Jane Tuesday

Well, people gotta eat, so it's a good thing they "bother". SMH. If I were picking for who is farm ready, I'd go with: Allen - Rebecca Hunter - Meghan Landon - Kylie Ryan - anyone or no one. I don't think any of his ladies have real farm experience, but I don't think he's really expecting them to help with it as much as the other guys.

Looks like Altus is involved with oil wells, and Landon is from Tulsa, so that tracks. It's possible he just hasn't updated his LinkedIn, especially if he left corporate life entirely. But it's more likely that he's still doing that, and also ranching. Farming and ranching don't pay the bills these days. Most farmers and ranchers basically are doing it as a "side hustle" because they love the lifestyle, but it doesn't pay. The exception would be super labor-intensive operations like dairies and vegetable operations, because there's just not enough time in the day. (Don't assume they're making money, however. They're just sacrificing personal needs and going deeper and deeper into debt.) Most farmers I know, at a minimum their wife is working full-time somewhere, and they consider themselves lucky if the farm pays its own bills. (My in-laws are essentially living off their social security, even though they farm full-time.) The other three guys have other incomes as well. Allen - looking at his Instagram, he apparently hauls cattle. I'm guessing that's when he "goes West". lol Hunter - I can't find it now, but I believe I read somewhere that he's an auctioneer. (I'm guessing maybe at a livestock sale barn? That's usually just one day a week.) He's also into the direct marketing/farm-to-consumer game, and at some point in the fairly recent past was pursuing a music career. Ryan - I have no way to substantiate this, but someone on Reddit said he flips houses. Considering the small amount of acreage he owns, the fact that his horses don't appear to be high-high-end, and the COL where he lives (on the edge of Charlotte), I'm reasonably certain his horses are a hobby, from a financial perspective.

Did she, though? I understand why some people don't like Cassidy Jo, but I don't think she can be accused of "bragging". She literally said nothing about it until she was asked a direct question, and even then she tried to dodge answering.

Anybody have a decent starting pitcher they'd trade for a high-ceiling outfielder? I feel like one might come available... the last time Oli benched somebody for not hustling, Bader got a hair cut. #drama

They'll always have the front office!

We have a scintillating match up with the Blue Jays. Hmm. Almost time for the Clydesdales! I'm curious what other cities do for Opening Day. Any fun traditions?

More pitch clock nonsense...

I'm go glad Ohtani and Trout got to face off, so the commentators could go home and "satisfy themselves" watching the video. Jeez, they almost made what was a great game unwatchable. Like, WE GET IT. There are also 18 other guys playing.

I have loved every minute of the WBC. I was hoping for a USA vs. Japan final from the beginning. Can't wait!

I looked them up, because I couldn't remember their names: Hunter (Georgia) Ryan (North Carolina) Allen (Tennessee) Landon (Oklahoma) Sadly, not nearly as much to snark on the second episode! 😀 Hunter: My favorite rancher has swapped over to Hunter. That thing he said about how some days suck and then a calf is born? "The highs and the lows and the roller-coaster ride in between"? Yep, that's the life, right there. And that beautiful truck! (I was going to protest that he would never use it for chores, but I think he was actually getting it ready for their date.) I hope Meghan sticks around, because none of the rest of his picks made any impression on me. Ryan: Even though in both cases the ladies were the ones to make it physical, Ryan comes off as a bit of a player. I feel like we haven't seen him have one genuine conversation with anyone. We'll see. Allen: Two episodes in, he's coming off more "distant" than "awkward". This all seems like it's very transactional for him. Like he's auditioning to find the best "farm wife" and not even considering that he should be trying to put HIS best foot forward. I did respect that he sent Sloane home, though. She was... not a good fit. Cassidy Jo should have bailed, too. She is 100% not okay with him being divorced (and that's her prerogative). Landon: He's a non-entity to me at this point. From his group, Ashley R. continues to give me the impression that she isn't taking this seriously. She has a kid, and parents who she's close enough with to leave her kid with them for six weeks. (But she left fun packs!) She even mentioned her "great support system". She's going to leave that support system, take her kid, and move several states away for some guy on a reality show? I don't buy it. (Her parents probably don't, either.) General: Why do these guys all have dorm-style housing in their homes? It's all shiny new, too, and decorated like something in Cowboy Monthly. If it wasn't for Allen's ex-painted cabinets, I'd think it was all producer-created. WTF with unrolling the hay. I'm not saying it's impossible, but usually you feed it using a tractor, still "rolled up", with a big metal ring over it so the cattle don't just walk all over it. Even the cows seemed befuddled. Our cows would have you surrounded so fast you'd never be able to do that. Interesting that they didn't have to send anybody home. I'm guessing it's just a one- time reprieve.

So... not really insulting, just inaccurate? As several have said these guys are NOT farmers, and they don't live on farms. It's not just the hats and buckles, it's literally in the words they use. Farmers don't have "spreads", for example. These guys are ranchers, and that's fine, but it's whiplash every time they're forced by the premise to mention "farming". I guarantee you not one of these guys ever referred to his place as a farm before coming on this show. There's a clear line between farming and ranching. I don't know anyone who would bop back and forth between the two. If they wanted livestock, plenty of farmers have livestock, and even horses for pleasure riding. You want cute animals and guys with no time for dating? Try dairy farmers. (But no sane city woman would sign on to that life. lol) That one guy was absolutely right about dating apps and why they don't really work in farm/ ranch country. Jennifer Nettles, I love you. You deserve better than this show, and better than that dress. Random thoughts from the first episode: From the preview, one of the women in a future episode: "You can't date five women!" Spare me your outrage. You're on a dating reality show. "Feel my heart!" Oh, geez... "Guys in Miami aren't country." Ya think? Cold? Maybe wear something that ends more than an inch below your butt? I'm not sure if it was actually cold, or they just had the blankets so they could record without having to worry about shooting up all the short skirts. How does somebody with a kid have time to do this show? Wandering hogs? Surely a photo op. Those pigs would make a mess of that yard in 30 minutes. Can't believe the woman got picked who didn't know what ag(riculture) is, even after he gave her the full word. Woman with the hair: "I can't believe we'll be staying here." Not staying here, LIVING here. Way to be obvious you're not really serious. One guy being awkward just tells me he's a normal human. The woman who turned him down almost seemed like a plant, or like she was trying to go viral. Her explanation didn't really make sense. Either way, that was rough. It was a really nice gesture to invite his "last chance" pick on the first date. I think he'll end up being a good one. On to stereotypes, I'm going to record the most ridiculous "country-fried" sayings on the show that no one under the age of 80 actually says: "Cuter than a speckled pup in the shade of a wagon wheel!" "Nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs!" They may as well have followed up with a "Golly gee whillickers!" Sticking with it, though. Nobody seems truly awful (yet). On to episode two.

That didn't take long...

If it leads to a well-paced game, great, but I DO NOT want to see it. It's the same way a well-edited portrait should make you think, "wow, they look great," not, "great job with the photoshop". In my mind, ideally it is never applied during a game, so it would be completely anticlimactic - and distracting - to show it on every pitch. A few changes I will make when I'm Queen of Baseball: Five more seconds in each pitch. It shouldn't feel like a race. More time between balls in play / new batters. Give people (including fans) a chance to reset. Turn it off in the ninth (and beyond). Nobody wants a pitch clock violation to be the last play of the game.

Last year's ejection, for reference... That's my manager! 😆

I thought there was supposed to be flexibility in the ninth? I hate this so much...

I'm into it. With the Cards sending so many players, I have a natural cheering interest on almost every contending team. And I'm ready for competitive baseball. I've had enough of watching BP clips and reading about prospects. The only injury concern I have is with Wainwright. But it's a dream of his, and guys get hurt in spring training and grapefruit games, so...

Congrats, @Cloud9Shopper! I know it's been quite a journey. I hope you absolutely love it. I know it's a blow to your pride to get help from your mom, but try not to let it get you down. Nobody has to know if you don't tell them. Besides, they don't know your situation, how you might help your mom later, etc. If somebody judges you, screw 'em.

Can he even really say he's paying you back, if he asks for it again within days? In reality, he borrowed $400 two months ago that he has just now paid back, along with the other $100. I would just say, I helped you out the first time because it seemed like an emergency, but I'm no longer in a place financially where I can do that. Is it possible you already have an HR policy in place that addresses this? You could always drop a note in HR's ear that they need to send out a refresher. Chances are he's hitting up more people than just you. He might even be basically borrowing money from multiple people and using it to pay off the first person, and so on. :-/

Oh, no! I'll miss seeing him ride around the field on Opening Day. The Cards have lost so many Red Jackets (Cards HOFers) in the last few years. :(

A baseball writer I follow summed it up this way:

Out of curiosity, because I don't really follow other sports anymore... what is the ceiling on OT in other sports? For example, in the NBA, don't they just keep going into successive overtimes? The extra runner feels like if an NBA game was tied at the end, they'd just have the point guards square off in a game of H-O-R-S-E.

I hate it. I don't think a game that is even after nine full innings of play should be decided by who gets the first base hit, which is basically what happens when you put a guy in scoring position. And sure, if a game goes to 13/14/15 innings, some people will have to bail. But for those who stay... they have a story they'll tell forever. Nobody is going to recount the magical night they watched nine great innings of a pitcher's duel, only to have someone hit a hard single in the bottom of the tenth to drive in a guy who was only on second because he failed to get safely on base in the bottom of the ninth. On a related note, it is not a "ghost runner", and I will die on that hill.

As someone from farm country, I'm morbidly curious to see what reality TV thinks farm life looks like, and how many insulting stereotypes they can fit into each episode. Ugh...

Well, I own a Scott Rolen jersey, so I won't even pretend to be impartial. :D One of my favorite Rolen moments... Game 7, 2004 NLCS. He homers off Clemens and the Cards head to the World Series. (We won't talk about what happens then.)

You can also make one yourself out of a soda bottle. (My grandma always used one on her beverage coolers at family gatherings.) :)