From Chas
Just heard a Trump aide suggest the stand by NBA players is illegitimate because they make big paychecks. He's gonna have to explain that one.
Does his own fat paycheck make HIS opinion invalid?
Chas-
Everything the Trumps or their associated say have to be explained to the folks that hate them. Not unlike those same statements will be universally trumpeted by those that love the current administration.
The Trump aide to which you are referencing is actually his son-in-law Jared Kushner, and I doubt any form of context will change your mind, but here's what Kushner said to Politico:
"NBA players can afford the luxury of taking an evening off, a luxury most Americans cannot afford. I find it nice that they are mobilizing for this cause, but I would like to see them start to move forward towards concrete solutions."
And then Kushner was asked about LeBron James' Tweet of "(BLEEP) THIS. We demand change. We're tired" and Kushner said: "We would be happy to talk to him so that we can agree on what we can do,. I will contact him today."
And then he added: "I do think that peaceful protest has a place and it has importance. (But) you don't improve wealth equality by rioting and burning down stores."
I know you hate Kushner's father-in-law/boss and that's fine. You're in a rather large team picture.
But if any-non-Trump-related-or-connected political big wig said the exact same words listed above, I believe you'd support those.
Heck, I read Kushner's quotes and think it's progress, because I agree with the sentiments - he's right about pro athletes having the means to put issues above income in a way that the vast majority of us can not - and see it as progress that folks in Trump's inner circle are looking for ways to reach out.
It's light years from Trump offering "Fire the Sons of (Bleeps)" when asked about kneeling four years ago.
Which leads us to
From Mike
Jay, I love your radio show but I can't read the 5-at-10 anymore because you have gone 100 percent political and you've become part of the lamestream media.
Let me know when you go back to sports and start being funny again.
Mike-
Will do.
From David
Is there anything worse than hotdogs at a backyard cookout?
David-
This is such a great overarching question.
For the family-only events, hot dogs are a fine option. Heck, my son loves that as a dinner option. Of course he has a full menu spectrum that centers on pizza, hot dogs, grilled cheeses and pancakes.
But if you go on the road - unless you are a surprise guest somewhere - and hot dogs are served, well, you're not high on the list.
(Side note: That said, we have a family tradition of grilling chili dogs for any and all that want to come to the 5-at-10 compound on the Wednesday night before Thursday.)
From Jon
You guys see this tool Max Kellerman calling SEC fans dumb? What a clown. And his face looks like a foot.
Jon-
I did not see it, but you are not the only one that passed it along.
Here's a story from al.com that puts Kellerman's comments into a little more context, but again, it's not a good look.
https://www.al.com/sports/2020/08/espns-max-kellermans-take-sec-fans-easy-to-propagandize-and-almost-immune-to-facts-in-context.html
At least Kellerman - unlike that bag of hammers Chuck Todd who opines and spouts his far left views behind the badge of being a host/TV reporter - is a well-known opinion giver. He is paid for his opinion, like I am, except his check has a few more digits every year.
Never knew Kellerman to be a "say the extreme to get the clicks" guy - a guy like so many in the media realm who are cashing huge checks by preaching to their specific choirs - so I will give him a little bit of a pass on this one.
I have no issue with folks saying controversial things. And I now the argument is really easy to say if Kellerman said or even hinted toward that "Inner city minorities" are dumb and easy to manipulate, Twitter would melt.
But that's our world. Did I agree with him, no, but his entire rambling adds a little more context.
From Stungate
In all honesty, trying to figure out where you draw the line? You flip flop enough for all us but seeing if you could put something in writing...
Stungate-
I know folks likely view this as a snarky insult.
I see the opposite in it to be honest. If by 'flip-flop' the accusation is I go back and forth, well, I see that as someone who makes decisions on each individual statement, decision or action.
I think a big part of the problems of division in our country today are because far too many are set so firmly in one opinion that everything else must be gleaned or bent to support that overriding opinion.
That someone thinks I flip-flop - that I can see the great things Trump did with our economy before the pandemic and hate some of the social stances he takes or things he Tweets - is, to me, a strength of cognitive thinking and balance.
And Shungate appears to be a Trump-hater who had issue with me taking issue with Stephen Colbert.
OK. In a lot of ways, it's not unlike when I was the sports editor. The biggest local complaint we would get is the bemoaning about high school sports coverage.
The big one was public schools vs. private, and the subset argument in that was did we do more Baylor or McCallie. I could go back and count the stories, the photos and the numbers of lines of print on each and it still didn't matter.
In the end, the best gauge for me was if I got the same number of complaints that started "why do you love the private schools" as I got that started with "why do you hate the private schools" then I knew there was balance.
Same with the growing number of emails that bounce between "(Bleep) You, Trump Lover" and "Liberal Media."
You say flip-flop. I say willing to think about individual actions and moments rather than being a pawn in the group think fight.
So, you say flip flop. I say thank you.
This week's Rushmores:
Rushmore of biggest societal days in sports history: Jackie Robinson's debut is far left; Jesse Owens gold rush in front of Hitler in 1936; Sam Cunningham destroying Bear Bryant and the Alabama defense and Bryant making every Tide player go shake Cunningham's hand; and Wednesday, which I believe changed sports - and for a lot of folks sports fandom - as we know them. (I almost put the time I scored 40 points at Paulding County when I was a sophomore, but that's not quite to the level of the others for most people.)
Rushmore of movies with a child as the lead (with all apologies to a slew of old movies I never saw): Home Alone, The Exorcist, Sixth Sense, Paper Moon. (I left off child-led ensembles like the glorious Stand By Me or The Goonies and even Bad News Bears, which is the most under-appreciated and most-often imitated sports movie ever).
Rushmore of actor impersonations on SNL: Darrell Hammond's Sean Connery, Phil Hartman's Frank Sinatra, Will Ferrell's James Lipton (the actor host of Inside the Actors Studio), Kate McKinnon as Justin Bieber.
Rushmore of worst draft day trades: We'll leave Luka off for now and go with Robert 'Tractor' Traylor for Dirk Nowitzki, Scottie Pippen for Olden Polynice, Kobe Bryant for Vlade Divoc and the Saints sending their entire 1999 draft and a first and a third in 2000 for Ricky Williams.
Jay Greeson