OlDawg

La Porte 3 Barbers Hill 1 Final 8 Innings

Lady Dawgs Win Game 1 at BH 3-1 in 8 innings. Another heck of a game between these two clubs. Game 2 tomorrow at LP at 6:30 pm.

Mid 8 LP 3 BH 1

Going to extra innings. Still 1-1.

Top 6, still 1-1

BH 1 LP 1 Top 5

If you ever were actually poor (not just ‘fake poor’), you’ll find many ways to save and not go back. I used to be somewhat of a hoarder myself. There wasn’t a single thing I couldn’t find another use for… Sometimes, I’d get around to doing something with it—when I was wasn’t working OT to pay the bills—and sometimes stuff just piled up. I think I just never had much growing up, so I collected and didn’t throw away. That’s how I see it looking back anyway. I stopped, and cleaned most everything out of our house when my Mom passed away. My folks’ house was a fire hazard from all the junk. There was literally so much (not including storage units) that the EMT’s had to take her out in a body bag because a gurney wouldn’t fit in any door. Wake up call.

I wouldn’t want to be poor. Worked too hard to get a little bit ahead. But, some people today think being poor is a little different than I recall when I was growing up literally dirt poor. Not sure ‘poor’ is still having a $1000 cell phone, expensive sneakers, PlayStations and similar, and at least one big screen tv with some type of streaming service.

Agree. Purchasing power is being hurt across all income levels—except the poor. The poor are still faring the same if they are on government assistance. That may change in 2027 with some of the new rules. Inflation is caused by the government in this case—as almost always. The same people who are claiming they want control to help are the same people that created the mess in the first place. But, there are actually less people in the so-called ‘lower middle class & poverty levels’ than ever before, and it has little to do with government policy.

Inflation doesn’t erase an entire group of people as you claimed. But, no one said inflation wasn’t affecting folks either. Who/what causes inflation? What I was stating was that politicians, pundits, and public polling don’t use actual data. Also, there’s no agreed upon definition of middle class. The people using the ‘hollowing out of the middle class’ argument just want more control—either Left, Right, Socialist, or Populist. That should bother you. I believe you’re more of a free market type individual like myself. Read the study. There are many more like it.

The middle class shrinking is one of the biggest myths out there, and is used as a way for the government to intervene even more than it already does. This is only one study of many. Yes, the Middle Class Is Shrinking—Because It's Moving Up The real squeeze comes from government-distorted markets, not economic decline. [Hidden Content] The Middle Class Is Shrinking Because of a Booming Upper-Middle Class [Hidden Content]

BH has outscored their PO opponents 22-1 in 5 games. BH is 5-0 in the PO’s. LP has outscored their PO opponents 44-9 in 7 games. LP is 6-1 in the PO’s.

Baytown Sun Preview [Hidden Content] The Hill and La Porte are well acquainted. For the past few years, the two teams have met in the first round of the playoffs, this year’s series however, is for a regional title and a ticket to the state semifinals. The Eagles have prevailed that last two seasons and will be looking to eliminate the Lady Dawgs from the playoffs again and return to the state championships. The Lady Dawgs, on the other hand, would love an upset and send their seniors off with a trip to Austin. This series is one of the most anticipated of the season. La Porte vs. Barbers Hill Records: Lady Dawgs 28-4; Eagles 35-4. The state’ s No. 8 ranked Lady Dawgs and the No. 1 Eagles will have their own Hartman Bridge series this week as the best-of-three game regional championship begins Thursday in Mont Belvieu before crossing the ship channel Friday for a game in La Porte. The two teams are similar –– they can hit, play defense and pitch –– the only differences may be depth and the ability to create their own luck. At this stage of the season, sometimes it’s as important to be lucky as it is to be good. The La Porte pitching staff has been a key to the Lady Dawgs success this year and it has shown in the playoffs. Senior Aaliyah Maldonado is the ace of the pitching staff. She’s thrown 23 1/3 innings during the playoffs and is the probable Game 1 starter. Fellow senior Miranda Lozano has also been very good in her 15 2/3 innings pitched during the team’s latest run and sophomore Stori Zacher tossed a shutout to get the team past Hendrickson Friday night. Leadoff batter Kallie Walker was impressive in the Hendrickson series. The junior batted .400 with two RBIs and three runs scored. Maldonado and Kynlee Arechiga each hit .333, while Julianna Tarango posted a .375 batting average against the Hawks with two RBIs and a run. Delilah Rosales has been very good in the bottom third of the lineup. She went 4-for-8 and scored twice in the three games against Hendrickson. The Lady Dawgs can manufacture runs from any place in the lineup and usually do. The Hill reached the regional series in just five games. Staff ace Macie Bryant, and the defense, hadn’t allowed a run in the playoffs until the seventh inning of the semifinal game against East View –– 35 consecutive innings of scoreless softball –– and the offense has outscored their opponents 20-1. Leading the attack is Aybrie Corona. The infielder has batted .357 in the playoffs with seven RBIs and four runs scored. Catcher Zoey Hood is more than just a defensive player, she is also capable at the plate and is batting .429 with two RBIs and two runs in five playoff games. JosLynn Cooper is sometimes overlooked but her glove at third base and he patience at the plate is top notch. The junior is hitting .438 in the playoffs with two RBIs and three runs scored. This team is a juggernaut, and it will take exceptional play to derail its return to the state finals. The first pitch for Game 1 is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Barbers Hill High School. Game 2 is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday at La Porte High School. If a third game is needed, it will be played at Crosby at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Welp. So much for that. What a waste of bandwidth.

Week of 4/27 & 5/04. Last 2 weeks have been really good for the student athletes at LP. Keep focusing young men & ladies!

Pretty nice to be able to play a home/home this deep in the PO’s. Especially, when we’re this close to each other. Y’all are the obvious favorite with your superstar, cast, and experience. But, the Lady Dawgs are pretty balanced, and will give it their all.

Lake Creek advances with a 5-3 win over La Porte.

La Porte takes game 3 6-0 to win the series 0-3, 2-0, 6-0.

La Porte takes Game 3 to win the series 0-3, 2-0, 6-0.

Bottom 6 La Porte 6, Hendrickson 0 Game 3

Lake Creek 5, La Porte 1 Top 6 Game 2

Bottom 5 La Porte 4, Hendrickson 0 Game 3

La Porte takes Game 2: 2-0 to force Game 3 against Pflugerville Hendrickson.

Game 2: La Porte 2 Hendrickson 0 Final Game 3 Upcoming pending weather

I thought I'd humor those who choose to read with some of my thoughts on this fine morning. As anyone who reads my posts is aware, I'm not big on political parties. I consider myself a conservative libertarian. I believe in free markets and free people. I believe in individualism and personal liberty. My personal belief is the current political parties have long ago left their purpose of serving the people, and exist now only to collect power and stay in power. They exist to protect themselves, and the power they have--and can--accumulate. These are their primary drivers. The future of our--and our kids/grandkids--way of life seems to have been turned into nothing more than a sporting event by the two major parties. They've minimized it to the point where we can literally gamble online about the future direction of our country. As a cynical view, I'd think they were doing it on purpose to simplify, divide, and distract. With that said, I thought I'd post some quotes from one of my personal, favorite thinkers. If you've never heard of her, I'd recommend a quick look at some of her thoughts. If you have heard of her--but it's been awhile--it may be a good time to refresh your memories on some of her thoughts. No matter which Party you choose, I'd hope that some of these quotes strike a nerve, help remind us all of what's made America great, why she was founded, and what can be accomplished when our freedoms are actually unleashed. I'll step off my soapbox, and hope the below quotes are meaningful to everyone in some way. If you feel it's worthwhile, please post thoughts and/or quotes that are personally meaningful to you as they relate to our current political atmosphere. It would be interesting to me to see where people stand--aside from the specific headlines discussed in other threads. I'm curious if we all aren't closer in our beliefs than what we may think, or further apart. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ All quotes are courtesy of Ayn Rand America's abundance was created not by public sacrifices to the common good, but by the productive genius of free men who pursued their own personal interests and the making of their own private fortunes. They did not starve the people to pay for America's industrialization. They gave the people better jobs, higher wages, and cheaper goods with every new machine they invented, with every scientific discovery or technological advance- and thus the whole country was moving forward and profiting, not suffering, every step of the way. Individual rights are not subject to a public vote; a majority has no right to vote away the rights of a minority; the political function of rights is precisely to protect minorities from oppression by majorities (and the smallest minority on earth is the individual). Socialism is the doctrine that man has no right to exist for his own sake, that his life and his work do not belong to him, but belong to society, that the only justification of his existence is his service to society, and that society may dispose of him in any way it pleases for the sake of whatever it deems to be its own tribal, collective good. Whoever claims the right to redistribute the wealth produced by others is claiming the right to treat human beings as chattel. It only stands to reason that where there's sacrifice, there's someone collecting the sacrificial offerings. Where there's service, there is someone being served. The man who speaks to you of sacrifice is speaking of slaves and masters, and intends to be the master. Every government interference in the economy consists of giving an unearned benefit, extorted by force, to some men at the expense of others.