Updates and Quick Hits

BALTIMORE, Maryland, July 3, 2913- Through gritted teeth, obama and his team of functionaries and other leftists declared that there would be a one year "delay" in implementing obamashaft (a more accurate and descriptive name for the Affordable Care Act a/k/a obamacare) for businesses with fifty or more employees.  That's the good news.  But with each passing day the bad news about this terrible, dysfunctional marxist health care thing is really really bad.  The cost of implementing it and the cost of it once "running" have tripled, at least.  Many radio hosts are delighting in playing recordings of obama swearing that citizen-health costs would decline once obamashaft was implemented, that citizens would be able to keep their own insurance and their own doctor and so on.  Not one word was even marginally true.  The really sick thing is that both obama and the deadbeat media knew all of this one year ago or even earlier.  But now, after the tart's been re-elected, and the debilitating effects of his "plans" plunge the nation toward economic catastrophe, the media finally starts letting those pesky facts slip out of the bag; we stand and watch as the disgusting news dribbles out daily.  The decent folk who believe in the country and what it stands for: equal rights for all, equal opportunity for all, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all, now have to survive four more years of the wrecking ball marxist and friends and "fundamental change" of a great nation with firm footing, or so we thought.  And the media wonders why they are held in such low regard. obama has lied so often and so completely that anyone paying attention has to assume he is lying everytime he speaks.  I do...Last week Credible and Incisive reported that the Orioles were facing a major decision about Ryan Flaherty.  The second-year infielder had decisively broken out of a long slump with the kind of hitting that prompted the Birds to take him in the Rule 5 Draft over the off-season before the 2012 campaign.  But now, just as he was showing the kind of hitter he could be - he had already proved that he was a Gold Glove-quality fielder - Brian Roberts, the sensational second baseman for the Orioles for many years, was returning from what had been three seasons of injuries.  On Saturday night, which was the night before Roberts was activated, Flaherty hit another long home run. On Sunday, with Roberts activated, Flaherty was again at second base while Roberts was the DH.  On Tuesday in Chicago, Roberts started at second base while Flaherty sat on the bench.  Roberts had a hit and an RBI on Sunday and a home run on Tuesday (although he did strike out with Nate McClouth at second base to end the game.  The Orioles lost, 5-2.)  Today, the Orioles removed Danny Valencia from the active roster, but not the 40-man roster, to make room for Scott Feldman, the pitcher who was acquired from the Cubs on Tuesday in exchange for Jake Arrieta and Pedro Strop.  The Birds also received Catcher Jake Clevenger - a Baltimore native who attended Mt. St. Joseph's High School - but assigned him to Norfolk.  He was placed on the 40-man roster, making him a likely call-up in September.  The Orioles have only three catchers on the 40-man roster.