Althouse: In the Flood Frog Café...

September 8, 2018

In the Flood Frog Café...

... hop in.

49 comments:

Unknown said...: Apropos for us here in the mid-atlantic. Flash flood warnings until Monday night.; 9/8/18, 8:41 PM
traditionalguy said...: Yes. The Frogs beat SMU in a flood of rain last night.; 9/8/18, 9:00 PM
Lucien said...: Serena Williams wins today's Faux Outrage Sweepstakes. During the second set of the women's US Open final, the umpire gave Williams a code violation warning for coaching. Video showed her coach giving hand signals from the stands. The commentators (who were solid Serena fans) interpreted the signals as urging Williams to come forward more, and noted that she did so, with some success afterward.

After the match, the coach admitted he'd been coaching with the hand signals, saying that he always does so, and so does every other coach, and they never get called on it.

Meanwhile, Ms. Williams argued with the umpire, claiming that she doesn't cheat, and that all her coach had done was give her a thumbs up signal. (So she tacitly admitted that she considered the coaching that her coach does all the time to be "cheating".)

After Ms. Williams lost her serve in the second set, she broke her racquet on the ground, the umpire called her for racquet abuse, which, since it was the second offense in the match, carried a point penalty. Williams again argued with the Umpire, claiming that he owed her an apology for the coaching warning on the grounds that it impugned her character, and again proclaiming that she doesn't cheat. She also argued "I'm a mother", claiming that she was bringing her (less than one-year-old) daughter up not to cheat. On the changeover down 4-3 Willaims continued arguing with the umpire, demanding an apology and calling him a liar and a thief who had stolen a point from her. That earned her a penalty for verbal abuse, which, since it was the third offense, carried a game penalty.

Twenty-year-old Naomi Osaka beat Williams 6-2, 6-4.; 9/8/18, 9:03 PM
Temujin said...: I feel like its raining all over the world. Except in Athens, GA. Look out Bama.; 9/8/18, 9:07 PM
Birkel said...: Looks like the East Coast will be getting some rain later this week.
Stay dry if you are there.; 9/8/18, 9:07 PM
cacimbo said...: Obama out on the campaign trail sure doesn't match claims of a huge blue wave coming.I suspect Trump's numbers with blacks are rising enough that Democrats are nervous - so they begged their head race baiter to jump back in.; 9/8/18, 9:14 PM
Narayanan said...: Obama: I'm black hear me whimper.; 9/8/18, 9:22 PM
rhhardin said...: Dave (1993) has the president-in-trouble having accomplished positive stuff, mostly the same things Trump in fact has accomplished, except of course by government action on the left.; 9/8/18, 9:22 PM
mockturtle said...: Lucien beat me to it. I also watched the US Open women's finals today and was thoroughly disgusted with Serena's behavior. Osaka played very well and seemed calm and unperturbed by Williams' hysterics but the crowd was almost 100% for Serena and were booing the judges. What a crowd! I don't recall how many double faults Serena had but she was clearly losing and had to try to deflect the blame. What a spoiled drama queen!; 9/8/18, 9:22 PM
Narayanan said...: Did Trump tilt the Earth's axis?; 9/8/18, 9:25 PM
Humperdink said...: Going to a rodeo tomorrow to see the spouse's former horse. Some young lady will be barrel racing him. Spouse is excited. Me? Not so much.; 9/8/18, 9:39 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: the Seething Frog Cafe is hoppin' too; 9/8/18, 9:39 PM
mockturtle said...: Younger daughter just sent me this:
Q: What's the difference between a Liberal and a puppy?
A: After a few weeks, a puppy stops whining.; 9/8/18, 9:49 PM
Bay Area Guy said...: Stanford has a really tough football program.; 9/8/18, 10:02 PM
Clyde said...: I didn't watch the tennis match. Did Serena claim to be Spartacus?; 9/8/18, 10:04 PM
mockturtle said...: Did Serena claim to be Spartacus?

More like Niobe.; 9/8/18, 10:34 PM
Seeing Red said...: Wouldn’t Spartacus be cultural appropriation?; 9/8/18, 10:35 PM
Trumpit said...: The Bog Man speaketh!

https://www.nytimes.com/1988/01/26/science/bog-man-reveals-story-of-a-brutal-ritual.html; 9/8/18, 10:58 PM
Qwinn said...: You know what the best part of all the leftist insanity about Trump?

It's very arguably why Trump has governed as conservatively as he has.

Trump is a dealmaker (as are all politicians). He'll do something for you if you do something for him. Leftists and NeverTrumpers have made it crystal clear that if Trump cured cancer tomorrow, the next day's headlines would be about rising unemployment among oncologists. They've completely eliminated the possibility of making deals with him. As such, Trump knows that the only group that is willing give him credit, the only group he CAN satisfy, is his conservative base.

So, let's just celebrate every time the Left gets more and more insane. It doesnt just weaken their chances in November, it also insures that Trump won't go wobbly on us or waste his time trying to appease them, which is impossible.; 9/8/18, 11:02 PM
Jon Ericson said...: Ah! Trumpit! we were all just thinking of you!; 9/8/18, 11:02 PM
Jon Ericson said...: If Pompeii happened now.; 9/8/18, 11:10 PM
Mark said...: The pretentious twit nature of tennis and its rules and its officials should be booed. They all need to get over themselves.; 9/8/18, 11:32 PM
Jon Ericson said...: [RR]; 9/8/18, 11:40 PM
Jon Ericson said...: "It's a start"; 9/8/18, 11:54 PM
etbass said...: The worst thing for me about modern tennis is the grunting.
Don’t ever recall Evert, Navratilova, Lendl, or any other of past greats having to grunt to get the best game.; 9/9/18, 12:32 AM
chickelit said...: @etbass: come on ...sports are just better miked; just like they’re better nike’d.; 9/9/18, 1:17 AM
Ralph L said...: Everything's better with the mute button.
Except opera.; 9/9/18, 1:23 AM
rehajm said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 9/9/18, 5:14 AM
Sharc 65 said...: Toad. It's a toad.; 9/9/18, 5:39 AM
Breezy said...: I did not watch the match. How could claiming you’re a mother help your cause, though? If she was whining, where’s the mother in her?

Congratulations to Naomi Osaka!!; 9/9/18, 5:51 AM
rehajm said...: It's a toad.

With Flood Toad you don't get the pleasing alliteration.

Tsunami Toad is nice but doesn't exactly work with the setting...; 9/9/18, 6:25 AM
rehajm said...: That jewelry store is keeping the 'offensive' billboard up.

Believe in Something... I believe they will, thanks...; 9/9/18, 6:29 AM
Sharc 65 said...: Torrent Toad.; 9/9/18, 6:32 AM
rehajm said...: ...media and the commentariat no longer determine public opinion

No matter how many outraged opinion pieces or news articles (but I repeat myself) the New York Times produces, no matter how many smarter-than-thou analysts with non-prescription eyeglasses mope about sadly on CNN, no matter how many Obama fan boys and girls left in the White House press corps shriek at the president whenever in earshot, it just doesn’t matter anymore.

The economy hums. Trump keeps us out of foreign entanglements. Wages increase. America’s traditional meritocracy replaces the Democrats’ grievance-based society. Life happens.

Yes! I've been seeing this for some time. It's a far better analysis of what's happening than what's being reported.; 9/9/18, 6:49 AM
HT said...: Well it looks like all the big state schools had big wins yesterday. Not hard when you play the likes of Southeastern Bible College or the Queens College of Architecture. I see the trend of padding schedules is spreading.; 9/9/18, 6:53 AM
Hagar said...: Tennis is not supposed to be like Nascar ("If you aren't cheating, you aren't trying!"), and it is well that this umpire reminded the top players of that.
Otherwise, I would say that Serena Williams got emotional and threw a tantrum for which she was duly punished. It was not a very big deal in the scheme of things.; 9/9/18, 6:56 AM
rehajm said...: It was not a very big deal in the scheme of things.

Yes. Serena was already down big and when I saw it in real time my first thought was she was trying to amp herself up with some emotion as she and other athletes often do. The warning did come at a critical point in the match and it just could have set her off like has happened to her in the past (My spouse has written Serena off ever since she threatened that line judge years ago).

Either way not a big deal in the scheme. It was pretty much over already.; 9/9/18, 7:03 AM
Ann Althouse said...: The post names the café, the virtual place where you can hang out. I can name it anything.

The creature in the photograph is what he is.

If I called the café "The Tubercular Toad," we wouldn't need to worry about the health status of the animal.; 9/9/18, 7:04 AM
Ann Althouse said...: Alternative argument:

Toads are in fact a type of frog, so it's always fine to refer to a toad as a frog, just as it's correct to refer to a toad as an animal.; 9/9/18, 7:07 AM
Ann Althouse said...: I've looked that up before, and I'm sure it was lurking in my head when I decided to use the word "frog." If you say "frog," you don't have to figure out if it's a frog or a toad.; 9/9/18, 7:08 AM
Rusty said...: Now go wash your hands.; 9/9/18, 7:09 AM
Hagar said...: I see The NYT claims Federer actually was beaten by "climate change" rather than by his opponent's superior playing. Could not the weather have affected Serena Williams as well?
(Of course, why did it not similarly affect their opponents?); 9/9/18, 7:12 AM
Humperdink said...: "I did not watch the match. How could claiming you’re a mother help your cause, though? If she was whining, where’s the mother in her?

Congratulations to Naomi Osaka!!"

I noticed Osaka was wearing an Adidas hat as apposed to the "Just Blew It" kneewear.; 9/9/18, 7:20 AM
Paco Wové said...: "So, let's just celebrate every time the Left gets more and more insane."

Thanks, but I'd rather not be locked in here, chained to this lunatic.; 9/9/18, 8:09 AM
DavidD said...: Algae bloom?; 9/9/18, 8:22 AM
Hagar said...: Is "climate change" to blame for Tiger's putts not going in?; 9/9/18, 8:23 AM
BUMBLE BEE said...: So Serena stole one out of the book of Barack's presidency. She called the waaaaaambulance. Also, as noted, with the camera work employed in sports, who needs the sound on?
I'm still not over that "rapper's" drivel.; 9/9/18, 8:25 AM
Michael K said...: Good column rehajm.

Spot on.; 9/9/18, 9:37 AM
FIDO said...: So I was flying over Europe.

Crossing the border between two nations, guess what I saw?

A Wall.

Why can't we be like Europe? Strict abortion laws, walls, men are men (save in France), women are women (save in Denmark). They still joke and small vices like smoking and drinking are no big deal.; 9/9/18, 10:18 AM