Alas, my dear friend Mel, long known as the Chrome Cowboy (see post of Sept.19, 2011 on this page -- stage right) has passed away in Florida. A more kind-hearted, generous, finer man and better "bro" never existed, at least in my world. I shall miss you, your wisdom, and infectious laugh terribly. The times we had...... what a hoot. RIP, my friend. You were the best.
So some window joint is advertising every second one is free. Dang, what a deal. Yet it makes one wonder --- you just know they're still turning a tidy profit -- how ridiculous was the standard mark-up before this "super-duper" special? Can you spell g-o-u-g-e?
Paul George of the Indianapolis Pacers has let it be known he will be leaving the team -- after next season. Well that's pretty stupid. Now he'll go through a whole year at Indy being known as a "traitor" that has spurned the team and their fans. Good luck with that. Why not wait until his contract was officially up before flapping his gums? Duh.
You know your team is really bad, or the reporter has WAY too much time on his/her hands, when a feature story appears in print about the head coach's adopted dog. No, not a leader dog. Stan VanGundy of the Detroit Pistons isn't legally blind -- though opinions have varied on his ability to judge talent -- but if this is the best they can come up with in Motown regarding their pro hoopsters, oh yeah, they gotta be fairly awful. Talk about going to the dogs.....
After getting torched by the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, rumors abound that Lebron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers may be leaving his "home" team (again) and heading west. Maybe to the Lakers or Clippers. This would definitely upset the applecart in the eastern division. Cleveland without Lebron becomes quite ordinary.
But there would be hell to pay from a public relations standpoint. Remember when he left Cleveland originally to "take his talents to South Beach", the Lake Erie-ites burned his uniforms and regarded him in no higher regard than your average turncoat hooligan.
Then he was hailed as a hero when he returned home to bring the Cavs their first NBA title ever.
Imagine the reaction if he were to ditch them again. Oh my, how ugly would that get? Hey, either he has a sense of loyalty to Cleveland -- or he doesn't. He's already got three NBA championship rings and, lord knows, more money than he'll ever be able to spend. For him to leave Cleveland again would prove him to be nothing more than a title-chasing charlatan, with no loyalties whatsoever. And he would absolutely deserve all the abuse that would be piled upon him. Good man, faithful husband, and devoted father aside, this would be a bad, repeat, BAD move. One would think he's smart enough to realize that. He made his bed, to great fanfare, a few years back. Now he can lie in it or risk the wrath of the masses -- including many in the media.
Oh man, Tiger Woods is back in rehab -- eh? This time apparently for opioid addiction. Sadly, it happens a lot to people that have undergone multiple surgeries and become dependent on pain killers in the aftermath. In a recent article on the back page of Sports Illustrated, former Kentucky and NBA player Rex Chapman made an astounding point. The United States represents roughly 4.5% of the world's population -- but consumes 99% of the hydrocodone, a generic name for Vicodin. As Chapman asked -- are Americans really in that much more pain than everybody else in the world? Probably not, but just have access to more pain-killing pills. Hence, so many more deaths and addictions result. Scary.
Yours truly has never been a Tiger fan, even back during his hey-day. For some reason I could never warm up to him -- something seemed fishy. Turned out, it was. His multiple extra-marital affairs have long been public knowledge, and his boorish behavior on the course evident -- though the media was wont to downplay it.
Then the DUI affair hit. No, he hadn't been drinking, but DUI is Driving Under the Influence. That can include drugs, even legally prescribed ones. Take too many, get loopy and pass out behind the wheel, and Eldrick was darn lucky he didn't run over somebody, seriously hurting or even killing them. He could have been slam-dunked for years in a penitentiary somewhere. Instead, he'll likely get off with a fine, joke probation, and maybe some "community service".
Still, it would appear any chance of him returning to a prominent role on the world golf scene is officially over. Even if a magic wand could be waved getting him totally clean, sober, and fully healthy, it's highly unlikely he can compete with the array of young guns out on Tour these days. Too many guys with way too much game for a forty-ish guy coming off rehab with questionable physical problems always lurking in the works. Ain't gonna happen. Color Eldrick "stick a fork in him" done. I never rooted for him, but it's sad to see how fast it all went south into crash and burn land.
Speaking of SI, their legendary jinx has struck again. The latest issue offers a feature story on world #1 ranked golfer Dustin Johnson and his brother Austin, his caddy. Not sure how many words it was, but let's just say it was 3-4 sit-downer on the throne to slog through. The article mentioned that DJ was attempting to become the first golfer since Curtis Strange, way back in 1989, to win back-to-back US Opens. That pretty well sealed his fate. Johnson wouldn't make the cut at this year's Open. Not even close.
Holy cow. Justin Verlander, once the ace pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, took a perfect game into the 6th inning against the Seattle Mariners with a 4-0 lead. The Virginia horse was back on a roll. Until the bubble popped. Enter the infamous Tiger bull-pen. By the time it was over, not only would JV not get a win, but the Tigers would lose 7-5.
After a fast start to the season, the Motown puddy-tats are now in a fight for dead last place in the entire American League.
Oh my indeed.....
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