January 23, 2024

I don't see how "Steve Garvey became a punchline."

I'm reading "How Steve Garvey became a punchline at the first California Senate debate/The Republican and former Dodger was an easy target for House Democrats on Monday night" at Politico.

And I'm watching the full debate....


I don't see anything to laugh at. Start at 36:34 to see Adam Schiff pressure him to say whether he'll vote for Donald Trump. Garvey stays perfectly calm and speaks rationally, even as he deprives his opponents of a video clip of him saying that he'll vote for Trump. And notice how the moderator breaks in repeatedly as he's answering. He never loses his cool. He seems to have studied and adopted the demeanor of Ronald Reagan. 

By the way, Politico credits Katie Porter with delivering a "zinger," when she said "What they say is true: Once a Dodger, always a Dodger." But Dodger fans won't want to hear their team name used as an insult. Anyway, there were lots of references to baseball, including from Garvey. 

63 comments:

RideSpaceMountain said...

"If you want a picture of the future, imagine having to look at Katie Porter's corpulent resting bitch face - forever."

- George OhWell, 2084

Original Mike said...

"And I'm watching the full debate....
I don't see anything to laugh at."


Headlines aren't written for people like you, who watch the full debate. They are written for the majority, who only read the headlines.

Garvey is absolutely correct when he accused Adam Schiff of lying to 300 million people, as I read in a headline this morning.

n.n said...

Garvey hit a homer, leaving the other team scrambling, only to realize that they had no viable choice, and so they brayed in gay acrimony.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Leftwing democrats are so GROSS.

Bob Boyd said...

Garvey is the only one on the stage who seems like a normal human being. The other three look like cartoon devils.

MadisonMan said...

I think every reference to "at Politico" should be "by the Democrats at Politico".

Moondawggie said...

So Garvey said "Lets close the border...Let's fund the police."

Somehow I don't think Politico understands the difference between intelligent policy suggestions and "vague answers/punchlines."

And speaking from the viewpoint of a kid who grew up in LA as a Dodger fan (Drysdale/Koufax/Sutton era), you don't want to be disrespectful about the Big Dodger in the Sky, Ms. Porter. Bad mistake.

Rich said...

If memory serves, when Garvey retired he had two pregnant girlfriends and was getting married to a third woman. And he will be running as a Republican. In MAGA world — that means Garvey has rizz….

Good Luck with that.

Iman said...

Katie Porker (D) is a stain on humanity. OC should be ashamed.

PM said...

ARE YOU NOW OR HAVE YOU EVER BEEN A TRUMP VOTER?!

Iman said...

Steve from the Planet Garvon… he was always known to be a square, stand-up man. Californians would be taking a step in the right direction if we elected him.

Mason G said...

"The Republican and former Dodger was an easy target for House Democrats on Monday night"

An easy target? You mean like the dystopian mess that California has become under Democratic leadership, with no end in sight? That sort of easy?

Jake said...

Adam Schiff is such a slime.

wendybar said...

"California became a punchline at the first California Senate debate/The Republican and former Dodger was an easy target for House Democrats on Monday night""

THERE. I fixed it for you.

tim maguire said...

He became a punchline when he put an R next to his name.

Dave Begley said...

"The one constant through all the years Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It’s been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good, and that could be again. Oh, people will come, Ray. People most definitely will come."

So true. I've been there twice. Worth stopping there when Ann and Meade drive to Omaha so that Ann can buy me dinner at Omaha's Drover.

Rusty said...

Rich said...
"If memory serves, when Garvey retired he had two pregnant girlfriends and was getting married to a third woman. And he will be running as a Republican. In MAGA world — that means Garvey has rizz…."
And that's important to you?

Michael K said...

I watched a video of the exchange between Garvey and Schiff Schiff is a skilled liar but that is what Democrats do in CA. I expect he will win.

Gusty Winds said...

The clip flying around X today is Garvey reminding Adam Schiff that he was censured of lying. Schiff lies some more and Garvey calmly finishes the exchange with "Sir, you lied to 300 million people. You can't take that back."

I noticed Garvey's calm demeanor as well. Guess when you've been under pressure with a bat in your hand at home plate, Adam Schiff seems like chicken shit.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
loudogblog said...

I heard that section on the radio where Mr. Mo'Kelly asked all of them what they would say about Trump being elected. Garvey said that he would support whoever was elected to the Presidency. The Democratic candidates all attacked him as being a Trump/MAGA supporter and implied that they would fight against Trump because he was an insurrectionist.

Plus, Schiff later bragging that he would lie to the American people again was an unforced error. That clip is going to show up in a campaign ad.

I think that we could see who the adult in the room was.

It's going to be an interesting election.

Greg the Class Traitor said...

"The Republican and former Dodger was an easy target for House Democrats on Monday night"

Tanslation: he did a great job, there's nothing we can truthfully write that tis him, so we'll just lie in the headline, and trust 99% of people will never read any farther.

Let's be real, he's got 0% chance of winning, although a good chance of advancing in the jungle primary.

But it's amazingly stupid of them to be focusing on him, rather than any of the Ds.

Or maybe it's an indication that teh writer thought all the Ds sucked, so there was nothing positive to write

Greg the Class Traitor said...

Rich said...
If memory serves, when Garvey retired he had two pregnant girlfriends and was getting married to a third woman. And he will be running as a Republican.
Shall we take a look at the "private lives" of each of those Democrats on the stage, Rich?

Or, I know, let's ask Adam Schiff what happened to all those documents, and all that testimony, that he came to the American people and swore had happened.

All of which turned out to be lies

Dagwood said...

In Rich's dimly lit little world, knocking up someone is far worse than serving up treasonous lies in order to damage a president, his administration, and the nation.

Gusty Winds said...

Basically the debate was three lying nut jobs vs. Steve Garvey.

Joe Smith said...

'If memory serves, when Garvey retired he had two pregnant girlfriends and was getting married to a third woman. And he will be running as a Republican. In MAGA world — that means Garvey has rizz….'

Handsome, rich, professional baseball player likes to fuck hot women.

News at 11.

Fuck off.

P.S. Schiff is a close friend of gay pedophile Ed Buck.

mccullough said...

Garvey has great hair.

He’s aged really well.

Charlie Currie said...

There's a lot of Californians who would enthusiastically vote for Garvey, except they've all moved out of state.

Charlie Currie said...

Adam Schiff lied to three million people and half of them have no issue with that.

MayBee said...

I don't know how Adam Schiff isn't a punchline. Feed the media the lies they want, and I guess they won't destroy you.

We do live in a really dumb time, election-wise. Everything is about zingers. Zing Zing Zing! You'll make a great senator!!

Patrick Driscoll said...

Reads headline only, passes it along to fellow NPCs, who will also fail to read past the headline.

Static Ping said...

Steve Garvey always seemed to be destined for politics, until it came out that he was quite the womanizer. That derailed him for quite some time. These days, I'm not sure what level of depravity would be required to derail a candidate. For Democrats, I'm not sure there is any such level as they will rally around anyone. Case in point, the three candidates here, all of them terrible human beings with nothing to recommend them.

The thing is Garvey was overrated as a baseball player. It's not that he was a bad player. He wasn't. But he was probably one of the worst 10 time All-Stars. He had 5 things going for him:

1. He played in L.A.
2. He played in L.A. when they won a World Series and multiple pennants.
3. He was part of L.A.'s famous infield along with Lopes, Russell, and Cey, an infield that stayed together for a very long time.
4. He often had high RBI numbers, which were highly prized as a sign of greatness but today are considered a very overrated and often meaningless stat.
5. He was very handsome.

He was a minor star that was treated as a major star. If he played in Milwaukee or Seattle, he probably would have been a footnote of the guy they would pick for the All-Star Game since each team needed one player.

JAORE said...

"I don't see how..."

An R behind a name is enough to make ANYTHING a big joke to the woke.

Like the laugh track at a dull as dishwater sit-com.

Robert Cook said...

"Leftwing democrats are so GROSS."

And rightwing republicans are icky!

I'm doing my bit to contribute to the elevation of discourse here.

Robert Cook said...

"If you want a picture of the future, imagine having to look at Katie Porter's corpulent resting bitch face - forever."

and:

"Katie Porker (D) is a stain on humanity. OC should be ashamed."

I like to see incisive critical political analyses such as these comments do not represent.

Rich Rostrom said...

Rich said...
If memory serves, when Garvey retired he had two pregnant girlfriends and was getting married to a third woman.

That was after he cheated massively on his wife Cyndy, who divorced him and took up with Marvin Hamlisch.

I remember that when the shenanigans the other Rich mentions came out, Garvey said (roughly) "I didn't mean for this to happen - it was an accident."

That reminded me of a line from The Last Boy Scout: Joe Hallenbeck (Bruce Willis) catches Mike Matthews (Bruce McGill) hiding in his wife's bedroom closet. Mike attempts to excuse himself: "...it just happened." To which Joe responds "... It was an accident, right? You tripped, slipped on the floor and accidentally stuck your dick in my wife."

I don't suppose the GOP has any chance of winning that Senate seat. But after the Herschel Walker fiasco in Georgia, which did lose a seat, you'd think they would know better.

Then again, they may not have anyone else willing to run, and if he is self-financing, at least they don't have to spend any money.

mccullough said...

Static Ping,

Runs and RBIs are the only stats that matter offensively.

The more you get on base, the more the team scores. The more runs you drive in, the more the team scores.

Batting average is an overrated stat. (So are stolen bases). On base percentage is not. It correlates well to runs scored. RBIs definitely aren’t.

I agree Garvey isn’t Mike Schmidt. But there are very few players whose careers began in the early to mid 70s who were great. (Schmidt, Brett, and Yount).

That’s why Garvey made so many all star games. He was good but not great in an era were very few players were great.

Yinzer said...

Static Ping says that RBIs are considered to be overrated and meaningless? Does he ( I assume) even know what baseball is?? There is NOTHING in baseball more valued than the ability to produce runs.

Jim at said...

"If memory serves, when Garvey retired he had two pregnant girlfriends and was getting married to a third woman. And he will be running as a Republican. In MAGA world — that means Garvey has rizz…."

Yeah, but did he shower with his teenage daughter?

gadfly said...

You missed the best quote from a totally unprepared non-candidate for the U.S. Senate.

Steve Garvey: “We must energy our police. We must crime our streets. We must get back to exploring Californians. Now vote for me, you middle-class honkies. Or at least meet me at the lounge of the Hollywood Hyatt after the rally.”

Using nouns as verbs just doesn't cut it because it doesn't confer actions. Neither does insulting voters nor offering bribes. The soon-to-be three-time Trump voter, and first-time candidate loser, Garvey can only monkey around with his best effort at Trumpian nonsensical humor.

AndrewV said...

By the way, Politico credits Katie Porter with delivering a "zinger," when she said "What they say is true: Once a Dodger, always a Dodger." But Dodger fans won't want to hear their team name used as an insult.

I guess Politico thinks that this "zinger" will convince San Francisco Giants fans to vote for Katie Brown.

Mason G said...

"There's a lot of Californians who would enthusiastically vote for Garvey, except they've all moved out of state."

Not a dealbreaker if you're playing by Democrat rules.

cfs said...

"How Steve Garvey became a punchline...."


Not everyone viewed it that way.

https://twitchy.com/samj/2024/01/23/schiff-called-out-for-lying-watch-him-sweat-n2392058

and

https://twitchy.com/samj/2024/01/23/schiff-tries-to-spin-his-embarrassing-debate-garvey-n2392059

Pat said...

Static Ping: I think the Hall of Fame got it right on Garvey. He never made it in, topping out at about 42% of the vote (75% needed). But he did the kind of things that got you on ten all-star teams back then.

1. He still holds the National League record for most consecutive games played with 1207 straight appearances. During that stretch he hit over .300 every year except 1978, when he checked in at .297.

2. In 9 of his 10 All-Star selections he received votes for MVP. He won the MVP in 1974, finished second in 1978, and 6th three times.

3. Due to his durability and .300 hitting he reached 200 hits six times.

4. The National League had a shortage of talent at first base during the 1970s (until Keith Hernandez), leaving Garvey as a pretty obvious pick most years.

OTOH, he didn't like to walk, was a liability on the basepaths and with the glove (the four Gold Gloves are clearly for his hitting), and really didn't slug enough for a first baseman, only topping 20 HRs five times and 30 HRs once.

His looks certainly helped him back then and he still generally has a craggy charm. Still look closely and you can see he's quite fond of booze; it's written all over his face in red ink.

Mason G said...

It's cute that the leftists here seem to think that moral failings are a reason to disqualify someone from elected office. Perhaps they'd be in favor of applying Rule 4 to their candidates?

Yeah, I didn't think so either.

AndrewV said...

I guess Politico thinks that this "zinger" will convince San Francisco Giants fans to vote for Katie Brown.

I meant Katie Porter. I don't know why I was thinking of the previous Governor of Oregon.

cassandra lite said...

"1. He still holds the National League record for most consecutive games played with 1207 straight appearances. During that stretch he hit over .300 every year except 1978, when he checked in at .297."

'78 was the year the Dodgers had four players, including Garvey, hit at least 30 homers. He spent a lot of his at-bats selflessly moving runners over.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Gadfly - provide proof or it didn't happen.

Lawnerd said...

Adam Schiff is a piece of shit. That is all. Thank you.

Rocco said...

AndrewV said...
“I guess Politico thinks that this "zinger" will convince San Francisco Giants fans to vote for Katie Brown.”

AndrewV corrected it with…
“I meant Katie Porter. I don't know why I was thinking of the previous Governor of Oregon.”

I bet you were thinking that San Francisco has already clearly voted for brown.

Enigma said...

Following decades of anti-growth, anti-housing policies and generous gifts to party friends, California is left with (1) those bribed/paid by the government and (2) those with $$$$$$ who stay in power by bribing the little people and who also need maids and guys to mow their lawns. Schiff is the perfect agent to transfer bribes between these groups, so he's been a tool for a long time.

Garvey represents old sunny, optimistic, fun, entertainment-oriented California. That party-hearty vision started to die in the 1970s as the anti-growth, anti-housing, greased-palm culture took over. He's clearly fighting a defensive war in a sewer, but even California has its limits. Moderate Democrats controlled the state before the last 10-15 years, so Garvey might win merely by using circa-2007 (pre-Obama) Democratic language.

Schiff was once a "conservative" Blue Dog Democrat! Yes! This was in California's late purple phase before it went deep blue, and he was elected in a tough moderate district. Given hindsight his serpent character was showing back then, even as it became obvious with his kangaroo court efforts against Trump.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/adam-schiffs-fight-trump-made-democratic-star-may-not-enough-make-prog-rcna73660

Rusty said...

Cooke said,
"I like to see incisive critical political analyses such as these comments do not represent."
Just mention Trump and you're as rapturous as a school girl.

Temujin said...

Garvey looked like a wax version of his former self. Sounded like each thought, each sentence had to be carefully worked out. Which is fine. We have a President currently who cannot even manage that. But...enough of these guys at this age being our only choice. This is the only choice of a conservative in California? Or just the only one willing to use his own money to run?

Might as well call Adam Schiff, Senator. It's done. Californians do not care that he held up the country with massive lives and obfuscations for 4 years. They care only that there is a 'D' next to his name. And we'll have to listen to this smug asshole for another 6 years at least, and probably another 18. Ugh. I'll probably live out my days with this putz in the Senate. What a thought.

We certainly do get what we deserve when we keep voting in slugs like Schiff and have nothing better to offer up than an aging Steve Garvey.

Aggie said...

I think this is called 'management by headline' - whereby, when you have an unexpectedly poor outcome, you confect a headline out of stretched facts on the assumption that most people won't read too much further. It's for the lazy people that gather their news by reviewing the headlines. You know, 80% of voters.

Tina Trent said...

Baseball is the last hill to not die on in California, except several have been shot on it.

By the way, on behalf of my grandfather, fuck the Dodgers. Good name for them.

Jason said...

Don Sutton had the right idea about Garvey.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Adam Schitt is a pile of shit. He does not deserve civil discourse. Adam Schitt is a lying liar who lies and a fraud.

He is right of CA's a-hole. They will stupidly vote for that fucker.

Jason said...

My understanding is that Garvey "gave away" his wife to Hamlisch. Like, at a dinner party or something. Weird.

Lots of great former ballplayers out there who could go into politics but somehow we get Garvey.
.

Static Ping said...

In regard to RBIs, I absolutely agree that producing runs is the thing with baseball. The problem with RBIs is they do not reflect the production of runs very well at all. As Bill James noted, to get a lot of RBIs requires 3 things:

1. Get a lot of plate appearances.
2. Bat wtih a lot of runners on base.
3. Hit well.

The player only has direct control of that last one.

That second one is very important for RBIs. In one of his books, Bill James did a simulation with Babe Ruth having an incredible season in a lineup with the most awful hitters he could assemble. In one of the simulations, he had the opposing manager intentionally walk Ruth every time he came to bat. The cleanup hitter in the simulation, who was absolutely dreadful, had 150 RBIs. Why? Because Ruth was always on base to be driven in and even a terrible hitter, within reason, could drive in a lot of runs when there is always someone on first base.

In real life, we have examples of this. In Joe Carter's 1990 season with San Diego, he batted a terrible 232 with a 290 OBP and only 24 home runs. He was batting behind Bip Roberts (who has getting on base a lot), Roberto Alomar, Tony Gwynn, and sometimes OBP machine Jack Clark. Joe had 115 RBIs.by far the most on the team and third in the league, despite arguably being the worst position player in the lineup. There were lots of men on base to drive in, and he could drive them in with sac flies and ground outs to second and weak singles, which he did. On the other end of the spectrum you have Mickey Mantle, who would have monstrously productive seasons and regularly have less than 100 RBIs because the 1 and 2 batters were not getting on base.

RBIs are reliant on too many factors outside of a the hitter's control to be a good measure of offensive excellence. It is context based and if the batter is put in a different context the RBI numbers can change significantly with the exact same production.

Joe Smith said...

'On the other end of the spectrum you have Mickey Mantle, who would have monstrously productive seasons and regularly have less than 100 RBIs because the 1 and 2 batters were not getting on base.'

If your one and two hitters aren't getting on base, you need better one and tow hitters.

Other than fielding well, that's their only job...

Joe Smith said...

P.S. Love how this morphed into Bill James : )

jj121957 said...

I will never vote for someone who wore a Dodger uniform except maybe for Juan Marichal. And I'd make that exception for his heroics against Johnny Roseboro.

Static Ping said...

Joe Smith, I am not going to argue with you in that regard. At the time, lineups were typically built with the best hitter in the 3 spot with all the good hitters proceeding afterwards. The 1 and 2 slots were typically reserved for middle infielders or perhaps a defense first outfielder or third baseman. The Yankees would end up with guys like Bobby Richardson batting leadoff, who save a couple of seasons was usually the worst hitter on the team, and then someone like Tony Kubek, who was a good hitter for his position but mediocre at getting on base. If you hit 40 homers and there is no one on base, that's 40 RBIs.