MISSING THE POINT and etc.

 Today's The Athletic featured an article about the Cleveland Cavs building a "state of the art" player and team practice center overlooking the Cuyahoga River, you know the river of kept on burning fane, All right, I admit to a bit of snarkiness. Cleveland did a great job cleaning the river and good for them. Snarky, however, has a lot more to do with the planned facility. The ground-breaking occurred recently with gold played shovels. The center  will cost beaucoup gold. Once finished, it will house two courts, a player fitness center, player and employees restaurant and on and on and on. The Cavs are not the first to build such extravagant stand alone facilities. They are just the most recent, and they claim they will be the creme-de-la-creme of all such structures. The way I read the article, most of the emphasis was on how wonderful such structures were in general, with little WOW factor about the actually on the physical fitness aspect except to say all of the latest gadgets like ice baths, X-ray and MRI machines, etc. will be available to help players stay on the court. It does make it clear to me that such buildings have less to do with sports and more to do with making the ownership money. This is missing the point comes in. As far as I can tell, such facilities, many already in place, have done little to keep players from suffering injuries in a league that courts injuries by its high flying style of play. I want to hear is how these new fitness centers will keep players on the court. This morning i read Franz Wagnor is out with an oblique tear. The Magic's other super star Paolo Banchero has been out for the last three weeks and is not expected back soon. Emid, George, Kawhi, Haliburton, Zion, Podzingis, Jamal Murry, Scottie Barnes, and now Brandon Ingram, the list of capable injured reserves goes on. Chis Middleton has been out a full year and just returning. We'll see how long that lasts? Games lost to injuries this early in he season has increased dramatically. This increase caused one wit to ask if older players shouldn't have a "Sell By Date?" But such wits are missing the point. Injuries are increasingly affecting the younger players as well. I have been expressing my opinion that the league begin exploring more creative forms of physical fitness training. I have suggested the league look into the training martial artists and ballet dancers go through. For example, ballet dancers focus a lot of their training on flexibility, balance, ballet dancing techniques and plyometrics rather than isometric exercises. Plyometrics is characterized by short intense burst of activity that target fast-twitch movement in the lower body. It is very helpful for agility and the take off and landings so common to ballet dancers, and I might add to the modern day basketball player. I have also suggested that NBA trainers and league look to other sports world wide for more creative techniques to help keep the NBA players on the court. It strikes me that any eyeball test would result in the conclusion that Joel Embid's running gait is clumsy. I'd bet an orthopedic doctor would tell Joel Emid that he does not run with his body properly situated over his hips. I might be wrong, but Embid always looks to me when he runs that he is going to fall forward. All right, enough said. You all get my drift: Enough with "State of the art" and more about "state of the athlete." 

Here's a little something about life. I don't know if you, my readers, are as annoyed as I asm of pop-ups as I am,  but I'm wondering if there isn't a class action suit that could be brought against whatever inter net company that controls these nuisances. 

ETC.

Speaking of eyeball tests, it seem to me it is time the Warriors start Kuminga and let him prove what he can contribute as a consistent starter, at least until All-Star break. Kuminag is the Warriors best pure athlete in a league that is clearly dependent on athleticism. But, let's also be clear that,  Kuminnga or no Kuminga, without Curry, Green and Wiggins on the court all season long that the Dubs have little chance of competing in the West. 

AT 85    by Tom Meschery

My doc says my spine 
is a curve ball that drops
like a sinker. My doc
believes he's a comedian,
In dark humor, I tell him. 

LITTER LESS SPORTS AND MORE ABOUT LIFE

 The title to my Blog is: Meschery's Musing on Sports, Literature & Life. I cover the basketball part and the poetry part reasonably well, I think. The life part recently has been consumed by the election and was toatlly stressful.  So much so that I've given up all news except PBS and not always their news regularly. 

But life goes on and considering it is part of my Blog, I too go on with life. 

Often sports and life come together as in this example of total idiocy. The Pelican management is allowing Zion to play at 295 lbs. Are you kidding me? Zion is 6'5". With his history of inuries, this weight is rediculous.. Zion should not weight more than 250. You don't need to be an orthopedic doc to know that. Zion's problem only magnifies an ongoing problem facing the NBA - INJIURIES, not only to stars but to rfeserves as well. One obvious way to help reduce injuries is to reduce the number of games played per season. But, since this will cost the NBA and owners too much money, this is a "mute" solution. 

That said, the other possibility is drastically improving the physical training that NBA players go through. Without giving up these tradional methods, the NBA needs to research outside the box to see what other foms of physical fitness strategies are being used around the world. What do professional dancers do? What about martial artists? Circus acrobats? Contortionists? I can't be sure, but I'm betting not enough emphasis is placed on flexibility. Has enough attention been paid to diet? 

In the meantime, I'm curious why owners are willing to pay huge max or close to max contracts to stars with injury history. 

Here's a small thing that falls into the Life/ Sports category: Dark basketball court floors for the NBA cup don't work as it is difficult to see the ball. 

Another small gripe. Peacock NFL games freeze in the middle of plays. It happened last season and it is still happening. When is this problem going to be fixed?

ONE MONTH INTO NBA SEASON COMMENTS

With one month into the season, here are a few observations about some of the teams and the league in general. Lets begin with the NBA League. 

It should be clear to the League by now that injuries are a serious problem for all teams. The absence of star players makes for unpredictable team building - and fan building.  There is no doubt that the way the game has evolved into such a high flying acrobatics that the season is too long.  Additionally, the first round of the playoffs is too long and should return to a five game series. It is also time for the NBA, as the Daddy of the teams, to do in-depth research into physical fitness training for its children with the emphasis on what kind of training is best suited to today's players. There needs to be creativity by trainers who think outside the box. I simply refuse to believe that teams can't do a better job of keeping players free from injuries. Look at cross-training, ballet dancers and other types of dancing. Look to martial artists, track and field. Look to Flexibility training, etc.  

General Comments about TEAMS:

Wizards: They've made some solid draft choices and the youngsters should get the bulk of playing time. Go young, trade older players for draft choices and build around yout youth.

Knicks: Towns' trade was a mistake. They should have paid Harrkenstein, kept DeVincenzo and Randle.

T Wolves: Towns' trade was a mistake. They were doing fine. They needed tweeking, not a major trade.  

76ers: No way to win with their two go-to stars and their health history. Cut your losses. George is still tradable. Get some youth with the same chops as Maxey. Fewer scheduled games per season should help a player like Embid, who certainly needs a more creative physical fitness regime. To start with he looks overweight to me. 

Pacers: Haliburton's shooting mechanics is odd, so it was eventually going to happen, as teams picked up on it, that his three-ball % would drop. 

Bucks: Lillard trade was awful. But it's too late to worry about that this season. They must stop talking about Middleton. He'll never be the player he was. Look for a trade for a wing defender. 

Warriors: Loss of Melton will hurt, but the emergence of the Kiowa Kid, Lindy Waters, will soften the blow. As for free-throws: How about a practice contest for jelly bellies - a jar for each player.  Fifty free- throws at the end of every practice day available during the season and 20 free-throws at shoot-arounds. Coaches keep the records. Sounds High School but athletes of any age love a competition. 

Suns: Same problem as 76ers. Star players with a history of injuries. They did a good job creating better reserves. If KD and Beale are back to full strength toward the end of he season, they could surprise. Big IF. 

Jazz: Are you going youth or not? Make a decision. The upcoming draft has got a ton of excellent players.

Clippers: How long are you going to wait for Leonard to stay healthy? Hardin is playing basketball in a truly adult way for the first time in his career. He has finally realized he can be a scorer and a point guard at the same time. 

Mavs: I've never been sold on Jason Kidd's coaching. 

Lakers: The Knicht draft choice is paying off. Be patient and get your injured players back.

Kings: I love DeRozen but it may be that he and Fox are not a good fit. The Kings need a better back-up center and more D off the bench. I thought Coach Brown was a D expert? 

 growing youth.   

i JUST COULDN''T HELP IT and etc

  I Promised myself when Adoph won the election, I wouldn't blog about the evil bugger again, but this was too good to pass up. My wife found this on line: A woman wrote the following: I unpacked my Nativity Scene for Christmas and after I'd discarded the Jews, Arabs and the foreigners, all I was left with was a jackass and a handful of sheep. 

You know what's really pathetic about this ? If Trump and his minions read it, they wouldn't get it. Trump probably thinks Jesus was a Norwegian and the people in Israel back then all spoke English. The Trump presidency is going to be the apex of ignorance. Even their favorite evil dictators will be laughing at him behind his back. Har! har! have you heard the latest about Comrade Trump? Har, dee,  har, har! 

ETC:

After the end of the first half, it looked as if the Celtics were going to roast the Cavs. But Les Chevalier came roaring back and cut the game to single digits and a couple of times toward the end to two points. Both teams were missing important players to injury, so that was a wash. Conclusion; Celts still look like number one, but the Cavs will be nipping at their heels the rest of the way. The biggest concern for the Celtics is they rely way too much on their three ball. If they continue to stary the course, there is a good chnace the Cavs will beat them in a seven gaeme series. Notice,, I didn't mention any thoere team in the East competing for he East Championship, because there isnt'. Knicks on the oouted, maybe, but I'm not sold on Twons and never have been. 

My Warriors lost a close one to the Clippers. They were in some sort of brain fog because they kept leting Norman Powell get easy three-point looks. With no hand in his face, no sense of intimidation, Powell is a deadeye shooter. 

Must comment on the 76ers. The ownership needs to reevaluate the team building. It didn't make any sense to trade for a star player with an injury history to help a star player with an injury history. Consider Embid and George for a minute, that's all it will take, would you bet money that these two will be playing together in the playoffs? 

Trump and his sheep wont' get this poem any better than they'd get the Nativity Scene comment, but it might resonate with teachers. The poem is about how we think. It's a kind poem because it doesn't judge; it just makes a statement. 

PROSPECTIVE IMMIGRANTS, TAKE NOTE

 

Either you will go through this door
Or you will not go through.
If you go through
There is always the risk
Of remembering your name.
 
If you do not go through,
It is possible to live worthily,
To maintain your attitudes,
To hold your position.
To die bravely.
 
But much will blind you.
Much will evade you
At what cost, who knows?
 
The door itself makes no promises.
It is only a door.
 
        Adrienne Rich (1929-2012)

 

ONE LAST BLAST

There is only one group of people that we can blame for Trump's election and that is the general male population of the United States. I'm talking about all men of all races, and ages and beliefs. The pre-election rumble was that women were going to swing this election to Kamala Harris, It was speculated that conservative women who outwardly stated their preference for Trump when in the voting booth would pull the lever for Harris. If that happened, it did not happen enough. What did happen I'm sorry to say is that that far too many men who professed their support of Harris and promised their wives their support to regain their right to choose what happened to their own bodies LIED. When they entered the voting booth, they chose the path of misogyny and would not pull the lever for a woman. COWARDS ALL OF THEM. Treacherous weeny creatures, so insecure about their masculinity that it got in the way of any sound judgement. What are you doing now? Showing off your pecks? Flexing your muscles? Chugging a can of Bud? Watching an over-the-hill wrestler tear off his T-shirt? Wow, real masculine of you. 

I know there are real men in this country. I know that my son and his friends are real men and the spouses of my daughters are real men and so are a great number of males in other families who support the wives, daughters and female friends. I'm grateful for you. America is grateful for you. 

Unfortunately, these REAL men are a minority. i WOULD HAVE NEVER BELIEVED IT, but now di do that the majority of men in the country are like Donald Trump, growling in so-called sexy voices that they, "looove women," snickering at Trump jokes about the size of penises, wishfully thinking of the future when they can boss women around, when they can be FATHER KNOWS F- - KING BEST. Foolish, foolish males, you are so delusional and lack so little imagination that you can not see that real males join hands in partnership with real females for a more perfect union.

.God help our country that you weeny men were missing your manhood as you stepped into the voting booth. What's to come, four years of Trump dictatorship, falls squarely on your cowardly shoulders. 

 

AMERICA, THE LAND OF THE FREE, YOU JUST LOST IT

The Electoral College system has just elected the first Dictator of its country, Donald Trump. 

                 The following is what the people in this country have in store for them:

Lot's of Chaos. Lots of revenge against any politicians or military, or notable persons who criticized Trump. LeBron James, Steph Curry, Steve Kerr, watch your backs. IRS is going to be weaponized. So will the justice department. 

 No realistic economic plan. The 20 dollar tariff on all products imported into this country is nuts and will cost middle class folks about $4,000 a year, maybe more. You think gas and groceries are expensive now, wait until Trump f__ks up our economy. 

A strict ban on abortion will become the Law of the Land. States like Californa and New York will have to fight it out in the courts, but it will be more chaos. In most states, women will be in peril of losing their lives if for some reason they have a problem pregnancy. If I were a woman during the Trump presidency, I'd stop having babies. Too risky. 

Forget about gender equality for at least four years. What the Trump men will try to do is send women back to the days when men ruled them. 

Forget about racial equality. People of color, those of you who voted for Donald Trump, you will look back on your vote as one of the worst decisions you ever made. Trump and this ilk are White Supremacists. What? You didn't know that???

Immigrants, get ready for mass deportations. Dreamers? You are out of luck. 

Get ready for Trump's total support of anything Israel wants to do in in Gaza. He and Netanyahu, two dictators like peas in a pod. 

Political and economic power will be in the hands of 1% of the population. This is called an oligarchy. Think Elon Musk, guys like him.  

Get ready for Russia and its Dictator Putin to influence our foreign policy.

Get ready for Trump to take us out of NATO, the result being America to lose all credibility with its past European partners.  

Get ready for law suits after lawsuits, grinding our country to a standstill. 

Get ready for more MAGA Republicans on the Supreme Court. 

Get ready for an attack against unions. You union members who voted for Trump, you screwed yourselves. 

I can probably think of a lot more troubles ahead for our citizens, but I'm too shocked by the result of this election to go on. Lets try to do our best to survive these next four years with dignity and grace.

 Democratic Governors, it's up to you now to save your states from the dictatorship of Trump.

                                                               Go California!

=

HOW TO SURVIVE TODAY AND TOMORROW

 Last night, news commentator, Lawrence O'Donnell, said we have a chose hope or despair as we go into election day with our Beloved Democracy on the line. He cited as an example Nelson Mandela as a person who never gave up hope. For 27 years Mandela, the father of modern day South Africa, lived in one cell in an Apartheid prison, most of the time in solitary confinement. According to O'Donnell, Nelson Mandela went to bed every night with hope in his heart. 

Let us all follow Nelson Mandela's example.

SPIRITUAL, EMOTIONAL & PRACTICAL WAYS TO LOOK AT HOPE

Hope springs eternal:  As we pray

Hope springs internal:  As we feel

Hope springs external:  As we act

THE GENERATION Z COALITION

As a high school teacher for 26 years, I never missed a graduation. The auditorium was filled to bursting with proud parents, siblings, relatives, family friends, neighbors. The mood was always in equal measures, raucous, solemn, and festive. The graduating classes in their caps and gowns would enter in single file from the back of the auditorium to their seating directlyin in front of the stage. The stage where he podium stood held the school officials, School Board members, and student speakers. Huge bouquets of flowers graced both sides of the stage. At the center of the stage were stairs students would use to return to their seating after receiving their diplomas. And every year as I sat in the audience with my fellow teachers, proud of my graduating English students, thrilled for their parents and sibs, it was always astonished and delighted by the student speakers enthusiasm and optimism for the future. I was always their generation that was finally going  to change the world for the better. So many decades have passed since my first graduation, and for the first time in my life, I actually believe that the 18-year-olds plus, those members of the Z generation will be the ones who walk their talk. 

Last night, in Wisconsin at one of her closing rallies, Vice President Kamala Harris, Democratic candidate for President, spoke directly to The Zs, often called the Zoomers. She spoke of how much she loved their impatience to get things done, and promised she'd be the one to help them finally reach their goals: climate change; racial and gender equality, job growth, solving education debt, and the return right of women to make their own decisions about their bodies. In my eyes, Kamala Harris was the proud teacher talking to her students.  She told them in her presidency their hopes and dreams for America would be fulfilled. Watching the rally on TV, I felt I was back at graduation night, and for the first time believing what I was hearing. 

 It is believable because youth has finally caught up with the old white men and outstripped them of their voting edge. The youth vote is finally ready to assert itself. Gen Z is the last group of a winning coalition of voters who will elect Kamala Harris and send Donald Trump packing.  This coalition is composed of the three Gens that proceeded Gen Z: Gen Alphas, Gen Y often called the Millennials, and Gen Xers, who will not longer tolerate Donald Trump's misogyny or any government telling them what they can do or can't do with their own bodies. 

The time had finally arrived. Decades of graduation speeches full of hope have, at last, coalesced into one laser beam of change. This is no longer pic in the sky; it is the march to a different drummer; it is the mixed metaphor that will blast the reign of old white men out of power. It is the perfect union of women with the children they gave birth to, claiming their right to be equal citizens. It will be the greatest of ironies that with the help of the bodies they brought into the world that women will finally overcome the tyranny of men. 

                                    THREE MORE DAYS TO ELECTION, VOTE FOR KAMALA - 

                                                      IT IS A VOTE FOR CAMELOT. 

In 2012, I gave the graduation  address to the class of Saint Mary's College, my alma mater, and ended with this poem by Adrienne Rich. It deals with a lot of the subjects I've been writing about in my recent Blogs.   

Prospective Immigrants Please Note  by Adrienne Rich (1929 - 2012)

Either you will
go through this door
or you will not go through.
If you go through
there is always the risk
of remembering your name.

Things look at you doubly
and you must look back
and let them happen.

If you do not go through
it is possible
to live worthily
to maintain your attitudes
to hold your position
to die bravely

but much will blind you,
much will evade you,
at what cost who knows?
The door itself makes no promises.
It is only a door.  

es and

SCAREDY-CAT OLD WHITE MEN

It is often said that as we grow old we become wiser. This may be true for women, but it doesn't seem to be as true for men. Various political polls show that the majority of white men over 65 vote for Republicans in national elections. And the polls are showing that in this years' national election for president, those white men over 65 will vote Republican even though the Republican candidate, Donald Trump, will turn this country into an AUTOCRACY if he's elected. This means that the majority of old white men are willing to betray our DEMOCRACY and our CONSTITUTION. 

No, no, no, don't try to tell me Trump is just kidding - that he won't really do what he has pledged he will do on numerous occasions, that Trump is just a big kidder, it just Trump just being Trump, it's just politics. NO, don't tell me that because you all know better. You may be old but you're not stupid. You can tell when someone is telling you the truth and when someone is lying, you're old enough and have had enough life experience to know liars from truth-tellers. 

SO, as William Shakespeare said, "WHAT'S UP WITH THAT?"

One answer might be found in the play Hamlet that has to do with slings and arrows. Trump is aiming his ever increasing vicious slings and arrows in the direction of people who he believes are disloyal to him. Today he said, he'd like to see nine gun barrels pointed at Liz Chaney's face. If yuou've not heard of Liz Cheney, she is a staunch Republican who served in our House of Representatives and will cast her vote for Kamala Harris because she knows Trump is a danger to her beloved country. 

Let's view this in its most grotesque context: Trump does not want the barrels pointing at the target that is normally placed on a condemned person's chest when standing in front of a firing squad. He describes 9 barrels pointed at Liz Cheney's face. HER FACE. Is it possible that you old white men can't comprehend how deeply ugly Donald Trump's soul is? 

Or do you absolutely understand and believe that if you don't toe the line, (his line) that you will be the one he'll place in front of a firing squad, and are, therefore, paralyzed by fear? 

ARE YOU SCAREDY-CAT OLD WHITE MEN? 

There are probably additional reasons you will give up your DEMOCRACY for a TRUMP AUTOCRACY but this is the one that should embarrass you the most. 

LISTEN: I'm calling to you over the years from those days, you remember them, when the last thing you wanted any other boy in the school yard to call you: Scaredy-Cat, Scaredy-Cat, Mitchie is a Scaredy- Cat. Perhaps it was you chanting that terrible accusation at some other poor kid whose head was hanging in shame.  Perhaps you were that shamed kid and deep down you were, in fact, a scaredy-cat and you have remained one for so long that you are now a pathetically scared old white senator of the United States. 

And, you young white males, are these the kinds of old men you want to become? And you middle-aged white males,  do you want to be a frightened old white man cowering before the slings and arrows of another old fat white man? Do you want your sons to grow up to be scaredy-cats?

THINK IT BOUT THIS. THERE ARE ONLY FOUR DAYS UNTIL THE ELECTION.   

  

IMMIGRANT MALES

In today's blog, I want to talk to IMMIGRANT MALES. It is about Donald Trump's absolute disdain for people of color, in particular immigrant people of color. Recently in his Madison Square Garden rally, the vile names he called people of color were so repugnant that is alarming that the audience in MSG was cheering and applauding him. I know the saying about sticks and stones will break bones, but words will never hurt you. WRONG. Words can hurt deeply, they can wound the soul. Trump is a  wounder of souls. 

 Language can break spirits and sow anger and cause division. If anyone had any doubts what Donald Trump believes about people of color, all they need to do is to revive the TV footage of his vile comments in Madison Square Garden. Any person who listened to Donald Trump and his other speakers denigrate people of color, like the so-called MAGA comedian who called Puerto Ricans trash. It is abundantly clear - crystal clear - that anyone who votes for Trump is, like Trump, a racist. 

That said, I'm going to assume that no sane males of color will vote for Trump. In which case, I need to talk directly to white males, yes all you white guys in the Madison Square Garden cheering for the Trump.

I need to remind you of something very important. Extremely important to do with your HONOR.

Don't believe Donald Trump was denigrating just people with dark skin color. If that's whatt you think, you better think twice. Donald Trump was denigrating Italians, Jews, Polish, Russians and Irish.. You will reply, no doubt, that you are "whites" not people from those "bad" countries, like Mexico and Puerto Rico or Honduros. You'll point to your skine and say you're a white man. Yes, that would be true if this were only about skin color, but it's not. It's about prejudice and hate. I say to you, Trump's words would shock and anger many of your relatives that came from other countries to the United States to seek a better future: 

Those of you who are Irish, Russian, Polish, Italian, or Jewish are not so far removed, chronologically, from being called: Micks, Dagos, Wops, Kikes, Pinkos, and Polacks, from being called lazy, dirty, stupid, criminals, rapists and drunks, not so far removed from being accused of taking jobs away from good honest Americans, not so far removed from being lynched as dozens of Italian immigrants were in New Orleans in 1891. You are not so far removed from the facts depicted in Martin Scorsese's movie Gangs of New York City about native New Yorkers, earlier settlers, mostly English, abusing immigrant Irish, not so far removed from December 22, 1907, Louisiana where immigrant Jews were robbed and beaten for simply being Jewish, not far from  synagogue's burnings and recent shootings, not so far removed from hateful magazine article in the early 1900's that wrote Polish Immigrants, with their flat slavic faces were inherently ignorant and with a propensity for violence. 

It was not so long ago, in America 1954, during the Senator Joseph McCarthy period that I was called a commie and pinko and shunned by many of my elementary school classmates because I was a Russian Immigrant who had arrived in the Untied States after World War ll. I remember the sting. I remember how as a youngster I wanted to bloody the noses of my youthful detractors. It was not a good feeling.

You guys cheering in the Madison Square Garden for Trump, you need to ask your grandparents about their stories or their parent's stories. Donald Trump was not just talking about immigrants of color, he was talking about your kin folk. 

All of you, descended from Jewish, Irish, Italian, Russian, and Polish immigrants: if you vote for Trump, you will be pissing on your relatives' graves. Be HONORABLE;  Be COURAGEOUS. 

                                                VOTE FOR KAMALYA HARRIS 

I'll end with the first four lines of a poem/song written by Kathleen O'Neil in 1862 
Sur I was out he other night on such a wild goose chase,
I saw an advertisement about a decent place.
It is myself the place will suit, but I can not tell you why
The lady said did you not read NO IRISH NEED APPLY. . . 

Simply change the word Irish to Italian, Jewish, Russian, and Polish and it's a sign most of your relatives read who came to the United States to seek a better future for themselves and their families. 

  

WUSSY OLDER MALES

In my blog yesterday I took to task two young males, PATRICK MAHOMES AND HIS TEAMMATE, TRAVIS KELCE, calling them WEENIES for their cowardly stance in this coming election.  This  election will determine if our country remains a democracy or becomes an autocracy. The choice can not be more clearly defined between the candidates: it's either the DEMOCRATIC United States of America as conceived and created by our forefathers, or the new AUTOCRATIC dictatorship of Donald Trump. There is NO other way to look at it. Zero. You either man up to your choice or you don't. Women have womened up to their choice and have stated unequivocally they will vote for Kamala Harris. 

The problem is male voters. For the purpose of this blog, WUSSY older males.

Before I begin, let me tell you a story about a business man in Russia as it was  told to me by a mutual friend. This Russian business man, call him Boris, although he hated the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, never spoke out against him, believing his silence proof of his loyalty and that his perceived loyalty would protect his successful business from being swallowed up by Putin and his cronies. It didn't work. One afternoon, Putin's lawyers entered his office with documents proving Putin's cronies owned his company. 

The moral of this story is obvious as this syllogism makes clear:

       1. Dictators don't care if you are a loyal to them. 
       2. Trump wants to be the Dictator of the United States. 
       Ergo, Trump will not be loyal to people who are loyal to him. 

As I did with our NFL WEENIES yesterday on my Blog: Meschery's Musings on Sports, Literature & Life, I will focus on businessmen: Jeff Bezos and Patrick Soon-Shiong, two billionaire WUSSIES. Bezos owns Amazon and the Washington Post. Soon-Shiong owns the Los Angeles Times. Both newspapers have a long history of truth-telling and award-wining journalism. Sadly, no more. Recently, both editorial boards, the Post and the LA Times have stated that they are not endorsing a candidate. SHAME ON THEM. How wussy can you get? What cowards!

What conclusion can we draw from their cowardice? There is no possible answer other than GREED. They are fearful that if Trump is elected, he will hurt their bottom line. Gentlemen, let me clue you in: Donald Trump is going to go after you anyway, as many business men in autocratic countries who thought they could appease dictators learned the hard way, a few losing their lives.  Donald Trump wants to destroy the FREE press by turning it into a press of obedience to his will, like the press in Russia, like the press in North Korea, like the press in Austria, and like the press in China and Turkey. You will both be out on your cowardly butts, wondering, geez, where did I go wrong? 

You might just look back to the date on your calendar when you made the decision not to endorse Kamala Harris.

But, all is not lost. You have a few days to change your minds and do the courageous thing. Endorse Kamala Harris and help save our democracy. If you don't, you'll get what you deserve. And there will be no tears shed by this blogger. 

From: "COURAGE"    by Anne Sexton

It is in the small things, we see it.
The child's first step
as awesome as an earthquake.
The first time you rode a bike. . . 

                              Mr. Bezos, Mr. Soon-Shiong, ride the bike of courage. 

                              Help save our nation. Don't go down in history as WUSSIES. 

WEENIES

WENNIES

The media is all about young male voters more readily supporting Donald Trump than Kamala Harris. There seems to be at least some truth to their polling, especially as it applies to young white males with no college degrees. In yesterday's Blog, I explained my thinking on the subject: I believe it is condescending of Trump to talk down to those young men who chose not to attend college but instead join the work force immediately. In all my years of teaching high school, I never once proposed that all students should go to college. I do not  believe that a college degree necessarily indicates intelligence. Trump, of course, is a stupid man and believes such nonsense. 

In today's blog, I want to return to the broader subject of ALL young males of all races. I want to talk about WEENIE young males. By weenie, I mean those who will not state unequivocally whom they will vote for in an presidential race as this one, an election that will determine if the United States of American will remain a Democracy or become an Autocracy, run by the Dictator Donald Trump and his billionaire cronies. This election, therefore IS AN IQ TEST, in and of it's self.  

I want to talk about two NFL teammates: Patrick Mahomes and his wide receiver Travis Kelce as two of the most visible examples of political WEENIES among a bunch of young professional athletes that fall into this category of political cowardice. Firstly, and rightly, if the 2024 election were a normal election, their current stance of not using their platform to promote one candidate over the over, while at the same time using it to encourage their fans to register to vote.  This would be an acceptable position to take. BUT NOT IN THIS ELECTION, GENTLEMEN.  There is way too much riding on this election: you're either for a Dictator who serves a small faction of rich cronies or you're voting for a constitutional president who serves We The People of America, OR you are for Donald Trump. Your fans need to know where you stand, not where you sit on your hands. 

I'm terribly afraid that Patrick Mahomes is a Trump supporter. According to Trump himself, his wife, Brittany is. I'm positive that Travis Kelce will vote for Kamala Harris. His girlfriend, Taylor Swift states that she will. Truthfully, if Mahomes does not reveal that he supports the Dumpster, this stance is better than encouraging his followers to vote for a dictator, but it is Weeny. WEENIES, as defined by the description wishy-washy, spineless, scaredy-cats, fence-sitters, milk-toast, lily-livered, chicken-hearted, pusillanimous, yellow-bellied and cowardly. 

I have never wanted to guess who my enemies are. I can not speak for anyone but myself, but any person who votes for the end of our democracy is and will eternally be my enemy. Therefore, I will never cheer for Patrick Mahomes again, and unless Travis Kelce shows some courage and states he is joining his brave girlfriend, Taylor Swift, in voting for Kamala Harris and the Coach, I will no longer have any respect for him. I encourage all sports fans to apply this standard to all pro athletes who continue to straddle the fence.  I want to encourage all players to show they have brave hearts and stop being WEENIES.  

INVICTUS     by William Ernest Henley 1849 - 1903

Out of the night that covers me,
 Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
 For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
 I have not winced or cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
 My head is bloody but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
 Looms but the horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
 Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
 How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
 I am the captain of my soul.  

TO MY FELLOW WHITE MEN

It has come to my attention that only 36% of you will vote for Kamala Harris. "No," I said aloud. "That can't be." Oh, I was aware that old white men were more Republican than Democrat, many of those fairly well to do and frightened to death that some liberal will come along and steal their wealth. To be expected, I thought. But what bothers me about this 36% stat is the number of young white men it must include. I called my son. He's a young white guy and asked him to poll his friends. He got back to me that they all were planning to vote for Harris, and that stat had to be bogus - white dudes are no different than black and brown dudes, who are planning to vote for Harris at a much higher level than 36%: Blacks at 80% and Hispanics at 55% by the latest poll numbers. (Dump can't keep calling Mexicans vile names. Hispanics understand what a racist the Dumpster is and will turn against him. I tell my son, son, that's what the stats' gurus are saying. We hang up at odds. He won't believe it, and I am confused, not wanting to believe it, but feeling this awful gut reaction that it might be true. 

Over the last couple of days, I've pondered the question why white men are in a majority against Kamala Harris, who seems to be the only rational candidate. She believes in our Constitution and has  specific plans about how to improve the condition of most Americans, as opposed to Donald Dump who has clearly stated that he plans to be a dictator and will seek to avenge himself against all the people who have not been loyal to him.  He has said loud and clear he wants generals in his army like the generals in Adolph Hitler's Nazi army. If that doesn't make you want to puke, nothing will.

So, are there some demographics I should be paying attention to that will help me comprehend why white men will not vote for the only rational choice in this election, the only choice to save American democracy from autocracy? Okay, there are the Old White Guys, sitting in the sun down in Florida or in retirement villages in Orange County. How to account for the rest of the demographic? 

I'm trying real hard not to say it's education. I've never believed that people with high school educations are less intelligent than people with college degrees. I dealt with this issue in my previous Blog. There is a stat about college-educated white males and non-college educated white males that I didn't bring up in my Blog, and I should now: Trump wins the white Evangelical working man vote while non-Evangelical white male working guys are not Trump voters. Furthermore, surprisingly, in the 2020 election the percentage of Evangelical white males with a college educations voting for Trump in the past diminished. 

If these stats are correct, the 36% should be higher. So what else explains why while males are not voting  for Kamala Harris? Could it be as simple as gender. White males don't want to vote for a women. No, way. We white men have given up that sexist way of thinking. Or have we? Looks like black guys have, and a majority of brown guys. Say it isn't so, white guys. Are you really so insecure in your man-self that a woman president frightens you? 

And then, as thoughts often come to me, piece by piece, I'm suddenly thinking about power, male power. White males have always been at the top of the power structure of society in this country. Could it be that white males feel so threatened by women and people of color that they would be willing to turn our country over to Donald Dump and accept a dictator as long as he makes sure WHITE MEN are at the top of the the power structure, will always be the Fathers Who Know Best? 

It is a frightening thought, but it is a possibility. I hope I'm wrong. I pray I'm wrong.

GOTCHYA BACK

 What's to fear?

the women ask. We've had your backs 

for millennia and that's a fact.

It's your turn now, don't let us down

We're not asking for a crown,

just freedom to care

for our bodies on our own.

Time enough has passed, don't you think

that should there be a new age on the brink

of becoming in our land, it should be 

with men and women hand in hand? 

                                          TM

Our 

 

YOUNG MALE VOTERS, CHECK IT OUT

Your grandpas were probably too young to fight in World War II, but your great grandpas weren't and probably did, given that 1. 9 million American soldiers and sailors fought in Europe against Adolph Hitler's Nazi Germany. Nazis were Fascists; Donald Trump is a Fascist based on everything he says and  does or says he'll do in the future if he becomes president again; therefore: Donald Trump is a Nazi. Approximately 250,000 American service men with an average age of 26, gave their lives fighting against the Nazis. That's a lot of young males. Are you going to spit on their graves by supporting a Nazi for president of our great Democratic country? Will you dishonor the memory of 250,000 young American males whose bodies lie buried in graves across Europe and the USA, whom Trump recently called losers because they were killed in battle? 

Donald Trump thinks you will do just that and vote for him. He believes you are too stupid to research who the Nazis were and who the Nazis are today. Check out the Swastika tattoos on the bodies of White Supremacists and skinheads. If you vote for Donald Trump, you are voting to legitimize people like them, who hate Jews and all people of color, who want our country to be all WHITE and their version of Christian - definitely not the Christianity of Jesus Christ who told us to love one another, who was himself a man of color. 

Don't fall for Trump the Trickster, the Huckster, the Faker, the Hater. Do your research. Use the brains Donald Trump does NOT believe you have. 

BE SMARTER 

THAN DONALD TRUMP. 

DUMP TRUMP!

       

1

1

 man of color 

Young Men Who Said No to College

It is all over the networks that Donald Trump is targeting young males without college degrees to vote for him.  Trump wasn't talking about NBA players, whose steady support of Black Lives Matter make them bullet proof against Trump propaganda. However, black NBA players and other black professional athletes make up a miniscule percentage of young black males. 

Trump is focusing on young black males without college degrees, and the rest of the Young Males of all colors Without Degrees. He is counting on their votes (Are you listening, guys?) because he thinks you see him as a macho man, a model to look up to. Trump is nuts to believe that. I don't. I don't believe you will fall for this blatant condescension. He evidently believes that because you chose not to go to college for whatever reason, you won't be able to see through this trickery. That's wahte he believes. That's how dumb he is. 

He's losing women's votes by double digits; he's losing moderate Republican votes, he's now starting to lose the military vote after many generals have come out against him, like Marine Corps General Kelly who was Trumps' Chief of Staff. The only demographic Donald Trump has on his side is old white republican men and some old white Republican women. And he has trickery. And he is hoping to trick you guys to fill in for the votes he is losing. DON'T FALL FOR TRUMP'S TRICKERY. He doesn't give a shit about you. And he has no idea who you guys REALLY are! Think about it: what he's really saying is because you chose not to go to college, you are stupid enough to vote for him. Wrap your mind around that. I am a retired high school teacher. Over my 24-year-career teaching high school, I knew many students who made the conscious decision not to go to college. They had other plans. They didn't need a B.A. for what they wanted to do with their lives. One senior told me, "Mr. Meschery, I want to build my own brand of motorcycles. I don't need that kind of education to reach my goals." Another senior said, "Mr. Meschery, I'm just so tired of studying. I want to do something. My aunt is a hair cutter. I love working with hair." Well, I certainly couldn't argue with that. I have always felt better after having a great hair cut. 

Does Trump realize that there are young men without college educations looking to start their own businesses. young men who can make a good wage being a salesman. Young males of all colors who see work - plumbers, machinists, electricians - as a worthwhile ways to live, earn money and raise a family. 

Does he realize that those young men he is targeting are creative and smart? Take for example one of my favorite students, Jon, who now owns a small beer company. His response, "I'm training for the Triathlon." Trump wouldn't understand this. He wouldn't understand a friend of mine who never went o college, but worked in the post office all his life, and in his spare time played basketball in every amateur league that was open to him--and in his old age won numerous awards for free-throw shooting, H.O.R.S.E. contests in his various age groups. I can see a lot of young males seeing his life as one to emulate, a life with a good pay check, a good pension and lots of hoops. As a young male, he was a "gym rat," and an old man he remained a "Gym Rat." He needed no college degree to put the ball through the hoop. 

And just so I make it clear. I know a young Mexican-American male who is making a good living working as a chauffer. He was never cut out for college and he knew it, but he is still very smart and he's is not going to vote for Trump, because as he told me recently, "Trump is a phony." He is dead on, Donald Trump doesn't have a clue about how diverse the young male demographic is that he's targeting with his lies. 

And, thank you LeBron James who, without a college education, has created a school that has educated a generation of young students. He didn't need college to be an ethical human being. 

BE A MAN, 

    VOTE  

FOR A WOMAN

WHO REALLY CARES 

ABOUT YOUNG MEN OF ALL 

         COLORS

WITH OR WITHOUT

A COLLEGE EDCUATION.

     BE A REAL MAN.

           AMEN

 are 

MANLY MEN

On the campaign trail, Donald Trump's sycophant vampire advisor, Stephen Miller, has been appealing to young manly men to vote for his boss. He feels it is a demographic likely to look up to and identify with Trump. Apparently some polls indicate that he might be right. This blows my mind. To me, Trump is the least manly man I can think of. Okay, I know Trump is going on 80, but does that's not an excuse for the pot belly, the prissy mouth and the blow-dry. Check it out, even when he was young, Trump looked soft. 

What I'd like to do is address you manly men out there. In my case I'm talking about athletes. I'm pretty sure that if someone was asked to identify one group of men that fit the description of manly men, athletes, arguably, would top the list. 

So Here goes. You athletes out there, are you part of the demographic that will vote for Donald Trump for President of the United States? If so, let me ask you a few questions: Is ignoring lies part of being a manly man? Donald Trump is a pathological liar. Is grabbing women in their private parts one of the signs of being a Manly Man? Donald Trump bragged about doing that. Does being a manly man mean you can sexually abuse women? Trump was found guilty by a jury of his peers of sexual abuse. Does being a manly man mean you can start a business, take your students' money, then not provide the curriculum you promised? Donald Trump did that with his school lessons on "how to become a millionaire." Is being a manly man a President who calls soldiers killed in action losers. |That's what Donald Trump said while visiting a military grave site. 

 If you are a manly man would you call one of our fearless war heroes, Senator John McCain, a looser for surviving six long years in a North Vietnamese prisoner of war camp? That's what Donald Trump called Senator McCain.  Is being a manly man the kind who'd cheat on his wife while she was pregnant? Donald Trump did with a porn star. Does being a manly man give you the right to mock a person with a physical disability? Trump did by mocking the way the man spoke. If you are a Latino manly man is it ok to call other Latinos thieves, killers, and rapists? Donald Trump does this every day. Is it okay for a manly man to ignore women's rights? Donald Trump has made it damn near impossible for women to make decisions about their own bodies. I wonder as a manly man if you would put a country like Russia over your own country? Donald Trump does. He and Russia's dictator are buddies. Ugh. Putin kills people in |Russia who disagree with him.

 Manly men, athletes, please give it a lot of thought before you vote for Donald Trump for President of the United States of America. You are young, the future is yours. Donald Trump doesn't give a crap about you. He just wants to be dictator. Don't fall for this whining weakling who cheats at golf and has the nerve to even suggest that he is a manly man. 

      Meschery's rap 

      Donald Trump is a liar.
      Don't become one of his buyers.
      Kamala Harris is a for you a fighter.
      She's not a dictator subscriber. 
       She's for all the freedom riders
        Not for Trumps billionaire insiders.

        She's a U.S. Constitution believer.

         She's our Donald Trump reliever.

. 

NBA SEASON ENDS OLYMPICS BEGIN & ETC

 The Boston Celtics won the NBA title. I don't want to talk about it. Oh, but I guess I have to, don't I. I can't allow my prejudice for all things Celtics to interfere with my totally objective commentary, can I??? The Celts were the best team. Dallas counted too heavily on their new line up to make the difference, but they did get better physically, but their two pickups were not the offense  they needed against the Celts. The Mavs needed Kyrie and Kyrie disappeared, poof, Totally intimidated by the |Boston fans. Why wasn't

't I surprised? Jrue Holiday made the final difference for the Celts' success. The Bucks' GM should be FIRED giving up a great two-way point guard for Damion Lillard, who couldn't guard my any determined NBA player. .

POST SEASON became a free agents derby. Again. So what's new these days?  Paul George joined the 76ers, which makes Philly a contender IF he & Embid can stay healthy. The Sacramento Kings made a great addition by signing DeMar DeRozan. They'll miss Harrison Barnes, but the move make the Kings one of the hardest teams to defend. Barnes and Chris Paul will be on the Spurs next season and their vet presence will be just what the young Frenchman, Wembanyana, needs to grow his game. 

Klay Thompson left the Warriors for the Mavs, Say it isn't so. But it was. The Splash Brothers Era is over. Klay's round ball days are not over. I won't be surprised if he makes a huge career comeback next season for a well deserved NA NA to the Dubs. But it is what it is. Klay moves on, so do the Warriors. The Warriors did sign three impressive free agents in Buddy Hield, "Slow Mo" Kyle Anderson & DeAnthony Melton. The three will solidify the Warriors' bench in a way it hasn't been for a long time. The three newcomers will not make the Warriors a championship team, but they will make them a contender for a deep playoff run. On the other hand,  if the Warriors manage to sign another star like Lauri Markannen of the Jazz, then the Warriors could win one, maybe two more NBA titles. Curry is still Curry, Green is still Green - for better, not worse, Steve Kerr is still the coach. As the Bard said, Markannen is devoutly to be wished. 

There are still a few players who are unsettled. What do the Warriors do with Andrew Wiggins? The mystery continues. Will Kevin Durant remain in Arizona? What will the Pelicans do with their wing three star Brandon Ingram, known fondly in this household as One-Punch Ingram? How about Zach Lavine, another great player with an injury history? Would the Warriors welcome KD back? You bet. Humm, Durant and Curry are playing together in the Olympics. Could there be some conversations going on between them? "Hey, Kevin, pass the fois gras. How would you like. . . ?" Could be happening. Bon appetit!

   Speaking of the Olympics, Coach Kerr's team USA struggled during the practice games, damn near got beat by South Sudan. But yesterday morning on TV I watched our Red, White, and Blue men convincingly defeat a strong Serbian team lead by three time NBA Player of the Year, Nikola Jokic. We have too much firepower for the rest of the world. We can't get cocky and let our D down, but if stay focused, it's a Gold for the U.S. They will be invited to the White House by President Kamala Harris. 

Speaking of our present V.P. candidate for President.  Trump pulled out of the debates,   afraid of going one-on-one with a woman. Trump is known as a bully and all bullies are known for being cowards. Representative Nancy Pelosi terrified him. 

Back to the Olympics. Is anyone totally frustrated as I am with NBC's Prime Time Olympics' production? How many product commercials, personal stories, and Olympics ra- ra ads must we suffer  before seeing an event? No complaints about daytime coverage. I loved the parade of boats and barges with the athletes in the openiing ceremony down the Seine heading for the Eiffeil Tower. Formidable! Merci for the creative chops. 

Olympic controversy: Badminton gets to play in the state of the art basketball arena while the basketball team must play in Lille, a hundred miles from Paris in a retrofit football stadium? I wonder how many of the 8 thou seats badminton will fill? Me, I'm looking forward to the table tennis games. 

The summer leagues is over and I am not very impressed with this years' class of players. But I'm not a big fan of summer leagues as a way of determining talent. There is so little time to prepare, that all the players look like those dog races, back and forth, back and forth, try frantically to get to the rim and if not try to kick to a three point shooter. BORING. The Chicago Bulls might have drafted  a winner in Matas Buzelis  Reed Sheppard looks like he has some point guard skills the Rockets could use. And Kel el Ware might make the fans in Atlanta glad. The Spurs could have found a future point guard in Stephon Castle.  And Donovan Clingan might as well buy a home in Lake Oswego and start furnishing. He'll be in Portland for a long time. Getting Clingan gives the Blazers a great trading chip in Deandre Ayton, There are teams that could use a 7 footer who can score and not so worried about paint protection. 

It's getting hardrand harder for me to stay with MJ as the GOAT instead of LeBron. LeBron is tres manifique. I guess I'll hang for another year with MJ, but if James has nother great season, I'll be forced to switch. What an amazing force James is. And, I do love his politics. 

Off to watch the Olympics. See you on my Blog soon.

SIMONE

 I heard Simone Biles dare

The horizontal bar

To do its best to upend her.  

She didn’t say the  words

They were in my head.

I held my breath

for the audacity of thought

knowing this was not

her favorite event,

that there should be one more

challenge left for her to master.

To leave the sport with a dare,

to me seemed fitting

to succeed or fail Irrelevant.  

The dare is everything.

 

     Tom Meschery 

  

 

THE NBA FINALS AND ETC

 A week off from NBA basketball and my wife sighs in relief. She can watch a movie. What a concept. Well, the respite is over and the Finals begin tonight. Celtics vs Mavricks. My wife's grandson is a Mavs fan and we have a bet. I'm not a Cetlic's fan, but I can't root for the Mavs because Kyrie Irving has never uncondionally and straightforwordly disavowed his anti Semetic beliefs. I do appreciate what Nico Harrison has done with the Mavs. When he acquired PJ Washington and Daniel Gabbard;  he filled in the missing defensive players that brought his team to this place in sports history. Prior to their arrival, Irvng and Doncic's reluctance to play solid defense was an unsolved problem. It is also worth noting that Derrick Lively Two has developed faster than was expected. I love the Mav's team. I should add that in terms of pure basketball Kyrie Irving is one of the top ten offensive one on one hoopers to ever grace an NBA court. And Doncic will go down as one of its greatest pure shoots. So many other playes on the Mavs to like: Jones, and Green, for  example. But that one rotten apple keeps me away from wanting the Mavs to win. In these terrible political times of conservative racism, it is enough to sway my vote in favor of the Celts. 

The Celts will win 4 to 2. For this to happen Celt's center Porzingis must be on the court after returning from injury and play well. And Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum must show the world how two magnificent athletes can play well together and silence all this silly comentary about a rivalry. And let's hear it for Jrue Holiday, perhaps one of the best two way point guards in NBA history (Fire Bucks' GM for letting him go.) and White and Old Man Al Horford - I temember those back to back NCAA Final Vitories - and from my wife's alma mater, U of Oregon, guard Payton Prichard, coming into his own. 

Boston will win four games to two. Nonetheless, it will be a tiight series. 

On a more positive note, one of the reasons, I've decided to be a temporary Celtics' fan is a recent article I read about Boston's Jalen Brown. He is an amazing young man who is clearly more than just a terrific basketball playeer. He learned to speak Spanish and Arabic, Arabic, I suppose, because he is a devout Muslim. He is an MIT Fellow. He lectures on Robtics and in this mornings' Athletics he reminded me of one of my farotie West African proverbs: " If a child is not embraced by the village he will burn it down to feel it's warmth." I'm always looking for example of people of color who I can na na the old white Repbulicn men wih. There is not one Republican in the Senate and the House that has half the inneligence that Jalen Brown possess. Take that you bunch of racists. 

I'm also rooting for the Celtics because I'm a huge fan of Jrue Holiday, the Celt's two way point guard. I'm still trying to figure out why in the world the Bucks GM believed getting rid of Jrue and bringin in Lillard would improve the Buck. Did he flunk NBA Basketball 101? 

And I have to be pulling for Payton Prichard because he is a DUCK. My wife received her PhD from the Universtiy of Oregon, so supporting Prichard is crucial to peace in our marriage. 

ETC

Won't it be interesting to see where the four mega free agents: Ingram, George, KD and Lebron wind up? How abut KD back on the Earriors. 

There is a lot of speculation about where Bronny James will be taken in the draft. If Lebron is true to his word that he wants to play with his son before he retires, is it possible that Bronny goes numero uno in the first round? 

Personnaly, I think Bronny is makinga big mistake staying in the draft. If he wants to make a name for himself in the game, he should have used the NCAA portal and found a solid Division One small college where he will start for the next four years, get good coaching, improve his game, especially his three point shooting and come out for the draft as a mature seasoned 23 year old. 

Congratulaions to Steph Curry for winning the Magic Johnson Award. 

On the subject of awards, did Rudy Gobbert really deserve the Defensive Player of Year Award? And isn't it cool that a guy that was not even drafteed wins the Sixth Man of the Year Award. Congrats Naz Reed. 

I was hoping that the NBA wold expand for the upcoming season, but it looks a year away. Las Vegas and Seatttle seem to be the new teams which would take the TWolves and Griz, both east of the Mississippi into the Eastern Conference. Seattle is so deserving, having their beloed Sonics stolen from them. And Vegas becaue Lebrfon want to own a team after he retires. 

I'm very curios to see what our Sacramento Kings will do in the off season. Would they give up Murry for Paul George? Or for KD?

Back to the Warriors. What in the world are they going to do with Andrw Wiggins? Dare they trust him to give them a strong full season? 

And what can the Suns do if KD leaves? I guess they'll have money for one of he other two free agenst. They seem to be deetrermind to pay the second tier of the NBA tax. Deep pockets new owner? 

And will Orlando ever get a true point guard?

With all the "bruises" that are keeping players off the court, I thought I'd remind folks about the good old day os sports medicine. 

Spit On It
 
The first time he landed wrong
he came up lame and wished for a miracle
that never happened. All season
he limped, but sucked it up the way
the older boys said he must to be a man
and not a pussy, a dictum he carried
with him into other sports and into life.
 
Today, he hears on television that so and so
won’t play because of a bruised knee
or a sore shoulder or ankle, and he hears
his high school coach yelling, “Spit on it!”
which never worked. Or did it? He recalls
the passage from the Bible where Jesus cures
blindness by mixing mud with his saliva
and rubbing it into the blind man’s eyes.
Scientists have proven saliva contains
a healing agent called histatin. As for mud,
who knows? So, he does not complain
that his knees throb or his fingers
are arthritic, or raising his right arm
causes him to grit his teeth. He sucks it up,
spits and rubs. He says it seems to help.

                  Tom Meschey From Sweat: New & Selected Poems About Sports

Days of the NBA Playoff's Lives

 It's been a bit of a soap opera with the Phoenix Suns and the LA Lakers with super star failures and dramatic sweeps. I had my hanky out as I watched AD of the Lakers prove once again he doens't produce in the 4th quarter. The menage-a-trois of the Suns was swept by TWolves for the Sun's lack of a point guard and a weak bench and an overrated Bradley Beal. 

I brought the hanky out again as I watched the Clippers 4 Super Star bundle unravel, proving to me that this strategy of bundling ageing stars is as passe as last year's women's fashions. Perhaps, like fashion, it will come back in a future decade. But, for now, the last decade's stars, although sill viable individually, are no longer athletic and young enough to fuse into championships units.The GMs of these star overload teams need to think of a new script. Durant and Paul George are free agents. As individuals these aging stars are still enormously valuable, take Kyrie Irving for example, one aging star among all the young ones. But that's the last hint I'll give the GM unless they want to sign me to a consulting contract. Any takers?

Some observations along the playoff path: The Knicks/Pacers series have been very enjoyable, both teams playing scrappy ball. Knikcs better not tire Brunson out, or hey risk losing. I'm pulling for the Knicks, however, how can someone not for a team with Hart, Brunson and DiVincenzo playing on the same Villanova team. That they all wound up on the Knicks close to their homes and college greatness, that's worth cheering for. 

My grandson says anybody but the Celtics. Are they such villians? I suppose you look up in the rafers and see so many NBA championsips that it's easy to look at them as Darth Vadors. In my opinion, the Celts should win the East. This is especially true if Porzingis returns soon. They still rely way too much on the three ball, but that's a league wide sin, so it's hard to fault them when the have three excellent three ball shooters. Derrick White has come into his own this season. Is there an All Star Two Way Guard Team? He'd be one of the top five.  

With the season over for someteams and darn near over for others, the teams I'd hate to be managing are the ones straddling the middle, like the Hawks, Heat, and Bulls. In the West, the Warriors and the Kings are in the same position and need to do some serious thinking. These fence sitting teams have enough juice that the wrong decision could be destastrous. The Kings need toughness. Is there a quick fix for them? Do the Wariors finally say, our era of greatness has ended with noble efforts. It's time for a rebuild. In MIami, I think Butler is overrated. Should the heat look to pick up some good players in return for him. As for the Hawks and Bulls, how do you uptick from mediocrity?

As for the Bucks, how do you make up for the terrible decision to trade Jru Holiday and bring in Dame Lillard? Did the Bucks win a championship with a pick and roll offense? No. Do the Buck need fresh legs? Yes. 

As for the 76ers? Will Joel Embid ever have an injury free season? The answer is NO. All you have to do is watch the way Embid runs. Never with a strong center of gravity. The Sixers have no choice but to stay with Joel Embid. They have a strong cocah and many worthy players. If I were the Sixers, I would be inquiring into pysical fitness gurus, looking for solutions for Embids propensity for injury. I'm serious when I advise talking to trainers for ballet dancers. But also Martial Arts trainers. There might be diet considerations. The Sixers have got to think outside the box. Joel Embid is worth the effort.  

If I'm the GM and coach of the Orlando Magic, I'm excited about the ruture. Find a true point guard and a floor spreading hree point shooting wing. I ditto he GM of the Thunder here even though hey are still playing in the West. They are full of great yound prospects. Future looking good for them. 

I'm not forgetting the Grizzlies. Ja Morant will be back. He is enough to put the team back into playoff contention. But they could sure use Steven Adams back. Perfect for this team. Jared Jackson at the wing 4 was a holy threat. Adams didn't need the ball but filled up the paint. Also, he was and is tough as nails. And a man of character, strong locker room is someting the Griz need in the Morant era. As strange as theis sound, considering I critized Ja heavily, I believe he's going to come out of this weirdness a better player and a better man. 

And the Utah Jazz, well, they have to keep doing their OKC accumulating draft choices imitation for the time being.  

This leaves us checking out the top teams. Predictions? 

Nuggets in the West      vs     Celtics in the East

Ta, ta, ta, TA! And the winner of the 2024 NBA Championship goes to Serbia. 

It's hocky playoffs, so here's a basketball players viewpoint poem:

WHY I NEVER PLAYED HOCKEY 

It’s too fast. I can’t follow the puck.
I’m cold even in this padded uniform.
I feel like I’m in the North Korean army
and we’re invading the South,
then the South is invading us,
then we’re back at it. We will go on
like this forever invading each other
on a field of ice. I feel as if I have a cage
over my head. I am ten and the ice
on the pond is cracking under my skates.
I’m twenty in the NHL, and I have no teeth.

No POst Season for Warriors. What's Next?

 The Sacramento Kings attacked relentlessly and the Warriors of an earlier era would have had an answer, but not last night's Warriors. These were not the Dubs. These were older, slower, less aggressive Warriors. So, what can be said, realistically? There is no dishonor in saying that the great Dubs era that saw 4 NBA Championships and 6 Westeern Confrernce Championship is over. The Splash Brothers and D. Green will be heading to the NBA Hal of Fame. Lat night, with the addission of CP 3,we had the priviledege, despite the loss, of seeing 4 Warriors Hall of Fame players on the court at the same time. 

So what's nextThe Kings were beaten badly by the Pelicans abd akk tge play in teams have found their places eithr in or out. Teimberwoves, Knicks, Denver,  Clevland all won their first games. It is Sunday and their will be the rest of the first round games to watch. I wouldn't be surprised if the Pels upset OKC. I wouldn't be surprise if the Mavs upset the Clips. Boston should go through the first two rounds easy enough. But if it runs out it is the Knicks vs the Celts for the East, I wouldn't be surpised if the Knicks upset the Celtics. My grandson like the Mavs as his upset team. I have no faith in Kyrie Irving's defense. But the Mavs made a fabulous trade at the deadline gettin Gafford and PJ. So, it's possible. But I don't see a Western team that will beat Denver in a seven game series. This is someting that I was used to saying about the Waarrios. You could upset the Dubs once, but not over seven games. True for Mike Malone's team. 

So, let's get back to "What's next" for the Warriors. First, the era of small ball is over. The Warriors must acquire long, tall and altheletic players to compete in the future. Let's use as an examle, Franz Wagner of the Magic. The Warriors could havd drafted for him, but didn't, selcting instead Johnathon Kuminga, a 6'5" granted athletic guard or wing. As one coach told me, "Franz Wagner had Warriors written all over him." Too bad. Nothing agains Kuminga, but will he ever be a reliable 3 poin shooter. Anyway, this is just about saying The Wariors must retool. How the go abou ti is not for me to say. But no moar small ball please. Hats off to Steph Curry for continuing to carry the Warrios on those talented shoulders. but how long before he becomes frustrated? If I were him, I sure wouldn't want to do it for one more season, like the last two. 

   I live in Sacramento, so the Kings are my alternative favorite team. What's next for them? They have plenty of offense. And I've seen them play some decent defense. But I've NEVER seen them play sustain aggreseive defense for 4 quarters. They might be the worst second half team I've seen in a long time. Sorry, Mike Brown, reality check. So, the answer is: get defense credibility or it's a future of PlayIns. Ugh! 

Hat's off to Michel Porter Jr for not allowing his terrible family misfortuen to affect his play. I'm sure he loves his two brothers,, Coban and Jontay, but he also feels a commitment to his teammates. He's a pro.  

Thrilled to see the picks for our Olympic basketball team. Thrilled to se that Jrue Holiday was selevted, proving that Grant Hill know the value of a two way point guard. This is going to be the best American Olympic team since the Dream Team. 

My pick for the NBA Championship? The Denver Nuggets. 

VENDER

You think that championship banner belongs to you?
Let me tell you guys something, it belongs to us,
The hawkers with the cotton candy and the ice cream bars. 
a few extra bucks. In my case, to save money
for my son to go to camps, become great,
perhaps someday win a ring like ya’ all.
I’m thinking wouldn’t it be great to be like
Stephen Curry’s dad watching his kid hit
those silky jump shots, or Klay Thompson’s dad.
the time his son scored 50 point, 34 in one quarter.
Or Durant’s mom, how proud I’d be to be
that proud of my son, and him proud of me.
Here I am hawking frozen ice cream bars,
counting up in my head how much I can make
this basketball season to send my son to camp.
Only ten years old but, damn, he’s pretty good already.
Heck, isn’t this what fathers dream for their sons?
Like little boys dream of going to games
sitting with their dads, eating cotton candy
and watching the Dubs win an NBA Championship?
 
                       Tom Meschery

ON JOKIC'S GREATNESS & etc

 When I think back at all the particular skills the great centers of the NBA past possessed over the years and apply them to Nicola Jokic's skill-set, there are none in which the maginficant Serb doesn't excel. One can argue rightly that he is not as great a shot blocker as Bill Russell or Wilt Chamberlain, and one can argue that he is not as prolific a scorer as Kareem or as powerful in the paint as Shaq. But as season after season begin to prove, the Joker possesses all the skilss I've just meantioned and more, like passing and handling the ball and initiating offense and God know what else, perhaps piloting the Nugget's airplane. I do not need a ten year career history to say that at this point in his NBA career, Nicola Jokic is he greatest All Around NBA center that ever played in the NBA. And he does it with humility, grace, and a touch of humor. He is a pleasure to watch. He doesn't scream; he doesn't whine; he is all about TEAM. He possesses that same mature profressional personality of Steph Curry and Doctor J, players whom I christen: Gentlemen Daggers. 

A quick note, Oakland Univeersity basketball team defeating Kentucky began the slippery slope to most of my brakets being busted. Oakland almost beat NC State and should have. Terrible coache's decision to keep one of the team's worst free throw shooter on the floor in the last 16 seconds of the game??? 

My Gaels  lost in the first round to upstart Grand Canyon. I love upsets, except this one. Talking heads mentioned prior Gaels going to the Sweet 16, but failed to mention the Saint Mary's Gaels' team making the Elite 8 in 1958, losing to Pete Newell's University of California Bears that went on to win the NCAA Championship. 

Perhaps I've mentioned but perhaps not that my wife, an excellent portrait painter, has an All Handsome NBA Team. Yesterday, watching the North Carolina play in the Big Dance, I saw Elliot Cadeau and told her she should wish that Cadeau, with the face of one of Raphael's Renaissancee Angels, should make it into the NBA. By the way, Cadeau means Gift in French. 

It pains me to say it, but I can not see how my Warriors can go beyond this season with the roster they have. I do not envy GM Mike Donvely's job this summer. How do you gracefully bring the Dubs' decade of exquiste basketball excellence to a close and rebuild? Luckily, we found two superb rookies. When this season ends, it might end appropriately with Edward R Murrow's famous closing line: "Good night and good luck."

I'm on the bandwagon with U Conn winning the NCAA. That might be the kiss of death for them, as I've never been right in all the years I've tried to pick a winner. Sad tale.

I'm going to fudge a bit with the poem finish today. This is not a poem about sports, unless you consider waltzing requires a lot of athletic coordination. A recent article in The Athletic in the New York Times was all about my wife and I and our lives in our elderly years, (Notice I do not use the word Old) so when I saw this poem, I wanted to share it with all of you in my Blog Land. Enjoy!

HE SAID WALTZ WITH ME DARLING

 ‘till the soft cloth
hammers shatters
and no longer reach
the strings
 
‘till the metal pedals
wear down to nubs
unable to dampen
the music rings
 
‘till the keys turn concave
with decades of use
and middle C warbles
instead of sings
 
waltz with me darling
come waltz with me
until we are the last
two things
 
        Angelle McDougall

THE CORNER THREE

The regualar distance of the NBA three point line is 23.9 feet. The distance of the three point line in the corner in 22 feet, one foot and nine inches shorter and still it is valued as 3 points. First of all, this doesn't pass the fair test. Second of all, its existence seems contrived to increase scores. Thirdly, it is a position that is very dificult to guard, given the speed of the game today. Some defensive minded coaches say there are schemes to guard against the shot, but the analytics says differently. More threes are made from the corner than any other place behind the 3 point line. 42.5% makes from the corner compared to 34.9 from the wing three and 38.9 from straight on three. That's a heck of a distance and it provides players who normally might not make a three-point-shot from anywhere on the court the opportunity to call themselves three point shooters. 

IN ADDITON, it makes the game BORING and FRUSTRATING. Furthermore,  it damages something that was a very important part of defense as I learned in high school and college and during my years in the BBA: the importance of HELP D, particularly from the weakside. This deserves a quick explanation: players drive to the basket - do they ever these days ad nauseum knowing that the charging foul in the NBA is rarely called. Before the corner three, alert help D  often prenvented the easy layup. The kick pass to a waiting wing? Of course, but the shot, if made, would only be valued as a deuce. 

MR. SLILVER TEAR DOWN THAT THREE POINT CORNER SHOT!! 

Let's make the three point shot a REAL three point shot. 

I would have to do more research, but I'm willing to bet anyone that I'll be able to come up with some names of players who can NOT make threes except from the corner. Why would players who can't make threes from 34.9 feet be rewarded for making corner baby threes? 

And, perhaps, just maybe, the absence of the corner three will lower the number of head-long-dives into the paint and allow for coaches to strategize shots coming from different spots on the floor, maybe even from midrange, be it ever so humble. I say this with great admiration for DeMar DeRozan who's  made a living off the midrange jumper. 

i kow so little about hockey, but I do admire the skils it takes to play Canada's national sport. Here's little poem about the game. Just for fun. 

 WHY I NEVER PLAYED HOCKEY   by Tom Meschery

It’s too fast. I can’t follow the puck.
I’m cold even in this padded uniform.
I feel like I’m in the North Korean army
and we’re invading the South,
then the South is invading us,
then we’re back at it. We will go on
like this forever invading each other
on a field of ice. I feel as if I have a cage
over my head. I am ten and the ice
on the pond is cracking under my skates.
I’m twenty in the NHL, and I have no teeth.
 

NBA ALL-STAR HANDSOME TEAM

 In 2015, my wife Melanie Marchant and i were watching a Warriors' game. It was sometime in the fourth quarter and the game was close. I had to leave for a bathroom break. I told my wife to give me a running play by play account of what I was missing. This is how it sounded: "Steph is bringing the ball up the court; he' passes to Klay who passes to Draymond, Steph cuts off Draymond for a handoff and Harrison Barnes is looking very handsome tonight."

Melanie is an artist. Before I conviced her to retire, she taught art and art history at Sacrmento City College. She is an eclectic painter and can paint just about anyting from religious icons to landscapes. I am particularly fond of her portraits and there is no questtion she excels as a portrait painter. As I've often told her, she would have made a fortune back in the day when their was not photography. It is this special talent that draws her to examine faces. And as a huge NBA fan, it was only a matter of time until she came up with her favorite faces. 

I tried to talk her into a 1st, 2nd, & 3rd team, but she believes keeping selections without tiers will allow for other portrait painter/NBA fans to subtract and add, which would make for better comments on my Blog. I won't argue with that. Arguing with my wife is usually wasting my breath  anyway. She also wants me to explain that handsome can also mean cute or interesting. We're talking bone structure and things of that nature. And she wishes to express her apologies to the guys on the bench who don't play a lot that she hasn't seen, who could make the team had she the opportunity to see them properly. So here goes: Congratulation to all you handsome dudes. 

STEPH CURRY            HARRISON BARNES        AARON GORDON   

THE THOMPSON TWINS (Count as one face)      VICTOR WEMBANYAMA

JALEN GREEN       CHRIS PAUL     BISMACK  BIYOMBO    MYLES TURNER

JOSH GIDDY      DENI AVDIJA     KEVIN LOVE      TYRESE MAXEY

GUI SANTOS     JEREMY SOCHAN   RUI HACHIMURA    DE'AARON FOX

 While the NBA season is starting its sprint to the finish line, I'm reminded that the NHL season is underway. I don't do hockey. I can't follow the puck. But I do admire the sport. And I did write a poem about it in my collection Sweat: New and Selected Poems About Sports. 

 WHY I NEVER PLAYED HOCKEY  By Tom Meschery

It’s too fast. I can’t follow the puck.
I’m cold even in this padded uniform.
I feel like I’m in the North Korean army
and we’re invading the South,
then the South is invading us,
then we’re back at it. We will go on
like this forever invading each other
on a field of ice. I feel as if I have a cage
over my head. I am ten and the ice
on the pond is cracking under my skates.
I’m twenty in the NHL, and I have no teeth.
 
 

All Star Weekend Ends Badly

 The NBA must do something about the Sunday All Star Game, as in something that makes it interesting to fans and players. The scoring binge I watched disgusted last night was, in my opinion, the worst performance of many recent years of All Star Sunday performances. 

That said, I completely understand the players refusal to play tough Defense. I believe fans understand this too. If not, they should. To risk hurting themselves in a game that has nothing to do with the regular season is stupid. There is plenty of wringing of hands over this problem. So, what's to be done? But before we tackle this question, let's look at the earlier events.

The Rising Stars Game on Friday night was okay because the players played enough Defense that the game did not turn into a shooting contest. Drives were somewhat contested. Guys shot with hands in their faces. I like the tournament approach. The final game looked like the teams wanted to win. The winners' celebration looked unscripted. A tournament format would not work for the Sunday All Star Game. If I were the NBA, I'd bring back the Old Timers Game to preface the Rising Stars game. It would be a nice contrast. From the way Rick Barry looks, I bet at close to 80, he still might be able to play some minutes. How about getting Reggie Miller back on the court. For a fun gimmick, how about an old timer vs a new timer free throw shooting contest? 

Moving on to Saturday Night's Extravaganza:

The skills contest needs to be a more interesting tests of a players' handle, Dribbling around cones, taking layups? There needs to be something along the line of through the legs, spin passes. Look-away passes. Baseball passes full-court to cutters, Think Pistol Pete, White Chocolate. That said, Saturday's contests won the weekend award for most engaging and fun to watch. The Dunk Contest still needs the best NBA dunkers. Where was Jonathon Kuminga, for example. There are other high flyers that don't want to participate. The League needs to figure out how to make it more enticing. So, McClung saved the day. He was once again fabulous. He should be allowed to compete next year for a third try. I don't think other G League guys should be allowed to compete unless they have been signed to an actual NBA roster. The Steph vs Ionescu contest was brilliant. A WNBA vs NBA contest should be a future from now on. Also, how about a free throw shooting contest. Four standards at each end. Who can make the most free throws in a row without a miss. No time limit. Lots of tension as, say, two players have missed and drop out, two remaining shooting, the announcer counting. 

Moving on to Sunday:

The NBA finally has to admit the Sunday's game is not really a game. There is NO DEFENSE, so it can't be called a competition. No one is competing. It is finally a test of offensive skills, windmill dunks included. Well, then, let's make it more of a strategic shooting test: 1) Create a 4 point line. 2) Create two 5 point boxes where the half-court line meets the sideline. Reduce layup and dunk points to one. How about a running hook shot for three points. Change the concept of Defense for the All Star Game from obstruction to distraction. Also, get back to the quarter point format. I can imagine players practicing running hook shots and five point shots during the summer. I can see coaches thinking about when best to take the five point shot or how best to utilize the layup or dunk as opposed to the higher valued shots. 

As is commonly heard in our conversations these days, "You see what I'm saying?" 

Lots of talk these days about injuries and the NBA League's 65 game rule. Here's a old school poem about injuries:

Spit On It        By Tom Meschery

 The first time he landed wrong
he came up lame and wished for a miracle
that never happened. All season
he limped, but sucked it up the way
the older boys said he must to be a man
and not a pussy, a dictum he carried
with him into other sports and into life.
 
Today, he hears on television that so and so
won’t play because of a bruised knee
or a sore shoulder or ankle, and he hears
his high school coach yelling, “Spit on it!”
which never worked. Or did it? He recalls
the passage from the Bible where Jesus cures
blindness by mixing mud with his saliva
and rubbing it into the blind man’s eyes.
Scientists have proven saliva contains
a healing agent called histatin. As for mud,
who knows? So, he does not complain
that his knees throb or his fingers
are arthritic, or raising his right arm
causes him to grit his teeth. He sucks it up,
spits and rubs. He says it seems to help.