This Week's Picks 2022

 

 

Well, here we are, back again! Another College Football season is here.

Looky here, as my dad would say: it is the 20th anniversary of This Week's Picks!

This Weeks Picks began as a topic on Wheeler Alumni.Com, which was for all of the sterling graduates of Wheeler High School. This was back when the internet was new, and there was nothing called "social media" (Facebook, or as the great Tater of Texas calls it, "Facebutt").

My idea was to have a little fun with the college football season, which I have noticed people take very seriously, at least here in the South.

It was popular on the site. I soon learned that Georgia Tech has the best football program in the world and there are algorithms to prove it. 

Well, as Bob Dylan said, the times they are a-changed.  I discovered that little ole me could have a blog and I could put that blog on Facebutt Facebook.

So, each fall since 2009, I've been sharing This Week's Picks  on Facebutt Facebook because I need content for my blog. 

College Football has changed since then. For example, there is a playoff system now.  Players also get paid by the "Name In Likeness" scheme.  A player, if he's good enough, can make a lot of extra change to pay for pizza if he is good enough. You would be surprised to learn that most of the players with hefty NIL contracts play for Alabama, Texas A&M and other SEC schools.  Just what amateur athletics needs:  Young men with a lot of money!

This Week's Picks!

Notice A School Missing?

Jawja vs Quackers:  When we last saw college football, we saw UGA defeat Alabama, as was foretold in the Book Of Revelation, proving there is a kind and loving God. Oregon has a new coach and only 420 different combinations of uniforms.  UGA lost a lot to the NFL, but this is an opportunity to prove that UGA is just reloading and not rebuilding.   Dawgs win!

 

 

Wrecked vs Clem's Son: Since Coach Geoff took over as head coach of The Yellow Jackets, his record is 9-25.  One of those wins was against my beloved Owls last year.   Tech schedule is pretty brutal and it looks like Coach Geoff will soon be able to use Mark Spain to sell his house.  Clemson wins.

 

Something To Think About

 

Bamy vs The School Of Paul Wickenhiser's Son:   Paul Wickenhiser is a guy I went to Wheeler with, and I think he was in my Latin class, but my memory is fuzzy because there's been a lot of Diet Cokes since then.  His oldest son went to Utah State. I must admit it is a beautiful school based on Paul's pictures on Facebutt Facebook.   Where was I? Oh yeah, football. I really don't see Bama losing anyone not named Georgia for a while.  Bama wins.

 

  Nicer Than Tuscaloosa

Ahia State vs. Our Lady: According to ESPN College Game Day, THE OHIO STATE BUCKEYES have  99 players and all of them could win The Heisman Trophy at the same time.  You never really know how Notre Dame will play in an early big game.  The Ohio State wins.

 

 

Semi's vs Ellesyou: When Brian Kelly signed on as the new head coach at LSU, he spoke to the crowd at a basketball game in a Southern accent that was as bad as the little girl in The Shake-N-Bake commercial in the 70's, especially when he finished his speech with "Ann Ah helbed".  Despite all of this, he should help LSU after the trainwreck of Coach O (sounds like the title of a Gordon Lightfoot song).  LSU wins.

 

The Child's Age:  26

 

My Beloved Owls vs Baptist Bulldogs:  In Kennesaw State news, the Owls have joined a new conference, The ASUN.  I'm not sure what that really means, but I think it means they won't have to go up to New Jersey to play a football game.  This years, the Owls begin with Samford University, a Baptist school in Birmingham, Alabama. (Motto:  "A place where Baptists go to college".)  What the heck, Owls win.

The Orange Whale

 

One of the good things about Twitter is there are so many people that understand The Presidential Records Act and the powers of The National Archives.

It was DEFCON 1 on Fox News last Monday. (DEFCON 1 is the highest level of DEFCON-ness, with  DEFCON 5 being the lowest. I know because Peggy explained this to Burt Peterson on "Mad Men" one time. Don't tell me television is not educational.) The FBI raided or executed a search warrant on President Trump at his Mar-a-Largo resort in Florida. It caused a commotion if you haven't heard.

Meanwhile, on Twitter, the news was celebrated like it was D-Day. FINALLY! WE ARE GOING TO GET THE BIG FAT ORANGE RICH MAN WITH AWFUL HAIR! (Not a direct quote, but that was the general gist.)

My problem is I'm not an attorney. I have seen a lot of "Perry Mason" episodes, but none of them ever dealt with The Presidential Records Act. "Tell me, what did you see President Eisenhower put in the box to send to Gettysburg?"  (Historical note: Gettysburg was Eisenhower's Mar-a-Largo. What other blogs can you get rich historical tidbits like this?)

My point is I don't know how big of a deal the raid/execution of a search warrant is and I have a feeling most people (yes, Twitter, I'm looking at you) don't either.

I agree it is "unprecedented."  Reagan didn't send the FBI to Plains, Georgia, to find 15 boxes of peanuts or whatever. But a lot of things are "unprecedented".  

It is unprecedented to have a President as old as Biden, and it is unprecedented to know a President slept with a porn star. (I was going to mention President Bill and his trollop but then I remembered about President Warren Harding had a trollop. We still don't know what President James Buchanan had.)

It was unprecedented to have a President refusing to concede an election he obviously lost.  

Still, it is pretty stark to have the attorney general of another party approve the execution of a search warrant/raid on a former President for the Presidential Records Act.

I agree it is a law and President Trump should have followed the law. I just don't think the Justice Department is after "classified information".

I think this is a fishing expedition trying to find something to link President Trump to the January 6th riot besides him telling them in a televised speech to go down to The Capitol. 

They want to find a memo from Trump to the leader of The Proud Boys or whoever saying, "Go to the Capitol and mess things up or something. I don't care JUST DO IT! MAKE IT LOOK LIKE YOUR GOING TO HANG MIKE PENCE."

If I'm wrong, and they really are that concerned with what Trump kept in Florida, they sure took their sweet time trying to get whatever it is back.

If Trump has some super secret documents that compromised the security of the United States, they need to tell us immediately, and it needs to be obvious.

Some people will say Trumpsters wouldn't admit it even if it was obvious. That's true. Some people don't acknowledge that Biden is too old to be President.

But it must be clear to the guy paying more for gas and groceries. This guy remembers 2019, and it wasn't that long ago.   He would put up with Trump if it meant he had some change in his pocket.

I remember early in the Trump Administration telling my wife I didn't know if Trump would be able to finish out the week as President, much less four years. What Trump calls "The Swamp" has been gunning for him for seven years, and they haven't stopped him yet. 

First, it was going to be Carly Fiorina. Then, it was going to be Marco Rubio. Then, it was going to be Mitt Romney. Then, it was going to be the "Access Hollywood" tape. Then, it was going to be "Russian Collusion." Then, it was going to be "impeachment."   Then, it was going to be the Capitol riots. On and on. (Don't get me started on the "Emoluments Clause" argument.)

It is not like he is "teflon"- everything sticks to Trump.  He's more like the T-1000 terminator in "Terminator 2".  Events and statements that would torpedo and sink any other politician, don't stop Trump. I can't explain it and I know the professional political class can't explain either.

It is hard getting a great white whale. Ask Captain Ahab. It turns out it is harder getting an orange one.

 

School Days

 

Up in the mornin' and out to school
The teacher is teachin' the golden rule
American history and practical math
You studyin' hard and hopin' to pass   ~ Chuck Berry

 

My memory is a little fuzzy, so stick with me.

When my son was young, school here in Cobb County, Georgia, started in the last week or so in August.

Then parents complained because the kids were in school for a week, and you had the Labor Day weekend, which parents used to go to either:  The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, or Alvin's Magic Mountain in Panama City Beach. 

The school board listened and started school a week earlier the following year.  Parents complained.

The year after that, the school board listened to the complaints and started school another week earlier, on the second week of August.

Parents complained and complained because the second week of August in Georgia is very, very hot.  

No problem said the school board. Our schools are equipped with the finest of air conditioners.

For the past couple of years, school has started in Cobb County on August 1st. 

Pretty soon, the school year will start on June 1st because we have air conditioners. Which is an offense against humanity.

I'm from that age demographic that says school should start on the Tuesday after Labor Day. (The parents of this demographic were the ones that went to school every day, including Christmas. And they walked three miles to school through rain, sleet, snow, hail, hurricanes, and volcanic eruptions.  It was uphill, both ways.)

My demographic has The Bible on its side. 

The Bible says, "Verily, I say unto thee. Public schools must start on the Tuesday after Labor Day. Not the Wednesday or Thursday, thus saith The Lord."

 

Well, the explanations for the earlier school days range all the way from Shut-up to something about 180 days for school, and the kids forget so much during the What Used To Be Called Christmas Break But Is Now Called Winter Because Not Everybody Goes To A Baptist Church Break.

 

In fact, it seems like there are more breaks than I remember as a kid. Granted, it was a long time ago, but I don't remember a Fall break.  Wait, we had one. It was called Thanksgiving.

There's a mid-winter break, and then there is Spring Break. Do you remember Spring Break?  It is when all the Cobb County kids go to Panama City Beach to learn to binge drink. 

I remember my Spring Break. It was called "Mow The Yard, Alan."   My family didn't do breaks, and I wasn't popular enough to go with others to Florida.  On top of everything else, I looked like I was fourteen until I turned thirty-five, so I wouldn't have been any help scoring booze.

I admit I have bittersweet feelings about my public school education.  I had some great teachers, like my fourth-grade teacher who put on a sombrero and said, "Viva, Nixon."

I can't forget Mr. Collier from Wheeler, who was the only person to see me as a future leader when I had (still have) the leadership skills of a cocker spaniel.  It was still very nice of him and not his fault that I got blackballed from a service organization he recommended me for, not that I'm bitter.

I had the legendary Mr. Hines at Wheeler, who taught me the phrase "trousered apes," which I always remember when I see the band Florida-Georgia Line.

I had a bunch of good teachers, a bunch of so-so teachers, and a bunch of God-awful teachers.  I had a teacher tell the eleven-year-old me that I didn't have "what it takes" to play the recorder.  (My son always tells me to "let it go" when I tell him that story.)

When my son was coming along, I noticed his teachers were sort of like mine. Some excellent. Some good. Some mediocre. Some were absolute maroons.  I agree teachers should receive a good salary, but I would also say there are some teachers that are overpaid.

However, education has a lot of stuff it has to put up with, like making sure a fourth grader is called by the correct pronoun.  So I guess the earlier school starts the earlier it can finish makes sense.