For old jocks such as myself, 2020 and still vertical is a blessing. Did I just say "a blessing." I must be going senile, or I've been too influenced by professional athletes being interviewed. "Blessing seems to be le mot juste in today's world of sports.
The Warriors winning 4 games in a row was a blessing. The 49ers not falling apart in Seattle was a blessing. Drew Brees is blessing his receivers with accurate passes. Do you think the Chargers ever wonder why they took Rivers and let Brees go? Count our blessings that the sport of soccer has a woman like Megan Rapinoe. LeBron is blessed to have Anthony Davis, ditto Kawhi, who has Paul George. If Davis goes down, so do the Lakers. If George is injured and out, Kawhi will realize how blessed he was to have teammates like he had in Toronto. Talk about a blessing, don't miss watching Ja Morant of the Grizzlies play. We're talking Globetrotters potential and a little of Earl the Pearl Okay, maybe I'm over-blessing, but the kid has beaucoup talent. With a name like Ja, how can he miss?
On a less repetitive note:
I see the Saints winning the Super Bowl.
I still see the Bucks winning the NBA, but I'm really worried that they run too much through Antetekumpo. Defenses have caught wise to his spin move, no matter how fast he performs it. I wish I could trust Embid and the 76ers more, but I don't. Joel looks a little too much like a pouter to me.
Will the mystery of Kyrie Irving be solved in 2020?
California is allowing athletes to be paid for the use of their "brands." That word irritates me almost as much as "blessing." The Republic of California is always ahead of the curve. Go on Gavin!
Tiger wins the Masters. Hoowah! He should have slipped on the Green jacket and announced his retirement. Why do great players hang on, and on. Just for a little more glory? Reminds me of an old locker-room story: A 16 year vet of the NBA, sitting at his locker before the game says to his knees, "Knees, this is the last game I'll ever ask you to play." After the game is over, the same player walks into the locker, dripping sweat, sits down and says to his knees, "Knees, I was just kidding, the next game is the last I'll ever ask you to play."
My biggest gripe in football and basketball in 2019 and still is the length of time it takes to review plays. Some were so obvious, I couldn't figure why it/they needed review in the first place. Could it possibly be that the league can sell a few more commercials during the time the ref is glued to the computer? Am I getting that cynical?
G Leagues in the NBA need to open their arms to great high school stars. They don't want to go to college anyway. Let's get real about amateurism.
My wife insists that I bless the Oregon Ducks before today's Rose Bowl. I'm picking them to win, but is this a subjective decision, one might ask. You decide.
I don't see how the LSU Tigers can lose. NFL ready quarterback. Speaking of quarterbacks, Mahones of the Chiefs continues to be the "funnest" QB to watch in the NFL.
Best tight end move in 2019: Goerge Kittle of the 49ers carrying the entire Saints defense struggling defenders on his back for another ten yards after the catch.
On my Blogs' Life category, let me explain to Republicans: ex teammates, opponents, fellow sports travelers that voted for Trump and continue to support him, gentlemen, my antipathy for Trump has nothing to do with economics or his geo political positions, even though I don't agree with him, it's about Trump as a human being. Here's what I mean. Donald Trump is a bully, a liar, homophobe, a narcissist, a grouper of women, a braggart, a tax evader (unless he reveals his taxes, that's what he is.), I stop to take a breath and continue: Donald Trump is a person who thinks it's ok to vilify parents whose military son died for our country, Trump believes it is funny to mimic the speech of a man with cerebral palsy and hilarious pretending a female orgasm to embarrass a woman who criticized him. And this person is our President? And this person is someone I should hold up to my grandchildren as a man to emulate, to be proud of? You have got to be kidding. The character of a president really does matter.
Bless the NBA for hiring more women referees, and they look to be doing a fine job. More blessing coming to NBA teams for hiring female assistant coaches. Prediction: Becky Hammon will be the first female head coach in the NBA. She was a heads up player; she'll be a heads up coach. I wonder which team will be smart enough to hire her.
Lots of blessings go out to Saint Mary's Galloping Gaels basketball team. Randy has them on track once again to win the conference. Yes, they'll beat the Zags.
More blessing go out to my Warriors. They battle every night. And they are about being winners, not dumpers. Lottery picks be damned.
A guilty admission: Understanding the violence inherent in football, I still enjoy watching the game.
New Years Resolution: I will do my best not to put down soccer's off-side rule.
Second New Years Resolution: I will stop calling men's window pane jackets horse blankets or in some cases, pimp suits.
My wife says, "Stop, stop, no one will read six pages." I always do as she says. See you all on the next MESCHERY'S MUSINGS, ETC.
HAPPY NEW YEAR.
2 comments:
I'd known of you as a poet only when I ran across the excerpt from Caught in the Pivot in Library of America's BASKETBALL... Reminded me of baseball's Brosnan's (sp)The Long Season. As for Russians, I'm a Gogol. I had a poster of you as a Supersonic (if I remember right) hanging in my bedroom when I was in middle school. I learned some devious post moves from Tates Locke at his Clemson basketball camp, employing them with a sky hook on southwest Florida courts and in a New Orleans men's league. You'll appreciate this: My nickname, for my fouling, in that league -a decent one, with a lot of ex-college players- was the Butcher. Someone you might want to look up, a fellow literary jock, an easy Google: Geoff MacDonald, the women's tennis coach at Vanderbilt. He studied creative writing at University of Florida with Padget Powell and Harry Crews. He sometimes writes on tennis for NYTimes. His wife is the big time poet Kate Daniels. -All good wishes, John Stinson, New Orleans stinson_john@yahoo.com
Hey Tom - so good to find this blog. I remember you so well from a game you and the Supersonics played in Portland against the Milwaukee Bucks and the then Lew Alcindor. Lew went off for 51 points and Bob Rule had 33 but the thing I remember most is when a loose ball came up and someone on the Bucks team attempted to throw a half court pass. You went after this guy like a free safety in football and knocked him into the third row of seats. I can still see it to this day. Best to you and your family Tom.
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