by John Walters
Tweet Me Right
Starting Five
(Close) The Book Of Eli?
Did anyone expect Eli Manning to play 16 seasons in the NFL, all of them until this one as the starter? Or for him to win not one but two Super Bowl MVP awards.
The New York Giants demoted their veteran quarterback on Tuesday in favor of rookie Daniel Jones. Perhaps the most telling stat of Manning’s star-crossed career is that after 232 starts, the team’s record in those games is 116-116. He’s not a Hall of Famer in our eyes, but in those two postseasons when the G-men needed him most, he more than showed up. And he may have completed the most incredible pass in Super Bowl history which, for all the acrobatics of David Tyree on the other end, never happens if Manning does not somehow magically escape the clutches of a New England pass rusher.
Manning’s always been a good dude. So he took the demotion with grace. How long before he joins big brother and Brad Paisley in those Nationwide ads is anyone’s guess.
Jerry-mandering
In this morning’s New York Times, an entire article is devoted to this photo from Monday’s Corey Lewandowski circus. The story is titled “This Picture Tells You Everything You Need To Know About Impeachment” . In it writer Nicholas Fandos likens photographer Doug Mills’ shot to “a Renaissance painting.” Read it if you like.
We didn’t pay attention to Monday’s proceedings. It was just another incident of Democrats behaving like William H. Macy’s character in Boogie Nights when he sees what’s happening in the alley behind the party with his wife. And as for Jerry Nadler, he reminds me of the guy in line at Zabar’s who mildly protests when you cut in front of him but then does nothing more than say “Sheesh!” to the old lady standing next to him.
This Justin
For the record: We don’t care.
But this does mean that Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau can forget about auditioning for Saturday Night Live.
“To Infinity—And Beyond!”
This could make for quite an interesting game of Marco Polo.
In London, plans are underway to construct a 360-degree infinity pool at the top of a 55-story hotel. The pool’s center will be glass-bottomed.
You may ask yourself, How do I get here? (Thanks, David Byrne). A spiral staircase leading from below will provide access, and much like a submarine surfacing, the staircase will rise and protrude through the surface when someone wants to access the 600,000-liter pool.
Great. Because if there’s one thing with which we’ve always associated London, it’s outdoor swimming.
Half Time
In Copenhagen last weekend, Kenyan distance runner Geoffrey Kamworor sets a new world record in the half-marathon: 58:01. The previous mark, set one year ago, was 58:18. A seventeen-second drop is quite a discount.
Kamworor, who won the 2017 New York City Marathon, has won three world championships at the 13.1 mile distance. And this is a reminder that the half-marathon should be an official Olympic event. It would be a crowd pleaser that could be run on the streets of the host city at the midway point of the Olympic Games. Easy Peezy, as they say.
So, no reply about Serengeti? Well, if you didn’t catch it, watch when you can as I think you’d like it VERY much. My only complaint is it’s not made clear what time period is being covered (6 months? a year?) or if the animals KEEP migrating around to where they started. The series documents The Great Migration. Of course, maybe that was specified in the 1st episode which I missed. Part of me fantasizes about a trip to view parts of the Serengeti to catch a glimpse of that magnificent herd but, um, another part wonders about the, er, smell. What must the “aroma” be of a MILLION wild animals’ dung? Ewwwwwww! On the other hand, maybe that’s why those plains are so GREEN (at least until the drought followed by lightning/storms which cause fires & the burning of hundreds/thousands of acres, possibly on an annual basis). Ah yes, the circle of life & yes, I did find myself humming that tune more than once when viewing the series. 🙂
This week I’ve been watching the Ken Burns’ Country Music miniseries. It’s great! It’s not just a history of country music but the history of America too. One thing that I think may shock many people today, especially those 40 years or younger is that during the 1st half of the 20th century, many if not most Americans lived a life in what we would consider “poverty conditions” today. The hundreds/thousands of photos documenting the small towns & rural areas show VERY basic existence, especially as compared to what we deem “acceptable” today. Of course, since most of the photos seen until the 4th episode are black/white or sepia-toned have a tendency to drain the vibrancy out of the landscapes/people, that’s probably why it looks more impoverished than it really was. However, I think it’s safe to say that at least early “country/hillbilly/honky-tonk/bluegrass/blues” music was NOT the music of the wealthy in this country & it’s origin & growth is actually sort of revolutionary. Which is WHY this miniseries is really the history not just of a musical genre but America itself! Which is freakin AWESOME! 🙂
Last night’s episode included songs by the great Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash & Ray Charles. If hearing “I Fall to Pieces”, “Crazy”, “Ring of Fire”, & “I Can’t Stop Loving You” don’t make you stop in your tracks &/or curl your toes, I don’t wanna know ya! 🙂
That 55-story tall infinity-edge pool is not for the “Thames” of heart. I just descended Camelback Mountain and just the thought of it gives me the shivers!