This Week's Picks -Week 2

 

 

Last week, the College Football Season kicked off (ho) with the yearly slate of big-deal teams beating non-big-deal teams (see: Georgia, Texas). An almost upset was snatched from Western Michigan due to something called time. Also, our yearly obsession with Lane Kiffin and his desire to coach every player and team in the nation.  

It looks like the LSU mess has resolved itself. The SEC told LSU they could not hire sign two former NFL players for supposedly had eligibility left. LSU went to Louisiana state court and found a judge (Judge Jebediah Boudreaux) who would issue an injunction against the SEC. (This is a good time to remind everybody that Louisiana is governed by the Napoleonic Code. I learned that at Kennesaw State University when I was a wee lad.)

The SEC went to Federal Court (which is a bigger deal than a state court, (I also learned that at Kennesaw State University) to prevent the players (or "kids," as Kiffin describes two 22-year-old men) from playing for LSU and threatened to expel LSU from the SEC, which is like Cheers threatening to expel Norm from the bar. 

The President of LSU, Clifton Chenier (editor's note: not really), said everything is "moot", which means, "forget it, we're not going to do it".  All's well that ends well.   

 

 This Week's Picks

 

Jawja vs Western Kentucky Where My Parents Were Born: The Bulldogs have another breather before their SEC schedule starts. The Hilltoppers (Western Kentucky is on a hill) mascot is a red blob. Okay. UGA wins. 

 

 

 

 

Bumbles vs Tennysee: George Tech did okay against Colorado, but they'll need to do better against Tennessee. They won't. Tennessee wins. 

 

 

Oky vs Meechigan: My pastor played football for Michigan State and he doesn't like Michigan and said they "cheated" against Western Michigan.  He said he was "amazed they were able to find an extra second."  Hey look, I'm just reporting the news.  Plus, he's 6' 2" and still works out. You take it up with him. Anyhow, I'm not that impressed with Oklahoma, but Michigan shouldn't have to cheat out a win, at home, against Western Michigan.  Sooners win. 

 

 

Ahia State vs Texsass. Ohio State begins their season with their usual number one ranking in the polls. This is a tough game for them, but I'm not willing to crown Texas as the winner. Ohio State wins. 

 

 

Downtown Atlanta vs My Beloved Owls:  At one time, these were two commuter schools, just trying to get students to come to class after work to earn their degrees.  Now they both have dorms and are the second largest (Kennesaw State) and the fourth largest (Georgia State) universities in the state of Georgia.  GSU beat a smaller school, just like Kennesaw State did, last week. Supposedly, Georgia State is projected to finish at the bottom of the Sun Belt Conference. ESPN says the Owls have a good chance of repeating as champions of Conference USA.  Hey, I'm prejudiced.  Owls win. 

 

Programming Note:  This Week's Picks is taking a hiatus and will be back for Week 5 of the season.  

 

 

 

 

A New Season Of This Week's Picks Week 1 (or 2)

 

 

Welcome back to another exciting year of College Football!  Let's see what AI thinks we have in store for this season.

"The sport is entering a thrilling new chapter shaped by massive offseason storylines, high-stakes coaching debuts, and an unpredictable championship landscape. While off-field drama concerning postseason expansion took center stage—with Big Ten and SEC commissioners failing to agree on a permanent move to a 16- or 24-team format. So now they will continue in the 12-team playoff format, and while most people think that is a big waste of time, ESPN thinks it is nifty, and more importantly, so does Pat McAfee."

 

This Week's Picks 

 

 

Jawja vs Tennysee State: This is the first time UGA has played Tennessee State, which is in Nashville, which I drove past three years ago. I was lost looking for a venue our niece was having her rehearsal dinner at. We finally found the venue. We barely found parking. Parking is a big issue in Nashville. I'm sorry, where was I? Oh yeah, the game.  UGA is currently ranked third in the NCAA polls, which is weird because they haven't played a game. UGA should win this game, Kirby has a way of making sure of that.   UGA wins. 

 

 

Bees vs Buffs:  Tech had a good year last year. Colorado did not. However, head coach Neon Deion Prime Time Cowboy Hat Wearing Sanders has a revamped team with 40 transfers. Tech has a new quarterback this season, Alberto Mendoza. It is going to be interesting to see how he does. Sorry to do this to you, Tech: Tech wins. 

 

 

Texsass vs Texsass State: Texas is heavily favored in this game and Arch Manning will be named the Heisman Trophy winner at halftime.   Texas wins. 

 

Bamy vs Pyrates:  Head coach Kalen DeBoer kicks off his third season in Tuscaloosa facing an unfamiliar opponent in East Carolina, which is the alma mater of one of my brothers-in-law. Alabama has a new quarterback, Keelon Russell, who apparently is the best thing since sliced bread.  He better be.  Bama wins.

 

 

Tygers vs Lane's Tigers: A primary storyline leading up to the game surrounds LSU's controversial plan to add players who were cut or returned from NFL preseason camps.These players include Dick Butkus, Ray Nitschke, Gayle Sayers, and O.J. Simpson. Clemson hopes to rebound from a disappointing season. LSU has (for the time being) Lane Kiffin, who brought his magic to LSU right in the middle of his former team's deep playoff run.  His theme this year is "loyalty".   Tigers win. 

 

 

University of West Jawja vs My Beloved Owls:  When we last saw the Owls, they were being stomped by the Western Michigan Broncos, 41-6.  The game was not as close as the score indicates.  This week, West Georgia brings their wolfpack to Kennesaw State's 5/8 and a Half Percentage Bank Stadium. Kennesaw State should win-I mean, we're in the FBS and won a conference for cry out loud.  Owls win.

 

 

Falling In Love

 

 

 "Democrats fall in love, Republicans fall in line." - Bill Clinton.

If you haven't noticed, I haven't been writing about politics lately.

One: Politics is boring.  You are either a big Trumpster, or you are not. That's it. Nobody tries to find the middle ground because everyone says there is no middle ground.

Fun fact: there is always a middle ground.

Two: Most people on social media "discuss" politics by memes. The memes are usually posted with a comment like "Nuff' said" or "Amen". 

For example, I saw a meme about Rand Paul. Rand Paul is a senator from Kentucky who is trying to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci "accountable" for some of the things that happened during the recent unpleasantness. 

This meme made a big deal about Rand Paul not being a board-certified ophthalmologist.

It is right. Senator Doctor Paul is not a board-certified ophthalmologist. Now.  He was board-certified for ten years and then got into a dispute with the American Board of Ophthalmology over recertification and tried to create his own certification board. He then just let the matter drop. So if you are going to get cataract surgery from Senator Doctor Paul, just be aware that it will be in a back alley and he won't accept your insurance.

The point of this particular meme was: How dare Rand Paul question the great Anthony Fauci when he isn't even board-certified.

 

Well, as George Will used to say. Paul was questioning Fauci over "gain-of-function" tests and whether Fauci approved a grant to the Chinese lab, which led to a lab leak, which led to a pandemic, and led to everybody staying inside and washing their hands every forty seconds.  

 

The Chinese lab either did gain-of-function tests or they didn't and Dr. Fauci either approved a grant to the Chinese lab or he didn't. I don't think that is a medical question only an immunologist can answer. 

However, there's been a new blip on the political radar, and it has to do with the 2028 Presidential election. 

As everybody but President Orange knows, Trump cannot run for re-election. There's no wiggle room. The Constitution is very clear about it that Trump cannot be elected to another four year term. 

For the Republicans, it looks like Vice President Vance is going to run as the heir apparent (you pick up these terms in history class) to President Trump, or Secretary of State Marco Rubio.  That's it.

For Democrats, the question is not who will run but who will not run. Who will not run in 2028:  Harry Truman, Henry Jackson, Walter Mondale, or Michael Dukakis.  Just about everybody with a (D) by their name is at least thinking about running for President. 

One name that is gaining traction is Georgia's own Senator Jon Ossoff.

Jon Ossoff became a Senator when David Perdue could not pick up 50%  plus one in the 2020 Senatorial election. This caused a run-off. The trouble was that Gov. Brian Kemp decided to enforce Georgia law, and Trump pitched a snit fit and did more harm than good. You might remember it. It was in all the papers. 

Put it this way: Ossoff defeated  Perdue by 1.22 percentage points.  Not exactly a strong beginning. 

However, Ossoff gives the Democrats something they haven't had in a while-a Southern Democrat. 

Give Ossoff this: while you see him as just a young guy who got lucky and won a Senate seat, he looks in the mirror and sees a President of the United States.

Ossoff and his team have noticed that his last name starts with the same letter as Obama's.  Ossoff sees himself as the Obama nobody wanted or asked for. 

Since the Democrats don't have a leader, some want another one of THE GREAT DEMOCRATIC PARTY OUTSIDERS to come in and save the Democrats from a President Gavin Newsom making kissy faces at himself in the mirror. 

The Democrats have a history of someone from out of the blue coming in and sweeping them off their feet.  Think of JFK, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama.

So all of the people who think they know things think Ossoff can do this. 

He barely won his Senate seat. Nobody around here (Georgia) ever talks about him. The great "They" (people who write political columns) are saying he's a shoo-in for re-election.  Maybe.

But in his big deal speech about Trump, Ossoff brings up Natalie Harp for, I don't know, doing her job. Of course, Trump hit back with one of his zingers. He calls Ossoff "Pee-Wee Harman".   Not his best insult. 

Ossoff has other liabilities, some of which reflect poorly on Democrats.

While I consider him your average, garden-variety lefty Democrat, the modern Democratic Party considers him a moderate. That says something about the Democratic Party.

And then there is the problem.  Ossoff is Jewish.

Frankly, the Democrats are really dancing on the line of being anti-semitic, if not, in many cases, being outright bigots. It is hard to see how all of the wackos in the Democratic Party, which is where all the energy is now, will process this information.

But you never know. I just wouldn't buy any tickets to an Ossoff Inauguration now.  

 

 

 

 

"Reacher Season Four" Like It or Lump It.

 

 

Welcome to the Dog Days of Summer "Like It Or Lump It," where I review a show on one of the various streaming services and to see if they are worth your time. 

"Reacher Season 4 (Amazon Prime).  This show is about Darwin's Missing Link, Jack Reacher, who is a former MP that wanders the country trying to find someone to punch.  He usually finds someone to punch or, at the very least, headbutt. 

In Reacher's first season, Reacher visits Margrave, Georgia, to investigate the death of blues legend Blind Blake, only to be arrested for a murder he did not commit despite the fact there is no Margrave, Georgia or a blues legend named Blind Blake. In the midst of all of this investigation, Reacher learns of the murder of his brother, Joe Reacher because there is a corrupt family in Margrave and they are making counterfeit money.  Reachers busts a couple of thousand heads and headbutts a cocker spaniel.

In Reacher's second season, Reacher is pulled back into action when a member of his former US Army unit, the 110th Special Investigators, is brutally murdered by being dropped out of a helicopter, which has been known to kill people. The show climaxes with Reacher pulling helicopter down from the sky. The other improbable action scene shows Reacher buy clothes off the rack. 

(Note: Reacher buys all of his clothes at Goodwill. Nobody ever complains of the smell.)

In Reacher's season three, Reacher goes deep undercover to bring down an untouchable international drug kingpin by working for the international drug kingpin. The head of the drug kingpin's security is another gorilla named Paulie who Reacher thought he killed years ago. They have a massive fight in which Reacher somehow kills him,  

The major theme in Reacher is this:  Bad people need to be punched. Or headbutted. Maybe thrown out of a window when necessary. 

Season 4 was released last week. Reacher is just walking around Philadelphia, eating a cheesesteak at 2:30 in the morning. He decides to ride the subway because if nothing is more beautiful than the streets of Philadelphia, it is the subway.

While there, he encounters a woman he thinks wants to blow up the subway because Reacher is very perceptive. (Remember, he likes jazz.) 

It turns out she doesn't want to blow up the subway; she just wants to kill herself. Which she does. Of course, the police take Reacher in for questioning. They ask Reacher all of the relevant questions:  Why are you in Philadelphia? What's going on with the Phillies? Where do you buy your clothes? How come you don't stink? 

The FBI  is called in and Reacher is his usual charming self. He decides to call the three FBI agents "Snap, Crackle, and Pop". Another example of Reacher's charm.

In the next thirty minutes:

• Reacher beats up three guys who stopped to ask him question.
• He meets the dead woman's brother who just happens to be a "small town" New Jersey cop.
• He is introduced to a busty lady who says she has leukemia.

 

I've decided to give you a count of all of the action in "Reacher Season 4" 

Punches: Plenty.

Headbutts: Four.

Suicides: Two.

Congressman who must be hiding something: One. Congressman's wife that gives off a Hillary Clinton vibe: One.

Times Reacher says he "travels light": One

Creepy Freelance Journalist who sort of reminds you of the weirdo from "Stranger Things": One.

Trips to Philadelphia from Washington: Two.

Cats: One. 

Busty Lady who has leukemia but not really: One.

Bowling ball in the face: One.

Missing nephew that plays for Temple University on "a full ride": One.

Number of darts it takes to subdue Reacher: Two.

Language:  Rough but not as bad as you would think. Bad words fly around but it is not as bad as anything you would hear on the Dutton Ranch. 

Sex and nudity:  None

Times you see Reacher without a shirt:  One

Violence: Non-stop.

There have been only three episodes released of season four.  I say "Like It".  There's not much to it. The writing is meh, the acting is okay, but the action scenes are very good. And I'm not saying that just because I think Reacher would headbutt me. Which he probably would. 

67

 

 

 

Here I am again, celebrating another birthday. It is my 67th, or as the kids say, my 6/7.

 

What does 6/7 mean?

 

It is the latest slang term, derived from a rap song titled "Doot Doot (6 7)" by Ludwig Van Beethoven. Check that; it is by a rapper known as Skrilla, who I am sure you have many downloads of on Spotify. 

 

Of course, let Google help us out.

 

"Six seven (written as 6-7 or 67) is a viral internet meme and slang term used mostly by kids and teens. It has no fixed meaning or definition. The entire point of the phrase is to be complete nonsense that bonds younger groups while confusing adults.

 

If the phrase is meant to be "complete nonsense", I would say: mission accomplished. 

 

 

How is it used? As a filler or projection. Per Google: "Kids yell "six-seven!" randomly or in response to hearing the numbers 6 and 7 in everyday talk (like a teacher saying "turn to page 67")."

 

You can imagine how hilarious it is. 

 

Google goes on to say, "It is sometimes paired with an up-and-down hand motion (like weighing something) to vaguely mean "so-so" or "mediocre," though it is mostly just used to troll older generations."

 

Again, if it is simply meant to troll older generations: mission accomplished. 

Every generation does things that bewilder the older generations before them. At least it is better than the previous generation that held contests on TikTok eating Tide pods. That was truly stupid and helps to explain why so many young adults are "Democratic Socialists".

 

Even my generation, when we were not walking to school through the snow, uphill-both ways, did things that trolled the older generation. Here I'm thinking about the popularity of Chevy Chase.

There were other things as well.  Disco music, which was usually about love on the dance floor.  The "Farrah" hairstyle for girls, in which they grew really long hair and curled it up to look like actress Farrah Fawcett, who was incredibly popular when I was in high school. It usually took girls about four hours to get their hair ready for school.

 

Of course, it usually took me a minute to get my hair presentable for school. It usually involved a brush.

 

I'm not here to complain about the crazy kids nowadays. I'm not here to ask them to get off my lawn, although I wish they would.  I would like to point out some of the good things that have happened during my lifetime.

 

When I was coming along, nobody used a leash for their dog.  Nobody cleaned up after their dog when the dog did dog stuff in your yard. It was your responsibility to watch where you were going so you didn't step in the neighbor's dog stuff. 

Now, people clean up what their dogs leave behind. They didn't do that in '65, '73, or '85. 

 

People used to smoke everywhere.  Surgeons during surgery. The pastor in the pulpit. Your high school English teacher.

 

Now, as Cedric The Entertainer says, "You can't smoke on Earth no more".  Cigarettes are very expensive-I don't know how anyone can pick up the habit.

 

When I was in junior high school, there was a class trip to the local IBM to look at computers.  The computers took up several rooms.

Now, everybody has a PC and a laptop. On top of that, we carry around a computer that fits in the palm of our hands. It is also our camera. We no longer have to take a roll of film to the drug store or the Fotomat. That's pretty cool. 

This computer is also a phone. These are the days of miracles and wonder. 

 

We have Chick-fil-A. 

Waffle House takes debit cards.

Coke Zero.

You can watch a million and one TV shows, either through cable or streaming.

 
I've lived through the most interesting time in the best place to live. As Joe Walsh said, "Life's been good to me so far."

 

 

 

He's Back!

 

 

 

Guess who is back so we can kick him around some more?

 

President Richard Nixon.

 

There is a thing out now: "Nixonmaxxing". It is "a viral internet trend and slang term where young conservatives on social media rebrand former U.S. President Richard Nixon as a "sigma male" antihero. The movement features slickly edited archival videos set to rap music, portraying Nixon as a tough figure and an early pioneer of America First." (The Hollywood Reporter)

 

 

Now what is a "sigma male"? It is a popular internet slang term (obviously) for a successful independent man who lives outside normal social hierarchies. The internet goes on to say: "He is often framed as a 'lone wolf' who achieves power, wealth, and status without seeking validation from others."   

 

Which is a hoot because if there is one thing Nixon craved in his life, it was "validation from others".

 

Which he never got, at least from the fancy-smancy Ivy League crowd that giggled at Adlai Stevenson's witticisms.

 

Nixon had, by any measure, a remarkable life. 

 

He grew up poor. He graduated from college and law school. He served in the South Pacific in World War II.  He was finishing his hitch at a Naval office in New York City and saw the ticker-tape parade for Dwight Eisenhower, arguably the most famous man on Earth at the time. 

Seven years later, He would be Eisenhower's Vice Presidential running mate.

That's a quick, rise to the top journey. Almost as quick as the rise of John David Vance.

 

From 1952 to 1972, there were six Presidential elections.  Nixon was on the ticket for five of them. He won three of them in a landslide. He won a close one. He lost a close one.

Still, he was never good enough for Cronkite, Rather, and Daniel Schorr.

He looked shifty. My mom used to call him "Tricky Dicky", but she held her nose and voted for him over McGovern as anybody who had half a sense did.

 

He was unfortunate enough to run against John Kennedy in 1960.  Kennedy had this TA-DA presence and a completely compliant news media that was dazzled by him. Don't let anybody say being good-looking and rich isn't an advantage. 

Meanwhile, the news media and popular culture were never dazzled by Nixon. He was just "ick" to them. Never cool. Even when he said "Sock it to me" on "Laugh-In", it just wasn't enough. (Okay, maybe you had to be there.)

 

By the time Watergate happened, the news media knew they finally got him. After all the years of his half-truths or whole lies and duplicity, Nixon got run out of town. 

He eventually was rehabilitated to some extent. He even met and joked around with David Letterman in the mid-80s. But he was always known as the President who resigned.

 

Back during the Nixon years, Nixon was presented as this dastardly conservative, when in reality he increased Johnson's Great Society programs, created the EPA and OSHA, and began Affirmative Action.

A couple of things he proposed: universal healthcare and a guaranteed basic minimum income. Really.

A lot of the people that froth at the mouth about MAGA did so about Nixon. It is strange. I think it has more to do with the (R) and (D) thing than anything else. 

 

To me, the strangest thing about Nixon is how he is still a punchline.

There was a show on FXX called "What We Do In Shadows," and there was a character who did a Nixon joke complete with the impression. When I first saw that show, Nixon had been dead for thirty years.

I'm not sure if the kids know what they are doing about Nixon. But hey, other kids are wearing Chinese uniforms and singing praises to Mao Zedong, so it could be worse. 

 

 

 

Welcome To Wheeler

I'm not sure when the "Dog Days of Summer" actually start. But I'm pretty sure they have started.

Summer in Georgia is always hot. It is always muggy. This summer, we have the bonus of air-to-ground lightning storms, usually in the afternoon.

I'm not sure what causes it. All I know is that science is involved, and I checked out of science long ago when I was a student at Wheeler High School in Marietta, Georgia (School Motto: "Where The Leaders of Tomorrow Are Sticking Gum Underneath The Desks Of Today").

Speaking of Wheeler High School, the big news is President Trump will be at Wheeler next week for something.  I think it has to do with his "Trump Accounts," in which parents can open up an IRA for their kid(s) so they can pay for college to earn a degree that they can't get a job with because of AI. 

Therefore, please consider this a primer regarding Wheeler High School to help all of the national media that will descend upon Holt Road this week.

The mascot: The Wildcats. School Colors: Blue and Gold. School Alma Mater:  "We're The Wheeler Wildcats"

Lyrics to "We're The Wheeler Wildcats":  "We're the Wheeler Wildcats you've heard so much about. Mother's hide their daughters whenever we're about.  We fight with knives and forty-fives and broken bottle too. We're the Wheeler Wildcats, who the <insert your favorite bad word> are you?"

Wheeler was named for General Joseph Wheeler, who was a Confederate General and later became a U.S. general in the Spanish-American War, and he is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Additionally, he was non-binary and used to ride his horse into battle side-saddle. [Editor's note:  There is no record of this in any history book.]

When I went to Wheeler, it was considered one of the best, if not the best, high school in Cobb County. I don't know if that was such a high bar, but it made us feel good. I heard from kids at other high schools that said we were "stuck up" because we could read.

We had a lot of students who were very smart.  They took classes like Calculus, which is the mathematical study of continuous change. I think. To be honest, I never had anyone explain to me what Calculus was except to say it was hard and would go over my head because I didn't understand all of the X= whatever of Algebra. 

Needless to say, the math I took at Wheeler was called "Math".

Back then, it wasn't illegal to smoke cigarettes on Earth.  We had a designated place at Wheeler where "students" (usually the same ones that took "Math" with me) could go and smoke. We called it "The Smoke Hole."

The teachers did not smoke in our "Smoke Hole."  They smoked in something called "The Teacher's Lounge," which also had a Coke machine.  (Editor's Note: in some areas of the country they are referred to as "Soda Machines".)

We had one teacher who would literally stick a cigarette in her mouth the minute the bell dismissing school for the day rang. I guess we kind of stressed her out. 

Another time, a "student" ( a guy my brother knew) fell asleep in class.

Now, kids were falling asleep in class for various reasons back then. Drugs, laziness, too much excitement in Calculus.  I must admit, I fell asleep several times, too, even though I didn't do drugs or Calculus. For some reason, teachers do not like this.

The teacher in this class (who was fairly "cool") went over and shook this guy to wake him up.  He woke up and whopped her pretty good. The force of the whop caused her to hit a bulletin board and enabled him to have some time away from school, if you know what I mean.  

We have some notable alumni.

Brett Butler, who had her own situation comedy called "Grace Under Pressure".  My brother sort of knew her. She also was the center fielder for the Atlanta Braves.

Pam Stone, who was in the situation comedy "Coach", where she played Dauber's girlfriend. Fun fact: the actor who played Dauber is the voice of Patrick Star on "SpongeBob SquarePants".  She (Pam, not SpongeBob) was in my class and wore a lot of T-shirts that had pictures of horses on them.

Bob Tway, another member of my class, played in the PGA and won the PGA Open, defeating Greg Norman. To my knowledge, he has never work on "SpongeBob SquarePants."

Jaylen Brown, a basketball player who played for the Celtics but was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Robert Shaw, a football player who was the Dallas Cowboys' number one pick in 1979. He is the only Wheeler graduate to have his name spoken by Howard Cosell.  If my memory serves, he was a real big guy.
 
Brad Armstrong was a professional wrestler. He was the son of "Bullet Bob Armstrong" and the brother of Scott, who my wife knew.