Thank God for Football

Okay, I know all about concussions and the hypocrisy of big time football (college and NFL), but I can't help it; I love watching the game. And now, my grandson by marriage, Jaxon West is making high school news at linebacker for Rio Americano High, intercepting passes, sacking quarterbacks.
Look out Clay Matthews.

Anyway, football will keep my jock juice flowing until basketball starts. What about baseball, one might ask. Ask ahead. I loved playing the game, but watching it is an entirely different proposition. I'm simply not a stats kind of guy, and I've never been very patient. So, a game of balls and strikes with occasional hits and runs has me switching to the food channels. Going to the baseball park is a little better because of the beer and hotdogs. Minor league parks are hands down the best in the food department. When I played for the Philadelphia Warriors back in the day, I used to occasionally drive up to Scranton and watch a Triple A game. Jewish Nationals in a soft bun with lots of sauerkraut and ice cold Rolling Rock. Under those circumstances, a pitchers duel, however boring, was ok by me. Tickets were cheap and the players at that level were intense. They were either on the way up to the Bigs or heading down and trying to get back.  So, it was all about hustle.

My biggest beef with football is the god darn commercials that ruin the flow of the game. I've already blogged about this, but it's worth repeating. When commercial time is equal to playing time, something is wrong.

I'm a huge Oakland Raiders fan and have been loyal to them ever since my best friend, Bill King, broadcast the games on radio. Looks like the East Bay finally has a team with all the skill set players capable of wining a championship, and for years to come, barring injuries. I'll remain a fan until they move to Lost Wages. Is Davis a greedy prick, or what?

Since I grew up in The City, my loyalty also extends somewhat to the San Jose 49ers. The 49ers owner finally made a good decision hiring youth to run the organization. I don't have much hope for them until they get a legit qb. Hoyer is fine backup and always will be a backup. The coach needs to give CJ Beathard a shot, but I agree with ex 49er qb Garcia that they should bide their time and let the kid grow and learn, but at some point, especially if the season starts to fall apart, as I suspect it will with Hoyer at the helm, they need to let Beathard get his feet wet.

Only about 30 more days before the NBA. WhooWah! Here's a suggestion. I think the NBA should ban their players from using Twitter. It only gets them in trouble. Recent misstep by Durant is a case in point, and then the young man had to apologize and nobody was really happy. Twitter is an apt name for this medium as it requires only the intelligence of a Twit to use it. Donald Trump being the biggest Twit of all.

I've been trying to write poems in a Chinese form called a Cheuh-Chu, which is a very concise poem of four lines. Here's one about ex NFL great qb Joe Kapp when he played for the Vikings.

Joe Kapp

Ran for out the out of bounds, but didn't
Ran for first and extra yard, fans cheering
Only gringos run out of bounds he states
After the touchdown, microphones in his face