September always feels like the reset button after August’s chaos. The kid’s back in a routine, the corn in the ditches is turning that dusty gold color that means combines are coming, and I finally feel caught up on invoices instead of three weeks behind. It’s a good stretch. I’ll take it while it lasts.
Post of the Month
Aaron Judge came back from a fractured rib after 84 games out, went 0-for-3 in his return, and the Yankees won anyway. I wrote about why one rusty night doesn’t scare me and what his timing actually means for October.
The Hot Take
Kara Lawson is running two different Team USA teams at this World Cup — a veteran starting five and a bench unit stacked with the best young talent in the sport — and Caitlin Clark keeps landing on the wrong side of that split. She set the U.S. debut assist record with 11 dimes in the opener, she’s averaging 22 minutes a game off the bench, and Lawson is still saying things like “our starting group’s done a pretty good job, I like where we are right now” every time someone asks why Clark isn’t in it. I don’t care how good the veterans are. When your bench point guard is outplaying the guards you’re starting, that’s not a rotation choice anymore, that’s stubbornness.
Midwest Moment
Combines are officially rolling in Humboldt County. You can smell the dust before you see the equipment, and if you get stuck behind one on a gravel road, hang back. I’ve already told you what a road maintainer did to my transmission — a loaded grain cart is not something I’m interested in testing that theory with twice.
Currently Into
- Watching: FIBA Women’s World Cup replays, mostly to time how many minutes Clark gets each game. It’s become a whole bit.
- Listening to: pulled the Modest Mouse catalog back out now that it’s sweater weather.
- Baseball beat (recurring): The Hanwha Eagles just snapped a brutal 9-game losing streak and turned right around into a 5-game winning streak, capped by a 19-3 blowout of the LG Twins on September 9th. That’s the kind of swing that only makes sense in a 144-game season. (Source: Chosun.com) More on the Eagles next issue.
Before You Go
Thanks for reading issue four. Next month I’m hoping to actually make it out to the Loess Hills — I promised you that trip back in June and Iowa keeps not cooperating. If you want the rest of the World Cup takes and the full Hanwha Eagles saga, the subscriber version is $1.99/month — cancel anytime, no hard feelings.
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