52 Pickup

RIP Vida Blue, 73. Born in Louisiana, a standout in high school football as well as baseball, he was selected in the second round of the 1967 MLB draft by the Kansas City A’s, spurning scholarship offers from major college football powerhouses. The franchise moved to Oakland in ’68. Blue had a brief, undistinguished stint in the majors in ’69, not so the following year. He was called up in September 1970 and shut out the Royals, then pitched a no-hitter vs. the Twins. In 1971 he dominated the AL, going 24–8, leading the league in ERA and shutouts, winning both the Cy Young Award and the MVP. In ’72 he held out, missed most of the season and went 6–10. The A’s lost the World Series to the Reds. He was a mainstay on the teams that won the championship ‘72-’74. A six-time all-star, his overall record was 209–161, ERA 3.27. He also played for the Giants and Royals. After retiring in ’86, he did some TV and charity work. In 1971 he accompanied Bob Hope on his USO Christmas tour of Vietnam and other military installations. He was a father of twin girls. He struggled with alcohol. Facts from Wiki. Photo from Google Images:

Another plus for supporters of the second amendment, headline from foxnews.com: “Tennessee homeowner kills intruder, wounds second after they allegedly held teen at gunpoint, tased dog.”

Also from FN: “Florida bans Chinese citizens from buying land: ‘We don’t want the CCP in the Sunshine State,’ DeSantis says.” I agree. China is our enemy.

Padma Lakshmi is 52. Are you kidding me? Wow! Photo from GI:

No book shop on the gorgeous day, as I had to attend to a chore.

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