NFL Summary

Here are my thoughts on the No Fun League 2022!

For many years, I was a true fan of the NFL and I watched a lot of games. These days, not so much. I don’t watch the regular season at all. Honestly, I can’t stand all the political messaging. The whole league is still too woke for me, but I do love the game, so I find myself watching the highlights quite often. Of course, if my Texans would stop playing Pop Warner and get back to being a professional team, that would definitely help! At least, we have a real coach now. Good luck, Lovie Smith! (Although, in all honesty, David Culley did a really good job considering the roster they gave him.)

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I know everybody was amazed by all the great playoff games and the awesome comebacks, but as for me – not so much. Truthfully, I had the opposite reaction. I kept asking myself why nobody can play defense anymore. Seriously.

The Chiefs drive down and score, and then their defense can’t make a stop to win the game? The Bills drive down and score, and then their defense can’t even hold a lead for 13 seconds?

Tom Brady takes his team down the field to tie the score with under two minutes to play and force overtime, but no, the defense can’t seem to cover the other team’s star receiver (the one that everyone in the stadium knows is going to be the QB’s target) and they give up two big receptions, a field goal, and lose.

The Packers lead the whole game until their special teams give up a score, then their defense can’t stop the 49ers from marching down the field for the go ahead field goal. And speaking of the 49ers – they lead the Cowboys the whole game until they try to give it away in the final minutes. Of course, Dallas completely botches the ending, but that’s a whole nother story. Happy ending though, for us Cowboy Haters!

And then, there’s the Super Bowl. The Bengals lead the whole second half while the Rams offense does nothing, then the Cincinnati defense, when it matters the most, can’t get a stop, and the Rams drive down the field and score. (Aided of course, by the officials who decided to start calling penalties and giving the Rams multiple chances to score.) I fully expected the Bengals to march right back down the field in the final minute to score and win the game, but amazingly enough, the Rams defense held, and for that reason alone, I suppose, they deserved to win the Championship! Finally, a defense that could hold the lead for a minute or two.

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Hearing the whole “NFL is like a Plantation” nonsense again. Bad analogy. I get the “all white owners and majority African-American players” thing, and I agree there really should be more minority coaches, executives, and even owners, but a plantation? Where do I sign up to be a slave who makes millions of dollars to play a game I love? Just saying. Maybe CK has the answer. Isn’t he the first “slave” to escape and then sue the owners to try and get back on the plantation?

***

And finally, the sports talk guys are having big arguments over whether or not Matthew Stafford should now be considered a Hall of Famer. No.

Consider the following, and I didn’t even have to research these guys (only to check dates). These are the ones that sprang immediately to mind just from being a fan for many years.

1989 - Troy Aikman, drafted number one, going obviously to the team with the worst record in the league, suffers a winless first season and gets killed for years. Eventually he leads his team to three Super Bowl victories. Hall of Famer? Yes.

1998 - Peyton Manning, drafted number one by the league’s worst team. Gets mauled early on, very few wins, eventually leads his team to numerous playoff wins and a Super Bowl. Hall of Famer? Yes.

2012 - Andrew Luck, drafted number one, takes over a team that finished 2-14 the previous season, and leads them to 11 wins and the first of several playoff appearances.

2016 - Jared Goff, drafted number one, takes his team to the Super Bowl by year three.

2020 - Joe Burrow, drafted number one, gets hurt and misses most of his rookie season, and then leads his team to the Super Bowl in only his second season.

By comparison, Matthew Stafford, drafted number one back in 2009, spends 13 seasons in Detroit, leads his team to 3 playoff losses and no wins, jumps to a team that played in a Super Bowl just a few seasons before (led by the aforementioned Goff) and wins a Super Bowl. Hall of Famer? Again, no.

How many QBs are there in the NFL that could have led that particular team to the Super Bowl? Quite a few, in my opinion. Maybe if Stafford wins a few more Super Bowls, I’ll think differently, but at this point, I don’t think so.

Anyway, those are my thoughts about the latest NFL season. Let me know what you think and have a great week!

The Death of Pronouns

 

When I was a high school English teacher, I can vividly remember teaching grammar (Really!) and the Parts of Speech. When it came to pronouns, I would illustrate their importance by telling a Jack and Jill story without using any pronouns. The story varied with each retelling, because I was deliberately rambling, but it would usually go something like this:

Jack and Jack's friend Jill went walking up a hill. Jack was carrying Jack’s bucket and Jill was carrying Jill's pail. At the well behind Jack and Jill's house, Jack and Jill filled Jack and Jill's buckets with water and then Jack and Jill walked back to Jack and Jill's house. Jack tripped and hurt Jack’s knee. Jill laughed at Jack’s clumsiness, until Jill fell and twisted Jill's ankle. Jack and Jill cried because of the pain caused by Jack and Jill's injuries.

Usually I would keep going until the students began to groan aloud and beg me to stop. The repetition was annoying and the problem was easy to analyze. Together we would fix the story by using the obvious pronouns to avoid using the names over and over. The students knew that we could easily substitute he, his, and him when we were talking about Jack, and she, her, and hers if we were referring to Jill. And if we were talking about both, we could use they, them, or their. Simple right? 

Fast forward to today, and I can just imagine how much trouble I would get into for teaching such a politically incorrect lesson. I'd probably get fired! Because in today's society, anyone can pick whatever pronouns they like and the rest of us are supposed to just ignore the absurdity and pretend that such nonsense is normal. Even if it contradicts everything we were taught in school about basic grammar.

True story. I recently read an article about a pop singer who has decided she is whatever and of course, declared that her preferred pronouns are They and Them. (You may have to go back and read that again.) The author, not wanting to offend, wrote the article using those preferred pronouns and the result was (unintentionally) hilarious. It began like this:

Singer Demi Lovato has announced that they are non-binary and are changing their pronouns to they/them. They said the "revelation" followed "a lot of healing and self-reflective work." In a Twitter video early Wednesday introducing their new podcast, the pop singer says they don't identify as male or female. 

(Here’s the full article - Demi Lovato announces they are non-binary and changing their pronouns - CBS News)

You will probably need to read that one again as well. LOL. It should come as no surprise that most regular people are tired of this stuff already. What’s the point of learning correct language skills if any old celebrity knucklehead (or anyone else) can come along and decide to toss out the entire concept of proper or standard English. Or worse, make it a criminal offense to use the wrong pronouns. (DL is not the first, only the most recent, and this nonsense is becoming more prevalent every day.)

So, what do we do? Some people are choosing to just quit using pronouns altogether. Take for example, this passage from another recent article:

Point Park University in Pittsburgh notified students recently that it will enforce rules against individuals who do not use their classmates’ preferred pronouns. Students were informed that using the wrong pronoun was a violation and action would be taken.

Many faculty members try to avoid using pronouns altogether in class, rather than look up a student’s designated pronoun. Confirming the right pronouns can be challenging in the middle of a fast-moving class. Students today identify from a growing list of gender identities including, but not limited to, genderfluid, third-gender, amalgagender, demigender, bi-gender, pansgender, and a-gender. Pronouns can include, but are not limited to: He/She, They/Them, Ze/Hir (Ze, hir, hirs, hirself), Ze/Zir (Ze, zir, zirs,ze), Spivak (Ey, em, eir, eirs, ey), Ve (Ve, ver, vis, verself), and Xe (Xe, xem, xyr, xyrs, xe).

I don’t know about you, but if I heard people using these bizarre excuses for pronouns, I’d probably think they were speaking a foreign language. Pig Latin, maybe? The article continues:

Pronouns are fast fading from common discourse under the threat of pronoun penalties. Not only schools and universities, but cities, too are enforcing misgendering rules; for example, the New York City Human Rights Law which allows for fines if employers, landlords, or professionals fail to use a preferred name, pronoun, or title.

From the artice - What would Justice Ginsburg say? Her words now part of the fight over pronouns (vnexplorer.net)

 

One of the strongest opponents of these ridiculous rules and laws is Jordan Peterson, a Canadian professor of psychology and author who has become very popular on YouTube by expressing his views on these laws and the way they restrict our free speech rights. Check out his website and this popular video on the subject.

https://jordanbpeterson.com/

Heated debate on gender pronouns and free speech in Toronto - Bing video

He clearly points out the real issue. These laws are designed to compel us to use certain words. And punish us if we refuse to use the words demanded by others. Think about that. Seriously.

In this age of government overreach, we’re supposed to let politicians decide not only what we can’t say, but now they also get to decide what words we are required to say? And if we don’t, then they can decide how to punish us for such crimes. Maybe if we accidentally slip, we’ll get ostracized or mildly reprimanded. Unless they decide that it was intentional, in which case we get fired or cancelled altogether.

Or we just stop using pronouns and let them die. Of course, we will sound like idiots when our conversations all start to look like the Jack and Jill story above, but I suppose that’s better than ending up in Grammar Prison. Sadly, we lose either way.

As always, have a great week, and let me know your thoughts!

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller – Book Review

 

I recently read one of those "classic" novels (that everyone always raves about), and honestly, I wasn't very impressed. I've heard much about this one over the years, and when I found a copy not long ago, I was eager to finally read it. My excitement lasted about fifty pages. After that, it was a slugfest. Not one to be defeated by a mere book, I persevered to the end and it actually did get a little better as it progressed, but I really wouldn't recommend this one. Not to a friend anyway. (LOL) 

In all fairness, part of the problem was likely a matter of high expectations. When you hear reviewers tossing around such accolades as "brilliant" or "finest comic novel of our day" or "a cornerstone of American Literature" and such, it's hard not to get your hopes up. Personally, I expected something akin to MASH by Richard Hooker, you know, comic hijinks and pranks to relieve the pressures of war. Well, this isn't that.

Now, I appreciate good satire, but in this case, the humor was a bit of hit and miss. There were some funny scenes and dialogue, and occasionally the absurdity is amusing, but I would tend to disagree with the readers who proclaim it to be "laugh out loud” funny. Often, the jokes are funny until extended for pages and pages, at which point, I just wanted the author to get on with the story.

Many readers have issues with the non-linear narrative. That part didn't bother me. Not to spoil, but there's some pretty obvious foreshadowing, and I deduced fairly early on that some traumatic experience would eventually be revealed that would help me understand the main character and his actions throughout the book. It didn't work for me.

Which brings me to my true complaint. I didn't like the book, primarily, because I didn't like any of the characters. In particular, the main character Yossarian, I found completely unlikeable. Consequently, I really never cared what happened to him. And yes, war is terrible, and sometimes your superior officers (or bosses) are horrible and incompetent, but I believe that one’s true character is revealed under pressure. How a person responds in the face of extreme stress or tragic events matters.

In this case, our main character responds by shirking his duty, avoiding his job and responsibilities as often as he possibly can, and displaying overt acts of cowardice that cost the lives of others, often friends. Whether hiding in the hospital faking illness, deliberately sabotaging missions, or walking around naked to avoid wearing his uniform, he is a disgraceful figure. Again, completely unlikeable. And he is by no means the only one.

All of the officers are selfish idiots. The few decent crew members on the base are killed off, mostly early in the book. All the women characters are portrayed as sex objects and serve no other purpose than to be used by the men. A large part of the book is used to detail Milo and his misuse of his position as mess officer to create a profitable (for him) enterprise, again at the expense of others. We’re supposed to think he is clever, I guess, but for me, he is just one more selfish unlikeable character.

Overall, the major contribution of the novel to pop culture is the iconic phrase Catch 22 which can be defined as a “tricky problem or no-win or absurd situation.” That, I do appreciate, but it is hardly clever enough upon which to base an entire book. Just my opinion, and obviously, it is based on my never having served in the military, which I am sure would give me an entirely different perspective. If you’ve read this one, leave me a comment and let me know what you thought.

 

Afghanistan – Biden’s Biggest Failure?

 

In only seven months, President Biden has already made enough questionable decisions (that have harmed our country) that it is truly difficult to call any one of them the biggest failure, but our disastrous retreat from Afghanistan is surely the worst so far. And the complete failure of him and his administration to take any accountability is simply shameful. Seriously, he blames his predecessor?

(Let’s consider some possible contenders for a worse failure. The border? An absolute disaster. COVID? Mask mandates, Vaccine Passports, and that open border with little or no restrictions? Energy Independence? Gone. Inflation? Out of control. Of course, all of this can easily be blamed on Donald Trump. At least that’s what Chuck and Nancy and Joe keep telling us. Honestly, I don’t blame Biden as much as I blame the people who put him in office. Elections have consequences. But no mean tweets, right?)

Let me say up front that I have no problem with us getting out of Afghanistan. I truly believe we should stop involving ourselves in conflicts around the world. At least to the degree in which we have for far too long. I believe in fighting terrorism, but the whole regime change, world building strategy thing is a bit much. Obviously, in this case, the big problem was how we got out of Afghanistan. And sorry Mr. President, that one is on you, not Trump.

I’m not a military genius or anything, so I just have a few basic common sense questions.

First, why did we evacuate the troops before the civilians? Just seems like a no-brainer that you would get the innocent bystanders out of danger before you close the military bases and withdraw the protectors. I thought that’s what “no man left behind” meant.

Second, why did we leave behind over 80 billion dollars worth of military equipment? In the hands of terrorists? When American citizens get killed with those planes and helicopters and tons of other weapons are we going to hold this President responsible for arming the enemy? (But then again, we never held President Obama accountable for Fast and Furious. And we never held Obama or Hillary Clinton responsible for Benghazi, where we abandoned an embassy and lost American lives.)

Maybe the big question is what happened to the President’s advisors? Surely, there were military leaders that were in a position to warn the administration what was about to happen. But then, we really don’t know who’s running the show anyway, do we? The President keeps saying things like, “They told me I couldn’t answer questions,” or “They told me I could only talk for five minutes,” or “They gave me a list,” or whatever. I’m still waiting for a reporter brave enough to ask who THEY are.

Finally, I wonder how much longer this charade can continue. My fear is that Biden’s biggest failure may turn out to be his selection of Kamala Harris as his Vice President. If the first seven months have been this rough, can he really last four years? And if he doesn’t, he may have chosen our next President already. Read one of my earlier blogs if you want to know why that scares me and should scare you too! https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/742678707359022269/3373129578109106977

 

It's All about Control

 

I've read a lot about the Revolutionary War and the Founding Fathers, and frankly, I wish more Americans would do the same. Maybe it would give some of them a greater appreciation for the country in which they live.

There were heroes in those days, both on and off the fields of battle. And yes, many of them were flawed men. Anyone who thinks the so-called Founding Fathers were perfect needs to go back and read some history. But keep in mind, in studying historical figures, we should be careful not to judge and criticize based on contemporary standards. It is a simple fact that things were different. It was a much different time and place altogether and we shouldn't forget that.

Now understand, that does not excuse their behavior or in any way justify some of their actions, but despite their imperfections, they accomplished amazing things.

Sorry to digress. More to the point, for today anyway, thirteen individual colonies (who were used to doing their own thing) reluctantly joined forces to battle a common enemy - King George III and England. The problem? A distant central government was exerting too much control and creating unnecessary burdens on the people.

And when these colonies succeeded in achieving independence, the last thing they wanted was to trade one oppressor for another. In other words, they did not want a huge federal government that would once again become a burden. Which explains why they struggled mightily over the creation of the new Constitution.

Many citizens of those thirteen colonies wanted nothing more than to go back to their homes and govern themselves once more with as little interference as possible from this new federal government. Many had no interest whatsoever in creating a central government.

Now, centuries later, many are still fighting this same battle. States want to govern themselves without undue pressure to conform. Governors want to do what's best for their citizens without being bullied from Washington DC.

Cities want to run their own local schools and businesses themselves without burdensome regulations from above. Mayors don't want governors telling them what to do or how to govern their communities.

And individuals want to make their own decisions about what's best for themselves and their families without broad (and sometimes unreasonable) government mandates.

My point? Vaccines may be completely safe and effective (even without FDA approval) and they may be the best way to combat the current virus, or any other. Masks (even the cheap, cute, cloth ones) might really protect you, despite the conflicting messages from Dr. Fauci and the CDC. Who knows?

But ... Should the federal government, or the state government, or even the city government (or any elected official) be allowed to force individual citizens to follow one-size-fits-all mandates?

Or do individuals still have the right and the freedom to make decisions for themselves?

Why Write?

I've been spending a lot of time lately examining my motivations for writing. With a chaotic work schedule and a corresponding decline in energy (old age perhaps?), I'm finding it more and more difficult to write. My current WIP (work in progress) is suffering, as well as the previously completed novel waiting to be revised and edited.

With such persistent doubts arising, the obvious question has popped up. Why? Why do I write? And if I can't come up with a decent answer, why should I keep doing it?

So, why do I write? What is my motivation? What does (or should, or might) keep me going?

I suppose the first thing that comes to mind is that I value storytelling. As an old English teacher, I remember teaching kids about the early forms of literature. The oral tradition, before paper and pen. Before printing presses. Early man told stories . And remembered them and told them over again and again.

So, I guess what I'm saying is that I place a great value on storytelling, for instruction, for entertainment, whatever. And I like telling stories. I suppose I come by it naturally. My father was a storyteller. Some saw that as a fault. He talked too much. He repeated himself. I see it as a gift. He loved to talk, to tell the old stories, to entertain. And it made him happy. When I think of him, I always picture him smiling.

So, whether you write poems, or songs, or stories, or novels, or whatever, consider it a creative gift and share your tales. The world needs storytellers.

And those other reasons? Sure, I'd love to be a rich and famous author with bestsellers on shelves at all the best bookstores. But in the meantime, having a few people, here and there, now and then, say they loved a particular book or story is about the greatest thing about writing.

And that motivates me, gives me a reason to write more. And maybe that's enough.

The Problem with the 2020 Olympics

I have always loved the Olympics. Until now. The 2021 Toyko games will be remembered by most as a huge disappointment for many reasons. Overshadowed by the Pandemic and the Woke politics of the Left, most will probably not remember these Games at all.

For me, the Olympics used to be special. The greatest athletes from around the world coming together in friendly competition. Country vs. Country, not in war, but in athletic competition. And such a variety of events!

Like most (American) sports fans, I primarily watch football, basketball, and occasionally golf and tennis. The beauty of the Olympics has always been the attraction of all those other sports not usually followed by the average fan. Gymnastics, Track and field, and swimming, just to name a few, along with a slew of of others. Honestly, there are sports I have never watched other than during the Olympics. The same is probably true for many people.

The timing also makes the Olympics special. A competition that only happens every four years! Some of the world's best have missed out on medals due to the timing. Others have defied the odds to return again and again winning medals in multiple Games. Special.

But not anymore. Postponed due to COVID, the games started with several athletes losing their opportunity to participate before they had even begun. Despite precautions, the "bubble" proved less than perfect and cases appeared right from the start. But even the Pandemic couldn't compete with political activism.

Sadly, my own country has led the way in placing sports last and social activism first. The U.S. trials featured tons of kneeling and other podium protests by athletes who insisted on putting themselves first and their teams and country last. (The only thing missing was a special event for Colin Kaepernick.) All those special hypocrites who hate their flag and anthem and country, yet still want to represent their hated country in the Olympics. Wow!

So, like a vast majority of Americans, I'm not watching this year. Even the highlights are not worth watching. Unless you're curious to see who embarrassed our country on a particular day. And although they won't admit it, all the politics is having a negative impact on performance. Just look at the US women's soccer team.

Supposedly the world's most dominant team, they have barely squeaked into the medal round and have generally played like crap, but hey, at least we all know how embarrassed they are to be from America. (And they just lost their semifinal match and their shot at the gold medal.) The US men's basketball team is underperforming. Our best gymnast has dropped out. An American athlete has already embarrassed us on the medals stand. And people wonder why no one's watching.

Of course, the worst thing about this whole situation is that the athletes most deserving of our attention, our praise and adoration are being ignored. All those squeaky wheels are getting all the grease. As for me, I’ll spend my time and attention elsewhere.