Win - Lose - Rain: Outfield Defense, Frozen Foods, YouTube
A weekly recap of things, good, bad, and otherwise.
It was a rough weekend in Omaha, as our area was hammered by storms, including some devastating tornadoes that caused immense damage, particularly on the northwest edge of town. Our neighborhood was lucky, getting just a bit of minor hail and a ton of rain, but there were many people less fortunate. The videos and photos from the storm’s path are startling.
Despite the damage, only a few minor injuries were reported, and not a single death. It speaks to the effectiveness of modern weather detection, and the communication to the public, that dozens of tornadoes did not lead to even larger tragedy. It’s also been pretty amazing to see the volunteer turnout and the community stepping up to support those who were affected.
We got more rain all weekend, and this week is looking pretty soggy as well, so hopefully the clean up efforts can continue progressing.
On a lighter note, this week’s Win - Lose - Rain features notes on the Royals position players, frozen foods, the NFL draft, and much more. Feel free to comment below with your own thoughts.
WIN
Royals Outfield Defense
I suppose the second word there is superfluous, as the Royals are looking fantastic all over the diamond (outlined in more detail by David Lesky, whose Inside the Crown newsletter is a must-read for Royals fans). But in the past week, we’ve seen several amazing plays by the outfield.
Last Tuesday, with the Royals clinging to a one-run lead, MJ Melendez took a base hit away from Kevin Kiermaier:
On Thursday, Kyle Isbel somehow tracked a deep fly ball in the wind and rain to keep the Royals in front:
And on Friday, Adam Frazier robbed a two-run homer AND doubled off the runner at first base:
These all happened over a four-game span, and they don’t include some other gems. These Royals can go and get it in the outfield.
Banana bread
Pictures can’t really do it justice, so you’re just going to have to trust me here. It’s good.
Shōgun
If you haven’t watched this series on Hulu/FX, you absolutely should. Based on the 1975 novel by James Clavell, it’s set in 1600 Japan and features some positively mesmerizing performances from Cosmo Jarvis, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tadanabu Asano, and, particularly in the penultimate episode, Anna Sawai. Jarvis takes zero scenes off, and he reminds me of a combination of Andrew Lincoln, Tom Hardy, and Matt Berry (complimentary).
I loved every minute of this, and I can’t recommend it strongly enough.
LOSE
Royals Free Agent Bats
This winter, the Royals signed three hitters to free agent contracts: Garrett Hampson, Hunter Renfroe, and Adam Frazier. The best batting line of the three belongs to Frazier, at .188/.316/.219, with an OPS+ of 57. Hampson is sitting at 38, with Renfroe at 37. To that I say, and I cannot stress this enough, WOOF.
There have been a few contributions, mainly from Frazier’s glove as seen above, but the gamble on last year being a blip for Renfroe isn’t looking good, and at some point the Royals may need to cut bait sooner than they would like in order to provide better depth in the lineup and stay in contention.
Frozen foods that shouldn’t be microwaved
If your frozen food product is intended to be crunchy and crispy, you should not include instructions for microwaving said frozen food product. It should not be an option, because the presence of those instructions implies that the food will be adequate for consumption by humans, and this is simply not the case.
Should I, a 37-year-old adult, have known better than to expect decent fried food prepared in the microwave? Yes. But will I learn to not use the microwave next time? No.
RAIN
NFL Draft
I do not mean to disparage the interests of others, so please do not take this as criticism of liking things, but: the NFL Draft is too much.
Three days of drafting players for seven rounds, after months of mock drafts and endless discussion, is simply excessive. I’m happy for the players, and for the Chiefs who picked up some needed talent at wide receiver and tackle, but I would like to say that we do not need that much NFL Draft. Also please remove yourself from my front yard.
Weird YouTube videos for kids
I appreciate my oldest daughter having options for entertaining herself, and she does seem to enjoy these videos, but some of them are super weird. Six minutes of questions like:
WOULD YOU RATHER EAT A CAKE MADE OF ASPARAGUS
OR
BATHE IN A POOL OF COTTAGE CHEESE?
She also likes gymnastics challenge videos featuring teenagers doing crazy stunts and exhibiting the most stereotypical YouTuber traits known to man. It’s hard to watch, though I recognize as An Old, I am not the target audience. She digs them, so more power to her.
That is all for this week’s WLR. Drop your own comments below, and thanks for reading!
Air fryer for the win!