From Jules
I have seen and read more about Lance the past couple of weeks than I ever would if there were baseball. Seriously, did Memorial Day really happen with no Braves baseball? What's next? July 4th with no baseball? It's not possible.
So here's a Lance question: Would you be okay with his doping thing if he were...nicer? I mean, nine out of ten would do it too, right? I think I'm way more bothered by the attitude and it seems that was there even as a teenager just without the power
Jules -
Second part first, I thought the Lance 30-for-30 was well done as a documentary - much better than The Last Dance as a movie.
Lance's was a world-class horse's patootie. (Side question: Alejandro, do the kids these days know what a patootie is? Discuss.)
World class. But so was Jordan. And they won at historic levels.
The difference, for me, was not as much about Lance's patootie-ness, or even the cheating.
It was the passionate lying over and over again. The deception on top of the lying that never ended until it ended and then he just shrugs it off with "Everyone was doing it."
If he had started there, then OK, but he wanted to have his cake and eat it too.
As for baseball, the tenor from the experts has greatly changed this week.
Guys like Passan and Only and others, while reporting about the divide between owners and players in regard to the terms of returning, those cats were always positive in terms of when not if.
Now that tone has tilted. And it's all about money and that's a shame. Jeff Passan, who is excellent at his job, said Friday morning on Golic or Wingo that July 4 is not happening, which is awful.Everywhere we look these days, it feels like there is sadness and people losing so much.
If baseball can't get out of its own way and lets money keep it from playing this year - and makes fans turn to the NBA, the NHL and of course football when the time comes - it will be a generational mistake that will cost the game countless fans and likely billions of dollars.
From Chip
A lot of good race relations talk this week on the show wanted to see if you had checked out this video this girl is pretty incredible.
Chip-
The video clip Chip is referencing is from Candace Owens, who is a black female and a conservative political commentator.
Her stance in that video details the skeletons in George Floyd's closet and speaks at length that he is not worthy of martyrdom.
I did see it. Floyd's past is troubling, and as Owens says bluntly, "George Floyd is a criminal" and she is not going to be part of the black community that makes martyrs of criminals.
Her points are persuasive. Her argument is well-researched. And she says multiple times that no one deserves to die like Floyd did.
She trots out numbers and makes a litany of points that lead her to what has been a consistent theme of her mantra: Race relations are magnified during election years.
The video made me think Chip. Truly.
It made me think about a lot of things. It made me think about her lecture, and it's strong, well-reasoned and direct.
It made me wonder about the backlash she has received from her community - she admits to be called an Uncle Tom among other things - and that led me to think about if she was white, the public outrage about that message would be overwhelming.
It made me sad, too. Because her points - again, if you have not watched it, it's worth your 18 minutes - are supported by numbers and her emotion is clearly real and heart-felt, but for so many it will be lost. Lost in the hatred. Lost in the politicization of every issue. Lost in our dismissal society that is part of a social media culture that has embraced how much easier it is blame the messenger or point to their biases than it is listen to an opposing point.
It also made me realize a few things. First, there's a real, a real, much-needed part of our racial discourse that is completely avoided because it's a very hard, two-way conversation that can only come from a black commentator. (Again, if you have watched that and it was from Barbra Walters or John McCain's daughter on The View, well, faces would melt and our pets' heads would be falling off.)
Second, our race relations are way worse - and far more complicated - than I realized, and raise your hand if you are comfortable with anyone in Washington handling it. I'll wait.
Which brings us to our next question in a very non-sticking-to-sports segment on today's show
From Sally
You wrote "As someone who voted for Trump and expected more" Are you going to vote for him again?
Sally -
There it is. The brass tax. The crux of the issue. The very question that I have asked myself a whole lot over the last three months.
And the timing of these questions - and don't get me wrong, Trump has done himself no favors with his leadership gaffes during the racial unrest - in a lot of ways are the least Trump-related problems of his three-plus-years of his presidency.
Again, this is not excusing the mistakes he made or overblowing the decisions that worked so far in 2020.
But no one saw the pandemic coming. No one expected a Minneapolis police officer to kill an unarmed black man.
But the convergence of those events have certainly hurt Trump and his re-election chances. In fact, earlier this week, Joe Biden became the betting favorite to win November.
And while Trump certainly has his warts, the unabashed and strident move toward socialism that today's Democratic party is pushing scares me every bit as much as Trump's erraticness.
It's truly sad that we are going to stay in the place that for the better part of the last 10 years we have to consistently choose between the lesser of two evils and vote against something we believe worse than the alternative.
And if you want a baseline on what's wrong with our country, I'm not sure I could write a better explanation than the paragraph above.
From Proud American
Probably need to fact check this. I don't think a President has a choice when to go to the bunker. Doesn't the @SecretService make that call?
Proud American -
For some context, this was in answer to something we said on Press Row earlier this week.
And while we are here, thanks to all the callers and listeners for being big-brained as always, and for their thoughts and feelings during a really tough week. Be it on air or through social media, you guys and gals have been great. Thanks for that truly, especially as we kind of cover a lot of topics that are not typically found on sports radio.
In referring back to Sally's question, there are a lot of things that a lot of folks have understandable issues with the president. His lack of leadership over the last week has been extremely troubling. To that end, W. is going to finish near the bottom of an all-time presidential Jeopardy! competition. Strategery. (Spy, who would be the favorite in a presidential Jeopardy!? Jefferson? Adams? Nixon, maybe?)
But W. had clear leadership qualities that in times of crisis, he delivered. Big time.
And the bunker retreat was, to use Trump's word, deplorable.As for the Secret Service, according to the stories I've read, that's not the case.
Besides, when was the last time Trump actually took the advice or suggestions of anyone else in the White House?
From the 5-at-10
Hey, block-headed, fat face, did you forget the rules?
5-at-10 -
I'd say it's great to hear from you but I promised not to lie in this space. By the way, you talk too much.
You guys know the rules; when TFP college football expert David Paschall writes college football we read and link Paschall's views on college football. Here's today's missive on what UT AD Phillip Fulmer expects this fall.
Also, you guys know the rules; when TFP sports editor and preps sport poohbah Stephen Hargis writes on prep sports we read and link Hargis' views on prep sports. Here's today's column on the TSSAA not waiving the dead period this summer.
Both are worth your time.
And while we're here, we're still listening to the stylings to the Morgan Wallen right now. Here's his new one - Chasin' You - that starts with a Chattanooga reference. Rushmore of songs that mention Chattanooga. Go?
From Chas
If only "elite white people" could get guns, would you qualify? How arrogant/lazy is Mike Norvell? FSU players say he lied about having talks with players, so they are boycotting practice.
Chas -
Of course, our resident tongue-in-cheek chief is referencing a couple of stories from Thursday that fell in large part in the shadow of the Drew Brees dust-up. I wrote enough words to fill two Old Testament books on Brees on Thursday. That's here.
Second part first. Mike Norvell apparently misspoke/lied about his level of connection with his players after George Floyd's killing. He was called out on it by Marvin Wilson, his best player. After a team meeting, all the Seminoles had hugged it out and singing Kumbaya.
The elite white people line of course is in reference to Jake Fromm. (Paschall also weighed in on the mess Fromm stepped in Thursday when some old insensitive texts were revealed from March 2019.)
Am I elite white people? Well, I am white. And I am part of the people.
So am I elite? Great question. And I think we all know the answer is, with all due respect to Bender in The Breakfast Club, "Not even close, Bud."
As for this week's Rushmores ran short of time. Will post around lunch. Deal? Deal.
Have a great weekend friends.
Jay Greeson