Hi everyone,

Welcome back, and a happy Friday to you all!  BDH, Little Buddha, and I were just discussing our plans for the long weekend.  It's not clear if we'll be around Saturday or Sunday, but don't worry, we will be back by Monday at the latest.  Tomorrow is September 1, which means it's moving season in Boston.  The trucks are already showing up in the neighborhood, and if you need to drive somewhere in the area over the next two days, you should probably leave now.  Well, check out today's headlines with us first, and "then" leave.  The guys say the coffee is ready, so help yourself to a nice medium DD, and let's clear out some Clutter.

A California man was charged with threatening Boston Globe staff members, after the newspaper organized a campaign in defense of a free press.  Robert Chain is looking at five years in prison after calling the Globe's office and threatening to shoot employees in the head on August 16.  Chain referred to the newspaper as "the enemy of the people," which of course is Donald Trump's repeated slur. 

We all know that Donald Trump loathes all things related to Barack Obama, but does the Great Pumpkin despise John McCain even more?  Trump refused to say whether or not McCain would have been a better president than Obama, which would have seemed like a lay-up for any Republican, but Trump's hatred for people who are admired and respected more than him doesn't stop at party lines.

NBC News reportedly threatened Ronan Farrow if he continued to report on the Harvey Weinstein accusations, even after Farrow had already left the network.  NBC denies the allegation.   Farrow of course eventually brought the story to The New Yorker, where it won a Pulitzer Prize.  Click on the link for an interesting look at how the Weinstein story came together.

Ronan Farrow (pic via cbsnews.com)

Warren Buffett doesn't think Apple should buy Tesla.  The legendary investor is big on long-term sustainable business advantages (or "moats" as he has often referred to them) and he says that's difficult in the automotive industry.  He's also always talked about buying companies with stable managers, and that doesn't seem like the most applicable word for Elon Musk these days.

Coca-Cola is buying the Costa Coffee chain for $5 billion, as the company continues to look for other non-soda beverage products.

Hall of Fame pitcher/ Boston Red Sox color analyst Dennis Eckersley has a vocabulary which can take some getting used to.  Our staff studied for years to develop a fluency in "Eck-speak," but Boston Globe columnist Chad Finn has a terrific guide to help newer viewers understand what Eckersley is saying during a game.

The Boston Red Sox beat the Chicago White Sox 9-4 yesterday in another late-inning comeback.  Rick Porcello did not have a great outing, giving up eight hits and four runs over five innings.  However, you can never count this offense out, and the Sox came back with a four-run seventh inning (lead by Mookie Betts hitting his 29th HR of the year) and a five-run ninth inning (which included J.D. Martinez hitting his 39th HR.)  The Sox are now back to 8 1/2 games ahead of the New York Yankees in the AL East.  Nathan Eovaldi will try to increase that lead, and get back on track, when he takes the mound for Boston tonight.

Speaking of the Yankees, they picked up a little extra help yesterday by acquiring outfielder Andrew McCutchen from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for two minor leaguers.  McCutchen is in the final year of his current contract, so this is most likely a short-term rental.

An arbitrator ruled that Colin Kaepernick's collusion accusation against the NFL should proceed to a more formal trial, which is a significant setback for the owners.  Stephen Burbank, who presided over the first hearing, will also oversee this second one, and that can't be a good sign for the league. 

We've got the first trailer for The Front Runner, which stars Hugh Jackman as former presidential candidate Gary Hart.  It seems quaint now that the revelation of an affair ended Hart's campaign.  In any case, this looks like it could be good.  Check it out:

Okay kids that's going to do it for now.  In honor of Labor Day, let's have John Lennon close things out with, "Working Class Hero," a tune which is as timely as every, for today's, "Song of the Day."

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It was great to see you, as always.  BDH and Little Buddha want you to know you're invited to come back later to watch the Red Sox game with us if you like (and maybe keep an eye on all of the moving trucks.)  Otherwise, enjoy the rest of your day, be good, and we will meet back here again for more shenanigans soon.  Until next time, that's today's Clearing out the Clutter, and we are outta here.