Month: July 2020

Holes in Sox show

The abbreviated version of the 2020 baseball season kicks off next week when the Sox and Orioles go at it at Fenway. It’s safe to say we go into this season with the lowest expectations in a long time, for various reasons, which include a lackluster 2019, stat geek Chaim Bloom being hired as GM after a career bargain-hunting with Tampa Bay, Alex Cora’sfiring, the ceaseless cost-cutting chatter leading to the trade of Mookie Betts and David Price,and Chris Sale’s season-ending surgery, all of which were blocked out by the sun of the worldwide pandemic.

As a result, the Sox have many question marks and a few real strengths that are being overlooked by the Nation. He’s a summary.

Injury Update: Camp got off to a rousing start with four guys testing for the virus. If you missed it they were minor-league power hitter Bobby Dalbec, expected bullpen key Darwinzon Hernandez, fringe reliever Josh Taylor and projected opening day starter Eduardo Rodriguez. That leaves a giant void right off the bat, as E-Rod missing just two weeks in the short season is like missing the first 40 of a 162-game season.

Biggest Question Mark – The Rotation: As Butch said to Sundance when they couldn’t shake the posse after them in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, “Who are those guys?” That’s how I feel about a rotation, ah, headlined to start by Nathan Eovaldi, Martin Perez, and others I’ve never heard of. So my answer to Butch would be “beats me.” Second: At any time in his Red Sox tenure, even right after his marathon relief stint in Game 4 of the 2018 series, did anyone ever see Eovaldi as the ace of the staff? Well, he will be if E-Rod can’t get it back in gear very quickly. We know the potential, but given his injury history that’s not a comforting thought.

Next Question – What’s the Story at Second Base:With the Dustin Pedroia retirement party on the horizon here’s where Chaim’s bargain-hunting comes in. So I’ve got no clue what they have here, especially with Michael Chavis likely earmarked for a 1B, DH, IF utility role.

Biggest Strength – The Hitting: Talk all you want about the loss of Betts, he was only their fourth best hitter a year ago. Xander Bogaerts (.309-33-117), Rafael Devers (.312-32-115) and JD Martinez (.304-36-105) all out-hit Mookie (.295-29-80) in average, homers and RBI, and with 54 and 52 respectively, the first two had had more doubles than Mookie’s 40 too. Andrew Benintendi can take up some of the slack from the loss of Betts if he can re-find his consistency. Bottom line: Even if the 26-double, 23-homer 2019 stat line was the career year for Christian Vazquez they’ll have more than enough hitting to win.

Who’s Hot: It’s hard to tell with anyone, but Eovaldi throwing four scoreless innings in his first outing while allowing just one hit and a walk and striking out four was encouraging. Especially since 34 of his 58 pitches were strikes, the command was good. The 58 pitches indicates he’ll be at 75 on opening day if he makes it that far.

Most Anxious to See – Alex Verdugo: He’s the most ready for prime time prospect they got for Betts. In his first full season he hit .294 with 22 doubles, 12 homers and 44 RBI in 104 games. Projected over a 162-game season that’s 33 doubles, 18 homers and 67 RBI which is comparable to what Betts did — 42 doubles, 18 homers, 77 RBI and .291 — in his first season in Boston. Not saying he’ll be Mookie, but I’m interested to see if the trend goes up. And the pandemic shutdown helped by giving the stress fracture in his back extra time to heal.

What to Make of the 60-Game Schedule: For a team that can’t win it in a 162-game season because the pitching won’t hold up, it’s a good thing. And who knows, if the hot streak everyone eventually gets comes in the first month they’ll stay in it most of the way. It had better too, because if a team starts really hot, you won’t have time to catch up like you can over the marathon of a 162-game season.

Perfect for Chaim Bloom: Given the tradition-laden-ness and IQ of the fan base, the guess is some of the GM’s New Age, Ivy League ideas would get pushback over 162. But in a low-expectation 60-game season he’ll get room to experiment. Like using openers for both the fifth and fourth spots in the rotation where the more programmed strategy lets you set up match-ups more easily to keep their weaknesses at a minimum. And if it works it’ll show what I’ve been saying for a while now, that the cost per out/inning goes way down with this approach over paying big money to mediocre fourth and fifth starters. That lets a team concentrate big money in starters 1 through 3, and with injury questions surrounding Sale and Evoladi after heavy investments in them that’s important with E-Rod in his walk year.

The Ron Roenicke Question:I don’t know much about Roenicke beyond that he got to learn from Earl Weaver playing for him in Baltimore and had a stint of four years and change as manager of the Brewers between 2011 and 2015. That started by winning 96 games in Year 1 and went downhill after that leading to his being fired with a pedestrian 342-331 career record. He fits comfortably into the “baseball lifer” category. Which means a guy who gets a shot or two to manage but ultimately winds up a bench coach and the one who takes over when a manager gets fired. That suggests he’s keeping the seat warm for Cora, which is OK with me after Cora pays the penalty for the transgressions in Houston.

Theater for kids

The Palace brings back live theater with summer series

After suspending its programming for four months, the Palace Theatre reopened its doors on July 7 with Beauty and the Beast, the first show of the 2020 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series, which will continue with kid-friendly live theater performances every week through mid-August. Palace Theatre President and CEO Peter Ramsey discussed why the theater decided to move forward with live performances this summer and how Covid-19 has changed the theater-going experience.

What is the 2020 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series?

We’ve done it at the Palace for 20 years now, and it’s become very successful. [The shows are] generally performed by college graduates and college students who are seeking theater degrees. … We generally have between six and 12 [shows], so for eight or nine weeks in the summer, we do a different children’s theater title every week. … We have a list of about 25 shows that we choose from, and they’re generally shows that are popular with people and that have a nice message. They’re typical kinds of shows that kids would like, because this is really for the kids. … It’s generally mothers, grandmothers and young children between [the ages of] 3 and 12 who come.

Why did you decide to move forward with the series, amid everything that’s going on with Covid-19?

The governor of New Hampshire and the CDC created guidelines about a month ago that allowed public theaters to open, so we worked with the City of Manchester and the State of New Hampshire to reopen under these guidelines. We had been closed for four months and lost $1.5 million in ticket sales. We had 70 employees, and now we’re down to 15, so we felt very strongly that this was an opportunity to keep some of our employees employed, and to invite the public back in.

How did your reopening week go?

People loved it. The response has been fabulous. [There was] not one complaint. Everyone brought a mask with them to the theater; we’ll offer a mask to anyone who doesn’t have one, but everyone brought one. … The phones have been ringing a lot this week, and people seem very excited about [the upcoming shows].

How has live theater at the Palace changed as a result of Covid-19?

Everything’s different. We are only selling tickets by phone. When a customer walks up to the front door, we greet them, we ask them to put a mask on and we ask them questions, like ‘Have you been sick?’ and ‘Do you have a fever?’ … There’s actually a list of seven questions that the State asks that we ask everyone who comes into the theater. … We’re at 40-percent [capacity], so we have about 350 seats blocked off where people can’t sit. There is six feet between every seat, so if a mom and daughter sit together, there would be six feet between them and anybody else. … The shows are very short — they’re 45 minutes — and we keep the doors open so we can keep the air going in the theater. … There are no concessions. … We have very strict rules for the ushers; they have to wear a mask, and they can’t touch anybody. … The actors [on stage] are always 25 feet away from the audience, so there’s a lot of room between them. We’ve always had the [Summer Series] actors come out and meet the kids after the shows, which is very popular — the kids would wait an hour to meet Cinderella — but we canceled that, so there’s no interaction between the audience and the actors this year, which is very important.

How was the cast able to rehearse safely?

They committed that they would behave themselves and be very careful. We tested some of them [for Covid-19], and others had already been quarantined. They all live at home. We know each actor. We’ve known most of them for four or five years through our children’s theater program; these are our young actors who trained with us, then went off to college. Backstage, they stay six feet apart at all times. They are very careful during rehearsals, and they rehearse with masks on. There’s very little interaction.

Did you need to modify the shows in any way to maintain distance between the actors?

Yes. There’s no hugging or kissing — nothing like that. They’re very careful about staying separate. There’s no live music; it’s all tracked, so that helps. There are very few props and not a lot of things [for the actors] to touch. We have this beautiful video wall which is 20 feet high and 30 feet wide, and it looks really cool, so, because of that, we don’t need to use a lot of props.

What does the return of live theater do for the community right now?

It helps bring our community back together again. … It’s not normal to stay at home for months. Stress levels are very high. … Going to the theater allows you to smile. It allows you to do something with your child. These are family shows, and I think [families] can feel that it’s safe.

What are the Palace’s other plans moving forward?

We hope to open the Rex Theatre in two weeks and [accommodate] 100 people in there, safely spaced and wearing face masks. We hope to bring Bob Marley — he’s a big, famous comedian — to the Palace in August, and we hope to open up for our regular theater season in September … with Nunsense.

2020 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series
The lineup for the rest of the summer includes The Wizard of Oz on Thursday, July 16; The Little Mermaid Tuesday, July 21 through Thursday, July 23; Aladdin Tuesday, July 28 through Thursday, July 30; Alice in Wonderland Tuesday, Aug. 4 through Thursday, Aug. 6; Peter Pan Tuesday, Aug. 11 through Thursday, Aug. 13; and Cinderella on Tuesday, Aug. 18 and Wednesday, Aug. 19. Showtimes are at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tickets cost $10. The Palace Theatre is located at 80 Hanover St., Manchester. Call 668-5588 or visit palacetheatre.org.

News & Notes 20/07/16

Covid-19 updateAs of July 6As of July 6
Total cases statewide5,9146,068
Total current infections statewide826621
Total deaths statewide382391
New cases143
(July 1 – July 6)		158
(July 7 to July 13)
Current infections: Hillsborough County512354
Current infections: Merrimack County5037
Current infections: Rockingham County157134
Information from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services

Governor’s updates
In a July 7 press conference, Gov. Chris Sununu shared the latest unemployment numbers in the Granite State, which reflect a consistent downward trend since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. About 4,800 unemployment claims were filed in New Hampshire for the week ending June 27, according to Sununu — an 11 percent decline in new claims over the previous week and a nearly 90 percent decline from its highest peak during the pandemic.

On July 8, the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery announced more awardees for the Healthcare System Relief Fund, according to a press release, including nearly $11 million in CARES act funding for long-term care facilities in the state and about $6 million for other health care facilities.

The application period of the New Hampshire Self Employed Livelihood Fund will end on July 17. Self-employed businesses that qualify can access applications online at goferr.nh.gov.

Bill decisions
On July 10, Gov. Chris Sununu took action on a handful of bills, according to multiple press releases from the Office of the Governor.

Sununu signed HB 1129, which contains a portion of the Senate Democrats’ Granite Promise Plan addressing municipal, school district and village district budgets during the state of emergency, into law. Among other things, the bill allows for optional town meeting procedures during the state of emergency declared in response to Covid-19.

Sununu vetoed HB 712, a bipartisan bill that would have created a mandatory family and medical leave insurance program funded by a 0.5 percent tax on wages. “Whether one chooses to characterize it as a ‘premium on wages’ or a ‘payroll deduction,’ the reality remains that if it looks like an income tax, functions like an income tax, and takes more money out of the paychecks of hard working taxpayers like an income tax, then it is an income tax,” Sununu said in a press release.

Sununu also vetoed HB 1247, relative to mortgage defaults and nonpayment of rent during the Covid-19 state of emergency. The moratorium on evictions that was ordered in March expired July 1; this bill would have extended the moratorium. Sununu wrote in his veto message that in phasing out the moratorium, the eviction notice requirement has expanded from seven days to 30 days for new evictions initiated for nonpayment of rent that came due during the moratorium. He also noted that the $35 million in CARES Act funds used to create the New Hampshire Housing Relief Program will help people avoid losing their housing by offering assistance for past due rent and other housing-related expenses like utilities, and assistance to maintain or secure more permanent housing. “We must remember that property owners have also struggled throughout the Covid-19 pandemic,” Sununu wrote. “Small property owners who rent 10 units or fewer account for 90 percent of rental units in New Hampshire. They too have financial obligations that must be met, including mortgages, taxes and utilities. Denying property owners the opportunity to pay their bills is a recipe for them removing these rental units from the market … and further exacerbating the shortage of rental units that already exists across New Hampshire.”

Sununu vetoed HB 1672, relative to absentee voting, as well. According to his veto message, Sununu’s administration supports HB 1266, which makes temporary modifications to the absentee voter registration, absentee ballot application, and absentee voting processes that are specifically in response to Covid-19. He is expected to sign that bill this week.

Sununu will also take action on HB 1166, a portion of the Senate Democrats’ Granite Promise Plan addressing worker safety and unemployment insurance.

Jury trials
The New Hampshire Superior Court will conduct a walk-through for a pilot jury in late July with the first pilot trial planned for mid-August, according to a press release. Jury trials had been postponed since the start of the pandemic; since then, a committee has met weekly to create guidelines that will allow for jury trials to resume while making sure that jurors, witnesses, attorneys, judges and court staff follow stringent health precautions. Although the New Hampshire Judicial Branch stayed open during the Emergency Order, the Superior Court put nearly 1,000 jury trials on hold. “With a thorough plan for sanitation and careful enforcement of mask wearing, social distancing and symptom screening, we think we have the necessary template for beginning in-person jury trials,” Chief Justice of the Superior Court Tina Nadeau said in the release. “The committee, with the input from defense attorneys and prosecutors, determined that virtual criminal jury trials are not feasible at this time because they raise a host of constitutional concerns.”

Catholic schools
All Catholic schools in the state will reopen in the fall with classroom-based instruction, according to a press release from David A. Thibault, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Manchester. “Since March, many parents have struggled to balance their own telecommuting with assisting in the education of their children at home,” said Thibault. “Teachers have missed the one-on-one interaction with their students, and students have missed their teachers and friends. Everyone involved rose to the challenge but we recognize that remote learning is not ideal.” The diocese has worked with each school to ensure that the reopenings will be safe and is prepared to adjust plans if the Covid-19 situation changes. The Catholic Schools Office also announced a new Transfer Incentive program for any students in grades 1 through 8 who are transferring from a non-Catholic school; they will get $1,000 of tuition for the first year and $500 off the second year. Students in grades 9 through 12 transferring from a non-Catholic school will get $2,000 off tuition in the first year and $1,000 off in the second year, according to the release.

U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen was scheduled to visit the Boys & Girls Club of the Lakes Region’s Early Learning Center in Laconia on Tuesday to talk about the challenges that child care providers are facing during the pandemic, according to a press release from Shaheen’s office. Shaheen also planned to talk about her efforts in the Senate to include child care support in the next round of Covid-19 legislation.

The New Hampshire State Library in Concord has reopened to the public, with safety measures in place, including appointment-only access. Appointments will be scheduled in 30- and 60-minute sessions between the hours of 8:30 and 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, according to a press release. Onsite services include genealogy resources, microfilm and other materials. To schedule an appointment, visit nh.gov/nhsl or call 271-2144.

Tupelo Drive-In Derry will host the 12th annual benefit concert for the Center for Life Management, a nonprofit mental health center, at 6 p.m. on Friday, July 17, according to a press release. Broken Arrow – A Tribute to Neil Young will perform. Tickets are $100 per car and can be reserved at tupelohall.com.

The Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce announced on July 9 the winners of its 17th annual Eminence Awards, which highlight people, businesses and nonprofits that contribute to their industry and the Greater Nashua region, according to a press release. The winners are: Non-Profit of the Year: Nashua PAL; Small Business of the Year: TS Event Productions; Volunteer of the Year: Nashua Police Department’s Chief Michael Carignan for his work with Marguerite’s Place; Business of the Year: Optiline Enterprises; and Young Professional of the Year: Grant Morris of New Sky Productions.

Testing the NH paradox

Cellphone videos are all over the web and the media today, documenting incidents of confrontation between those wearing a face mask and those angrily refusing to do so. A Facebook posting asks: “It’s OK to wear a life jacket, bike helmet, sunscreen, earplugs, sunglasses, or a seat belt when it protects us. Why is it an outrage to be asked to wear a mask if it protects others?”

Individual liberty versus the common good?

Some will be old enough to remember the Governor’s Commission on New Hampshire in the 21st Century. Its report, titled New Hampshire: My Responsibility, took stock of what makes our state distinctive. Very simply stated, it is our sense of individual independence on the one hand and our mutual interdependence on the other. Our state motto captures only half of that reality. Yes, we want to live free, but we also know that we depend on others to do so fully. The members of that commission called this “The New Hampshire Paradox.”

Never before in our state’s history has this paradox been put to the test as it is right now in the Covid-19 pandemic, especially as alarmingly rapid spikes are occurring across the country. However much we may feel ourselves to be individuals with prerogatives and rights, we have obligations to others so that their rights and ours can be safeguarded.

Nothing more dramatically illustrates the challenge of the New Hampshire paradox than the measures we must all take now — immediately now — to contain and ultimately tame this virus. This cannot be a choice between individual liberty and social responsibility, between Republican and Democrat, between conservative and liberal. As the signs popping up all around put it, “We are in this together.”

Yes, a face mask is absolutely necessary to protect others from you and you from others. Forget partisan statements regarding mask wearing and recognize instead that we are all very human and very susceptible to this terrible disease. Keep a respectful distance and wash hands regularly. We in New Hampshire do not have to take our cues from federal officials or left or right media. We know what is needed to protect our fellow citizens and that is a certain sacrifice — hopefully temporary — of individual liberty for the common good.

Thirty years ago, the commission warned us, “As New Hampshire grows, our sense of mutual dependence must become as strong as our independence, or we will lose both.”

Signs of Life 20/07/09

All quotes are from One Man’s Meat, by E.B. White, born July 11, 1899.

Cancer (June 21 – July 22) My goal is no longer a three-hundred-egg hen but to find peace through conversion of my table scraps into humus. It’s good to have goals.

Leo (July 23 – Aug. 22) I have just got hold of a book called Bio-Dynamic Farming and Gardening by Ehrenfried Pfeiffer, which bids fair to shape my mystical course from now on. … The hero of the book is the common earthworm. You’ve got some good reading in store.

Virgo (Aug. 23 – Sept. 22) The possession of a dog today is a different thing from the possession of a dog at the turn of the century, when one’s dog was fed on mashed potato and brown gravy and lived in a doghouse with an arched portal. Today a dog is fed on scraped beef and Vitamin B1 and lives in bed with you. It’s time to update the update.

Libra (Sept. 23 – Oct. 22) As for me, although I am motorized to a degree, I enjoy living among pedestrians who have an instinctive and habitual realization that there is more to a journey than the mere fact of arrival. So much more.

Scorpio (Oct. 23 – Nov. 21) I had expected to see more of the Fair than usual this year, because I had some sheep entered, and had to be around to tend them. But I found that I saw less, rather than more, because of being there in a responsible capacity instead of carefree. Work is work.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 – Dec. 21) The farm as a way of life has been subordinated to the farm as a device for making money. Somewhere … in the process of introducing vitamins and electric time-switches into his henhouse the farmer has missed the point of the egg…. The chicken knows.

Capricorn (Dec. 22 – Jan. 19) Anything can happen at a county agricultural fair. … To the fair come the man and his cow, the boy and his girl, the wife and her green tomato pickle, each anticipating victory and the excitement of being separated from his money by familiar devices. Your green tomato pickle is on the road to victory.

Aquarius (Jan. 20 – Feb. 18) The lake had never been what you would call a wild lake. Even the tamest lake has a wild side.

Pisces (Feb. 19 – March 20) This month … I am going to get a cow. Perhaps I should put it the other way round — a cow is going to get me. It should be mutual.

Aries (March 21 – April 19) This morning made preparations for building a boat — the first boat I ever prepared to build. Bought ten cents’ worth of wicking and borrowed some caulking tools, and prepared myself further by asking a man how to build a boat and he told me. Now ask another one and compare.

Taurus (April 20 – May 20) The sum of ninety cents seems a lot to spend for anything, no matter what. But when I get up into gustier amounts, among sums like fifty dollars, or a hundred and thirty-two dollars, or three hundred and seven dollars, they all sound pretty much alike. “Out of your league” is a big category but so is your league.

Gemini (May 21 – June 20) Some people can look at the notation 5/23/29 and it means something to them, calls up some sort of image. I can’t do that. I can see lust in a pig’s eye, but I can’t see a day in a number. There’s a whole day in a pig’s eye.

The Music Roundup 20/07/09

• Good times: One of the region’s musical treasures, Charlie Chronopoulos is a triple threat. He writes lyrically complex and compelling songs, renders them in a soothing honey and woodsmoke voice, and plays guitar like a beast. Good to have him back on the circuit, with shows booked throughout July. Check out his original “Chief and a Warrior,” recorded at Manchester’s Studio 2, for a taste of his brilliance. Thursday, July 9, 6 p.m., Village Trestle, 25 Main St., Goffstown. See facebook.com/charlie.chronopoulos.

• Wooden music: Like Jethro Tull, no member of The Clavis Brudon Band answers to that name, which is an amalgamation of the first three letters of the quartet’s surnames. They play a tasty brand of folk rock, this time at a new-ish venue; the restaurant’s been around for a while, but the rustic deck in back was just completed (one of the few bright spots of the pandemic is more outdoor performance spaces). Friday, July 10, 5 p.m., Tooky Mills Pub, 9 Depot St., Hillsborough. See facebook.com/The-Clavis-Brudon-Band.

• Happy man: Another among the plethora of entries into the live music scene is Paul Lussier, a singer, guitarist, actor and veteran of the regional scene. Lussier promises songs about peace, love and understanding to remedy current contentiousness, with a set that includes classic rock covers, and he may sprinkle in a few originals from his rock musical in progress, You Are My Song. Saturday, July 11, 4:30 p.m., The Hill Bar & Grille, 50 Chalet Way, Manchester. See paul-lussier.wixsite.com.

• Local hero: The Concord music community got sad news recently that True Brew Barista is closing, as the owners are retiring. Thanks for the many years of memories. The scene continues apace led by dedicated folks like Lucas Gallo, a musician and show promoter, who plays at a brewery that’s also keeping the flame burning. Enjoy an all original set along with stellar craft beer. Thursday, July 16, 7 p.m., Lithermans Limited Brewery, 26B Hall St., Concord. See facebook.com/lucasgallomusic.

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