Friday, January 17, 2025

๐Ÿ‘…

SWAT! The Boys of Summer are beginning their spring training. A player for The World Champion Cleveland Spiders hits the ball across the field. "Nice catch, Thornapple," the coach says, patting Thornapple on the back who is cradling the baseball in his mouth. "If you could've got rid of the ball, you could've doubled Thundercup on second."
February 19, 1966
Thornapple can take a baseball to the mouth which is pretty good. He's going to need medical attention to remove the baseball and fix his teeth, but at least that doesn't affect his playing.

The Cleveland Spiders were a real team!! A very old team. They competed between 1887 and 1899. Apparently, the Spiders were a very good until 1899 when most the roster (which included a name I actually recognize, Cy Young) were sent to other teams. The Spider finished the season 20-134, which is still a major league record. The next worst team win-loss record is the 1965 Mets 40-120. The Spiders returned for a 1914-1916 season when the Toledo Mud Hens moved to Cleveland becoming the Bearcats (1914-1915) and then the Spiders (1915-1916) before moving back to Toledo.

Another interesting thing, the Cleveland Spiders reportedly have the distinction of employing the first Native American baseball player, Louis Sockalexis. He played for the Spiders from 1897 to 1899. According to Cleveland fans, Sockalexis was the person who suggested naming Cleveland's new major league baseball team the Indians, though that is disputed. Sadly, Sockalexis was not appreciated during his time and was called racial slurs and confronted with war whoops and dances when at bat. Sockalexis was also an alcoholic which hurt his image due to the stereotype of "Indian weakness". Sockalexis would die of tuberculosis in 1913 at the age of 42.

Gladys is sitting at the table with a cup of coffee. She is side-eyeing the reader. "There's nothing like a hot cup of coffee first thing in the morning to get you started. But it does have one downside," Gladys closes her eyes and sticks out her tongue. "It definitely clashes with the fresh taste of toothpaste in your mouth!"
me: *keeps looking around, trying to peer around the borders of the panel* WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO??!!

It's a stupid comic strip pet peeve of mine. If your character is going to essentially talk to themselves, put those words in a thought bubble. I know thought bubbles aren't something this strip does, but still...

Even assuming the Thornapples have a coffee maker that has a schedule and can immediately go downstairs and pour herself a cup of coffee right away, the toothpaste taste doesn't last that long. At least for me. Maybe I'm doing something wrong.