Friday, May 1, 2020

Briefly. (nah)

Let us fish! Let us golf! Let us go to the beach! Let us have a shot at the bar! Damn, this sucks. 

In case you missed it a couple of weeks ago, the Carolina Panthers’ Christian McAffrey became the highest paid NFL running back of all-time at 4-years and $64 million. McAffrey set the NFL record for single season pass receptions by a running back in both 2018 (107) and 2019 (116), had 4,357 all-purpose yards in those two years as well as 32 touchdowns. He also had  career high 403 touches last year. 

Trivia #1: Only five NFL players have had more than two seasons with 400+ touches. Which of the following is not one of them? (the player actually had zero 400+ touch seasons in his career) – Curtis Martin, Barry Sanders, Edgerrin James, LaDanian Tomlinson, Emmitt Smith, Eric Dickerson

Trivia #2: Which of the following was not a nickname for former professional wrestler Bruno Sammartino? – The Italian Legend, The Strongest Man in the World, The Italian Strongman, The Living Legend

Trivia #3: What is the nickname of Lenior-Rhyne University? (alma mater of the New England Patriots’ second round draft pick Kyle Dugger, 37^th overall)

Trivia #4: What is the meaning of the song “25 or 6 to 4” by the band, Chicago? 

I’m not sure I’ll ever get back to my original weight but after all, 8 lbs. 11 oz. is a little unrealistic. 

MLB is making plans. Their current schedule is to begin on July 4 (no fans, of course), 80-100 game season with an expanded postseason held at neutral sites through late November early December. They are also considering realignment, this season, into three 10-team divisions. Teams would only play teams in their own division. For you/us Red Sox fans, the Sox would be play the Orioles, Marlins, Mets, Yankees, Phillies, Pirates, Rays, Jays and Nationals. Bring it on! 

OK so, April sucked. 

I really liked the NFL Draft format and the scenes from players’ homes when they were selected. It was many times entertaining and many times very cool and heart warming. 

Speaking of the draft, the Chicago Bears had 9 tight ends on their roster entering the draft before selecting Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet with their first pick, 43^rd overall. 

Who are these people? “Joe B.” won two $1 million Powerball jackpots on the same day. He purchased the tickets at two different stores on Lake Avenue in Pueblo, CO. He had been playing the same numbers for 30 years. 

Hey, we’re bored, right? Consider holding a Quarantine Olympics. Creative events might include Speed Grocery Sanitizing, Blindfolded Toilet Paper Dodgeball, Guess That Smell, Indoor Sock Slide.  

What happens if you are listening to your music at full volume and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” comes on and you are told to “turn it up?”

Best of luck to Baltimore Oriole’s 23 year-old Trey Mancini who has been diagnosed with stage III colon cancer. Trey is a rising star in MLB. 

Headline of the week: “Mark Cuban pushes back on Elon Musk calling states’ coronavirus lockdowns ‘fascist.’” – Tell me, are these guys supposed to be relevant because they have money???  

This week’s sign of the apocalypse: Look, every day there seems to be a sign. Here’s some recent headlines:

City to dump manure  in park to discourage festival gathering
How to trim your pet’s hair and nails
Governor (CA) to close all beaches due to coronavirus
Dozens of bodies found in unrefrigerated U-Haul trucks outside NYC funeral home
Man tattoos himself every day

Good news story: 54 days after their home was destroyed by a tornado that ripped through middle Tennessee in early March, Eric and Faith Johnson were reunited with their dog, Bella. Bella had alerted the couple to the tornado before it flattened their home in Cookeville, killed 18 people and injured 88 others.

Good news story part deux: Have you heard about 100-year old Tom Moore? Yesterday, on his 100^th birthday, the war veteran took time to thank all who have helped him raise more than $37.4M for the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) by walking laps in his garden. Said General Mark Carleton-Smith, chief of the general staff of the British Army, “His mature wisdom, no-nonsense attitude and humour in adversity make him an inspirational role model to generations young and old.”

Bill and Melinda Gates have so far donated $250M towards fighting Covid-19. 

Trivia #1 answer: Only five NFL players have had more than two seasons with 400+ touches. Which of the following is not one of them? (the player actually had zero 400+ touch seasons) – Barry Sanders

Trivia #2 answer: Which of the following was not a nickname for former professional wrestler Bruno Sammartino? – The Italian Legend, The Strongest Man in the World, The Italian Strongman, The Living Legend – The Italian Legend

Trivia #3 answer: What is the nickname of Lenior-Rhyne University? (alma mater of the New England Patriots’ second round draft pick Kyle Dugger, 37^th overall) – The Bears

Trivia #4 answer: What is the meaning of the song “25 or 6 to 4” by the band, Chicago? – Robert Lamm was writing the song at night and was looking for words to finish the chorus. The time of day was either 3:35 A.M. (25 minutes til 4:00 A.M.) or 3:34 A.M. 

“Staring blindly into space
Getting up to splash my face
Wanting just to stay awake
Wondering how much I can take
Should I try to do some more
25 or 6 to 4”

 – Chicago