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Happy Memorial Day everyone. We should be forever grateful for the extreme sacrifices so, so many paid for the current freedoms to make us divided and antagonistic as we've ever been.
God bless America, and the men and women willing to pick up a weapon and stand a post to defend her. And us.
Weekend winners
Everyone who participated in the flag ceremony at the Chattanooga National Cemetery. If you have been, you know. If you haven't been, you should know.
Hopes of Braves fans everywhere. For a team starved for healthy starting pitchers, news came this weekend that Mike Soroka is scheduled to return to the mound for the Braves tonight in Oakland. Buckets, this could be amazing. #FingersCrossed. No matter how tonight goes, Soroka's path — two Achilles' tears and close to 34 months of rehab — demands a visor tip friends.
Boston Celtics. Buckets, three straight and a gutsy road win in Saturday's Game 6 that forced a Game 7 tonight in Boston. Man, history is afoot. And it's a hand too. (See what I did there Spy.)
Madeline Ray Greeson. My little girl became a teenager on Sunday. Someone cue the Kenny Chesney classic, "There Goes My Life." And oh yeah, she threw a two-hitter in a 2-1 win in the winner's-bracket final late Saturday night in Dalton. (They finished second to a team from Rockmart in the end.)
Josef Newgarden. Not that's not a character in the next Tarantino film. He's an elite Indy Car driver who has landed two titles for Roger Penske's race team. But he had been bagel-for-ever at the crown jewel of the Indy circuit — uh, the Indianapolis 500 — until Sunday. Kudos.
Weekend losers
Everyone else involved in Sunday's Indy 500. Hmmmmmmm, in the first year that Roger Penske owns the Indianapolis 500 track, a Roger Penske driver wins after a controversial late-lap ruling that moved Newgarden from fourth to second on the final lap restart. Somewhere Fox News is saying, "Yeah, but what's your point?"
USA Today columnist Nancy Armour. She is way more accomplished and certainly way better paid than I have been or ever will be. But her stance on Sam Ponder having an opinion and the supreme jump to Sam Ponder is a bigot is not only unfair, it's stupid. I wonder how Nancy would feel if say, Jim Murray or Lewis Grizzard identified as a female and decided they wanted Nancy's job at the USA Today, and that's just a talent evaluation, not a testament of proven physical and scientific advantages.
Jimmy Garappolo. Dude failed his physical and now reportedly may have his contract waived. Good goodness. And there are even betting markets out there that have the Raiders ownership team, which now included Tom Brady, looking into the possible pool of replacement QBs, which includes Tom Brady.
Harris English. We love the local dudes. We dude, and we pump the sunshine whenever we can. But Harris was in position to win at the Charles Schwab and his final round Sunday made the Titanic look up and go, "Dang, that's a disaster right there."
Hmmm, casting call
So Will Ferrell is going to play John Madden in an upcoming move according to reports.
First, Ferrell is a way better actor than his over-the-top comedic antics would let most believe or understand.
Second, this one seems a bit surreal.
Finally, it leads us to a great question for this holiday Monday:
Which actor did the best job portraying a real-life sports icon?
Go.
This and that
— Who won or lost the weekend scenario with the tennis fans in France booing a Ukrainian tennis player for not shaking hands with an opponent from Belarus, which has helped Russia in its war efforts against Ukraine? Discuss.
— Kudos to the Lady Vols for getting to the College Softball World Series. Cool stuff.
— Craig Kimbrel getting his 400th career save against his former team Saturday night in Atlanta was cool. Kimbrel, Hall of Famer, right?
Today's questions
Weekend winners or losers, go.
We have the sports biopic question above, as well as the Craig Kimbrel, Hall of Famer, yes or no, question.
As for today, May 29, let's review.
On this day 70 years ago Edmund Hillary and company reached the top of Mount Everest.
Rushmore of Mounts and be creative.