Weekly Mail, March 3, 2019

Hi:

We took last week off. First time in a while. Sorry if some of the stuff we'll be discussing today is old news.

Used to be if you got through February relatively unscathed by the snow, you were pretty much home free. Not anymore. I think this is the third year in a row that we got socked with snow in March.  I know when my cousin got married in 2015, I drove through a blizzard to get there so maybe 4 out of the past 5 Marches had snow storms? Whatever it is, it's annoying. And once again it's getting harder and harder to deny climate change.

Again I apologize if any of this is old news (at least it's not fake news)


LAWSUITS: Kaepernick settles with NFL.

Former 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick and current Panthers cornerback Eric Reid reached a settlement with the NFL over the players contention that the NFL was colluding against them.  Kaepernick hasn't suited up for an NFL team since he began protesting by not standing for the National Anthem before games.

I'm not so much interested in that, as you all know where I stand on Kaepernick's actions. (no pun intended) To me the story here is that Kaepernick had hired Mark Geragos as his attorney. $h-t Kaepernicus is lucky he's not cutting the NFL a check.

I'll admit I didn't do much research on this, but my recollection is that Mark Geragos is like the Washington Generals of defense attorneys. A real life Lionel Hutz.

The first big case I heard about Geragos was Scott Peterson, who is now on death row in California. Then I remember he represented poor Winona Ryder in her shoplifting case, another loss. Michael Jackson had the good sense to cut him loose in favor of Thomas Mesereau, otherwise the King of Pop would be doing hard time for supplying Jesus Juice to those kids at Neverland. (On the other hand, the Gloved one might still be alive if he didn't have access to the pharmaceuticals that offed him in 2009-but I digress).

I realize that a nobody like me probably shouldn't be ragging on a guy who (allegedly) graduated from law school and passed the bar exam. But I'm being honest here, this is the first time I heard of Mark Geragos actually getting one in the win column. And now that he's on a one case winning streak, it looks like he's been hired again, which leads me to,

CRIME-The award for best acting in the role of hate crime victim goes to....

Jussie Smollett. The Empire actor has retained America's hottest attorney because he was arrested and charged with filing a false police report. To review real quick, Smollett, an openly gay African American actor, told Chicago police that he was jumped by two men on January 29. He alleged that the attackers hurled homophobic and racial slurs at him. He told Good Morning America's Robin Roberts that one of the attackers said to him "This is MAGA country" and called him the N word.

Two brothers were taken into custody, but were released after questioning. Based on what they told the cops, suspicion began to rise that perhaps Smollett had orchestrated the whole thing. Smollett turned himself into the cops on February 20, though he continues to deny that he concocted this attack.

The district attorney stated that the real reason Smollett cooked up this hare brained scheme was that he was unhappy with his Empire contract. If that's the case it's even more despicable.

I mean look, if he pulled this stunt because he was frustrated with race and sexual relations in this country, and he saw himself as a modern day John Carlos/Tommie Smith, I can almost see why he would do it. Don't get me wrong, even though a couple of my left wing friends defended Smollett, they are the ones who should be really pissed. Now when something like this really does happen, everyone is going to pause and say "Did it really?"

But Reuters reported around the same time this all went down that the number of hate groups in America is at an all time high. I'm one who always tries to put the best face on our country, but there's no putting a spin on that statistic. That's just a disgrace in this day and age.

But if he did this for money? Well, I'm sorry, but he can go f himself.  I can't feel bad for him. With his talent and looks, he could have found many better ways to spread the message of acceptance, hell ANY method is better than what he did. If he wasn't even doing that? Just looking for a better contract? Well, he deserves what he gets.

CRIME (Part II)-Not so Happy Ending for Kraft

My first reaction when I got the alert that Patriots owner Bob Kraft had been busted for getting serviced at a seedy South Florida Hand Job House was to laugh out loud. When the reports said that the place in question was being investigated as part of a human trafficking ring, it wasn't quite as funny.

There are few things more disturbing than the idea of taking someone away from their homeland and forcing them into sex acts against their will.

I can't get into the mind of Kraft. I'm guessing he didn't realize the rub and tug he was getting was being given by someone who was being forced to give it. But still, you are a billionaire, why risk it?

Not enough bad things can happen to the Patriots to suit me, but I really hope this place wasn't using sex slaves.

SPORTS: The Return of JT91

OK so first, my annual rant on the state of sports coverage in this city come February/early March....

On Thursday afternoon, I went to sack out in my car during my lunch hour. I turned on the FAN to listen to Carlin, Maggie and Bart (who I have to admit I'm starting to enjoy listening to-even Bart Scott has gotten better) and the first person they interview is some dude from the NFL Network who is covering the Indianapolis NFL Scouting Combine.

The scouting combine?  I try not be too judgmental in my old age, but if you are watching the NFL
Scouting Combine you are in serious need of a life.  This also applies to watching Spring Training games anytime before the second week of March.

So off went CMB and on came NHL Network Radio. And they were all over the return of John Tavares to the Nassau Coliseum that night. That should have been the story in New York sports on Thursday.

I was going to miss the beginning of the game because I was at a birthday party, so I recorded it on the DVR, and I listened on the car radio.And I may be at risk of having to turn in my Ranger fan membership card. But I loved what I saw in Uniondale the other night.

As soon as Tavares stepped on the ice for his first shift, you could hear the boos. Then Timmy asked what they were chanting. He had a Kool Aid grin on as he asked, because you couldn't miss it. It rhymes with gasbowl.

It reminded me of the old Garden. Loud, crazy. I went to a playoff game at MSG in 1986 against the Flyers and I couldn't believe how insane it was in that building.

And while some pundits were taking the Islander fans to task for their treatment of their former captain, I say more power to them. Again, this guy led the team to believe he wanted to stay, then took off the first chance he got and said it was his childhood dream. He deserved all the piss and vinegar he got the other night. I'd have done the same thing. Hell, I HAVE done the same thing. (See Darryl Strawberry-1991, Mark Messier-1997, Bill Bellichick pretty much every year since 2000)

Like I said, my fellow Ranger fans are going to hate me for this, but the Islanders are the more exciting team right now. And they are hard to root against.



Speaking of my Blueshirts, they traded away one of my favorite players (Mats Zuccarello) for two draft picks, and another solid player, (Kevin Hayes) for a first rounder and a feisty if not spectacular player in Brendan Lemieux. They are not going to suck enough to get a high first round draft pick, but they are not going to make the playoffs either. These draft picks better turn into something good, or Jeff Gorton is going to be looking for a new job.

Some quick hits:

I'm not sure if Trump adviser Roger Stone is guilty of what he was arrested for, but if he were charged with being a creepazoid and an idiot, he'd be guilty. Who would post an image of the judge presiding over their case with a target on their face to his social media account?

Bryce Harper signs a mega deal with the Phillies- I was all set to kill the Mets for not even attempting to make Harper an offer. But if this is what it was going to take to get him signed, I'm glad they stayed away. I realize there will come a time where he is killing the Mets and I'm going to be banging my head against the wall, but 13 years? Even I can't justify that.

Good Luck with the snow

and Have a Great Week