Astros Charge
Five years ago, today was January 6, 2021. I remember that day well. Here is from an AP story that was posted yesterday:
WASHINGTON (AP) — Approaching the fifth anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, the official plaque honoring the police who defended democracy that day is nowhere to be found.
It’s not on display at the Capitol, as is required by law. Its whereabouts aren’t publicly known, though it’s believed to be in storage.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, has yet to formally unveil the plaque. And the Trump administration’s Department of Justice is seeking to dismiss a police officers’ lawsuit asking that it be displayed as intended. The Architect of the Capitol, which was responsible for obtaining and displaying the plaque, said in light of the federal litigation, it cannot comment.
When it comes to law and order and back the blue, MAGA has zero credibility. MAGA is pure thuggery through and through. MAGA and lawlessness go hand and hand, but you know that.
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On Venezuela, Donald Trump said today it is about the oil. Nothing about freedom and democracy. Nope. Nada. Don’t get played like suckers, folks.
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The Winder Olympics start one month from today.
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This is happening in my neighborhood. See this from the Chron:
Superica, a Tex-Mex restaurant that opened in the Heights in 2018, will close on Feb. 15 to make way for Star Rover, which chef-restaurateur Ford Fry described as a “West Texas-inspired honky-tonk and everyday steakhouse.”
The new restaurant, 1801 N. Shepherd, is projected to open on Feb. 26, according to Fry, a Houston native who is based in Atlanta and leads Rocket Farm Restaurants.
And this:
In addition to steaks — New York strips, ribeyes, skirt steaks and more — on the menu, other dishes include chicken fried chicken, blackened redfish and possibly a burger. Fry said he’s aiming for customers to be able to spend $20 to $50 on food per person.
I will check it out once they open next month.
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It looks like the Astros want to make a charge this season as in the featured photo. They introduced our new pitcher Tatsuya Imai at Daikin Park yesterday. See this from the Chron:
Having donned his Houston Astros jersey and cap, Tatsuya Imai delivered an introduction. An interpreter sat two seats from the Japanese right-hander behind a table in the press conference room at Daikin Park. Imai, glancing at his phone for cues, pressed ahead without assistance.
“What’s up, H-Town?” Imai said in English, flashing a grin. “I’m Tatsuya Imai. I’m ready to chase a World Championship. Let’s go, Houston.”
Days after finalizing a three-year contract with Imai that can max out at $63 million, the Astros unveiled their newest starter at their ballpark Monday, with the sides offering some insight into the surprise deal that brought the 27-year-old into a reshaped Houston rotation.
The highest-profile international pitcher on this winter’s free-agent market, widely projected to garner a nine-figure deal early in the offseason, Imai agreed last week to a three-year deal with opt-outs after each of the first two seasons, two days before his 45-day posting window was set to expire.
Imai will earn $18 million in base salary next season with $1 million performance bonuses for reaching 80, 90 and 100 innings, according to a person with knowledge of the terms. If he triggers the bonuses, they will become base salary in the ensuing years of the contract.
“I had the privilege to have a couple of other offers as well on the table,” Imai said Monday, through interpreter Kevin Ando. “But at the end of the day, I truly believed that here in Houston, with the Astros, I’d be able to seriously take a shot at the World Series, make a run, and thought that it would be the best fit for myself.”
Imai will wear the number 45. I watched the press conference yesterday. Imai sounds confident. Let’s do it then.