my bedtime.
Scott Walker: I am not weak, I just look that way on TV.
John Kasich: I’m still over here.
Mike Huckabee: I was for calling Obama a weakling, before weakness was cool.
Donald Trump. The weak love me too. Have you seen how I’m polling with the weak?
From the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.
Jeb!!!!$$$$?: Donald you tried to get casino gambling in Florida and I stopped it. You wanted to bring your Mafioso friends in and pay off politicians, but the forces of righteousness stopped you.
Donald Trump: If I had wanted to get gambling in Florida, I would have done it. I guarantee that because I am a winner. Look at the polls. If the people of Florida didn’t want gambling, screw them – I would have gotten it done because all that really matters is what I want. Again the polls. And the people would have loved me for it.
From the Annals of the Civil War – In 1862, the Battle of Antietam was fought near Sharpsburg, Maryland. The day was the bloodiest day in American military history with over 23,000 casualties on both sides. The battle of Antietam was particularly hard on Texans fighting for the Confederacy. Over a thousand miles from their homes, the Confederate soldiers of Hood’s Texas Brigade would suffer the second-highest casualty rate of any unit during the Civil War. On the morning of September 17, the men of the First, Fourth, and Fifth Texas Infantry regiments were attempting to cook breakfast as the fighting opened. The meal was interrupted when the Federal army launched an assault on the Confederate left flank. Hood’s Brigade quickly formed and marched north, passing wounded and terrified Rebels streaming to the rear. They entered the fighting in the vicinity of the Dunker Church where they were ordered forward in a counterattack. The Texans attacked the Union soldiers in a cornfield with initial success. But the attack was repulsed by intense artillery and musket fire. The Texans attempted to continue their advance, but after suffering massive casualties Hood was forced to withdraw. Over 550 of the brigade’s 850 soldiers had been killed, wounded, or captured. The First Texas Infantry suffered a casualty rate of 82% and lost their colors as well.
The technical victory for the Union at Antietam allowed President Lincoln to finally issue the Emancipation Proclamation which freed all slaves in Texas and the other Confederate states.
Photo of Antietam Cornfield from the National Park Service.
From the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Who knew they could fit a 707 into a presidential library?
Jay: Thanks to Donald Trump for being here tonight and I see there are some other guys on the stage, I’m not really sure who you are – please introduce yourselves.
Rand Paul: It’s time we had a curly-headed president again. Look how well Andrew Jackson did.
Marco Rubio: I could have sworn I shaved before this debate.
Chris Christie: Does this tie make me look fat?
Carly Fiorina: How did Nixon’s makeup man sneak into my dressing room?
Ted Cruz: I am shutting down this debate unless we defund CNN right now!
John Kasich: I’m over here.
Ben Carson: It takes real balls to wear a pin stripe suit this ugly to a Presidential debate.
Jeb!!!!$$$$?: See I told you I was taller than everyone else.
Mike Huckabee: Chris Christie’s tie does make him look fat. Really fat. I should know.
Scott Walker: ZZZZZZZZ
Donald Trump: Have you seen my poll numbers? Next question.
“In football everything is complicated by the presence of the opposite team.” Jean-Paul Sartre
Red knows that ol’ JPS was talking about that other football, but you have to admit that his insight is fairly universal for the world of team sports. And only Red mixes French existential philosophy with a good old-fashioned slobberknocker.
Your Opposite Pick of the Week: Raiders over Ravens. Raiders looked weak and pathetic in losing to Bengals at home last week. And Ravens were not much better against Broncos. Red’s antipathy for Flacco Joe is well known. But even still, Ravens should be a clear favorite against a once proud Raiders franchise that has set marks for futility for more than a decade. Red knew the Raiders were bad, but was surprised that they have not had a winning season since losing the 2002 Superb Owl to the Buccaneers. That’s a long downhill slide. What is overlooked is that the Raiders were 3-3 in their last 6 games in 2014. And that was with the overrated Derek Carr at the helm. Ravens can’t overcome triple reverse time zone hex combined with West Coast spiritual adjustment factor. The long slow climb back to respectability for the Raiders begins this week. Oakland 24 Baltimore 21.
Your It’s Complicated Pick of the Week: Packers over Seahawks. Clearly Red’s Game of the Week in northern Wisconsin featuring the class of the NFC. This early season rematch of the NFC Championship game has all the bells and whistles. A top flight offense for the Packers, what was thought to be an excellent defense for the Seahawks, mutual dislke, a grudge match atmosphere and a national TV audience in the coveted Sunday night spot. Which makes it a tough call. The Seahawks seems addicted to making bad calls at the end of games. They do it again Sunday when PC calls for a blitz and Rodgers makes them pay with a last second TD to win a close one. Green Bay 31 Seattle 28.
Your French Philosopher Pick of the Week: Titans over Browns. The first matchup of Heisman Trophy winners this season. Will there be another – Red doesn’t have time to do everything for you. Just enjoy this one. Tennesee 24 Cleveland 13.
Your Dirty Hands Pick of the Week: Patriots over Bills. The Bills are a sexy pick right now, but keep in mind that this is a Rex Ryan coached team going up against the filthy master. In other words, don’t get too excited. Belichick went 9-4 against Jets teams coached by Ryan from 2009-2014. Brady, however, was sub-par against Ryan defenses with a 59.1 QBR against the Jets over that period. Lord knows what ol’ Hoody is cooking up for this weekend, but expect him to serve it fresh and hot to the Bills. New England 41 Orchard Park 17.
Your No Exit Pick of the Week: Eagles over Cowboys. Bradford almost passed the test of fire on Sunday night. For a couple of drives he showed what can happen when Chip Kelly’s offense is clicking. And then when it really counted he yutzed on his cleats. Meanwhile, the Cowboys escaped with their lives on Sunday night thanks to some embarrassingly awful clock management by the Giants. Don’t expect the Eagles to make those mistakes. Eagles pound out 175 rushing yards and sweep aside the Cowboys rather easily. Philadelphia 35 Arlington 17.
You’re The Flies Pick of the Week: Texans over Panthers. The Texans make what is likely to be the first of many regular appearances this season in the weekly Shit Bowl against a troubled Panthers team. Word is that Ryan Mallett will replace much-maligned Brian Hoyer as the Texans’ helm. Without an effective running game until the return of Arian Foster, the Texans have turned to a big man with a big arm and hopefully not a big propensity for throwing up a duck farm. Red admits he liked Hoyer and clearly the loss to the Chiefs was not all on him last week – but when a team only has to go 20 yards because of turnovers, well something was going to change. Panthers still have a steady leader in Newton, but the defensive front has never lived up to the hype. Fight off the urge to give yourself a swirly during the 2 minute warning if you dare to watch this malignant merd match. Houston 18 Carolina 13.
The Dallas Morning News reports that the Taco Universe is Expanding. Along with Red’s waistline.
From Dallas to Fort Worth, you’ll find more taquerias than ever serving righteous Mexican street tacos. Then there are the restaurants and food trucks that tuck Asian fusion fillings into tortillas. Velvet Taco’s tikka chicken taco, Good 2 Go Taco’s Thai Juan On, and Ssahm BBQ’s Korean tacos are among the mavericks with a following. In between these extremes are Mexican chefs and disciples of Mexican regional cuisine who tweak classic tacos with gourmet ingredients.
Gabriel DeLeon, chef-owner of Mi Dia From Scratch in Grapevine, adds gourmet specials to his stable of traditional tacos.
“The street taco craze started a few years ago. From my standpoint, it got boring. Chicken tinga, al pastor, fried fish — everyone has these traditional tacos, even food trucks and gas stations,” he says. “Chefs are trying to elevate tacos. An upscale environment is suited for upscale tacos.”
From the Annals of the Democratic Party – In 1922, the “Independent Democrats” met in Dallas to select Houston attorney George Peddy as a candidate for the United States Senate. The Independent Democrats were a splinter group from in opposition to the effective takeover of the party by the Ku Klux Klan. The Democratic Party had nominated KKK candidate Earle Bradford Mayfield for senator in the primary. Even worse, at the state Democratic convention in San Antonio it appeared to many that the Ku Klux Klan had gained control of the party. This caused the anti-Klan Democrats to seek a candidate to oppose Mayfield in the general election. Peddy had campaigned for James E. Ferguson as the anti-Klan candidate in the primaries. Unfortunately, Mayfield and the Klan forces succeeded in keeping Peddy’s name off the ballot. Peddy ran a write-in campaign and captured one third of the vote. Challenges to Mayfield’s qualifications to serve led to a Senate investigation and delayed his ascension to the Senate. He was, however, seated in the Senate in December of 1923.
Photo of George Petty from the Legislative Reference Library.
Red celebrates his first anniversary of blogging today. Red has spent much of the time learning how to keep his ear to the ground, not follow the masses too much, and carefully pick a few topics each day to give his particular spin to. In the limited time that Red has to devote to this enterprise, he does try to get your attention and maybe make you think a little differently about this beautiful, great and definitely bizarre at times place called Texas.
Red is the first to admit that picking up readers and followers has been harder than expected and he had not met his targets after one year. But it is pretty darn cool that someone in Uzbekistan would even bother to check out what Red has to say. So undiscouraged and ignoring the signposts of failure, the blogging will continue. Red knows you won’t always agree with him, but hopes that you at least find this blog occasionally interesting.
Red would like to thank Charles Kuffner of Off the Kuff and Katy Anders of the strangely insightful FascistDykeMotors blog for their comments and support during the past year. Red also thanks that Brazilian guy or gal who checked in almost every day for the first several months of operation. Sometimes Red felt like he was blogging just for you.
Muchas gracias amigos,
Red
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