2021: A Variant Of 2020

 

Remember last year at this time when we couldn't wait for 2021?

Putting on my history major hat, I can safely assert that historians in the future will say the year 2020 "really sucked" and  2021 "sucked too but not as much."

We started the year with a vaccine that promised to almost, kinda, sorta, maybe protect us from the dreaded COVID-19 disease. Of course, everybody was tired of COVID-19, except maybe Dr. Anthony Fauci because he got on TV a lot, and all of the whoody-do TV talking heads thought he was dreamy.

My favorite moment in the early rollout of the vaccine was when Saint Anthony explained that we might need to wear two masks instead of one even if we were vaccinated.  

My question: How about we wear three masks and triple our protection?

We never got to that point because it was hard enough to convince many people to wear one mask, much less two. Lord, don't talk about how hard it was getting some to get the vaccine.

But don't complain about anti-vaxxers when Dr. Smarty Pants is running around talking about wearing two masks, and the vaccines might/might not work, but you should get it anyway. Oh yeah, they come in two doses, and they have various side effects that range from a sore arm to spontaneous combustion. 

2021 began with, and this was a big surprise, Donald Trump acting like a big old baby.  Everybody accepted, as fact, that Trump lost to Joe Bident. Everybody except Donald Trump.  

He held a STOP THE STEAL rally, which somehow morphed into a HANG MIKE PENCE rally.  The whole thing was a mess and could have been avoided if only Arizona, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Georgia had just listened to the My Pillow Guy.

On January 20th, President Joe was inaugurated and promised to take two naps and hit the early bird special at a local restaurant. He vowed to launch a full-scale investigation of why they took "Matlock" off the air.

Despite his age, President Joe inspires the American people with his rhetoric which said (and this is a direct quote), "I have never been particularly poor at calculating how to get things done in the United States Senate. So the best way to get something done, if you, if you hold near and dear to you that you like to be able to, anyway."

 

The year brought many challenges to President Joe and he responded in the way only President Joe could. Inflation (President Joe:  "What? Naw.")  Skyrocketing gas prices. (President Joe:  "Listen, pal, walk or buy an electric car".)   Supply Chain crisis.  (President Joe:  "So your kid doesn't get the GI Joe with Kung-Fu grip, big <bad word> deal".)  Small business labor shortage. (President Joe:  "Pay them more money. Gah, do I have to think of everything?")

President Joe had a big idea called "Build Back Better" which could have been titled:  "Shut Up And Give Us The Money".   It sort of petered out because people didn't elect President Joe to rubber stamp every goofball idea that Bernie Sanders  and AOC have flying out of their pea brains.  They elected President Joe because he was not Donald Trump.

The new administration's foreign policy took a hit when we left Afghanistan and forgot to turn off the lights.  President Joe insisted that it was the right thing to do and we looked good bugging out in a dumpster fire sort of way.

In off-year politics, the state of Virginia elected a Republican governor mainly because the people of Virginia realized that the education industry hates children and hates their parents even more. 

Former President Trump still shows up from time to time to chew the fat with Hannity.  He has stuck his big fat face in the Georgia gubernatorial race by convincing former Senator Perdue to run against Governor Kemp because "Kemp can't beat Stacy Abrams".  All Kemp needs to do is note that he has won an election in the past four years and the other two have not.

Hollywood held the Oscars and nobody can remember what film won "Best Picture".

Disney+  showed the documentary on The Beatles making the "Let It Be" album.  In it, Ringo admitted to the legendary producer George Martin that he (Ringo, not George Martin) has just "farted." We always thought it was Yoko.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won The Super Bowl led by 108-year-old Tom Brady, whom we still continue to hate because he's won 400 Super Bowls and cheated on a Super Model girlfriend with another Super Model.

The most crucial event in the history of mankind occurred when the Atlanta Braves won the World Series. As a result, belief in God is currently around 99.9 percent in the state of Georgia.

 

 

 

 

Bob Dole

 

 

 If you thought anybody would beat death, it would have been Bob Dole.

Here's a small Wikipedia account of what Bob Dole went through as a twenty-two year old man in the last days of World War II.

"Dole was seriously wounded by a German shell that struck his upper back and right arm, shattering his collarbone and part of his spine. "I lay face down in the dirt," Dole said. "I could not see or move my arms. I thought they were missing." As Lee Sandlin describes, when fellow soldiers saw the extent of his injuries, they believed all they could do was "give him the largest dose of morphine they dared and write an 'M' for 'morphine' on his forehead in his own blood so that nobody else who found him would give him a second, fatal dose."

Dole was paralyzed from the neck down and transported to a military hospital near Kansas, expected to die. Suffering blood clots, a life-threatening infection and a fever of almost 109 degrees; after large doses of penicillin were not successful, he overcame the infection with the administration of streptomycin, which at the time was still an experimental drug."

If you want a fuller, complete account of Dole's wartime injuries, pick up the book What It Takes by Richard Ben Cramer. Dole out-lived Cramer by almost nine years.

Dole defeated prostate cancer too. Unfortunately, that victory made him unable to win the marital New Hampshire primary, if you catch my drift. He was given another "experimental drug": Viagra. 

He was known as a caustic politician. In addition, he was considered a hatchet man. However, today he would probably be considered the nicest man in Congress.

He was a funny, witty man. My favorite line of his:  "Jimmy Carter gave a fireside chat yesterday, and the fire fell asleep."

Despite his heroics and wit, Dole always seemed to be on the losing side.

Gerald Ford picked Dole to be on the ticket in 1976. Dole did okay until he called World War II a "Democrat war" in the Vice Presidential debate with Democratic vice-presidential candidate Walter Mondale, who he outlived.

He ran for President in 1980 and lost to Ronald Reagan.  He ran for President again in 1988 and lost to George H.W. Bush.  He ran for President in 1996 again and lost in the general election against Bill Clinton.

Dole was the last of "the greatest generation" to run for President. Clinton was the first Baby Boomer.  Dole really didn't have a chance due to a combination of a good economy, the advent of the internet, and the usual mainstream media drooling over a young Democrat. 

A new cast member of "Saturday Night Live," Norm McDonald, perfected his Bob Dole to include Dole's habit of referring to himself in the third person.  When Dole appeared on the program after the '96 election, he said, "I don't run around saying Bob Dole does this and Bob Dole does that. That's not something Bob Dole does."  Incidentally, Dole outlived McDonald too.

Dole was a tough old bird who loved his country and gave it everything he had. What a life!

 

The Long And Winding Road

 

 

 There's a new documentary about The Beatles on Disney+ called "Get Back."  It is about The Beatles making a record and a concert appearance, and they have to do it in a short period of time because, now get this, Ringo has to make a movie. 

You may be familiar with this period of the Mop Tops history because of a documentary released in 1970 called "Let It Be".  "Get Back" is patched together from the out-takes of "Let It Be" by director Peter Jackson, who made "The Lord Of The Rings" trilogy.  

Jackson put together "Get Back" from sixty hours of film footage, and thankfully, he didn't put all sixty hours in the documentary, although sometimes it feels like it.   "Get Back" clocks in at fifty-nine hours and fifty-nine minutes. [Editor: "Get Back"  is three episodes totaling about eight hours.]

"Let It Be" was a depressing movie about the world's greatest band coming apart because Paul and George couldn't agree on what guitar chord to pay. 

Over the past fifty years, my impression was that all of The Beatles hated each other and that it was all Yoko Ono's fault.  I tend to blame Yoko Ono for everything.  The Beatles break up, the stagflation of the seventies, disco, everything was Yoko Ono's fault.

"Get Back" shows Yoko wasn't the problem, at least at this time.  She mainly sat next to John and read.  There were two times where she went full Yoko with the caterwauling. 

Besides, George brought in a couple of Hare Krishnas. Ringo brought in his wife and Peter Sellers.  Paul brought in his girlfriend, Linda, and she brought in her two goofy kids. Alan Parsons was even there with his project.

The Beatles wanted to perform in front of a live audience again, something they hadn't done in three whole years. So there were a lot of ideas floating around, including a live TV show at a Libya amphitheater.

There was a bunch of new songs to learn. "Don't Let Me Down" is the main one.  They must have practiced this song four hundred times in the first episode.  Another song they practiced a lot was "I Got A Feeling," which had Lennon saying, "Everybody had a wet dream," which was pretty naughty and gross in 1969 (and on Disney+ in 2021)

George Harrison was quietly seething while John and Paul were working out their songs. Finally, George walks out on the band because he has songs that he wants to practice four hundred times too.

This was probably the best thing that happened in the program. After that, the plans for the concert in Africa were canceled, and The Beatles went back to London to work on their songs.

George went back to the group, and Billy Preston showed up to help out the band.

Back when I was a kid, you heard Billy Preston on the radio all the time. "Nothing from nothing leaves nothing. You got to have something if you want to be with me."   I had no idea that Preston was, in reality, the fifth Beatle.  John told him, "You're in the group."

When Preston joined the band, the Lads started to focus and began to work.  Of course, this means fifteen more takes of "Don't Let Me Down," but they sound better with Preston.

Somebody came up with the idea about performing on the roof of Apple records.  I mean, why not?  

The last part of the documentary is the rooftop concert, featuring two renditions of "Get Back" and four more renditions of "Don't Let Me Down."  It was something to see The Beatles in living color instead of grainy black and white. 

My impression of The Beatles in "Get Back"

George comes off as someone who has a million songs he wants to showcase. He's tired of Paul's bossy boots ways.

John comes off as a likable funny guy that is probably taking a truckload of drugs in his downtime.

Ringo comes off as someone who has to watch Paul and George argue about guitar chords.  But he really brings it to the rooftop concert. As the kids would say, he was lit.  Plus, and none of the reviews have mentioned this, the other Beatles call him "Rich" or "Richard"  (his real name).

Paul comes off as the most talented in the group, writing a bunch of new songs to impress his girlfriend.

If you are a Beatles fan, you will love "Get Back."  You get to see how hard-working the guys are and see the songs like "Let It Be"  (and "Don't Let Me Down") gel.

However, it is a long and winding road to get to the rooftop. As a result, some reviewers have called it "aimless."  

George Harrison had the best comment about Elvis. He said, "When Elvis was great, he was really great." Of course, you could say the same about The Beatles.  

When they were great, they were really great.  Most of the time, they are really great in "Get Back."

This Week's Picks 13

 

 Can you believe it is the end of the regular season for College Football?   

It has been a wild season. For example, two very successful head coaches, Ed Orgeron and Dan Mullen, were fired.   Mullen just led Florida to the SEC East Championship last year.  Orgeron just led LSU to a national title the year before that.

Many reasons were given, but it only boils down to one: LSU and Florida were not winning.  It is as simple as that.

Florida is not supposed to lose to South Carolina. Florida is not supposed to lose to Missouri.   They are supposed to be in contention for the SEC East and the FBS Championship.

Everybody in Baton Rouge loved Coach O.  He looked and spoke like they did.   But when you lose, it doesn't matter what you look like or what you sound like.

It didn't matter when Florida was winning that Dan Mullen was snarky.  Drop games to South Carolina and Missouri and suddenly it matters.

However, Argentina will cry for Coach O or Mullen.  Orgeron's buyout package is $16.8 million.   Mullen just has a $12 million buyout. He will receive $6 million within 30 days of his firing (that takes the sting out of the firing). The rest of the money will be paid every July 15 through 2027.

Not a bad deal if you ask me. 

 

 

This Week's Picks!

 

Jawja vs Bumble   Talk about two teams going in opposite directions.Georgia is ready to play for the National Championship while Tech is trying to break the Four Win Threshold.   I'm not sure what the answer is, but it doesn't look like it is Coach Jeff. Geogg The question isn't, "Will Georgia win?" The question is, "How Much?"  Answer:  A lot.  Georgia wins.

 

 

Ahia State vs Meechigan   Did you see what Ohio State did to Michigan State last week?  Didn't Michigan State beat Michigan this year?  Michigan could beat Ohio State, if, let's say, the whole Ohio State team comes down with a Covid-Ebola variant and has to forfeit.   Ohio State wins.

 

 

 

Flo vs Flo State    Poor State of Florida.  All of their teams stink this year. Oh well. Florida almost beat Alabama and then almost got beat by Samford.  I'm split on this one. I think Florida may try to win one for the interim coach. I don't know. Flip a coin . Florida, I guess, wins

 

Bamy vs War Tigers  The yearly "Iron Bowl" (or as they say in Alabama, the "Ern Bull").  It would be sorta cool if Auburn found a way to win.  The non-Auburn people in Alabama would blow a gasket.  While Alabama isn't the total power it has been in the recent past, they are way better than Auburn. Bama wins.

 

My Beloved Owls vs Davidson:  Kennesaw State won their final Big South Conference last week. They will play the mighty Wildcats of  Davidson College. "The primary purpose of Davidson College is to assist students in developing humane instincts and disciplined and creative minds for lives of leadership and service", Davidson says about itself on its website.  "The secondary purpose is to charge tuition to develop human instincts. Davidson dedicates itself to the quest for truth and encourages teachers and students to explore all sorts of nutty thoughts so they can make the holiday miserable for others who might have voted for Donald Trump."  Kennesaw State wins.

This Week's Picks 12

 

 This is a transcript of Kirby Smart's halftime speech to the Georgia Bulldogs at the Florida-Georgia game.

"I still remember, like yesterday, walking out this at the half. The look and the feeling I had, looking at Tyson, looking at Stokes, looking at those guys…you know what guys? This is our year, this is our  year and we do it by how we play. It’s zero to  zero and you make ‘em never want to play again. All that  they’re talking—I love it Jamaree—you didn’t say . You don’t say to ‘em, you just laugh and point at the scoreboard. Let me get a picture JD, point at the scoreboard. DON’T SAY  to their undisciplined. Because we are, WE ARE DISCIPLINED! And our are gonna kick the out of ‘em, physically! Physically I want to break ‘em, I’m talkin’ bout break these on defense and offense.”

If you are reading this and it doesn't make sense, just remember I took out all of the sentence enhancers Smart used in the speech. 

It's not Knute Rockne "Win one for the (bad word) (bad word) (REALLY BAD WORD) Gipper", but it served its purpose and Georgia won the game. 

 

This Week's Picks

 

Jawja vs School That Wants Money  I know you've had this one marked on you calendars for a long time. Georgia versus the mighty, mighty Buccaneers of Charleston Southern.  They are fifth in The Big South Conference. I expect J.T Daniels to come in as quarterback somewhere in the early first quarter. Dawgs win.

 

 

 

Bumbles vs Our Lady  Okay, I used to make fun of Coach Paul Johnson because, well, it was fun making fun of Coach Paul Johnson.  I'm not sure Coach Geoff is any better. I don't know what's wrong, except they are not winning which makes it hard to recruit football players no matter how of your alumni are astronauts.  Notre Dame Wins.

 

 

Sparty vs Ahia State.  Everybody knows I'm not a big Ohio State fan. But. They always win The Big Ten.  I want Michigan State to win.  They won't.  Ohio State wins.

 

 

 

Bacon Bits vs Bama  Comedian Jermaine Johnson does a bit on YouTube in which he reviews football games in The SEC as an Alabama fan.  It is very funny.  He has several names for Arkansas, one of which is "Bacon Bits".  Arkansas is a better team this year than last year (and the year before that and the year before that).  However, this is Alabama  and I just don't think Arkansas can beat them. Row Tad!  Alabama wins.

 

 

 

Backslidden Deacons  vs  Not So Mighty Tigers.  If you had told me at the beginning of the season that Wake Forest would have a better record than Clemson, I would have said you are nuts. But here we are!  Wake Forest is a better team. It doesn't mean next year Clemson won't get back in shape, but as of today ( I can't believe I'm going to type this)  Wake Forest wins.

 

 

 

My Beloved Owls vs  Monmouth:  You may not know this, but Kennesaw State is ranked #9 in the FCS standings and is playing Monmouth for the Big South Championship. Monmouth University is in that southern state known as New Jersey.  It is only a short ride from New York or Philadelphia, so shut your face. Don't go disrespected the 'Mouth. Dean Anthony Soprano has an open door policy as long as you're not wearing a wire, capache? There are many internships available with many "family" businesses like waste management and adult entertainment. Owls win.

This Week's Picks 11

 

Last week, we moved our clocks back an hour.  I really don't know why. 

We got the hour we lost last spring but now it is pitch black at 6:30.  It is darker outside than at midnight. That doesn't make any sense to me. One of my wife's colleagues lives in Massachusetts and she said it is pitch black at 4:45. 

No wonder people get depressed in the winter, there's no sunlight.

The latest thing in social media is to tell everybody how the time change messed up your pets.  The dog doesn't understand why the food bowl is early, like the dog understood time.  I've been around for a while and I've never heard anybody mention how their dog just can't understand how it can be dark at 6:30. 

I've have this theory that when you get past Halloween (we had only 7 kids show up) and the World Series, time really flies. Before you know, we are singing "Auld Lang Syne" (meaning: "People will sing anything") and we are welcoming in the New Year.  The time change just accelerates it. 

That's nothing to young people out there, but when you reach my demographic ("The Reverse Mortgage Demographic") it is something.

This Week's Picks!

 

 

 

 

Jawja vs Rocky Topped  To be honest, this is the only game I'm worrying about for Georgia until the SEC Championship.  This game is their Super Bowl, World Series, and Christmas for Tennessee, all wrapped into one game.  They have been playing better. But Georgia is still the best team in The SEC.   Georgia wins.

 

 

Bumbles vs A College In Boston   I don't know what to think about the Bumbles. I pick them to win, they lose.  I pick them to lose and they lose.   Boston College has a better record than Tech but they are stinking it up in the Conference too.  I've done all I can do for Tech. I just wonder how long Coach Geoff will be able to get by without winning.   Boston College wins

 

 

Oh You vs Baptist Bears   This ought to be a good game. I'm not buying all of the hype around the Bears.  They always lose when they need to win. They'll lose this one. Sooners win,

 

 

 

Messy State vs Tiger Eagles  A game between two teams that look good one minute and bad the next. Auburn had a chance last week to maybe, possibly be the only obstacle in the way between Coach Satan and Atlanta.  I just don't trust Bo Nix.  Upright Bulldogs win.

 

 

 

Ags vs Ole Mess Talk about what could have been.  Texas A&M  could have won the SEC West. There's still a possibility if they beat Ole Miss and Auburn beats Alabama. Would you like your fate in the hands of Auburn?  Oh well, Ole Miss has a good airhead quarterback, but The Aggies are just a better team.   Aggies win.

 

 

Kennestate Saw vs North Bama    My Beloved Owls face the University of Northern Alabama which is in Florence, Alabama, which is near Muscle Shoals where they used to make a lot of records  Their website says "For over 185 years, the University of North Alabama has been a place where students can find out who they are. UNA has it all -- here you'll find artists, entrepreneurs, scientists, educators and even a few famous faces. Our location provides unique opportunities not found everywhere else."  For the record, they do not provide what unique opportunities are there or what sort of famous face you'll find.  Goober from "The Andy Griffith Show" went there. Really.  Owls win

Most Unlikely

 

There's a word for anyone who says they saw The Atlanta Braves winning The World Series back in April of this year.

Liar.

That word applies who anyone who said it on July 10th when their best offensive player, Ronald Acuna, Jr., went down.  

Nobody could have seen this coming and that includes  Jeanne Dixon and Nostradamus.

2021 started bad enough for The Braves.   Their beloved pitcher of the '60s, '70s, and '80s, Phil Niekro, died the day after Christmas.  He was a pearl in the years The Braves were more than bad; they were awful.

Then came the news that Hank Aaron died. 

Mike Soroka, probably the best of the young pitchers, went out with an injury last year, heard a pop when he was attempting to come back. The pop meant surgery, and he was out for the rest of the year.

The ball The Braves played early in the season was less than inspiring. Acuna was helping Braves tread water. Then he went down.

In years past, this would have meant The Braves would have folded their tents and lollygag their way through the rest of the season like a bunch of lollygaggers.

Alex Anthoupoulos is the general manager of The Braves and, for once in the life of an Atlanta franchise, made a series of trades that made a difference for the Braves. 

Anthopoulos got Joc Pederson, Jorge Soler, Eddie Rosario, and Adam Duvall. All produced in significant and consistent ways. This is unlike Braves trades in the past when some hotshot would come in and proceed to play themselves out of the league.

The Braves became a different team. They became a team with personality, particularly with the filthy-mouthed Pederson, who decided, for some reasons only known on the planet Pederson, to wear pearls.

However, having a personality doesn't mean you'll get invited to the dance. The Braves also started to win.

For the first time in my lifetime, The Braves became the team that got hot at the right time.

Boy, did they ever.  They dispatched the Milwaukee Brewers easily and sent the Dodgers packing. But, of course, neither one was supposed to happen.

The Braves drew the hated Houston Astros for The World Series.

If memory serves, the Astros have been here before, but it was discovered that in the 2017 World Series, the Astros "cheated."  It involved garbage cans.

There was a big stink over it, and a lot of people got fired. Finally, the great Dusty Baker was brought in to air the place out. It turns out the Astros didn't need to cheat. They were good without banging on garbage cans. 

Again, nobody thought the Braves would win The World Series.  By nobody, I mean most Braves fans.

If you have been a fan of any Atlanta team, you are used to them stinking it up. The Falcons have been in two Super Bowls. The first one, a star defensive back, was arrested for soliciting a prostitute.  The second one, um, all I  have to say is "28-3".

The same way with the Braves. They were in five World Series in the '90s and won only one. Yet, they had three starting pitchers elected to the Hall of Fame.

I finally figured out the Atlanta sports problem.  It was me.  Somehow, someway, I transmitted my loser rays through the TV into the Braves players.   My solution: follow the Braves on Twitter and Google.  

I think it worked. The Braves beat the Astors with two and a half starting pitchers. The rest was all bullpen.  Think about that. The Braves won The World Series with the help of their bullpen. People were happy to see Luke Jackson come into a game.

I tried not watch Game Six.  My wife kept yelling out the scores.  I had an early morning the next day.  Then, it must have been in the bottom of the ninth, a friend of mine I've known since I was seven sent me an inbox message:  "Are you enjoying this?"

Against my better judgment, I turned on the TV.  Just in time to see the first batter stroke a single into right field.   I left the room.

"Breathe two outs to go," said the following inbox message.

"One more" was the next.

"Wahoo!"

The Braves defeated the Astros, and they taught this old Braves fan that you can't lose them all.

 

 

 

This Week's Picks 10

 

 Forgive me if I was a little distracted this week

 
You know, The World Series and all.

It isn't easy to focus on College Football when you wonder how an Atlanta team is going to Atlanta-it-up and blow The World Series.

You have to remember The Braves were in The World Series five times in the '90s with three Hall of Fame pitchers in the starting rotation and still only won one World Series and became the Buffalo Bills of baseball.

But thankfully, the Braves won The World Series, overcoming "The Manis Jinx".

It wasn't easy.

 This Week's Picks

Jawja vs Misery  I'm not being all rah-rah Georgia, but I have never seen a Georgia team play the way this Georgia team is playing.   Missouri is the same old  Missouri they are every year. Which means they lose this game.  Georgia wins. 

 

 

Bumbles vs The U  Oh well, another Saturday, another game Tech possibly, could, maybe win. But they probably won't. Miami wins.

 

 

Forest Of Wake vs Heels Of Tar   Every ten or so years, Wake Forest fields a competitive team in the ACC. They are 8-0 this season which is a "season to remember" for the Back Slidden Deacons. UNC should be better than their record. The problem is they are not better than their record.  Wake Forest wins.

 

 

Bamy vs Ellesyou   I'm not quite sure who Nick Saban has pictures of, but Alabama was put in as the second seed in the first College Football Playoff ranking despite the fact Cincinnati hasn't lost a game. Neither has Wake Forest come to think about it. The problem is those schools aren't named Alabama.  LSU is having a downer year.  Coach Ed Orgeron is a lame duck because he was bringing sexy back to Baton Rouge.   Best of luck to Coach O.  I'm going to miss his "Go tigas" at the end of every interview.  

 

 

 

Wartigers vs Ags This is my problem, every time I pick either one of these schools to win, they lose.  However, IF Auburn wins and they continue to win out, it means the annual Iron Bowl becomes a huge game.  If Auburn wins that game, they would win the SEC West and go and face Georgia in  The SEC Championship Game.  That would kick Alabama out of the playoffs. Maybe.  Auburn wins.

 

 

My Beloved Owls vs  Robert Morris  I like to spotlight the smaller, less famous schools that Kennesaw State plays. Here's what I learned about Robert Morris University "Located near Pittsburgh and spread across 230 scenic acres, Robert Morris University combines the best of a big research university and a small college. Ranked among the top universities in the country by U.S. News & World Report, RMU provides the education and experience that has helped strivers, drivers, and doers launch great careers and great lives for nearly a century. If you're as serious about your success as we are, connect with RMU today."  They have many notable alumni including Charlie Batch, a former quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the only notable alumni I've heard of.   Kennesaw State wins.

This Week's Picks Week 9

Sorry for missing last week.  I was on a trip to the North Georgia Mountains  with my wife, son, his wife, his in-laws (What's the difference between in-laws and outlaws? Outlaws are wanted!) in-laws of the in-laws and a new boyfriend of an in-law.  While we were there, Mrs. Picks wanted to see her retired boss who is building a house in the area.

You know you are in North Georgia when the directions state "Turn right on to Booger Hollow Road".

 

 

We did and we drove for a couple of miles before I realized that we had left the boondocks and entered another world of boondockery.  I told my wife:  "If we hear any banjos, I'm turning the car around."

Well, we found the house and it possibly has one of the prettiest views in all of North Georgia.  And this is without the leafs changing.

This Week's Picks!

 

 

Jawja vs Florider:  The Annual World's Largest Drunken Redneck Fest featuring Georgia versus Florida. Florida  can beat Georgia. Maybe. Possibly. Perhaps.  But they won't. Georgia has the best defensive lineman in College Football, Jordan Davis, who is also the best defensive line.  Plus, Georgia has a bye last week so they usually win this match when they have a bye week before.  Dawgs win 

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Bees vs Gobbles. Ah, another Tech versus Tech game and all I have to do is say "Tech wins" and I'm right. The Bumbles win every other week.  They lost last week. Sorry Georgia Tech fans, this is business.  The Yellow Jackets win

 

 

Ahia State vs The Lions Of Nittany. Can you believe Penn State lost to Illinois last week? They will lose again this week.  Buckeyes win.

 

 

Whatever That This Is On Their Helmets  vs Sparty.   Michigan has won seven games and Michigan State has won seven games. Michigan is ranked sixth and Michigan State is ranked eighth.  It is going to be an interesting game.  I tend to think Michigan is better even though I think Harrbaugh is vastly overrated as a coach.  Michigan wins. But it is close.

Ole Mess vs WarTigers;  When we last saw Ole Miss, people were throwing golf balls and mustard bottles at Lame  Lane Kiffin. Auburn is having an Auburn type of year. They really look good and then they really look bad.  Ole Miss is doing a little better this year.  Ole Miss wins.

 

My Beloved Owls vs Running Baptist Bulldogs.  If you haven't been paying attention, MBO are currently ranked in the Top Ten in the FCS, which is nothing to sneeze at, gesundheit. This week, they are playing Gardner-Webb, where my niece goes and still hasn't bought her favorite uncle a Running Bulldogs t-shirt.   Owls win.

This Week's Picks

 

 

The BIG NEWS, if you haven't heard, is GEORGIA IS NUMBER ONE.

That's right. The NUMBER ONE GEORGIA BULLDOGS ARE NUMBER ONE.

After THE NUMBER ONE BULLDOGS crushed, humiliated, and basically made lowered the self-esteem of the Auburn Tigerseagles, the whole state of Georgia watched the Alabama-Texas A&M game.  

God bless Texas A&M.

Now, it is not over-not by a long shot. There's plenty of football left to be played. There's plenty of Skippy in the peanut butter jar. There's plenty of Fruit Loops in the bowl. There's plenty of Slurpee in the cup.  There's plenty of dog food in the bag. 

In other words, it ain't over.  I can think of two seasons, off the top of my head, in which Alabama didn't even win their division, much less their conference, and was crowned the FBS champion at the end of the season. Row Tad.

NUMBER ONE GEORGIA has reasons to be optimistic. One, their defense is just sick.  Two, their offense is very, very efficient.

The rest of the season ought to be something to watch.

 

 

This Week's Picks.

 

Jawja vs Kenyucky:  NUMBER ONE GEORGIA is facing Kentucky. It is a scary game for NUMBER ONE GEORGIA because Kentucky can beat NUMBER ONE GEORGIA just like the Aggies beat the Tide.  The real question is: will they?  The real answer:  No.    UGA wins

 

 

 

 

 

Okie State vs Texsass:  Oklahoma State is sort of like the Auburn of Oklahoma. A lot of fine, smart people are alumni, but they just can't have nice things.  Texas should have won last week. They will this week.  Texas wins.

 

 

WarTigers vs Piggies: Another bounce-back game.  Auburn thought they were back.  Arkansas thought the Georgia game was a one-off.  It turns out they were both wrong.  I like the Pig coach and quarterback better than the Auburn coach and quarterback.  Arkansas wins

 

 

Ole Mess vs Big Urange: Ole Miss got lucky last week and Tennessee played South Carolina. I'm not sold on the Ole Miss quarterback or Lane Kiffin.  Tennessee can beat up on teams lesser teams.  I think think this is a toss-up.  But, if I had to pick one, I'd pick Tennesse because I haven't picked them since I don't know when.  Tennessee wins.

 

 

Iowewah  vs Purdoo:.Well, lookie who is number two:  The Iowa Hawkeyes.  Of all teams in The Big Ten, I never thought it would be Iowa getting all of the attention.  They are playing Purdue this week.  Purdue is not doing too bad this year. But I don't see them beating Iowa.  Iowa wins.

 

 

My Beloved Owls vs North Carolina A&T :  North Carolina A&T "deliver(s) a high-quality, intellectually stimulating education focused on helping every student gain access to the hands-on opportunities, core knowledge and global perspective that will help them make lasting change in their lives and the lives of people in their workplaces, communities and world."  It also features a marketing department that can write some of the world's longest sentences.   They have a 3-2 record.   Owls win.

Special announcement:  No Picks for 10/23/21. We'll be back 10/30/21

This Week's Picks Week

 

 

 I remember when Urban Meyer was the head coach at The University of Utah.  He did well there. From there, he went to the University of Florida, where he met Tim Tebow and won a championship.  He quit Florida out of the blue. Something about his heart.  He did some color on ESPN.  Soon he was back at his Alma Mater, THE Ohio State University.  He won a championship there.  He quit again.

The Jacksonville Jaguars came calling one day. You can't say no to the NFL, so Meyer became the head coach of the worst team in the league. 

You know where this is going. Last week, after another loss, Meyer was videoed "grinding" against a young woman (who news reports say "did not appear to be his wife.")   It looked like he was enjoying himself. I'm venturing a guess that alcohol may have been involved.

This incident has put Urban in a bind. He gave an "apology"  (or "pollogy," as he pronounced it) to save his job. Unfortunately, it is not clear if it will work.

Honestly, I do feel bad for Urban. He's only 57, which means he still has some fire in the tank left.  Add to that he's never been associated with hanky panky before, which makes you want to cut him some slack.

But I can't let him off the hook so easily.  He's a grown man, and he should know that booze, young women, cell phones with cameras and a losing record aren't a good combination.

He should remember what Jerry Glanville said The NFL stood for:  "Not For  Long".

 

This Week's Picks.

 

 

Jawja vs The WarTigers:   Fun football fact that you will hear a million times before Saturday's game.  Georgia vs Auburn is the oldest Deep South football rivalry. You can imagine the millions of stimulating conversations this game has produced.  Georgia killed Arkansas.  Auburn beat LSU.  It would warm the hearts of the people on the Plains to beat Georgia. But as they say down there, they just can't have nice things.   Dawgs win,

 

Bumbles vs Dookie   I saw the meme (see below) about the "Georgia Football Cycle"  Well, here is the Georgia Tech Football Cycle:   Talk about how hard it is to recruit good players-------Win a game nobody thought you could win--------Lost a game by thirty one points---------Complain how Georgia is overrated. (You are here) .  I thought Tech had turned the corner when the beat North Carolina. Turns out they haven't.   They play Duke this week   Duke wins.

 

 

Okie vs Tex-sas  Do you remember when this game was really a big deal?  It is not anymore. Oklahoma is having one of its big-time years while Texas is doing okay.  I don't think that's good enough  OK is okay.   Sooners win.

 

 

Lions of Nittany vs I Owe Ya    This will be another one of those "big" games that involve Iowa that turns out to be a dud.  Penn State wins

 

 

 Piggies vs Ole Mess  This is the game of the losers from last week.  Arkansas could not get anything going. Ole Miss looked like they didn't know where they were. I'm going with Arkansas because Sam Pittman looks like just about everybody I know.  Pigs win.

 

My Beloved Owls vs Hampton : Hey , I picked against the Owls last week and they won!  No need to thank me.  One of my readers reminded me that I've met the Kennesaw Athletic Director and it would take one punch from this man to put me into traction.    Owls win.

This Week's Picks

 

Over the years I have included Georgia Southern games in This Week's Picks.  Mrs. Picks and I sent money there to edumacate our son, Boy Picks. It was big fun keeping up with the Drinking Eagles because they usually had some pretty good FCS  teams.

Well, their dreams came true and Georgia Southern moved up to FBS.  They had a really bad couple of season a few years back and they promoted Chad Lunsford to become head coach.  He seemed like he really related to the players and they played hard for him.

Somehow, somewhere along the way, though, the wheels came off the Georgia Southern bus.

Actually, it happened on a school bus.

 A lot of schools do a "walk" into the stadium before the game ( "The Dawg Walk", "Gator Walk", etc.).   Georgia Southern does something a little bit different. They bring the players to the stadium in a yellow school bus.  It is kind of cute and harkens back the early Erk days.

Last week, the school bus are rolling along on the stadium. One of the players was on the roof of the bus. A fan just happened to have a can beer (imagine that!) and lobbed it to the player. The player catches it and begins to chug-a-lug while riding to the stadium.

After the game, which they lost, Lunsford was fired. The player was suspended indefinitely 

Georgia Southern has the Statesboro blues.

This Week's Picks!

 

Jawja vs Arky:  At the beginning of the season, I had this penciled in a win, but now I'm nervous that it may be a trap (game)!Any long time Georgia fan worth his salt worries about every game and is convinced that doom is just around the corner.  Arkansas is doing well this season and would love to hurt Georgia and whatever chances they have for the National Championship.  Even though the Pigs are better, Georgia's defense is just sick.   Dawgs win.

 

 

The Pitts vs Bees:  Just a few weeks ago, it looked like The Bees would be The Bumbles all year. They killed My Beloved Owls, put a scare into Clemson, and beat a very good North Carolina team. I hate to do this to you, Bees:  Tech wins.

 

 

Ole Mess vs Bamy:  Another trap game.  I remember there was a couple of years which the only Alabama loss was to Ole Miss (see below). While Ole Miss is better, they are just not good enough to beat Alabama. The Tide continues to roll.   Alabama wins

 

 

Indiana Wants Me-Lord I Can't Go Back There vs  The Lions of Nittany.  Indiana has a good team this year. Penn State just has a better team.  Penn State wins

 

 

Ellessyou vs The WarTigers:  I usually try to hedge my bets with this game by saying "The Tigers win".  I think I'm being clever.  LSU hung on to beat The Upright Bulldogs last week and seem to playing with a little bit of swag.  Auburn somehow hung on to beat a school that didn't have a team until the second decade of this century.  I think Beaudroux really likes his chance against Auburn. I agree with him.  LSU wins

My Beloved Owls vs  The Illegal Game Birds Of Alabama:  A couple of years ago, Kennesaw State and Jacksonville State played against each other and it was one of the best games I've ever seen.  Jacksonville State beat Florida State a couple of weeks ago, but lost last week again University of Tennessee-Martin & Lewis. This is the other game I've worried about. Sorry, Owls, you're still my boys, but this is business.   Jacksonville State wins.

Don't Worry- We Have Buc-ee's

People can't help from feeling a little depressed, if you know what I mean.

We have this virus, for which we have a vaccine, that is still hanging around and killing people who haven't taken the vaccine.  And we still can't convince enough people to get vaccinated, probably because all the scientific information on earth is no match for a rapper's story about her cousin's friend and his enlarged gonads.

(Unrelated, my friend, the great Bill Wade, was once on an intramural football team called The Nads and their team cheer was Go! Nads!)

The economy is still in the doldrums.  There are more jobs than people to fill them but nobody wants to work. Have you tried to get supper at Chick-fil-A?  The lines are so long you might want to use a PTO day.

While there are no shortages, so far, again, for toilet paper, you cannot find a product I call "Hiney Wipes". Something about the supply chain. 

How can we forget our inspirational leadership from Washington?  President Biden appears every two weeks to yell at us to get off his lawn.  Our former President is issuing statements basically calling everybody a loser and that HE actually won the election and everybody knows it. 

Then the thrill of all thrills, Trump is making noises that he will run again in 2024. Happy, happy, joy, joy.  Instead of "Making America Great Again", his slogan will be "Even Closer To 80 Years Old Than The Last Time".

On top of that, the music the kids listen these days still sucks.

But do not let your heart grow weary.  There is something out there, on our interstate highways, that will bring you joy.  Yes, my friends, JOY!  (As preachers will say, that is a good place for an "amen".)

Buc-ee's.

As the kids say, "Wait, what?"  Buc-ee's.  

Buc-ee's is "a chain of travel centers known for clean bathrooms and many fueling positions."  That's from their website. Actually, Buc-ee's is a big old honkin' convenience store with about twelve billion gas pumps, give or take a billion.

Buc-ee's started in Texas by two guys, one of whom is nicknamed "Buck", hence the name.   It grew in Texas because they like things bigger in Texas, including convenience stores.  Then they expanded to Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, praise the Lord. 

They are building stores in Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, and South Carolina.  Hopefully, there will be a Buc-ee's in every state, including Vermont, which doesn't have an interstate.

Mrs. Manis and I stopped at the Buc-ee's in Calhoun, Georgia, while going to a weekend getaway to Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The first thing you see is a parking lot full of cars.  Then you see the gas pumps.  Our Buc-ee's did not have a billion gas bumps, only 120 gas pumps.  

The store is 53,000 square feet.  It is filled with people like it was Black Friday. You also notice they have plenty of employees, and they all seem to be working, and they all seem to be nice.   One gave us directions to someplace essential: the bathrooms.

The bathrooms at Buc-ee's are spotless.  I don't know who is in charge of the bathrooms at Buc-ee's corporate, but he should win a Nobel Prize.  You could, if you had to, eat in the bathrooms. (Which I saw a guy do at The Chelsea Market in New York City.  He was eating a sandwich.)

They sell all of the usual convenience glob at Buc-ee's:  drinks, mints, etc.  But they also sell barbeque beef brisket sandwiches.  I know barbecue beef is the devil's BBQ but the Lord wouldn't mind you having a sandwich or two.

My Facebook friend, "Tater" (yes, that's his name), went his local Buc-ee's and posted this the other day. "Got me some sliced BBQ brisket sammiches for lunch and dinner."  He also bought some snacks, like "Beaver Nuggets" which I can't explain what they are but I will tell you they are glorious.  

Along with the "sammiches" and "Beaver Nuggets", you can buy their homemade beef jerky. They have 15 types of beef jerky. When I was coming along, there was only one flavor of beef jerky: beef.

The little lady and I bought some Beaver Nuggets, Buc-ee's BBQ crunchy snack that's bad for your health but tastes good, some bottled water, and a t-shirt with this little fella on it. 

 

It was a pleasant, enjoyable experience.  When was the last time you had that on an interstate?

If anyone asks what makes America better than say China, just tell them we have Buc-ee's and they don't.

This Week's Picks

 

 Here's my impression so far on the College Football season.

1) I think Alabama should be number one and Georgia should be number two.  It will probably play out that way until the SEC Championship.  Unless......

2)  Florida  beats Georgia in the World's Largest Orgy Cocktail Party.

3)  I'm sure someone from the Northeast will talk about how great Notre Dame is.

4)  Ole Miss will play better this year but will still get beat in The Egg Bowl.  That's right- it is not even October and I've made a pick for The Egg Bowl.

5) I'm tired of the AFLAC commercials with Nick Saban and Deion Sanders.  Deion knows how to play to the camera. Nick?  Well, let's say I'd rather listen to the duck.

 

6) Speaking of insurance, I still feel sorry for the Liberty Mutual guy who has to make sales calls with an Emu.

7) Whatever happened to those two guys that used to go to Sonic together?  I hope everything is all right.

 

This Week's Picks!

 

Jawja vs Commode Doors:  UGA travels up to Music City to get some Nashville Hot Chick-Chick and play Vanderbilt. The Dawgs defense is a sight to behold, kind of like Dolly Parton. Vandy? Well, they are gotta' get drunk and they sure do dread it.  UGA wins.

 

Jackets of Yellow vs Heels of Tar:  The good news from the Bumbles game against Clemson is that they fought Clemson really hard and was in the game until the end. In fact, My Beloved Owls scored more points against Tech than Clemson did.   Of course, they still lost the game, but it was a good moral victory if you are into that sort of thing.  UNC is a good team this year.  Tar Heels win.

 

Vols vs Reptiles:  If wishes and buts were candy and nuts everyday would be Christmas and Florida would have beaten Alabama. I liked the way they held themselves steady and kept working at until they were back in the ballgame.  Oh well, that's part of that Saban luck.  Tennessee really needs to beat somebody good to be back in the high life again.  It won't be this Saturday.  Gators win

 

 Ags vs Pigs.  Well, sooie! Look who is back in the conversation!  It is Arkansas who has hit a rough patch the past couple of years.  Texas A&M is having one of their typical years.  I think Aggies are better than the Piggies, but it is good to have have Arky back in town.   Aggies win,

 

Ellesyou vs The Other Bulldogs:  Nobody ever mentions it, but once LSU won the the College Football Championship, the world get hit with a pandemic. Maybe you have heard about it.  Anyway, last year, LSU didn't do so well and Coach Orgeron is in "the hot seat", which is College Football talk for "about to get fired.   The Other Bulldogs are coached by Mike Leach who may/may not be clinically insane.  However, he's got the Upright Bulldogs playing well, even if they got jobbed last week.  Mississippi State wins.

 

 

On That Day

 

On that day, I was in my quad cubicle (a cubicle that would hold four desks) at the insurance company.

There were rumblings that the head honchos were going to close the office in Atlanta (actually Smyrna) and move it to Utica, New York.  Something about cost-efficiency.

Someone stood up in their cubicle, which was next to mine and said, "Did you hear an airplane crashed into World Trade Center?"

I hadn't heard, but I thought it had to be an accident. I had seen a story on "Unsolved Mysteries" about a plane flying into The Empire State Building.  I thought there must have been some bad weather or something.

Wrong.

It was a terrorist attack.  The reason was unclear. It could have been about the wealth of The United States, but later we learn the attackers came from well-to-do backgrounds.

  
I've even read they had a beef about sky scrappers.   I've never had a beef with any building in my life.

I always thought it has something to do with being absolute nutjobs intent on making people fear them.  They were anti-Semitic and anti-anything that didn't fit the square pegs of their brains.

It was an absolute nightmare.  It was worse than Pearl Harbor.

On that day, though, we were united. United in our anger. United in our grief.  

It took a while, but we slipped back into a bad old habit.  Our habit of blaming anybody except the person (or persons) that committed the crime.  It was Bush's fault. He wanted to start a war because he had "daddy issues."  It was Cheney's fault-Texas oil man, you know.
The planes couldn't cause the towers to fall.  No, George W. Bush set up a controlled demolition.

On that day, Senators and Congressmen from both parties gathered outside The Capitol and sang "God Bless America".  I thought it was corny then.   I don't anymore.

On that day, we admired the people that ran towards The Towers: the policemen and the firemen.  

On that day, we had remarkable stories of heroism. We heard the last words a husband or a wife would say to their life's love. We heard about children losing fathers and mothers.  We heard about parents losing their adult children. We heard about people losing friends.

I didn't know anyone that lost their life on that day.   A co-worker had a niece that worked at one of The Towers.  I think she got fine. One of the stories that is buried in the horror is how many people DIDN'T die on that day. The people on the floors below the impact zones generally got out.  In the 1993 bombing, it took almost 12 hours to totally evacuate the buildings. 

On that day, although we took a jolt, I thought things would get better.

I'm not sure it has.

We are too cynical with each other. We judge either other by their particular political stand at the moment. As a result, we are caustic, hypercritical, hypocritical, and downright mean in a lot of cases.

We need to pause. We need to catch our breath. We need to remember how we felt on that day.

 

This Week's Picks

 

When it comes to sports, there is one thing that unites all Georgians.  We all expect our sports teams to disappoint us.  I'm not going to name any names (Falcons!).  It is just we've had our hearts crushed so many times. We choose not to get our hopes up.

That's what made the Georgia-Clemson game so special for me. I expected the New Clemson quarterback who has replaced the graduated Hippie quarterback to be lights out.  He wasn't. Georgia's defense was incredible.  The offense?  Meh, they were good enough.

This Week's Picks.

Jawja vs Dragons.  Believe it or not, there are some other college football teams in  The Heart of Dixie besides Alabama and Auburn.  There's the University of Alabama At Birmingham (UAB).  You might remember the school discontinued football a couple of years ago when they had a brief fling with communism.  Football is back and this week they are playing the Bulldawgs who are feeling good about themselves after last week. Could this be a letdown game for Georgia. Naw.  Dawgs win!

 

Bumbles vs My Beloved Owls.  Just a little big of personal history. When I was coming along,  the smart kids that did their homework and took Geometric Trigacalculus went to Georgia Tech. The kids who sometimes forgot about their homework, or had especially hungry dogs and whose Math class was called "Math Class"  went to Kennesaw State.  The Tech folks were sharp as a whip while we lowly Kennesaw people had to be reminded to chew our supper with our mouths closed.  I would LOVE to see My Beloved Owls win, but as Lewis Grizzard once told me (really), "When picking games always go with your head and not your heart".  Tech got beat by Northern Illinois last week and their is no way Coach Geoff is going to let this team lose against Kennesaw State.  Tech wins. 

 

 

 Quacks vs Ahia State. Oregon and their 1200 uniforms face-off against The Buckeyes. The Buckeyes are good, again, this year. Dad gummit. Ohio State  wins.

 

 I Owe Wah vs I Owe Wah State:  I have only met one person from Iowa in my life. That's not really relevant, but I've always like this match up . I like Iowa this year.  Iowa wins.

 

The Pitts vs Rocky Topped:  Did you hear? Tennessee is back! I'm not sure who the head coach is, but he should be better than the last fifty they've had in the past ten years.  The Vols opened up a can of whoop-up on Bowling Green Not In Kentucky  last week. Hey, whatever it takes.  Which reminds me of my favorite Tennessee joke. Why is orange the favorite color of a Tennessee fan?  They can wear orange to hunt on Friday, to the game on Saturday, and to their community service picking up trash on the side of the road on Sunday.     Tennessee wins.

 

Son's Eagles vs Other Owls:  Georgia Southern (actual lyric from their alma mater: "Now I've got a nickel have you got a dime?  Let's get together and get a little wine")  play the Owls of Florida Atlantic University.  I have no clue about this game but I'm going with Georgia Southern.  Georgia Southern wins!

This Week's Picks

 

 Welcome to another year of our favorite professional sport, College Football!

There's been a couple of exciting developments in the off-season like  "Name, Likeness, And Image " (NIL)policy , in which the NCAA allows a player to be paid by a third party for his name, likeness, and image.  This means all of the hoop-de-do players will be paid by corporations instead of receiving their cash under the table as God intended.

The second development has been the expansion of The SEC to include Texas, Oklahoma, the Atlanta Falcons, the Memphis Grizzlies, the Nashville Predators,  and the Miami Marlins.  

How these will effect college football, we don't know. We do know you will probably have Alabama, Clemson, and Ohio State in the Playoff.  The fourth team will be either Notre Dame, LSU, Georgia, Michigan, Texas, Oklahoma, USC, or Kennesaw State University .

 

 This Week's Picks!

 

Jawja vs Clem- This is a big deal game. So big it has to be played in Charlotte.  Clemson lost their hippie quarterback to the NFL draft but his replacement. D.J. Uiagalelei is supposedly on the Heisman Watch despite having only three consonants in his last name.  Great.  I really want Georgia to win because I want Georgia to win.  I'm picking Clemson so the Manis Jinx will claim its first victim.  Clemson wins!

 

 

 

Bees vs Northern Directional University of Illinois:This is Coach Geoff's third season and this is usually when the natives get restless and want to see some wins.  This is a game they'll want to see Bumbles win. They will.  Tech wins. 

 

Bamy vs U:  Several years ago, this would have been one of those games people would talk about forever.  I listened to a podcast in which the ESPN guys were really pumping Miami up.  I'm not buying it.  Alabama is precisely what they are: the best team in College Football right now as of this moment.   Bama wins

 

 Indiana Wants Me vs  I Owe Wha: Indiana was a surprise team last year because everybody thinks of them as a basketball school. Iowa is the same middle-to-good team whose uniform sort of reminds me of the Pittsburgh Steelers.  I'm going with Indiana.  Indiana wins, I guess.

Heels Of Tar vs Gobblers   Yikes! Another ACC game in the picks!  It looks like Mac Brown has brought the Tar Heels back to being the best football team in North Carolina. They still put mustard on their BBQ, like heathens.  North Carolina wins.

Ahia State vs Minisoda I have never liked Ohio State. I never liked Woody Hayes. I'm not sure what a Buckeye is.  Minnesota is a good team, darn tootin' but geez Louise, they're not Ohio State.  Ohio State Wins.

Some Other Bulldogs vs The Impaired Eagles Of Statesboro: Georgia Southern (school motto:  "Pop A Top Again") has been playing some pretty entertaining football over the past couple of seasons.  They start the 2021 campaign against Gardner-Webb University  (school motto:  "Hey My Niece Goes There").  Gardner-Webb's team is called "The Running Bulldogs", which sounds better than "The Standing Around Bulldogs"  or "The Jogging Bulldogs" or  "The Bulldogs That Hog The Elliptical At The Gym".    Georgia Southern wins.

 

My Beloved Owls vs Reinhardt  The FCS, due to COVID-19 (which has been in all of the papers) played games this past spring.  The Owls were 5-1, pretty good for such an odd season.  They begin this season against their Cherokee County neighbors,  Reinhardt University which is in Waleska, Georgia. Waleska has an estimated population of 964 people. Reinhardt is the chief business. My Beloved Owls win.

 

 

 

Take The Keys Away

 

Back during the early days of The Trump Administration, Trump fired the FBI Director James Comey. It caused a massive reaction from the press and, naturally, Twitter, which is really where the press looks to decide what is and is not news.

My wife and I were watching the news.  Trump seemed especially in over his head in those days.  My wife asked me if I thought Trump was going to make it through the year.  I told her I didn't know if he was going to make it through the week.

Well, he made it through four years with only two impeachments and a single solidarity pandemic.

I always had the feeling that Trump was making it up as he was going along. He was winging it.

I got the same feeling this week with President Biden.  

He was supposed to be the grown-up.  No more of this self-centered, bombastic slop like we had with Trump.  He, like his old boss, was going to be no drama.

To say that hasn't happened is an understatement.

There is one word to describe Biden's performance this past week.

Awful.

I know he is from my side of the river, but Jim Geraghty said, "The transcript of President Joe Biden’s interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos dropped, and the president’s incoherence, insistence that he was incorrectly briefed, denial that he was warned by his military advisers, and oddly low profile in the past week raise troubling questions about his ability to perform his duties."

I would have written the same thing but would have ended it with "prove his ability to perform his duties are, as Dan Rather would have said, slim to none and Slim has left town."

As we say in the church, you need to look into your heart of hearts. You need to ask yourself one question: Will this get better?  The answer is no. It will not get better. There is a reason Biden never got into the double digits the other two times he ran for President is that he wasn't that great to begin with.

Let's put it this way:  there's no snap in his fastball, if you catch my drift.  He is an old man that is looking and acting older every day.

I'm not being ugly or mean.  The Presidency is a tough job. Biden is 78 years old. He should be enjoying his grandchildren, not sitting around trying to come up with some dopey excuse for how everything went terribly wrong.

On top of this, Grandpa is lying to us.

On July 8, 2021, there was this exchange.

Q: Mr. President, thank you very much. Your own intelligence community has assessed that the Afghan government will likely collapse.
THE PRESIDENT: That is not true.

Q: Is it — can you please clarify what they have told you about whether that will happen or not?
THE PRESIDENT: That is not true. They did not — they didn’t — did not reach that conclusion.

In an interview with George Stephanopoulos, Biden said the following:

STEPHANOPOULOS: But you know that Senator McConnell, others say this was not only predictable, it was predicted, including by him, based on intelligence briefings he was getting.
BIDEN: What — what did he say was predicted?
STEPHANOPOULOS: Senator McConnell said it was predictable that the Taliban was gonna take over.
BIDEN: Well, by the end of the year, I said that’s that was — that was a real possibility. But no one said it was gonna take over then when it was bein’ asked.

Either the President didn't remember what he said on July 8, 2021, or he lied to Stephanopoulos. 

STEPHANOPOULOS: So when you look at what’s happened over the last week, was it a failure of intelligence, planning, execution or judgment?
BIDEN: Look, I don’t think it was a fa– look, it was a simple choice, George. When the– when the Taliban — let me back — put it another way. When you had the government of Afghanistan, the leader of that government get in a plane and taking off and going to another country, when you saw the significant collapse of the ta– of the– Afghan troops we had trained — up to 300,000 of them just leaving their equipment and taking off, that was — you know, I’m not– this — that — that’s what happened. That’s simply what happened.

I guess he is saying that it wasn't a failure of intelligence, planning, execution, or judgment. It was just one of those things, you know. 

STEPHANOPOULOS:  So, you don’t think this could have been handled — this exit could have been handled better in any way, no mistakes?

BIDEN:   No, I don’t think it could have been handled in a way that, we’re gonna go back in hindsight and look — but the idea that somehow, there’s a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don’t know how that happens. I don’t know how that happened.

 

At least we got a promise to go back and look so that maybe next time we don't have people falling off of planes when we are trying to leave a country. 

Look, I have no idea what would have happened if Trump had been re-elected and pulled out of Afghanistan in May like he wanted.  We probably would have heard speeches and press conferences about "the best pull out ever" and a "beautiful evacuation, probably the best that anyone has ever seen".

I've just know what happened under Biden's watch. We'll have a national conversation about taking away the keys from Grandpa, sooner or later. Bet on sooner.