It’s been a busy week in Milford, what with the Memorial Day salute and the handshake line brawl and the frenemy teammates and the therapy, more of which should be scheduled by la familia Hernandez.
Before we dive into that, I feel like some cheers and jeers are in order for this recent run of strips:
CHEERS:
Gil in uniform on Memorial Day (not Henry’s fault, btw, that he wasn’t drawn in the uniform of his canonical branch of service; see his comment on that day’s strip on Gocomics)
Henry’s callback to last November 16th‘s strip in his June 1 strip. That should help people with short institutional memories.
Genuine character development among the Milford jayvee girls’ softball players.
Henry’s sticking to his guns in making Luke Sr. an insufferable monomaniac who will stop at nothing, including using the family of his assistant coach and destroying his relationships with his own, to gain revenge over his perceived rival for a perceived slight from decades past. This all feels like it’s gonna blow up in his face before the calendar year is through.
It looks like between Whigham and the color monkeys, they’ve settled on a color scheme for Valley Tech. That it’s old gold, white and black makes Valley Tech look more like Georgia Tech and – at least in the eyes of yhs – easier to hate. (This is about the only positive in the art department of late; see below.)
JEERS:
The continued failure to recognize that baseball and softball teams carry more than one pitcher. There’s this thing called a rotation, in which a team has multiple starting pitchers and can rest each starting pitcher for several days between starts, reducing the wear and tear on each pitcher. There’s also this thing called a bullpen, which consists of a physical location on a baseball field as well as a team’s pitchers who are not starting pitchers. Recognizing that pitching rotations and bullpens are things would reduce a lot of the implausible aspects of the strip, e.g., Gregg Hamm teaching his blind man kung fu treachery to Leo and Dorothy and only Leo and Dorothy and Pedro being “benched” in favor of The Korean Nightmare today.
The reintroduction of the Marty we used to know and hate. Admittedly this is a minor jeer, but I’m having a hard time grasping it in the overall context of the strip. What’s the point of Marty acting all Dishonest John snapping a pic of the Mudlark vape selling ring? Hasn’t the horse already left that barn? I just don’t know what he’s trying to accomplish her. Will he blow the lid on it and force Milford to vacate the Valley hoops title? Or is he just jealous of Luke replacing him as designated asshole? Surely he knows who butters his bread here, and if he shares it with Gil, Marjie and/or Heather, they’ll focus more on the fact that Marty’s been surreptitiously taking pictures of underage boys than on the content of those pictures.
While I appreciate Valley Tech being clad in pee stain yellow, there have been some notable issues with the artwork of late. I’m pretty sure the Memorial Day strip isn’t the first example of one in which Henry intended one thing and the Chief drew another, and I’m pretty sure more than one of us TWIMers have called that out. It’s a Strother Martinesque failure to communicate in the making. Whigham’s fascination with not completely drawing fences has its consequences today, as Keri’s going to get her earlobes torn off as the jagged edges snag her ginormous earrings (another Whigham fascination).
It might not be an inconsistency but it’s noteworthy that Kwan’s uniform number has changed from 5, a very rare number for a pitcher to 1, an even rarer number for a pitcher. (The only one I can think of off the top of my head is MacKenzie Gore for the Nats; others? please comment.) Between “number one” and “favorite son” I’m getting a bad Charlie Chan* vibe from this, and I hope it’s just me. At least we know that Luke has seen The Sandlot.
Just a sad day to be Pedro, and a sad song to capture the feeling.
*In the Charlie Chan films, Number One Son was played by Keye Luke. Coincidence?
I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it. – George Bernard Shaw
Credit where credit is due: In Luke Martinez, Henry has created one toxic character. His never-ending obsession to one-up Gil Thorp and beat Gil’s teams in every sport he coaches has managed to suck in both his assistant coach and Gil himself. He’s also managed to piss off his elder son who, if there’s any sense of irony in this strip, will soon quit the team and/or transfer to Milford High in the fall.
Why does Gil need to call Hamm? To ask him if he’s seen the Korean Nightmare* clip? He should know the answer to that.
Coachella is looking a bit off-character today BTW, Chief. She needs to shave.
That’s all I’ve got for today. My laptop has been crashing and not recognizing its charger for weeks, and today I finally had to back it up and reinstall the OS. Took hours. Sorry not to have more pithy insights.
Oh, wait: I came across this online earlier this week. It dates from the late 1930s and might be as appropriate to share as Kaz’s out-of-left-field Cab Calloway reference a few days ago.
* Or, as he was known in his home country, “The Nightmare.”
I don’t know about y’all but I’m convinced this whole junket is an elaborate scam by Coach Kim to get a trip to see his fam on the taxpayer’s Luke’s dime.
What could Luke possibly say to Kwan to convince him to come to the US and A to play for Valley Tech? He doesn’t speak Korean, if the convo thus far is any indication. I’m envisioning some sort of loud, slow, horrible pidgin talk like the kind we used to see in old movies. A thinly veiled appeal to avenge imagined dishonor by Gil. Some BS about fast tracking Kwan to MLB via the Valley. It shouldn’t take Kwan long to see that Luke is all hat and no cowboy.
Serious question to Henry, if you’re still reading our dreck: How have you envisioned Valley Tech in your new Thorpiverse? You’ve put it in Milford, along with Milford High. Is the parochial school, St. Fabian, still there too? Is Valley Tech a trade school? STEM magnet school? Public or private? If public, where did the money for this trip come from? Did the basketball team really sell that many donuts?
Your Moment of Minutiae: Nice to see some baseball unis that aren’t a bunch of repetitive pastels or splashes of red on areas that weren’t meant to be colored. Getting a nice, stark White Sox vibe from them. I’ve not watched much KBO League action compared to Japanese ball, but I’ve seen enough to know that players can have triple digit uniform numbers (rendered in Arabic characters).
“I dunno, why don’t you ask Gil $#&% Thorp‘s daughter? The boy was bred to be a future Hall of Famer.”
“So you’re not his biological father, then. Why wasn’t Pedro on the basketball team?”
“¿Why don’t you take that Twix bar you’re eating y vete a tomar por el culo, Moon? Now hold still while I blast you with this portable handheld X-ray machine.”
I don’t know that Marty and WDIG have ever covered Valley Tech before much less given it as much airtime as Milford, but how can they resist with an egotistical gasbag like Luke at the helm? Why listen to Gil reel off a list of kids named after Neal Rubin’s old newsie friends when this blowhard is bound to stick his foot in his mouth every time he opens it? Ratings, people, ratings!
Marty could really take this ball and run with it.
“Since you’ve taken over, Valley Tech has become notorious for changing its uniform colors from one game to the next – sometimes even during the same game. Why did you choose to start the baseball season in piss yellow? Pedro still wetting the bed at home?“
“Watch it, pendejo. Look at him! 90 mph!”
“Yeah, 90 mph straight up. You teaching him the eephus? Gil Thorp had a reliever throwing 96 seven years ago. Kid got into the Rays system while playing QB at Wake Forest.”
All you Baby Boomers will surely remember those immortal words anytime Batman & Robin got caught in The Joker’s deadly laughing gas or The Penguin’s Antarctica ice trap or The Riddler’s question mark that acted like a machete or Catwoman’s lion cage. William Dozier, the executive producer of the show, uttered those immortal words. I think there might have been an audition but many of his colleagues basically said “Dammit, Bill, it’s your show, you do the narration.” The ‘60’s and beyond were never the same.
Many celebrities wanted on the show and so they either played a villain (George Sanders, Otto Preminger-Mr. Freeze, Vincent Price-Egghead, Eartha Kitt-Catwoman, Roddy McDowell-The Bookworm, Cesar Romero-The Joker, Burgess Meredith-The Penguin, Victor Buono-King Tut) or they provided comedy relief popping out of a window on a building The Caped Crusaders were climbing (Sammy Davis, Junior) . Frank Sinatra, trying to recover a bit of the luster he lost in the ‘60’s, trying to appeal to the younger generation, wanted to appear on the show ANYWHERE to shore up his image. Much as I love Frankie (Let me count the ways) , I really couldn’t see him as, say, The Riddler. Really, what was he going to do, have a couple of pieces of airplane shrapnel tumble out of the sky and bonk his head and suddenly, he’s King Tut? Kinda sorta doubtful. Love ya anyway, Frankie.
But doggone, an I-beam didn’t fall on Luke Loser and alter his cranium. I was hoping for
“Nice game. Coach Thorp. I’ve been reading a lot of Grantland Rice when I’ve sitting on the john and I got my inspiration while I was chugging that last stool in the commode and I received an epiphany. It doesn’t matter whether you win or lose to a guy you wouldn’t eat with at the diner with Humphrey and Elvis on the Boulevard of Broken Dreams, let alone pick up the tab on his pickled omelette and stale pancakes I wouldnt feed the snail perched on my porch, it’s how you play the game. Fair play will get you merit raises every time.”
Somebody get a shovel on this one before it gets so deep, you can’t open the door to the basement.
And remember that bet that was made last year (July 28, 2022, to be exact) ? That’s still on, or at least I find it hard to believe Thorpiverse forgot about it. For those with amnesia because they pulled a Gilligan on us from the coconuts that dropped out of the tree and on his head because the squirrels needed the extra real estate, the bet was that if Gil loses, he steps down as a coach but if Luke loses (wash your mouth out with soap, T. Drew. What goon is going to replace him, Honore Vashon from Hawaii 5-0? The Mad Hatter from Batman?) , he never coaches another contest, tetherball to tiddley winks, basketball to bingo.
So my guess would be baseball season is the rubber game of this elongated wager that’s been grinding for months and may grind longer than that. Honore Vashon is not leaving Hawaii and purchasing a condo in Micronesia. But let’s root for the Good Guy anyway, no matter how many times he’s flirted with Beth the Bartender. Honore Vashon may try to hijack the Jack Berrill Coach of the Year award out of Oahu but it’s best to let Steve McGarrett handle that one.
Today’s Headline in the Milford Enquirer
“Rodney Barnes In Stable Condition!!!!!!! Has Been Transferred Out Of ICU At Milford General!!!!!!!!!!!”
sub headline
“Medical team: ‘Mr. Barnes is up and running. He should make it to the toilet and not use the plastic potty by the time Coach Thorp makes visitation hours.”
“Steve, I caught Luke Loser and Honore Vashon trying to make a move on Dr. Pearl. Isn’t that statuary rape?”
“And complicity in an unnecessary crime, penal code 112 section A of the State of Hawaii. Definitely book ‘em, Dan-O.”
Mopman brings up an excellent point. The wager was never really shook on as Beth the Bartender broke up the encounter between Luke and Gil (based upon 1st panel on July 29 strip the next day) . And knowing Luke, he was perhaps too drunk or loud-mouthed to care, although he appeared in his right mind BS’ing about Tod Andrews (and possibly other Valley opponents) before Gil walked into the bar. That said, I think it’s interesting how Luke is laser-focused on putting Gil out of commission, drunk or sober. The bet, IMO, is still on like an unwritten rule, given hints and circumstances surrounding Gil and Luke but everybody knows that whoever loses, nobody’s going anywhere even after the “Loser Leaves Milford and Valley Conference” cage match. And have no plot to write to keep this Gil versus Godzilla travesty pumping along? Please.
And will somebody please get rid of Gil’s Ricky Nelson Rockabilly look? I don’t know which is worse, that or those hair follicles in P1 that Luke apparently applies tweezers to before getting on his Game Face. I don’t know if I’m looking at a coach or Boone Sawyer. It’s ridiculous that somebody is attempting to add sex appeal to Gil’s persona. Like that’s going to target the Tiger Beat girlie-girls out there and up the readership significantly. If I wanted Bobby Sherman, I’d raffle through my sister’s old records where Donny Osmond and The Cowsills reigned supreme. Mimi, Mimi, do you really love me.
Speaking of Rick Nelson, I may have told this one before but bears repeating as long as T-verse insists on Gil’s Bill Haley’s locks being a permanent fixture, Nelson was a teen idol and a very successful one back in the ‘50’s. With hits like “Hello Mary Lou”, “I Believe”, “Travellin’ Man”, and “Poor Little Fool”, the dude kept himself busy and was a heartthrob many times over. But like many teen idols, they were getting older and outgrowing their image plus performers like Nelson wanted to write new material in line with the ‘60’s and ‘70’s anyway. Personally, I thought Nelson wrote some damn good stuff but that got lost on the crowd one night at Madison Square Garden where Nelson appeared. Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, et al also headed the list. He played “Hello Mary Lou” but then started playing his new material and the crowd mercilessly booed him off stage. We thought Ricky was going to appear. Who’s this stranger?
This prompted Nelson to write “Garden Party”. It’s clear he’s a little bitter, judging by the lyrics
“They opened up the closet door
And out stepped Johnny B. Goode
Playin’ a song like a-ringin’ a bell
Playin’ like he should”
An obvious reference to Chuck Berry
”If ya wanna play at garden parties
I wish you a lotta luck
But if memories are all I sang
I’d rather drive a truck”:
Special Edition to the Milford Enquirer
“Coach Thorp Booed Off Stage At Milford Outdoor Amphitheater At Yesterday’s Rick Nelson’s Garden Party Of Memories!!!!!!!!!!!”
sub headline
“I don’t care if his guitar was a gift from his dad for graduating from OCS in the Marines. He can’t play ‘Chopsticks’, let alone ‘Travellin’ Man.’”
“McGarrett, Honore Vashon has been picked by Luke Loser to be one of his assistants for Valley Tech Baseball. Luke says two people can cheat better than one.”
“Book ‘em, Dan-O. And send the final notice to Luke on his parking fines.”
P2 has everything this melodrama could ask for. Two coaches that don’t like each other with the dislike tilting some in a certain direction; I remember one night when Lefty Driesell coached at Maryland and felt he got railroaded by the officials when going up against North Carolina. Deserved or not, Dean Smith, like Bob Knight, had a reputation for bending the zebras in his direction. When Dean tried to shake Lefty’s hand, Lefty went all over the gym to avoid ANY contact with Smith. Ergo, handshakes were out of the question. That’s kinda sorta what I was expecting here when Elvis, er, Gil tried to extend the hand of fellowship yesterday. I was expecting Luke to go Lefty on us and thereby spice matters up by the time Mudkarks were practicing off the hitting tees. Darn it, T-verse, let Lefty Luke run like a mouse in a maze and maybe add some background music like “The Peter Gunn Theme”. This begrudging look simply won’t cut it. And add some smartass remark to it. One night, when the great Horace Albert “Bones” McKinney was coaching Wake Forest, he was chewing on the referees something fierce. A licensed minister, the referees were obviously a bit taken aback by McKinney’s demeanor. Finally one of the refs shot out “You call yourself a preacher?” McKinney shot back “You call yourself a referee?”
That’s what we need here. Not this needless face-off that’s smoldering worse than the lard greaser in the concession stand. “You call yourself a coach?” “You call yourself a one-woman man?” “You call that a team?” “You call them Homo Sapiens?” “You call Granny Clampett a principal?” “You call Valley Tech accredited?” “You call those your kids?” “You call Valley Modified your kids’ school-voucher choice?” “You call that a beard?” “You call that a tie?” “You call him The Fist Pump Man?” “You call Marty Moon sober?” “You call your wife a doctor?” “You call Heehaw alive?”
There. That’s enough to get started, don’t you think?
Late Edition to the Milford Enquirer
“Coach Luke Refuses To Shake Coach Thorp’s Hand, Will Send Certified Check To Support The Lift-A-Thon Instead!!!!!!!!!!!!”
sub headline
“Check will be Registered Mail and transported Special Delivery to avoid mix-up with Netflix videos.”
At Milford High School one night
“I don’t care what anybody says, I’m not shaking hands with that stiff-necked lout. Sue me.”
“Gil, you can come out of the broom closet now. Tod Andrews left 15 minutes ago.”
“Okay, thanks, Luhm.”
The ACC, like all the major conferences, have had their share of controversy, particularly in basketball. Another Dean story-and really, how could it not involve Duke-happened one night when the Tar Heels invaded Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke’s home. Leading up to the game, the Cameron Crazies, Duke’s great fans comprised of mainly the student body, were called into question as they had been from time to time. Many of them are great and know how far they can go when cheering their team or heckling their opponent. Unfortunately, like with any crowd, there’s a few that cross a line and shout racial slurs at the other team and examples like that prompted the ACC to address the situation. Basically, the ACC Commissioner told Smith and Mike Krzyzewski to put a tight rein on their crowds. Coach K sent out a bulletin advising the Crazies to behave themselves.
Late in the game, still up in the air, like most Carolina-Duke games turn out to be, Dean Smith tried to flag down a referee on a questionable call. The ref basically said, play on, Coach. Smith went ballistic. Trying to get someone’s attention, he banged so hard on the scorer’s table that the electronic scoreboard was altered. North Carolina had 78 points but the warped scoreboard now had them for 98 points. Naturally, Coach K was furious after striving to motivate the Crazies to show some class when heckling only to watch Smith act like a jerk. And it didn’t help that North Carolina went on to win the game. Coach K was in his element after the game
“You guys in the media better get your facts straight. You saw what happened out there.”
Tough call, one I’ll leave to the basketball gods to answer. The point is, exploding eyeballs and jiggling chins do not a Carolina-Duke rivalry make. If the Cameron Crazies did nothing but pop their eyeballs out, Duke would be in a world of hurt. Coach K just vibrating his jaw up and down on a questionable block-charge call? You call yourself a comic strip, Thorpiverse? Dean Smith in that Campbell Soup kid hairstyle???? They’d laugh him out of Carmichael Arena. Dean changing his tie at halftime? Better beat NC State, Coach, or they’ll hang your ass with that tie. Couldn’t see Laettner with that rug Lefty Luke is dragging around.
So really, let’s spice up what should have happened and take it from there
VT Crazies
“One-two-three-four, Gil can’t coach this game no more!!!!!!”
or after the Mudlarks are about to lose
“Mimi’s better!!!!!!!
CLAP CLAP
CLAP CLAP CLAP
Mimi’s better…”
or
“Don’t wake Heehaw
CLAP CLAP
CLAP CLAP CLAP…”
or
“Mr. Referee, I have a question!!!!!!!”
“Sit down, Loser.”
“Dammit!!!!!!!”
BANG!!!!!!!!!!!
“I’ve heard of pistol-whipping but this is ridiculous. Anybody know CPR?”
or
“You better get your facts straight. Our team and fans showed the most class.”
“Coach Kim, it helped when Luke left in the 1st quarter for his dental appointment.”
Late Late Edition to the Milford Enquirer
“Valley Tech Scoreboard Will Need Serious Repair Stemming From Last Friday’s Game!!!!!! Local Electrician To Conduct Estimates This Afternoon!!!!!!!!”
sub headline
“I kept advising Coach Thorp where to place his coffee. But does he ever listen?”
At Milford Outdoor Amphitheater
“Did you ever get a hold of Coach Shaw?”
“Still trying. You sure a Jazz guitar will work on ‘Stood Up’ or ‘Garden Party’?”
“Look, I’m not getting my butt chewed out again after Gil’s debacle.”
Like what was Luke going to whisper in Gil’s ear? You look sexy in that purple tie???? Am I too late for visitation hours???? Are Heehaw and Paul both dead???? Are they going to go through with the burial or do cremation and throw the ashes in Mudlark Lake????
And if they don’t get on to baseball after Luke clearly shows his breath smells as bad as his ethics, shoot the horse.
“And Milford wins a thriller over Valley Tech, 68-67. Sure glad Leo came to play because it’s obvious Gil didn’t come to coach. They should get Luke Loser out from under the bleachers after he refused to shake Gil’s hand. We’ll be back after the tear gas has settled with final stats after these messages. This is Marty Moon and you’re listening to WDIG, a division of Learfield Sports.”
BODY SLAMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“OMG!!!!!!!!! Rodney Barnes’ legs are at a 23 degree angle with his back!!!!!! Talk about being bent out of shape!!!!!!”
“Quick!!!!!!! Call The Shark!!!!!!!”
“My son was laying there in agony after some Valley Tech thug did a vertical suplex on him. Just because my dear sweetie honeypie snookum widdle teddy bear lily of the valley cookie wookie smiley mamma’s boy set a pick? And I work minimum wage at Milford Foundry.”
“Oh my. Words cannot describe the feelings I had for this lady who worked the smelter at Milford Foundry. Mrs. Fredrica Barnes wasn’t even making enough to pay for her son’s uniform. The insurance company sent her a check that wouldn’t cover the rent for two months. I told her don’t cash it because we’re going for the Gold. When you’re out to claim victory, throw the crumbs to the goats at Milford Petting Zoo. Someone at Milford Insurance Consortium was yachting off the coast of Tanzania thanks to the chicken feed he sent Mrs. Barnes. It was time to lower the jig boom on this scandal.”
“I received $1,673,350,631.68 for my claim. I spent the 68 cents on the pop machine in the lobby of The Shark’s Law Office in sweet victory. Now I can get better hours and an upgrade on my status at Milford Foundry. In fact, my request for a fork lift driver got approved this week. And I won’t have to go through Milford School Lunch Program anymore for Rodney to get carrots slopped on by Dr. Pearl. Thanks, Shark.”
“You heard the lady. Why let some insurance company jerk be at The Masters and spend the money he saved on a $24 Diet Coke? While you’re suffering and getting a dog bone thrown at you as a Certified Check? Al Capone couldn’t rob Our Fair City any better. This is Joe Sharkey and you know my number. 1-FON-THE-JAWS. There are certain deadlines so please get your claim in before that insurance executive sets sail out again with Ferdinand Magellan. One call, that’s all.”
Gang, I will not shake your hand. Not after this plot got skewered by Homer the Referee. You think Homer the Ump isn’t going to do the same? You call yourself a readership?
But God bless you, Gang.
“No way. I refuse to shake his hand even if he offers to sign over the championship.”
Hrraaaking up Only four minutes to go Had enough I can’t take any more No shit This seems so fake This is unreal Ain’t no sense it can make Don’t know the players Don’t know the score Who’s playing? I don’t know! Everybody all around me Changin’ unis on the daily
I don’t think it’s funny no more
Hrraaaking up Like a worn out shoe On the Foot of Leo A’ta’zhóón He’d run But he’d lose a piece Tays laughed But it’ messed with him, messed with him
Then out of nowhere An old reference It comes upon us without warning It’s a bone tossed to all us olds I’m only hopin’ TWIM don’t fold I’d take a knife to all these new strips Paste them back together, see if I can make them make sense
I don’t think it’s funny no more I don’t think it’s funny no more Hrraaaking up I don’t think it’s funny no more Hrraaaking up I don’t think it’s funny no more Hrraaaking up I don’t think it’s funny no more Hrraaaking up I don’t think it’s funny no more Hrraaaking up
It’s halftime (at least I think it’s halftime) at the Valley Conference Finals, where Valley Tech leads Milford by two (at least they did in the last panel of yesterday’s strip). The mood in the respective locker rooms couldn’t be any more different, and neither could the respective coaches’ halftime speeches.
Having clawed their way back from either a ten-point or one-point deficit, Valley Tech made adjustments and took the momentum. Even though it’s a two-point lead, Coach Luke senses that shift in mo and pumps up his shadowy players in their color-shifting unis.
Having blown either a ten-point or one-point lead, Milford failed to adjust to VT’s adjustments and let that mo go. Even though it’s a two-point deficit, Coach Gil senses the quit in his team and goes back to embracing his “losing is part of the game” mantra…
… or does he? By implying he’s not going to give his “lose with grace” speech, he might just shift into Blutarsky and the Germans bombing Pearl Harbor mode. With any luck the Mudlarks will put Roger Murdock’s celebrity cameo in the rear view and go back to dancing with the girlguy person that brung ’em.
The Valley Finals get under way and we’re off to the races! Who’da thunk Luke and Pedro watching stock cars turn right would serve as some kind of foreshadowing?
Either there’s a huge variation in hand sizes among the hoopsters or the ball is magically changing size. The centers look like they’re tipping off a largish grapefruit while Tobias is carrying a medicine ball. Nice no-call BTW, ref! No wonder the Mudlarks are up ten after twelve eight (oops, thanks Rob).
Gotta admit Jefferson’s mint-green gym with white polka dots and stripes is an interesting visual change of pace from the other Valley gyms with rafters barely above the players’ heads. Good thing they got MopMan in to buff the floors beforehand; Tech’s not finding traction while Milford flies past in their new JAMMERS.
Will Apache ball take the Mudlarks to the title or will Luke and his Techies find a way to slow them down? Tune in on Monday…
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This Week in Milford 
New Favorite
It’s been a busy week in Milford, what with the Memorial Day salute and the handshake line brawl and the frenemy teammates and the therapy, more of which should be scheduled by la familia Hernandez.
Before we dive into that, I feel like some cheers and jeers are in order for this recent run of strips:
CHEERS:
JEERS:
It might not be an inconsistency but it’s noteworthy that Kwan’s uniform number has changed from 5, a very rare number for a pitcher to 1, an even rarer number for a pitcher. (The only one I can think of off the top of my head is MacKenzie Gore for the Nats; others? please comment.) Between “number one” and “favorite son” I’m getting a bad Charlie Chan* vibe from this, and I hope it’s just me. At least we know that Luke has seen The Sandlot.
Just a sad day to be Pedro, and a sad song to capture the feeling.
*In the Charlie Chan films, Number One Son was played by Keye Luke. Coincidence?