Hey Everyone:
Decided to publish on Saturday instead of Sunday for this week. A hot one here in NY.
FOOTBALL: Mess in Washington
So the week started off on a positive note for the NFL team in Washington. They finally decided to change the name of the team. Now if I was a cold-hearted cynic, I would say that the reason owner Daniel Snyder decided to make the change was that his largest corporate sponsor, Fed-Ex, was not going to re-up with the franchise while they kept their old name. But I'm an old softie, so we'll go with Snyder had a change of heart and wanted to stop offending Native Americans.
So I heard some of the possibilities for new names. The Redtails allows them to keep their colors while honoring the legendary Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American military aviators. The Hogs would honor the nickname given to their All Pro offensive line in the 80's and 90's. The Federals would work with the Nationals and Capitals the cities baseball and hockey teams respectively.
In the same vein I saw a couple people suggest Generals. Really? The Washington Generals? Anyone suggesting that name for the team has obviously never seen the Harlem Globetrotters in action.
The Redtails might be the winner here. I like the connection to the Tuskegee Airmen, what a way to honor true American Heroes. One of the issues that has come up with the Black Lives Matter movement is the fact that as a nation we haven't done enough to honor or even take care of the African American men and women who have fought for our country. This wouldn't nearly be enough to right that wrong, but it would be a good start.
Now as the week went along, there were leaks coming out that a "Bombshell" story about the franchise was about to drop, one that would render the team name debate pointless. These leaks and drips started Tuesday night, and the story didn't come out till late Thursday/early Friday, that 15 female employees of the Washington football team accused the organization of sexual harassment and verbal abuse.
I always say that I will put my trio of sports owners up against any owners in professional sports for dishonesty, ineptitude and overall creepiness. But Dan Snyder is one owner who is right up there with Wilpon, Dolan and Johnson. Snyder himself is not named as one of the harassers, but since he's the owner, theoretically anyway, he's the one who hired them.
Mark Cuban had a similar issue with his Dallas Mavericks, and he took steps to make sure that it was dealt with. I hope Snyder does the same thing. It doesn't matter what the teams name is, if their employees are subjected to this kind of abuse, they shouldn't be allowed to operate.
PANDEMIC 2020: Schools, Bars etc.
Governor Cuomo gave a broad outline of his plans for re-opening schools in September.
Per the Governor's website:
Schools in a region can reopen if that region is in Phase IV of reopening and if its daily infection rate remains below 5 percent or lower using a 14-day average since unPAUSE was lifted. Schools will close if the regional infection rate rises above 9 percent, using a 7-day average, after August 1. New York State will make the formula determination during the week of August 1 to 7.
Got all that? Good, explain it to me then..
Just kidding. The bottom line is if the number stay low, they can re-open and be monitored. If the numbers start to spike, either before school starts or after, he reserves the right to close them down again. Makes sense.
And again, I realize that the kids need to be with their friends, I pray daily that the number stay low so that we have some more options. But as Cuomo went on to say...
Everybody wants to reopen schools, but you only reopen if it's safe to reopen, and that's determined by the data...
We're not going to use our children as the litmus test and we're not going to going to put our children in a place where their health is endangered. It's that simple. Common sense and intelligence can still determine what we do, even in this crazy environment. We're not going to use our children as guinea pigs.
And that's unlike someone else I know, whose press secretary came out with this head scratching quote..
"The president has said unmistakably that he wants schools to open. And when he says open, he means open in full, kids been able to attend each and every day at their school....The science should not stand in the way of this"
You've heard the saying he or she doesn't let the truth get in the way of a good story? Well according to White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany we shouldn't let a little thing like science or data or information get in the way of opening the schools. You can't make this $h-t up folks.
I like Cuomo's plan but I'd still give it a couple extra weeks before I'd reopen in September. I'll admit that has more to do with me wanting summer to last a few extra weeks. So don't go by me.
What I do have a question about is this edict Cuomo came up with whereby you can only order booze if you also order food. I understand this is supposed to reduce the number of patron's bellying up to the bar, but what constitutes food with drink? Is it one drink per meal? Can you order apps and drinks? How about a burger and 5 beers? How about just french fries?
I want to be a good citizen and I want to keep the curve flat, but I'm not sure this one is necessary. We went to a pub in our town a couple weeks ago, and they kept us all 6 feet apart, masks on unless we were in our seats, and we didn't have to order food with our drinks. I guess if certain places can't keep the crowds down, they feel like they have to do this. It just struck me as odd.
*************************************************************************
Two titans of the Civil Rights Movement died within hours of each other this week.
CT Vivian, an associate of Martin Luther King, and Congressman John R. Lewis (D-GA) who participated in several protests for racial equality in the 1960's both passed away on Friday. Vivian was 95 and Lewis was 80.
Both suffered beatings and taunts from racist authorities in the segregated south in the 1960's.
Lewis participated in the march over the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma, Alabama in 1965. He had his skull fractured.
Both would be recognized with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama.
This summer started out with protests for racial equality all over the country. These two men should be who the protesters emulate. RIP
*****************************************************************************
The Mets and Yankees are playing each other in an exhibition game as we go to press tonight. And while I'm thrilled to see live sports for the first time in months, as I stated on FB, the cutout fans behind the plate are just strange. It reminds of Robert De Niro in the movie The King of Comedy.
Y'all enjoy the rest of your weekend
and Have a Great Week
No comments:
Post a Comment