One of the Dashiell Hammett’s Continental Op stories — “The Scorched Face” — tells about an investigation into a not-dissimilar type of cult, and it was written in the 1920s, nearly a century ago. The motives as always: power over women and money.

All those decades of having the most team-friendly press in sports really softened Jeter up. Can’t deal with any pressure at all.

What Harvey needs is to go back to the minors to learn to pitch. That would mean going to AA, since the Mets AAA team is in Vegas, land of the happy hitters. Harvey’s not going to do this because his ego is in the way. The Mets won’t do this because they’re paying him a lot of money and his contract ends this year and…

Wild guess: North America has an exemption to that “right to their own homeland” business? Or has she chosen to redefine Native American peoples as, uh...not people?

Exactly. It’s a house full of insecure children all desperately seeking underage booze and daddy’s approval.

I don’t think this is tanking, or even cutting expenses in order to recoup investment. I think it’s a designed plan to milk the team of all financial resources before they do an overnight sale to a group in Vegas, with a quick billion dollar profit for Jeter & Company.

“...a subdued Mr. Ryan said he wanted to spend more time with his children, who live in the same town where the speaker grew up.”

And why exactly are these young, healthy — doubtless attractive — bodies available for transplant? I would guess that “accidents” that leave the head destroyed while the body and the spinal cord and all the internal organs are fine, just fine, might be kinda rare. “Accidents happen,” of course...

I suspect Stanton will end up having a better year than Judge. (Pitchers have a way of finding out batters’ weaknesses.) And I still wonder about playing a fellow of Judge’s size full-time in the outfield. All that extra strain on his ankles, knees, and hips will catch up with him eventually, and with his hitting…

Wonderful photo, looks like it’s about a 79° angle. Makes my palms sweat just looking at it!

Yes, you’re right. Apologies. I only had seventeen caffeinated drinks today; I think it affected me badly.

It’s in the First Amendment, that pesky one that Santorum pretends doesn’t exist: “to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

But what is your inarguable authority for what constitutes an overreach or a detriment?

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You can’t give yourself CPR or mouth-to-mouth and if you’re bleeding out, the chances of being able to self-stanch the wound are pretty poor. Not all of us live in Action Hero World.

Speaking as an old guy: if they both strip to the waist before donning the gloves, I’m going off-planet...

One of my favorite moments from “Adventures” is when Holmes in disguise does an entire music hall number at a seaside resort.

It’s the new code word for what they used to call “blockbusting” and “white flight.”

I may not be part of the target audience — for which I give thanks — but I find the appeal of this story not so much puzzling as entirely nonexistent.

One of the things I find endlessly entertaining in the responses here (and elsewhere) is the number of internet trolls who are essentially shouting, “That’s just your opinion!” — as though their statement were a witticism worthy of Oscar Wilde. Whose opinion would it be, if not the writer’s?