July 2020 – Page 11

Baseball — ready, set, go

Ready or not baseball kicks off Thursday, July 23, in what will likely be the strangest baseball season ever. No one knows what to expect beyond the fact that with only 60 games each one will have a far greater impact than it would in a marathon-like 162-game season. That urgency is the most interesting thing about the season ahead.

So here’s a preview of the biggest stories and changes the 2020 MLB season may lead to.

No Crowds at Games:I don’t get the hubbub by some over piping background noise into telecasts. As long as they don’t overdo it, why not if it makes it sound less hollow?

Astros Cheating Scandal: If ever a team could benefit from no fans in the stands and a schedule not as closely watched as past years, it’s the Houston Astros. Before the pandemic hit, the retribution parade for their cheating scandal was likely going to be the year’s biggest story. Now it’s an afterthought.

Dark Horse Candidates: As usual the Yankees are getting a lot of ink, especially after signing Gerrit Cole, but I see more money going down on Tampa Bay to win. That is based on a strong 2019 when they finished 12 games ahead of Boston while spending $140 million less and a belief strong bullpens matter most in a 60-game season. I’d argue the opposite, as starters won’t have to pace themselves like over a six-month season. Tell me a 12-start season wouldn’t have been perfect for Chris Sale, which would’ve eliminated his annual post-All-Star game fizzles from overwork.

Non-Dark Horse Candidate: With Masahiro Tanaka already getting nailed in the head by a vicious Giancarlo Stanton line drive the annual injury parade has started for the Yankees. Given their history, I expect more to follow. In the NL I guess it’s L.A., though only because I’ll be watching how Mookie does.

The Stats: Jack Chesbro’s (41) and Hack Wilson’s(190) records for wins and RBI are safe. But what if someone hits .400? If so, there goes Ted Williams being the last to hit .400 in a season. So the question is, should it count? Well, when Roger Maris hit 61 homers in 1961 to break Babe Ruth’s single-season record, Commissioner Ford Frick tied an asterisk to it because it happened during the new 162-game schedule, while Babe’s came in 154. Frick, it should be noted, was a Babe binky and was protecting the big fella. With no one watching out for Ted, who knows. But if ever an asterisk should be attached, it’s to hitting .400 in 60 games! While I know the Commish has a lot going on, he should state what’s what before the season begins.

Can Someone Hit .400? It still may be a long shot, though, since according to a story I found in a FanSided column by someone named Bill Felber the last to be over .400 after 60 games was Andres Galarraga in 1993, which came in Denver’s thin air. That makes Nomar Garciaparra’s .389 in his first 68 of 2000 closer to today’s reality. So, if anyone does it, it happens at Fenway, making the most likely culprit Rafael Devers.

Alumni News: The rising star who got away to shine will be Yoan Moncada in Chicago. While it took him a while to roll, he hit .315 with 25 homers in 2019 and all signs point higher. A huge year will be extra painful because in addition to costing John Henry $50 million to sign him, with Sale out for the year the guy Moncada was traded for faces an uncertain future that comes on the heels of 2019’s dismal 6-11/4.40 campaign and an injury-shortened 12-4 season in 2018. That surprisingly points the needle for winner of that deal a little more toward the White Sox.

Never-ending A-Fraud Saga: It remains beyond belief that two-time PED cheat Alex Rodriguez is allowed to be the face of baseball on ESPN and beyond-er (if that’s a word) belief that MLB is actually considering letting this serial liar into the bidding to buy the Mets less than six months after the Astros cheating scandal exploded. But he’s got a new problem, after blatantly pandering to MLB owners last week by saying that after earning $448 million in baseball’s free market, players should accept a salary cap. Player outrage was best expressed by ex-Yankee Brandon McCarthy, who said players should boycott “self-serving liar” Rodriguez during his ESPN gig. Agreed, because If there’s ever been a bigger me-first fraud, I’ve yet to see him or her.

Radical Realignment Ahead: Playing games within a 10-team region to cut down on travel may be the forerunner to radical realignment that could erase the lines between AL and NL. For the Sox it’ll be facing the Mets, Yanks, Phillies, Blue Jays, Orioles, Nationals, Braves, Marlins and D-Rays. The history lover in me won’t love that, but I will say that after the NFL-AFL merger I hated seeing the Colts, Steelers and Browns leave the NFL to be part of the new AFC and I got over that pretty quick.

New Extra-Innings Rules: Thanks to dugout micro-managers making nine-inning games endless I’m for starting extra innings with a runner on second base. Anything to eliminate ending games at 3 a.m. with seven people in the stands.

Universal DH: The DH will be used in both leagues. Will it lead to it universally going forward? Probably, but who cares.

The Pandemic: As much as we’d like to, we can’t ignore the world’s biggest story with the biggest question being, with 10 teams playing in the nation’s four biggest hot spot stats of Texas, Florida, Arizona and California, will baseball be able to miss all the land mines to finish the season at all?

Cross your fingers, because I think making it through the year is a, ah, long shot.

Summer QuaranTEEN

Camp offers creative outlet for teen girls

Tracey Miller, a wellness coach and yoga instructor from Manchester, and her teenage daughter McKenzie have created a new two-week virtual summer camp for teen girls called Camp QuaranTEEN. Miller talked about camp activities, how the first session is going and how teen girls can benefit from a program like this. The next CampQ session starts Aug. 3. Visit traceymiller.co/campq.

What inspired you to create Camp QuaranTEEN?

I have a 14-year-old daughter, and all of her camps were canceled. Then, I started talking to other mothers, who told me their kids’ camps were also canceled, and they felt that their girls were becoming isolated. It’s really easy for girls to get stuck sitting around on their phones all day. My daughter, for example, is really very creative, and I know she loves [doing creative projects], but the older she gets, the more I have to provide a little initiation or inspiration to get her to keep doing it. … I wanted to [create a program] where girls could engage and collaborate safely, be creative and think outside the box so that they don’t get bored at home.

What are some camp activities?

The girls get an e-journal and guide with journaling prompts and art projects for them to do each day. The first art project is actually making a notebook for their journal, which they’ll print out. … Another project we’re doing is a fashion project, where the girls are upcycling a piece of clothing to express something about who they are and what they like. … They do a scavenger hunt, which is my attempt to get them outdoors, because all the things they have to find are around their house. … There are live cooking demos that teach the girls how to cook healthy food, and one of the final projects is a cookbook that the girls put together with their own recipes. … We meet online for an hour to an hour and a half each day to talk about what they’ve been doing, to brainstorm random acts of kindness they can do and other [topics] that get the girls to be more reflective and expressive about who they are and what’s important to them.

How is the first session going?

It’s been really great. We have eight girls participating, and I’m so inspired at how creative the girls are. Some of them already sew, and many of them like to cook. It’s been really fun, and the girls seem to be really excited about it.

How is your daughter helping with the camp?

She’s helping me come up with ideas for the girls to keep it cool, because when you’re 14 your mom’s not so cool. … She loves to cook, and she inspired some of the recipes that the girls are learning. She’s also helping with the cooking lessons. This morning she taught the girls how to make a poached egg and avocado toast.

How can parents get involved?

I’ve provided parents with a materials list and a shopping list of food they need for the recipes, and I’ve tried to keep it simple with a lot of common ingredients that they probably already have. I’m really encouraging the girls and their parents to be creative and use what they already have around the house so they don’t have to go out and spend $80 on materials and ingredients. … I’m also encouraging the girls to go through their journal with their parents at the end of the week so they can share some of the things that came out in their journaling and show them their art projects.

What would you like girls to take away from their camp experience?

I’m hoping to really provide more tools for them during these teen years that they can carry with them through their whole life. This is such a formative time for girls, and an important time for them to start expressing themselves, become more confident and take care of their bodies. … I want them to learn new cooking skills and be creative [with] and curious about new food. I want them to become more mindful about their uniqueness and to appreciate their uniqueness rather than feeling like they have to be “normal.” I want them to be able to share their feelings so they can understand that they’re not in this alone, and that other girls are going through some of the same things and having some of the same thoughts and feelings.

Do you plan on continuing CampQ, or something like it?

I definitely plan on continuing to do some workshops in the fall that teach girls about how to be more mindful and grounded, how to be more confident and how to deal with things like stress and anxiety.

News & Notes 20/07/23

Governor’s updates

Covid-19 update	As of July 13	As of July 20
Total cases statewide	6,068	6,249
Total current infections statewide	621	565
Total deaths statewide	391	398
New cases	158 (July 7 to July 13)	190 (July 14 to July 20)
Current infections: Hillsborough County	354	328
Current infections: Merrimack County	37	31
Current infections: Rockingham County	134	127

Information from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services

Governor’s updates
Gov. Chris Sununu made multiple announcements in the past week amid the state’s ongoing response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

On July 14, in a press conference, Sununu announced the creation of a new online portal through New Hampshire Employment Security, calling it a “centralized database for New Hampshire-based employers.” You can access it by visiting unemploymentbenefits.nh.gov and clicking on the “Covid-19 response recruitment” tab.

Also on July 14, Sununu announced the fall reopening plan for public schools across the state. The guidance documents were designed by the School Transition Reopening and Redesign Taskforce, providing districts with the flexibility to safely reopen, continue remote learning into the fall or adopt a hybrid model. The guidance includes multiple recommendations for professional development and staffing preparation, should a teacher or faculty member need to quarantine as a result of the virus. It also encourages school districts to actively communicate with students and faculty about social distancing and mask wearing. Sununu added that the guidance goes over transportation protocols and recommendations, such as encouraging assigned seating on school buses. Finally, the documents discuss what can be done if a school district elects to take the hybrid learning route, or a combination of in-person and remote learning and instruction. To view the full guidance recommendations, visit covidguidance.nh.gov and click on “K-12 Back-to-School Guidance.”

On July 15, Sununu issued Exhibit L to Emergency Order No. 29, which had been issued on April 9. Emergency Order No. 29 requires state agencies, boards and commissions to submit recommendations to Sununu if any regulatory deadlines should be adjusted in response to the state of emergency. Per Exhibit L, requests by employees of the New Hampshire Department of Administrative Services to use floating holidays have been waived through June 30, 2021.

In a July 16 press conference, Sununu announced that the state’s Business Finance Authority will oversee the New Hampshire General Assistance & Preservation Fund (NH GAP Fund), a new fund of $30 million for individuals and businesses that did not meet the eligibility requirements for the Main Street Relief Fund, the Non-Profit Emergency Relief Fund or the Self-Employed Livelihood Fund. The application period for the NH GAP Fund began on July 21 and runs through Aug. 4. Franchises and new businesses in the state are among the potential applicants of this fund. Visit goferr.nh.gov to access the application.

During the same press conference, Sununu said the state is giving a $19 million grant to the University System of New Hampshire for remote learning transition assistance, as well as a $6 million grant to the state’s Community College system for tuition support.

Details on all of Sununu’s orders and guidance documents can be found at governor.nh.gov.

Face coverings at school
The Manchester Board of School Committee voted Monday night to require face coverings when schools reopen, according to a press release from the Office of the Mayor. The board also voted in favor of modified classroom layouts with desks situated 6 feet apart. “By Aug. 10, Superintendent Goldhardt will present a reentry plan to help keep educators, staff, students and their families safe,” Mayor Joyce Craig said in the release. The board also pushed back the school start date by one week to Sept. 9, according to a report from WMUR.

House bill action
Gov. Chris Sununu was also busy signing and vetoing numerous bills in the past week, according to multiple press releases from the Office of the Governor. Here are a few of the highlights:

HB 1162 was signed into law. The legislation “enhances programs for at-risk children in New Hampshire and expands the Office of the Child Advocate” and allows unmarried couples to adopt, according to a press release from the House Majority Office. “This bill reaffirms our commitment and builds upon the progress we have made in reforming and enhancing the state’s child welfare system,” Sununu said in a statement. “While the Department of Justice has raised concerns regarding this bill as it pertains to the Office of the Child Advocate, I am confident that the Attorney General can work with the Office of the Child Advocate to ensure that the Office operates within appropriate legal limits and consistent with Constitutional requirements.”

HB 1240 and HB 705 were signed into law, both of which address sexual assault and related offenses, including in school settings. “We know that unfortunately, there are people out there who will use a power disparity to try and take advantage of others,” Sununu said in a statement. “This is something that even happens in schools. It is important that school be a place of trust and responsibility. If someone violates the trust and authority we place in them and takes advantage of a child, we are now able to act appropriately.”

HB 1280 was signed into law. “This bipartisan legislation lowers prescription drug costs for Granite Staters,” Sununu said in a statement. “Additionally, this legislation will inject transparency in drug pricing, allow New Hampshire to import low-cost prescription drugs from Canada, and puts a price cap on insulin to ensure no one will have to worry about being able to afford life-saving insulin. This bill now makes the cost of insulin in New Hampshire the lowest in the nation.”

HB 1645 was signed into law. It prohibits the use of chokeholds by law enforcement; prohibits private prisons in New Hampshire; requires police officers to report misconduct; further reforms bail reform; and provides funding to municipalities for psychological stability screening for candidates seeking certification as law enforcement officers.

HB 1266 was signed into law, making temporary modifications to the absentee voter registration, ballot application and voting processes in response to Covid-19.

HB 1166 was vetoed. The bill addressed federal unemployment funding under the CARES Act. According to a press release from the Office of the Governor, the bill contains provisions that violate federal law and would make New Hampshire ineligible for federal unemployment funding. “Our job is to open doors of opportunity in times of need, not cut off federal support when families are struggling,” Sununu said in his veto message.

SNAP online
Anyone who gets Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits can now purchase and pay for groceries online, using EBT cards to purchase eligible food items through Amazon and Walmart, according to a press release from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. The pilot program is in response to the pandemic, allowing SNAP recipients to stay home and practice social distancing. The benefits cannot be used for service or delivery charges, according to the release.

New PSAs
District of New Hampshire U.S. Attorney Scott W. Murray has announced the launch of public service announcements aimed at combating drug and gun crimes. According to a press release from the Department of Justice, the opioid crisis has led to an increase in gun use and guns being traded for drugs. In response, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has developed social media public service announcements to educate people about these illegal activities and their consequences. “Drug trafficking and violent crime jeopardize the safety and security of the citizens of New Hampshire,” Murray said in the release. “We are seeking to raise awareness about these crimes and to solicit the public’s assistance in helping us to make the Granite State safer. A fully informed public is a powerful deterrent against the harm caused by drug traffickers.”

North Conway has once again made the Top Ten Small Towns for Adventure list in the USA Today 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards, according to a press release. This is the third year in a row that the town has made the list and is the only one that’s in New England. Access to Mount Washington and four-season recreation helped North Conway make the list, according to the release.

Deerfield resident Dwight Barnes will start a 1,000-mile walk on Aug. 17 to benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities of New England. Barnes, a retired McDonald’s owner and operator, plans to start in Boston and walk 20 to 25 miles a day as he makes his way across New England.

The Veterinary Emergency Center of Manchester has a brand new, 12,800-square-foot facility at 2743 Brown Ave., according to a press release. The center offers 24-hour emergency care and features full digital radiology, a laboratory and surgery and monitoring equipment.

Coppal House Farm in Lee will hold its annual Sunflower Festival from Saturday, July 25, through Sunday, Aug. 2, to coincide with the flowers’ bloom dates. The weekend will feature a craft fair, live music, food vendors, a wine garden and animal viewings, and there will be special events during the weekdays as well. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Find ticket information at nhsunflower.com.

The English language

“It is America! You should be speaking English!” “Is anybody here illegal?!” “It’s America speak English!”

Those words rang out in a now viral video filmed by a woman in downtown Nashua as she began harassing men who were installing hardscapes. This tirade was unprovoked except for the fact that she happened to overhear the white foreman speaking to his employees in a language that they felt most comfortable conversing in — Spanish.

For most of my life, half of my family did not speak English; a fact most don’t know about me as my French Canadian roots disappeared when my mother married a man with the last name Ryder. Between my father not speaking French and our desire to simply become “White Americans,” my brother and I never learned the language.

My mother grew up in Nashua and was surrounded by her big French-Canadian family where the words that flowed from their mouths were never taught in schools. Her family found its way there thanks to the factories with pensions and unions to protect their jobs. In just two generations, our family went from having not even an eighth-grade education to having post-graduate degrees.

I remember spending my summers jumping in my pepere’s pool as my grandparents and mom spoke to one another in a language I did not understand. When I would hear them speaking that way, I would think to myself, and sometimes say aloud to them, “Speak English!”

I say all this to remind myself and others that many of us started here with different experiences, languages, and intentions. I know the mindset of “It’s America — speak English” is how we have all been conditioned.

Despite the fact that speaking a language other than English is relatively harmless, there is real damage for those who do not abide by those rules. The violent words and actions hurled at the Latinx employees from the white woman is a perfect example of how white privilege permeates even the most innocent of spaces.

Fortunately, the public outcry from the video was enough to silence her, but I know that those workers will not soon forget what happened or how they were treated. We all have to work twice as hard to undo the harm done out of fear and hate.

I wish I could go back and listen to my grandparents speak, to hear their voices and laughter at the words I did not understand, and know that they were only trying to express themselves in the way that felt most natural to them. Unfortunately, that time has long passed and with it a key part of our cultural identity — all in the name of ignorance.

Just keep running

Hovering hummingbirds, colorful salamanders, the occasional porcupine and more wildlife you might find in your neighborhood

12 Just keep running You don’t have to run every day, or far, or quickly, to reap the benefits of running. Find out how and why to get off the couch, why streaks are, in fact, awesome (should you choose to go that route), and why running a virtual race is a great way to alleviate the fear of the starting line.

Also on the cover, for its first live, in-person performance in months, Hatbox Theatre presents Copenhagen, p. 10. It’s blueberry and raspberry season; find out where to pick your own, p. 22. And Gurung’s Kitchen opens inside Bunny’s Superette, p. 23.

A mid-summer garden dream

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Album Reviews 20/07/23

John Carpenter, “Skeleton”/”Unclean Spirit” (Sacred Bones Records) It’s funny how things work out, isn’t it? I would have loved to ...

Baseball — ready, set, go

Ready or not baseball kicks off Thursday, July 23, in what will likely be the strangest baseball season ever. No ...

Book Review 20/07/23

Parakeet, by Marie-Helene Bertino (224 pages, Farrar, Straus and Giroux) The bride, “ethnically ambiguous,” has been banished to a luxurious ...

Carpe diem

Something new in sparkling wines Carpe diem — seize the day! Embark on something new! Even John Keating, played by ...

In the kitchen with Jon Buatti

In December 2019, Jon Buatti of Auburn took over ownership of Michelle’s Gourmet Pastries & Deli in Manchester, bringing with ...

Just keep running

How to challenge yourself to get going, stay at it and get in a race — even now Two years ...

Kiddie Pool 20/07/23

Comic check inFree Comic Book Summer, the Covid-era-reworking of Free Comic Book Day, kicked off in mid-July and continues into ...

Kiddie Pool 20/07/23

A show for the littlesThe 2020 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series continues at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover ...

Music City bound

Amanda McCarthy makes her move With a combination of innate talent and plucky determination, Amanda McCarthy has become a fixture ...

New Nepalese option

Gurung’s Kitchen opens inside Bunny’s Superette You won’t see it right away when you step inside Bunny’s Superette in Manchester’s ...

News & Notes 20/07/23

Governor’s updates Covid-19 updateAs of July 13As of July 20Total cases statewide6,0686,249Total current infections statewide621565Total deaths statewide391398New cases158 (July 7 ...

Physical theater

Copenhagen opens as live shows return to the Hatbox Theatre The Hatbox Theatre will reopen on July 24 with Phylloxera ...

Quality of Life 20/07/23

No fall sports for UNH players and fansThe University of New Hampshire Department of Athletics announced July 17 that its ...

Reverse Plunkett replay?

Well, Cam Newton signing at this late date for a hitch in Foxboro was a bit surprising. But it was ...

Ripe and ready

Pick-your-own blueberries and raspberries After an unusually short season for strawberries at some local farms, pick-your-own blueberries and raspberries are ...

Signs of Life 20/07/23

All quotes are from The Flame Trees of Thika, by Elspeth Huxley, born July 23, 1907. Leo (July 23 – ...

Summer QuaranTEEN

Camp offers creative outlet for teen girls Tracey Miller, a wellness coach and yoga instructor from Manchester, and her teenage ...

The Art Roundup 20/07/23

• Author discusses women’s suffrage: The Tory Hill Author Series will feature feminist historian and biographer Susan Ware on Saturday, ...

The English language

“It is America! You should be speaking English!” “Is anybody here illegal?!” “It’s America speak English!” Those words rang out ...

The Music Roundup 20/07/23

• One-man band: When all the pieces are engaged, Lee Ross delivers a bold, brassy sound that definitely seems like ...

The Outpost (R)

Film Reviews by Amy Diaz U.S. Army soldiers operating in a remote corner of Afghanistan find themselves under attack in ...

The Weekly Dish 20/07/23

• Mobile scoops: The Loudon Firefighters Association (8 Cooper St.) will host a drive-thru ice cream social on Saturday, July ...

Treasure Hunt 20/07/23

Dear Donna,I’m trying to figure this watch out; it’s working, but other than that I know nothing. I bought it ...

Greyhound (PG-13)

Film Reviews by Amy Diaz

Tom Hanks is the captain of a Navy destroyer escorting ships across the Atlantic during World War II in Greyhound, a sleek, no-time-wasted naval action movie on Apple TV+.

It’s 1942 and Navy Commander Ernest Krause (Hanks) is the captain of a ship codenamed Greyhound that, along with destroyers from the U.K. and Canada, is escorting a convoy across the ocean. Other than a brief flashback featuring Elisabeth Shue (which mostly explains that this is Krause’s first command and why he brought a pair of fancy slippers to war), the movie takes place over a 50-hour period when the convoy is outside the reach of Allied air support and is therefore particularly vulnerable to German U-boats. The destroyers are armed with a variety of submarine-sinking weaponry and more maneuverable than the convoy’s troop transporters, merchant ships and oil tankers.

In Krause’s first confrontation with a U-boat, he shows himself to be unconventional in his thinking but effective. Soon, Krause, his second-in-command Charlie Cole (Stephan Graham) and the captains of the other destroyers figure out that they are being followed by a “wolf pack” of U-boats that aren’t attacking the destroyers directly but sort of picking off boats here and there. As the hours wear on (and the Greyhound’s armaments are diminished), Krause subsists on coffee and quiet Tom Hanks worry as he tries to outlast the U-boats on the convoy’s race to the next air cover spot.

When it becomes clear that the destroyers will need help protecting the convoy, Krause asks Cole to plot the quickest path to a spot where airplanes can meet them, which Cole and his team do with, like, rulers and protractors and math. Greyhound is also full of a lot of “right full rudder all ahead two-thirds” type dialogue that is also presented in such a way that you can get what’s going on even if you can’t directly translate every naval command. Greyhound does a good job of conveying “people solving problems” and “people solving problems creatively” even if you don’t fully understand all the mechanics of what they are doing.

This movie, smartly, doesn’t waste time on any “nature of war” ruminations or even all that much filling in the elements of Krause as a person. (Or, perhaps the movie did all the adding dimension it ever planned to do with Krause by hiring Hanks; “a Tom Hanks-y character” is what we get and kinda all we need.) Greyhound, like the convoy’s destroyers, is at battle stations and focused on the immediate fight.

And that works. I think the moments when the movie tries to add a little something extra (the Shue scene, a bit of too-much-ness with radio transmissions from a German sub captain who’s all “we’re coming for you” and even throws out some wolf howls) are the least successful. Just show us a surfacing sub and a torpedo wake and a worried Hanks urgently but calmly ordering “left full rudder” and the movie is able to generate a perfect amount of tension and suspense. B

Rated PG-13 for war-related action/violence and brief strong language, according to the MPA at filmratings.com. Directed by Aaron Schneider with a screenplay by Tom Hanks (based on the C.S. Forester book The Good Shepherd), Greyhound is an hour and 31 minutes long and available on Apple TV+.

Month: July 2020

Baseball — ready, set, go

Summer QuaranTEEN

News & Notes 20/07/23

The English language

Just keep running

Greyhound (PG-13)

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