This letter is from a former Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives. He calls himself a conservative and a “patriotic American.”
He is horrified at the notion that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has instructed the Texas State Guard to protect Texans against Navy SEALs and other special forces.
His letter to Gov. Abbott says it all.
I’m out.
Tom Brady is taking some heat for missing a ceremony honoring the pro football team of which he is a member.
You’ve heard of Brady? Sure. He’s the quarterback of the New England Patriots, who won this year’s Super Bowl in stunning fashion against the Seattle Seahawks. He’s also the face of the team. He’s its field leader. He’s the Main Man of the offense.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/stephen-a-smith-blasts-brady-for-missing-white-house-visit/ar-BBiFBgr
Stephen A. Smith, an ESPN commentator, has taken serious umbrage over Brady’s absence from the ceremony, which is a tradition at the White House. Presidents long have honored NFL champs, World Series champs, NBA champs and even occasionally NHL champions, if the franchise that wins the hockey title is based in the United States.
I don’t buy Smith’s tirade that Brady “disrespected” the president, or that he skipped out because of political reasons. Then again, Smith is a blowhard and a grandstander who often says things that have little basis in reality.
I do agree, though, that Brady should have been there.
He’s a member of a team comprising 53 men that won the Big Game — as a team.
The writer of the essay attached to this blog notes that in previous post-Super Bowl ceremonies at the White House, Brady was single and that now he’s married, with children — and that maybe he couldn’t fit the event into his busy schedule.
C’mon.
Brady knew for many weeks the event was coming up. Brady had ample time to schedule this appearance. Heck, he’s got a secretary who could have taken care of the details. Brady could have taken some time away from his kids’ activities and his super-model wife to attend a light-hearted event at the White House.
My sense is that Brady’s absence from this event suggests he thinks of himself as bigger than the game and more important than his team.
The young man would be sadly mistaken on both counts.
Being a hard-ass isn’t really my style, but there’s something about Pete Rose that chaps me royally.
The former great baseball player has been banned from baseball for life because he bet on the game. That’s the rule: You bet on baseball, you face a lifetime ban. It’s in the rule book, which I’m certain Rose knew when he broke the rule.
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2015/04/23/rob-manfred-pete-rose-all-star-game/
Now we hear that Major League Baseball, which will have its all-star game this summer in Cincinnati, will allow Rose to play some role in the game ceremonies.
I’ll stipulate a few things: First, I know that Rose had a Hall of Fame career. Second, I also know that he’s applied for reinstatement and Hall of Fame eligibility. Third, I also know that the Hall of Fame is full of racists, drunks, womanizers, adulterers and overall reprobates. Fourth, I also know that no one in the Hall of Fame was caught betting on baseball.
Pete Rose deserves reinstatement on one condition. MLB needs to reinstate Shoeless Joe Jackson, who in 1919 was caught betting on baseball in the infamous Black Sox Scandal in which Jackson and other Chicago White Sox players were accused of throwing the 1919 World Series. Indeed, the no-betting rule was installed because of Shoeless Joe’s actions.
If Major League Baseball sees fit to reinstate the late, great Joe Jackson, then it ought to follow suit with Pete Rose.
First things first, Commissioner Rob Manfred.
Tim Tebow seems like a fine young man.
He put together a stellar career as a quarterback at the University of Florida. He won the Heisman Trophy as the nation’s top collegiate player. Then he became a pro and has, well, had a not-so-stellar career playing football for a living.
He’s tried out for various teams, been cut, come back for more, been cut some more.
He’s been hired by TV networks to provide soft features and so forth.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/armour-another-tim-tebow-try-that-is-certain-to-fail/ar-AAbp6jZ
And oh yes, he’s also demonstrated his religious faith, which many Americans — me included — find appealing.
Therein might be the reason — his devout faith — for the continuing interest in a young man who probably never will become a full-time starting quarterback in the NFL.
The Philadelphia Eagles have signed him to a one-year contract. He’s the No. 4 QB in the Eagles’ depth chart.
Will he succeed, ever? Likely not, according to USA Today: “The sad truth is that success in college is rarely a guarantee of success in the pros â quite the opposite in many cases. With the exception of Cam Newton, quarterbacks who won the Heisman have generally been a bust in the NFL.”
Tebow’s vocal fan base will keep the interest high as this young man keeps trying to find a place on some team’s roster. But as the essay attached to this post notes, the interest in Tebow has more to do with his faith than it does in football.
Thus, as today’s media culture will allow it, the drama will continue to play out.
Check out this video. It’s a little more than 3 1/2 minutes long.
It shows then-high school senior Aaron Hernandez talking about his dreams and aspirations as he prepared to enroll at the University of Florida. He was excited. He acknowledged he was a good student, because his mom wouldn’t let him drive if he got a C grade or lower in any subject.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/teen-aaron-hernandez-had-hopes-dreams/ar-AAb3r0a
I don’t know whether to laugh derisively, cry, vomit or simply shrug.
Aaron Hernandez is a galaxy away from that interview tonight. He’s spending the first night of the rest of his life in prison. A Fall River, Mass., jury convicted the young man of murder and then sentenced him immediately to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Hernandez played some pretty good football at Florida. He then played a bit for the New England Patriots, where he was slated to become the next Big Thing. He was a stellar tight end. He was destined to make lots of money and achieve plenty of fame.
Well, the money is gone. The fame will stick, although not the way he envisioned when you watch him in the video interview.
Aaron Hernandez is now the latest new face of “stupid.” Another celebrity athlete likely will take his place in due course. Today, though, that dubious “honor” belongs to a young man who once saw a bright future laid out before him.
Now he’ll be spending every day of his life about a mile from Gillette Stadium, where the Patriots play football. He’ll listen to the cheers.
If he has a shred of remorse for what he did to his “friend,” Odin Lloyd, he’ll kick himself forever.
http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/12696042/aaron-hernandez-prosecutors-score-enormous-triumph-murder-conviction
Alex Rodriguez is just a handful of home runs away from passing a true baseball legend’s career homer mark.
That would be Willie Mays, who finished his storied career with 660 home runs. A-Rod is just a few dingers away from that mark. The Say Hey Kid’s godson, Barry Bonds, cannot figure out why so little attention will be paid to A-Rod when he passes Mays’s mark.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/barry-bonds-on-a-rod-i-cant-wait-until-he-hits-660/ar-AAaUrRh
I think I know why, Barry.
It’s because Rodriguez cheated to get as many home runs as he has hit, just like Bonds did.
A-Rod has admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs. He served a season-long suspension in 2014. He’s come back to the New York Yankees to resume his climb up the career home run leader board.
Bonds, of course, hit more home runs than anyone else. You’ll have to excuse this bit of petulance, but I still consider Henry Aaron to be the home run king, even though he hit 755 home runs compared to Bonds’s 762. Aaron didn’t cheat the way Bonds did. Thus, he’s still the Home Run King in my book.
As for A-Rod, it’s always been about him. He’s not a good teammate and his fellow Yankees know that about him.
The Yankees are planning no celebration when A-Rod passes Mays.
Why no love for A-Rod, Barry? It’s because he hasn’t earned it.
I haven’t yet watched much of the 2015 Masters golf tournament, but I do like the prospect of Tiger Woods possibly finishing on the first page of the leader board when it’s all over.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/golf/armour-tiger-woods-lets-his-game-speak-for-itself/ar-AAaSOzq
Tiger Woods isn’t bigger than the game. But he does make it more fun to watch on TV when he’s in the hunt, particularly in a major tournament such as the Masters.
He’s had his struggles of late. His game was thought to be in the crapper. He took some time off and returned to this tournament, which he’s won four times — out of the 14 major tournaments he’s already won.
He likely won’t win it Sunday. But I do wish him the young man well as he continues his comeback.
Tiger Woods might not have been the role model for husbands around the world, but he does swing a pretty mean golf stick.
Let’s face it, when he’s playing his “A-Game,” the world takes notice.
How does a teenager who played basketball touch so many hearts?
When it’s a young woman with grit, determination and raw courage battling a fatal disease, only to lose that battle … well, that’s how you reach so many people’s deepest emotions.
Lauren Hill died Friday at the age of 19.
She played basketball for Mount St. Joseph University. It was her dream to play ball and she was able to fulfill that dream.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/ncaabk/lauren-hill-dies-at-19-after-battle-with-brain-cancer/ar-AAaGwqW?ocid=ansUSAsports11
Lauren suffered from brain cancer. Yet she fulfilled her dream this past November when she scored the initial and final basket of Mount St. Joe’s victory over Hiram College.
Her death has brought forth statements of love and sympathy from all across the nation. One of the tweets came from none other than LeBron James, who wrote: “Until we officially meet again, take care and continue to be that LEADER we all love! #RIPLaurenHill”
Lauren declared her goal to be to find a cure for the rare form of cancer that took her life. Her courage inspired others to give thousands of dollars to fund research to find a cure.
She managed to play a few games for Mount St. Joe before her illness prevented her from playing.
Lauren’s courage has become something of a rallying cry for others who are stricken with fatal illness.
She suffered from Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, which normally affects children much younger. To play the game against Hiram, Lauren had to cope with crowd noise that made her lose her balance. She wore headphones to keep the noise to a minimum when she was sitting on the bench.
But her goal was to play ball. She accomplished her mission that day. She also helped raise about $40,000 for The Cure Starts Now Foundation, which she organized. The group’s efforts are ongoing.
This young woman was a champion in every sense of the word.
And that explains how she touched our hearts.
I used to watch baseball religiously. I don’t do so much any longer.
Free agency kind of took a lot of the fun out of the game for me. Athletes are getting paid a lot of money to play a game. Many of them behave badly when they get those millions of bucks. They move around from team to team, looking to play for the outfit that offers them the most money.
Many others of them keep it all in perspective.
One player I do enjoy watching is a future Hall of Famer, Albert Pujols. Yes, Pujols looked for a fat contract after playing many years in St. Louis. He’s now a first baseman for the Los Angeles Angels. His best years likely are behind him.
He also has maintained his reputation as a thoroughly decent human being.
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/albert-pujols–touching-gesture-for-brother-of-dodgers-outfielder-joc-pederson-033106483.html
This link is about Pujols meeting a young man with Down syndrome, something about which Pujols has intimate knowledge: His eldest daughter, Isabella, also has the disease.
This story is heartwarming in the extreme and it illustrates that goodness does reside even inside ballplayers who often are tempted to look the other way when given a chance to demonstrate an act of kindness toward those who follow their athletic exploits.
Well done, Albert.
MESA, Ariz. — I’m in a baseball frame of mind today, having attended a spring training blowout game between the Oakland A’s and the Chicago Cubs.
My brother-in-law brought this video (attached to this link) to our attention tonight. It shows Evan Longoria saving the life of a young reporter who was interviewing him along the first base line.
Seemingly on instinct, Longoria reached out to grab the baseball that flew off a hitter’s bat and was heading straight for her head.
I want to share this to illustrate that miracles do happen. It’s pretty astonishing to say the very least.
What’s more, it is my sincere hope the young reporter sends Longoria flowers for his birthday, for Christmas, Easter … and any holiday under the sun.