TRUMP HAS ABSOLUTELY NO CHANCE OF EVER BECOMING PRESIDENT AGAIN

 Let's stop pretending to believe that the criminally treasonous ex-president Donald Trump is a viable presidential candidate this time around. He's not. He's pathetic. His supporters are idiots. They're in a cult whose leader is a lying, thin-skinned, narcissistic, psychopathic scumbag who will soon be spending the rest of his miserable life in court or in prison. I'm not sure why the Republican Party is so terrified of this despicable human being. I suppose they're really just terrified that Trump's idiotic base will revolt against any member of the GOP who dares to state the obvious. In other words, they're cowards. Imagine that.

Here's the deal, dumbass Republicans: If Trump couldn't carry the critical swing states of Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia and Pennsylvania in 2020, what makes you think he could do better this time around? Do you think his attempt to overturn a free and fair election by inciting an insurrection will make him more appealing to the vast majority of voters? In 2016, Trump paid hush money to a porn star in order to fraudulently win the election. That scheme will likely result in a criminal indictment of the former Pussy Grabber in Chief; and that's only the tip of the criminal ice burg. C'mon fellas, give me a break. He just wants to find 11,780 votes in Georgia to overturn Biden's win in the Peach State. That indictment is right around the corner. Honestly, I can't believe that didn't happen two years ago. The evidence is on tape. I've only heard it two dozen times. Once should be enough to prosecute!

But I digress. Last August, we discovered that Trump absconded with hundreds of classified government documents that belong to the National Archives. And after being asked to return them, he instructed his attorney to lie, claiming everything had been returned when they clearly hadn't. More brazen disregard for the law. Does this type of behavior make him a more appealing presidential candidate? Sure, if you're an idiot. Luckily, only 25% of the nation is comprised of idiots. 

Finally, let's review the biggest reason Trump lost in 2016: Trump Pandemic Failure. His suggestion to cure COVID: Ingest bleach and shine a bright light up one's rectum. Aside from that absurdity, his administration went out of its way to hide the truth about the pandemic which resulted in hundreds of thousands of needless deaths. Donald Trump belongs in prison for that criminal negligence alone. Of course, nothing will be done about that. Instead, the sociopathic Republican Party is going out of its way to incriminate Doctor Anthony Fauci - whose advice Trump ignored. But they need a fall guy, because that's how they roll. It's despicable. 

Almost lost in all the excitement is the legal peril the Rapist in Chief is facing in the upcoming E Jean Carroll Defamation case slated to commence in mid-April. Pro tip: If you're accused of raping someone, your best defense isn't to claim that the victim 'isn't your type'. Of course, he's made similar claims in over two dozen other sexual assault allegations. It's also worth noting that Trump was credibly accused of raping a 13-year-old girl at one of Jeffrey Epstein's parties in the early '90s, but that case was successfully quashed by Trump's legal team shortly before the 2016 Republican National Convention. 

In short, Trump has absolutely no chance of ever becoming president again. If the Republicans want to prop him up as a viable candidate again, so be it. But let's face it; Trumpism is dead. Just ask Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia and Pennsylvania. They rejected that idiot in 2020 and 2022. And they'll do it again in 2024. 

George Bailey in 2020: "It's A Wonderful Life Without Trump"

Bartender George Bailey - who voted for Trump in 2016 - is now out of work, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic that is sweeping the nation.  He had been living paycheck to paycheck to begin with; another hard-working Trump supporter who never benefited from the 2017 tax cut for the upper 1%; and he certainly couldn't afford to invest in the stock market - which is now crashing, anyway.

Disillusioned and desperate to provide for his wife Mary and their four kids, George has decided to take his own life.  It seemed to be the only way out of this predicament.  His $250,000 life insurance policy should provide for the family until Mary finds a job as a librarian - her one true passion in life.  But that could take time, what with social distancing and all.

Before George can jump off that Bedford Falls bridge, his guardian angel, Clarence, sneaks up behind him:  "Hey George!  Don't jump!  There's no point in both of us getting wet!"

"Mind your own business, old man!  I've got to kill myself to take care of my family!  Damn this pandemic!  Damn that Donald Trump!  I wish I'd never voted for him!  I wish he'd never been born!"

He wishes Donald J. Trump had never been born?  Hmm.

Suddenly, what had once been a hot muggy, overcast day turned cooler, as the clouds dispersed, the air freshened, and birds began chirping; more birds than George could remember seeing for the last three years.

"C'mon, George, let's head over to that sports bar and grab some breakfast.  I'm starving!"

"What are you talking about, old man?  That's where I used to work!  That place has been shut down for the last six weeks!  Where have you been?  Customers aren't going out anymore!"

"George, please call me 'Clarence'.  I'm your guardian angel, remember?"  Clarence grabs George by the arm and drags him over to Martini's Sports Bar, which is unusually busy for a Thursday morning .

"Hey, why are there so many cars in the parking lot?  What's going on?"

"This place never closed, George.  Because Trump had never been born."

Inside, a confused George enters the bustling establishment where his boss Mr. Martini shouts out, "Hey George, am I glad to see you!  Wendy can't work her shift tomorrow.  Can you cover for her?  Thanks George!"

Flabbergasted, George is about to respond to Mr. Martini, but before he can speak, Clarence taps him on the shoulder and says, "Hey George, let's grab some bacon and eggs, relax and watch some television.  Hey look, here's 'Fox and Friends', George.  Isn't this your favorite program?"

"Yeah, good old 'Fox and Friends'!  They'll make some sense out of what's going on!"

'Fox and Friends' Steve Doocy:  "Another tragic loss today, thanks to Hillary's incompetence!  This country has just suffered its 234th coronavirus death!  President Clinton should be impeached and thrown into jail right this very second!"  (Editor's Note:  In the real world, coronavirus deaths in the United States exceed 50,000.  Sadly, even in the non-Trump America, it's impossible to keep the death toll at zero.)

"Clarence, what the Hell is going on?"

"I told you George.  Trump had never been born!  Hillary defeated Ted Cruz in 2016.  That's why thousands of Americans never died.  She took immediate action all the way back in January, even before the first case of coronavirus was detected in this country.  She started testing immediately and was able to isolate the infected cases, put them in quarantine, so the country really never had to shut down."

Meanwhile, on ESPN: Updates on the NBA, MLB, NHL. On MLB Network, Harold Reynolds is gushing over the amazing start by Cards shortstop Paul DeJong:  "He's having an MVP type season!"

George can't believe what he's hearing.  "You mean...you mean they're playing baseball now?"

"Yes George.  Remember?  There is no Donald Trump.  Never has been.  Do you want to know how the NCAA Final Four turned out?  Or who won the Masters?"

By this time, George finally realizes what's happening is true.  Donald Trump had never been born, so he never had the chance to put America through its worse disaster since 9/11.  Actually, he thought, what Trump has done to America - and the world for that matter - is far worse than 9/11.

At this point, George grabs Clarence by the lapels of his old faded suit and pleads, "Don't take me back, Clarence!  Don't take me back!  Let's sing Auld Lang Syne now and end this movie, okay?"

"Sorry George, you're just going to have to vote him out in November.  Time to go back.  And don't try to kill yourself this time, okay?  I've got other disgruntled suicidal former Trump voters to deal with!"

March 9: "This Blindsided the World!"

Donald Trump, of course, lies about everything.  One month ago (March 9), Trump had the audacity to whine, "This blindsided the world!"

"This", of course, is the coronavirus pandemic that is sweeping the United States thanks to Trump's incompetence.  Strangely enough, the day BEFORE Trump claimed he was "blindsided" he had the audacity to brag, "We have a perfectly coordinated and fine-tuned plan at the White House for our attack on coronavirus!"

So...which one is it?  Was he totally in control of the situation or was he caught off guard?

The truth of the matter is Trump was warned in November about the real possibility of a pandemic but chose to ignore the warning.  Then his economic advisor, Peter Navarro, sent the President a memo in January, which Trump also chose to ignore (He doesn't like to read anything unless his name is generously sprinkled throughout the correspondence).  Navarro again tried to warn him in February, but by that time Trump famously claimed the coronavirus would go away by April, "when the heat comes."

Trump is certainly feeling the heat today, as his gross incompetence and blatant lies have caught up to him for all the world to see.  Aside from his delusional "base", Trump's credibility has been destroyed.  But if anyone was paying attention these last three years, he never had any credibility to begin with. 

MLB Postseason Award Predictions

I'm going to go out on a limb and predict there will be no repeat winners in either league for any postseason awards.  That doesn't mean last year's winners won't have another great season; they will.

But voters like to reward the players who maybe came up a little bit short in previous years.  And there are some good candidates that could go all the way this year.

Let's review last year's results:

Clayton Kershaw - last year's NL Most Valuable Player and Cy Young Award winner - will still finish in the top ten in the MVP voting and will likely finish second in the CYA voting.

Mike Trout - last year's AL Most Valuable Player - will probably finish second this time around.

Corey Kluber - last year's AL Cy Young Award winner - will finish in the top ten this time around.

Buck Showalter - last year's AL Manager of the Year - will finish in the top five this time around.

Matt Williams - last year's NL Manager of the Year - will likewise finish in the top five this time.

...and the winners will be:

NL MVP goes to Giancarlo Stanton.  The Miami Marlin's right fielder was on an MVP pace in 2014 before a mid-September beaning abruptly ended his season.  Still, in 145 games played, Stanton (.288/.395/.555) hit 37 home runs with 105 RBI, while posting a 6.5 WAR.  He finished second to Kershaw (21-3 - 1.77 ERA), who ironically, had an injury-marred season as well (just 27 games started), but still posted an impressive 8.0 WAR (tops in the NL).  Stanton should have his best season ever in '15 - and that's scary for the rest of the league.

AL MVP goes to Michael Brantley.  Last season, the Cleveland Indians left fielder (.327/.385/.506) hit 20 home runs among his 200 hits, with 97 RBI.  He finished third in the voting last year, but his 7.0 WAR wasn't far behind Trout (7.9) who had another amazing season (.287/.377/.561) with 37 home runs and 111 RBI.  Playing for a team possibly heading for a division title, look for Brantley to lead the charge into the postseason.

NL Cy Young Award goes to Madison Bumgarner.  The San Francisco Giant's ace was nearly flawless in the postseason, and appears likely to continue that trend in the upcoming regular season.  This could be the year he becomes the best left-handed starter in either league.

AL Cy Young Award goes to Chris Sale.  The Chicago White Sox ace (12-4 - 2.17 ERA) had his season curtailed by injury (just 26 games started), but still finished third in the voting last year, posting a 6.6 WAR with a league-best 178 ERA+.  If he can avoid the DL in 2015, he should rise to the top.

NL Rookie of the Year Award goes to Kris Bryant.  The Chicago Cubs power-hitting third base prospect seems to have a perfect swing.  Although he'll start the year in the minor leagues for financial reasons, he'll be called up soon enough to finish with 30 home runs.  His biggest weakness seems to be fielding his position, where he may match that 30 HR total with 30 errors.  Still, the future looks bright for this guy; and postseason play may be a possibility for the Cubs in the next year or so.

AL Rookie of the Year Award goes to Rusney Castillo.  The Boston Red Sox outfield prospect seems to have the best chance of making a splash this season, while other higher-rated prospects from other organizations will likely spend most of the season in the minors.  Castillo could hit .300 with some power potential; maybe hit 20 home runs.

NL Manager of the Year Award goes to Bud Black, who should be the beneficiary of the newly revamped San Diego Padres roster.  This could very well be a postseason team, making Black a very strong candidate to win the award again (he won it in 2010).

AL Manager of the Year Award goes to Terry Francona, who won it in 2013 after guiding the Cinderella Cleveland Indians to a wild card slot.  This year could very well bring a division title to Cleveland, as they appear poised to supplant the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central.

Despite Off Season Moves, Dodgers Still Best in NL West

When the Los Angeles Dodgers traded oft-injured but talented Matt Kemp to the San Diego Padres this past off season, they automatically turned the Pads into a legitimate postseason contender.  Acquiring Justin Upton from Atlanta and Will Meyers from Tampa Bay to help Kemp patrol the spacious San Diego outfield further legitimized that franchise's postseason potential.  Signing free agent workhorse James Shields to anchor their starting rotation may have been the final piece for San Diego to reach the postseason promised land - probably as a wild card, but that would be a vast improvement over where they've gone the last several years:  Nowhere.

Meanwhile, LA also passed on trying to re-sign shortstop Hanley Ramirez (now the Boston Red Sox' new left fielder), then swung a deal acquiring aging shortstop Jimmy Rollins from Philadelphia.  J-Rol's career has been in decline for a few years now, but he may have enough in the tank to give the Dodgers some degree of stability at the shortstop position.  Meanwhile, LA also dealt speedy second baseman Dee Gordon to Miami, then acquired the underrated Howie Kendrick from the Angels to take his place at second base.  The net effect of all these transactions should help the Dodgers, defensively - but it may cost them, offensively.  And they may regret trading their former face of the franchise to a division rival.  If nothing else, watching the Dodgers and Padres in head-to-head competition this season will be more interesting than it's been in years.

In the meantime, the reigning World Champion San Francisco Giants appear to be taking this year off - especially after their popular corpulent third baseman - Pablo Sandoval - left via free agency and landed in Boston.  His replacement:  Casey McGehee, whose better days are well behind him.  Adding to the Giants' woes is having the hyper active Hunter Pence on the DL (broken arm) to start the season, further hindering the San Francisco offense - which will be borderline anemic in 2015.

Neither the Arizona Diamondbacks nor Colorado Rockies appear close to contending in 2015.

Here's how the Final Standings should look:

Los Angeles            93-69
San Diego               87-75
San Francisco         82-80
Arizona                   70-92
Colorado                 62-100

Could we see another postseason showdown between the Dodgers and Cardinals?  It's quite likely.  Interestingly, most of the so-called experts are picking the Dodgers to beat the Cardinals in any possible playoff series.  Of course, most of them picked the Dodgers to beat the Cardinals in the 2013 NLCS and again in the 2014 NLDS.  Go figure.  For the record, the Cardinals are 16-9 all-time vs the Dodgers in postseason play.

Another Division Title in the Cards for St Louis

Until last season, the Cardinals had never reached the postseason four consecutive years.  As the 2015 season is about to unfold, the Cardinals appear to have the talent to extend their postseason streak to five straight years.

Final Standings for NL Central in 2015 should look like this:

St Louis         93-69
Pittsburgh      88-74
Cincinnati      83-79
Chicago         82-80
Milwaukee    74-88

Pittsburgh will put a very good lineup on the field, but their starting rotation is suspect.

Cincinnati will be vastly improved, offensively, but their starting rotation is even more suspect.

Chicago should finish over .500 - not quite the World Series champions their delusional fan base is expecting, but they're improving.

Milwaukee spent most of last season in first place before collapsing in September.  Their collapse should occur by May this time around.

NL East Still Belongs to the Nationals

It's not beyond the realm of possibility that the Washington Nationals won't win the NL East again in 2015.  They've already had several key players go down with injuries, and four of them are questionable for service by the time they open their season on April 6 against the New York Mets (Jason Werth, Nate McLouth, Casey Janssen & Anthony Rendon).  Another, Denard Span, is out indefinitely after undergoing abdominal surgery a couple of weeks ago.

Although they can survive without a few key players in the lineup from time to time, they can ill-afford to lose guys like Bryce Harper or Ryan Zimmerman (both with a history of injuries) for prolonged stretches again this season and hope to take the much more competitive NL East by storm.

Washington's starting pitching is probably good enough to carry them to the title again this season, even with a makeshift lineup behind them.  That's barring any major injuries to their starters, of course.

Both the Miami Marlins and New York Mets will be much better than last season, but the only way either team could win that division would be an unlikely combination of further Nats' injuries while keeping their rosters almost completely out of harm's way for an entire season.

As far as the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies are concerned, 2015 will be another forgettable season, as both former powerhouses are in a definite rebuilding mode.  Just three years ago, the Phillies were coming off a 102-win season.  But an aging core of players has made them perhaps the worst team in baseball - highly capable of losing 102 games in 2015.  It won't be pretty.

Here's what's in store for the NL East for 2015:

Washington    95-67
Miami             85-77
New York       84-78
Atlanta            70-92                  
Philadelphia    64-98

With all their talent in recent years, the Nats have failed to advance past the NLDS in two tries - losing to St Louis in 2012 and losing to San Francisco last season.  Still, they're the odds on favorite to win the World Series.  So in all likelihood, they'd have to beat the Cardinals to reach the Fall Classic.  Don't bet on it.