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What's up, world. Smokyy here.

Today I've got a Home Run Derby tonight with a revenge story eight years in the making, a grocery number that's gonna make you mad, and a health story I need you to actually read — because it's the kind of thing that ruins a summer and nobody's talking about it.

Let's get into it.

HEALTH — Read This Before You Get In That Pool

I'm leading with this because it matters most today.

There's a parasite outbreak happening right now, and it's spreading two ways people aren't watching for: swimming pools and fresh produce.

Here's what's real.

The numbers

CNN reported this month that a cyclospora outbreak has hit at least 1,700 people. The CDC's own national count sits at 843 confirmed cases since May 1 — and the agency has said its number is lower than what states are reporting, because cases are still being analyzed.

Multiple states have reported an increase over the last two weeks compared to the same stretch in 2025.

And in Texas, Bexar County has confirmed 10 cases of what local health officials are bluntly calling "explosive diarrhea" — driven by two parasites: cyclospora and cryptosporidium.

Now here's the part that'll change how you look at a pool

Chlorine does not kill these things.

Not "chlorine takes a while." Chlorine does not kill them.

Cryptosporidium — "crypto" — is extremely tolerant of chlorine, and per the CDC it can survive up to 10 days in properly treated water. Properly treated. Not a nasty pool. A clean one.

And swallowing just a mouthful of contaminated water can make an otherwise healthy person sick for up to three weeks — watery diarrhea, cramps, nausea, vomiting, dehydration.

Cyclospora is resistant to bleach too, which is why it shows up in chlorinated pools and splash pads, plus lakes and rivers.

Crypto is the leading cause of waterborne disease in the United States. It's not exotic. It's in the pool down the street.

And the produce side

Cyclospora doesn't spread person to person. You get it by eating or drinking something contaminated weeks earlier — usually fresh produce or water.

The items that keep coming up: basil, cilantro, spinach, berries, and lettuce blends. Especially spring through summer.

Which is right now.

And the safest thing you can do with fresh produce during an outbreak — per the experts CNN spoke to — is cook it.

Not rinse it. Cook it. Rinsing helps. It is not a guarantee.

The tricky part

Cyclospora symptoms are latent. They show up about a week after infection.

So by the time you're sick, you have no idea what you ate. You can't trace it. Neither can the health department. That's exactly why these outbreaks get big before anybody notices.

And it gets missed by routine testing. Standard stool cultures and a lot of common diarrhea panels do not catch cyclospora. A doctor has to specifically request the right test.

So if you've got persistent watery diarrhea and nobody can tell you why — say the word "cyclospora" out loud in that appointment. You may have to ask for it.

What to actually do

I'm not a doctor. Never have been. This is CDC and health-official guidance:

• Don't swallow pool water. Not at the pool, not at the splash pad, not at the lake. Sounds obvious. Do it on purpose.
• Do not swim if you've had diarrhea. And this one will surprise you — the CDC says wait two weeks. Not until you feel better. Two weeks. People go back after a day, and that's how a whole pool gets it.
• Watch the little ones in swim diapers. They're the most common way this gets in the water. Nobody's fault. It's just how it works.
• Wash produce thoroughly. Cook it if there's an outbreak near you.
• Skip untreated water — lakes, rivers, streams, shallow wells.
• Know who's at risk. Officials flag children, older adults, pregnant women, and anyone immunocompromised for complications.

And know this: cyclospora can be treated with antibiotics. Crypto cannot. There's no specific treatment for crypto. You hydrate and you ride it out.

Which means with crypto — prevention is the only medicine there is.

If it gets serious, see an actual doctor. Not a blog. Not me.

HEALTH, PART TWO — The Heat Is Still Not Playing

Quick one, because it's still happening.

Since late June, records have been tied or broken across the US and Canada. Atlantic City hit 106°F on July 4th. Ottawa's humidex hit 115°F.

The National Weather Service warned of "dangerous to record setting heat" across the eastern two-thirds of the country.

The temperature isn't the problem. The humidity is. An NWS forecaster said it plain — temps in the 90s to low 100s are hot, but combine that with humidity and the heat index climbs well into the 100s. That's the number your body is actually fighting.

And the nights aren't cooling off. Overnight lows have been stuck at 75–80°F in a lot of places. Your body uses the night to recover. No cooldown means you start tomorrow already behind.

Drink before you're thirsty. Move the hard stuff to early morning. And check on the older folks — the NWS specifically flagged the elderly and people with respiratory issues.

LIFESTYLE — The Workout You'll Actually Do

Everybody wants a new routine. Nobody wants the boring one that works.

When it's this hot, the workout you'll actually do beats the workout you planned.

You had it mapped out. Gym at 6. Forty-five minutes. Then it hit 98 degrees and you were cooked before you got there.

So don't go. Twenty minutes at home. Early. In the AC.

Twenty minutes you do beats forty-five you skip. Every single time.

No miracles. No shortcuts. No supplement that melts fat while you sleep — that's a lie, you've heard it before, and you already know it's a lie.

What works is showing up when it's inconvenient. That's why nobody's selling it.

LUXURY & STYLE — Cost Per Wear

Luxury isn't the logo. It's the cost per wear.

A $200 pair of shoes worn 200 times = a dollar a wear.

A $40 pair worn four times before they fall apart = ten dollars a wear. And you threw them out.

The expensive one was cheaper. That's not a flex. That's arithmetic.

In this heat: breathable beats trendy. Linen. Real cotton. Anything that moves air. That heavy synthetic looked great in the store, and it's a problem at 2pm.

Style that makes you miserable isn't style. It's a costume you paid to be uncomfortable in.

SAVINGS — Where Your Grocery Money Is Actually Going

Brace up. This one stings.

Overall inflation is running 4.2%. Groceries are up 2.7% over the past year — actually less than inflation.

But the average is hiding the damage. Because prices aren't moving together.

Thirty percent on coffee. If you're grabbing a latte four times a week, that increase alone is a real line item in your budget — and I'd bet you've never once added it up.

Three moves

1. Check the unit price, not the shelf price. Every label has a small number — price per ounce, per pound. That's the real price. The big number is marketing. Companies are shrinking packages while charging the same. It's called shrinkflation, and they are counting on you not to look.

2. Plan meals around the sale flyer — not the other way around. Don't decide what you want and then pay whatever it costs. Look at what's on sale, then decide what you're eating. Same food. Less money. Zero deprivation.

3. Dodge the spike, not the whole cart. Beef is up 12%. Chicken, pork, beans, and eggs are not. You don't have to eat worse. You have to eat around the spike.

And the habit that beats all three: track what you actually spend for one month. Not a budget. Just a record.

You will find a leak. Everybody does.

SPORTS PULSE — DERBY NIGHT IN PHILLY

It's tonight

8:00 PM ET · Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia · streaming on Netflix

First time in 32 years it's not on ESPN. Netflix has it. All you need is a subscription.

The story nobody's telling loud enough

Eight years ago, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper met in the Home Run Derby final.

Harper won. In his home park. In Washington.

Tonight they're teammates. In Harper's new home park. And they're the first set of teammates in the Derby since 2018 — which was, of course, the year they faced each other.

Let that sit for a second.

Two Phillies. Same clubhouse. Same crowd screaming for both of them. And a rematch of a final that one of them has been carrying around for eight years.

A Schwarber–Harper final in Philadelphia would break that building in half.

The clock is gone

For the first time since 2015, MLB scrapped the timer. It's swing-based now.

One wrinkle survived: a round can't end on a home run. Hit one on your last swing and you keep swinging until you make an out.

This is a bigger deal than it sounds. No more guys gassed out, hacking against a clock. Twenty swings, and every one has to count.

The full field of eight

Cal Raleigh isn't defending. Last year's champ has had a rough, injury-ridden season in Seattle. There will be a new name on it tonight.

The Pick — Schwarber

And it's not close.

Thirty-two homers in the first half. Most in the field, by ten. His park. His crowd. And a format that fits him like a glove.

Here's the thing about the new rules: Schwarber never needed to hurry. He needs pitches he can turn on. Give him twenty of them and no clock, and the ball is leaving.

He's been here before, too. Third Derby. He lost the 2018 final to Harper, and got knocked out in the first round in 2022 by Pujols. And last year he took All-Star swingoff MVP — three swings, three homers.

A win tonight makes him only the fourth player ever to take the Derby in his own ballpark.

The setup is too perfect. ESPN's Jorge Castillo called it the same way — Schwarber over Harper.

The Sleeper — Murakami

He might be the most dangerous name on the board and nobody's talking about him.

He holds the Nippon Professional Baseball record for home runs by a Japan-born player. He came to the White Sox on a well-under-market deal because teams worried about strikeouts and high velocity.

Neither of those exists in a Home Run Derby.

There's no strikeout. There's no ace on the mound. There's a coach lobbing it in.

Take away the two knocks and what's left is a guy sitting in the 98th percentile or better in barrel rate, exit velocity, and hard-hit rate.

Translation: he crushes baseballs.

He'd be the first rookie to win it since Pete Alonso in 2019, and only the second White Sox player ever — the other one is Frank Thomas.

If Schwarber doesn't take it, I've got Murakami.

And don't sleep on Caminero

He was runner-up last year — lost 18–15 to Cal Raleigh in the final.

The guy who beat him isn't in the building tonight.

He's 23. He hit 45 homers last season and became only the fourth player in history to hit 40 at age 21 or younger — a list with Eddie Mathews, Mel Ott, and Ronald Acuña Jr. on it.

He's got unfinished business, and the door's wide open.

Sunday's finals — into the break

• Pirates 14, Brewers 5 — Pittsburgh went off
• White Sox 9, Athletics 1
• Cubs 8, Reds 4
• Mariners 8, Rays 2
• Orioles 8, Royals 2
• Rangers 6, Astros 5
• Diamondbacks 5, Dodgers 3 — AZ took the series
• Padres 5, Blue Jays 4
• Phillies 5, Tigers 0 — Shutout
• Yankees 5, Nationals 3

Arizona owned the Dodgers. 9–2 Saturday. 5–3 Sunday. LA heads into the break having watched the D-backs walk into their house and take both.

Coming up

• TONIGHT — Home Run Derby, 8pm ET, Netflix
• Tuesday, July 14 — All-Star Game, same building
• Thursday, July 16 — Phillies host the Mets
• Friday, July 17 — Yankees host the Dodgers. Mark it.

THE PLAY

Tonight: Don't swallow pool water. And watch the Derby — Schwarber and Harper, same clubhouse, eight years later.

This week: Check the unit price on five things you always buy. You'll find at least one where the store brand is the same product.

This month: Track what you spend. Don't budget it. Just watch it. The leak will show itself.

Four days a week. Every week.

No hype. No lies. No screenshots.

Just the game.

— Smokyy
gftblog.com

Sources: CDC; CNN Health; Pharmacy Times; Bexar County health officials via News4 San Antonio; National Weather Service; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; USDA Economic Research Service; MLB.com; ESPN; CBS Sports; FOX Sports; Yahoo Sports; Sports Illustrated; live MLB score feed. Health information here is general and is not medical advice — see a qualified doctor about your own situation.