by John Walters
The Blindside II
After being ejected for a late hit followed by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, 6A Edinburg (Tex) lineman Emmanuel Duron rushed onto the field and body-slammed the referee. Duron, a junior, is one of the top linemen and wrestlers in south Texas.
If you were wondering, the game was between Edinburg and Pharr-San Juan-Alamo (that’s a lot to put onto a varsity letter jacket) and Edinburg won, 35-21. Duron was escorted from the field by police. The referee was treated for a concussion and shoulder injury but walked off under his own power. As this story relates, such an incident is not without precedent in Texas.
Call 9/11
On Wednesday, according to Johns Hopkins University, 2,658 Americans died due to the coronavirus. Yesterday, Thursday, 2,804 Americans died. We could reach 2,977 daily deaths by this weekend, which is equal to the number of Americans who died related to the terrorist attacks on 9/11 (not counting the thousands more who would die years later in Iraq and Afghanistan, including Pat Tillman).
Maybe if news channels just began superimposing the number of dead Americans each day over this photo, the dolts who refuse to wear masks would begin to get it. But probably not.
Unseen Screen
The New York Times released its Best Films of 2020 lists and not only have I not seen any of them, I’ve only heard of two of them. Does this mean I’m no longer part of the Coastal Elite???
I did not see David Byrne’s American Utopia on a screen, but I have seen it twice in person. Does that count? And by the way, where is 1917? I liked that movie. That’s a 2020 release, no?
Going Coastal*
*The judges will also accept “Keeping It Teal”
A lot can change in a week. Last week we sports media types took umbrage at undefeated but unloved BYU passing up a potential opportunity to play unbeaten Washington in Seattle (as it would happen, Utah traveled to Seattle and blew a 21-0 lead to the Huskies and lost).
Turns out we had the wrong week, the wrong undefeated team and the wrong coast. Tomorrow BYU (9-0) travels to this fall’s other surprise unbeaten, Coastal Carolina (9-0), for what should be the most entertaining game of the season. At least among unbeatens after Thanksgiving.
BYU becomes the first team to play on both the blue turf of Boise State and the teal turf of Coastal in the same season. If only the Cougs could schedule a game at Eastern Michigan to complete the FBS trifecta.
Norwegian Wood
We always have time for a crunchy guitar cover of “Voices Carry” featuring Aimee Mann (she’s the new Helen Mirren). This is her best cover of the song in the past five years as she and her two bandmates don’t shy away from the cathartic ending. Mann has noted that she’s a little embarrassed by this tune and has shied away from playing it for years. Don’t know why. You wrote a classic rock song in your early 20s. That’s a badge of honor.
And here’s Carrie Underwood covering the mid-Eighties classic, so this would be “Voices Carrie?”
I’ve been meaning to ask you this the past few weeks but keep forgetting – what do you think of the NBA starting their season in 2 weeks? I think it’s INSANE! WTF are they doing?! As for them losing “so much money” if they delayed till MLK Day, bullshit, as apparently there’s still enough to pay Anthony Davis $190 MILLION over the next 5 years. I like AD & believe he’s a future MVP but for god’s sake, millions of people have been out of work for 9 months, have to stand/sit in their car for hours for food every week or starve, tens of thousands of small & large businesses have gone or soon will go bankrupt & of course, over 275,000 have DIED from COVID but god forbid a sport not be able to pay THEIR workers a RIDICULOUS amount of money!
9% of NBA players have tested positive for COVID in the recent tests. What do you think is going to happen when they start playing INDOORS, with spit & sweat flying? It will make the NFL’s farce of a season look sane.
If the NBA just couldn’t wait, they SHOULD have set-up 2 Bubbles, one for each Conference & they would have just played each other until MLK Day when hopefully, the vaccine will be available for such (cough) “essential workers”.
I am so disappointed with the NBA, especially after they showed the world how a sport COULD be played safely during the worst health & economic crisis in a hundred years.
But whatabout Bron Bron signing a 2-year, $85 MILLION extension?
That one too. I was just thinking of the highest contract I’d heard the past few weeks. And ya’ll know how I feel about Sweet Pea but these contracts have been INSANE for years & in the middle of a pandemic that will have KILLED 300,000 AMERICANS BY THE END OF THE YEAR?! And left thousands of others with lingering if not permanent health issues?! If any players or coaches die, that’s “just business”?!
SHAME on the NBA & their greedy SOB owners whom I am assuming is pushing this start date.
Dammit, JW, you made me go down another YouTube rabbit hole. I wasn’t aware of Aimee Mann, and now I’ve watched a bunch of her song performances on YouTube.
Aimee is incredible. In the ’80s Madonna got all the glory and Aimee had all the talent. And for my money, the most beautiful woman ever to play rock and roll.
If you haven’t already seen them, watch:
–vintage performance of “Coming Up Close”
–Til Tuesday’s live performance of “Voices Carry” in NYC in ’85, I think
–the “Charmer” video with Laura Linney
–her cameo on Portlandia
I saw her play two summers ago in Jersey City. She’s criminally under appreciated. You can also see her playing on the final Fred Armisen-Bill Hader performance on SNL as Ian Rubbish. She’s one of the real-life musicians who comes in to jam with them.
CRSP – officially a 4-bagger. 🙂 BTW, I was only able to buy a teeny amount back in March (20 shares) before I ran out of money. I had PLANNED to add another 20-25 shares but by the time I had more investing cash, it had popped up so I waited for the next “correction” which, um, has not happened yet. Also, this kind of return is what I was expecting to occur over the next few YEARS & not months. I own EDIT too (bought 2 years prior) as I find what these companies are doing fascinating & with a HUGE health/life global impact.
And yes, when I find new tech (or in this case biotech) that I think has major possibilities, I like to invest in 2 (or 3) of its companies. Sometimes it works & sometimes (as my so far woeful investment into two 3-D printing companies years ago illustrates), it does not.
You may not realize (or perhaps you just decided not to mention) but Ted Leo (guitarist on the right) graduated from Notre Dame in 1991. He was my Freshman Orientation leader. He has led several bands since then and he and Aimee teamed up to record about 5 years ago
I did not know that and I appreciate you telling me.
Soooo….Which SEC or Texas University will be the first to offer Emmanuel Duhon, a FREE 4-year ride??
Ted Leo–ND guy.
Is that whom they named Theodore’s after?