Weekly Mail March 8, 2020

Hi:

So its that first day after daylight savings time and of course I'm walking around like a zombie. That's going to be the case for the next few days. Still, it's nice having daylight at 7 PM. I still like that better than that day in November when it's 5 PM and pitch black out.

Onto the week that was...


POLITICS: And then there were 2 (sort of)

When I first started doing this, (and I'm talking the pre Facebook reboot), my style was kind of shoot first, ask questions later. Especially when it came it politics. I still do it with sports, but with politics I've tried to reign it in a bit.

I was all set to write up a Weekly Mail Special about Super Tuesday, but as I was letting my typing fingers run free, I realized I was heading in a direction I wasn't sure I wanted to go.

So let me cut to it...


Last Saturday was the South Carolina Primary, won by Joe Biden in a landslide. Not totally unexpected either. Biden had banked on a big win there, what with their large African American community to propel him into Super Tuesday. This strategy led him to sub-par finishes in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. Be that as it may, he got the big W in South Carolina he was looking for.

Sunday evening, the alerts starting coming in that Pete Buttigieg, who had been en-route to Texas for a campaign rally, was heading back to South Bend, IN, where he was expected to announce he was dropping out of the race and endorsing Biden.

Buttigieg had been one of the candidates I was really rooting for, and I was sorry that he was dropping out. I was also puzzled that he was dropping out so close to Super Tuesday.

Around lunchtime on Monday, another candidate I really liked, Amy Klobuchar also announced she too was dropping out and endorsing the former VP.  Again I wondered why? You've come this far, worked this hard, at least roll the dice and see how you do.

Super Tuesday came and of the 14 states, Biden ended up winning 10 of them, Bernie Sanders won 4, including California, the biggest delegate pool in the country.


 Mike Bloomberg won American Samoa, and finished out of the money in almost every other state, so on Wednesday he backed out and endorsed Joe Biden.

And then it started to occur to me......

I didn't catch it at first, I mean, I was happy Biden had done so well, so I didn't give it much thought. But as I started recapping everything that had happened since Saturday night, the whole Buttigieg/Klobuchar thing started to nag at me. I couldn't get past the question of why they would drop out before Super Tuesday.

I couldn't get past the feeling that they were pressured to drop out by the DNC. Especially Buttigieg. On a plane halfway to Texas, he all of the sudden figures out he can't win? So he pulls a Han Solo and turns this bucket around?

I'm a Joe Biden guy, so maybe it shouldn't matter to me? But 4 years ago, they did the same thing to the guy they are doing it to now, Bernie Sanders (and to a lesser degree, Elizabeth Warren).

If I was a Bernie supporter, I wouldn't be happy right now. And I feel like I'd by a hypocrite if I just looked the other way on this.

One of the reasons many of us are anxious to see a Democrat take back the White House in November is that we feel the creep who is in there now got there with help from a foreign government. While I'm not comparing what Trump did with the DNC shenanigans, I still believe it should be up to the voters.

If Bernie is who the people want, then he should be the guy. Why put pressure on others to get out? After Super Tuesday, if you see you have no clear shot? Sure, then it's time to fold the tent, like Bloomberg and Warren.

Let the voters decide. I think that's only fair.

Speaking of which, I found out this week that my plan to try to thwart Captain Orange from within has also gone down the proverbial toilet.

The April 28 NY Republican Primary has been cancelled and all the delegates given to Trump. Of course I called bollcks on this, but apparently this has nothing to do with the Russians.

According to Politico, in addition to filing the proper paperwork, candidates had to submit a list of 3 delegates and 3 alternates per election district. Since there are 27 election districts in New York, that 27 times 6 for a total of 162. Joe (f-cking) Walsh didn't have any. so he would have been booted even if he didn't drop out. Bill Weld on the other hand, had about half the names he needed, and was given an extension to come up with them. He did not.

And now I'm pissed, because even though it probably wouldn't have mattered, I would have liked the chance to tell Captain Orange what I think of him and his crap. I know I will get to do it in November, but a double shot would have been nice. Again I realize there are rules, but I hate the idea of not letting the voters vote.

So on Tuesday we have primaries in Idaho, Michigan Mississippi, Missouri, and Washington State and a Caucus in North Dakota. Michigan and Washington have the largest amount of delegates up for grabs. We'll see if Bernie can catch up with Biden or if Uncle Joe starts to run away with it.

OK enough of that..


HOCKEY; Mika times 5

Friday morning, CBS This Morning did their 90 second "Eye Opener" a quick look through the previous day's headlines, complete with clips from the late night talk show monologues and sometimes sporting events. On Friday they showed Ranger Mika Zibanejad.

When I got in the car and put on Boomer and Gio on the FAN, Boomer Esiason did his Radio.Com sports minute all about Mika Zibanejad.

When I went out for lunch, Mark Malusis and Maggie Gray were talking about why the Rangers are so good and the Knicks are so lousy.

When I was on my way home, Joe Beningo was comparing Mika Zibanejad and Arteri Panarin to Rod Gilbert and Jean Ratelle.

Both the Post and News had Mika as their back page wood. What brought this all on?

Mika scored 5 (count 'em) 5 of the Rangers 6 goals Thursday night, including the game winner in OT.

BTW as I'm writing this, he just scored again against the Devils.

To see his performance celebrated on a national news network was really cool, but just that it created such buzz on the FAN and in the papers was a treat as well. He is a ton of fun to watch

When the Rangers traded Marian Gaborik for Derrick Brassard, I was pissed, but I grew to really like Brass, he always seemed to come up big in the big games. When they traded Brass to Ottawa for Zibanejad, I was sorry to see him go, But now that looks like the steal of the decade. Brass is now out here with the Ice-landers, (who are his 7th NHL team-he's the Glen Rice/Bruce Chen of hockey apparently) and Mika has become a legitinmate star. Had he not missed 13 games earlier in the season, they might be talking about him for the Hart trophy. As it is, he might be the 4th Ranger to score 50 goals in a season, joining Vic Hadfield, Adam Graves and Jaromir Jagr.

And he's only 26.

With Chris Kreider out of action, it's going to be hard to make the playoffs. But this might be one of those years where the journey is most of the fun. Nights like the other night will make that so.


CORONA VIRUS

I know I said this last week, but really this virus and everything involved in it is like nothing I have ever seen. I've seen more things get canceled/postponed because of it than for any other scare we have ever had.

Last week, they announced that a movie I've been waiting 5 years to see, the newest James Bond flick, is being postponed till November. It was supposed to open April 8. if this keeps up, they are going to start canceling sporting events.

Crazy.


Ok, everyone be safe

and Have a Great Week