Does it mean anything for anyone to chime in on the Tua Tagovailoa concussion kerfuffle? He’s gonna play if he wants, apparently. He loves the game so much that he’s willing to risk his future health and maybe even his life to keep playing it. Who’s gonna stand in his way?

There’s tough, and then there’s stupid tough. Apart from magically avoiding any more concussions, how can his decision to keep playing, along with the clearing of concussion protocol, not be viewed as reckless and irresponsible? Doesn’t he have a family to think about?

We’re talking brain function here, and cumulative effects that may not manifest until down the road. More power to him, I guess.

There’d most likely be a place for him in the coaching ranks, so here’s hoping he knows what he’s doing.

Israel mounts a serious retaliatory strike against Iran.

So, now what?

Is Iran supposed to accept this as payback for what they did a while back and simply call things even? Do they now conjure up another strike and perpetuate the hostilities? I’m unclear regarding protocol in this holy war ridiculousness.

Does each side consult their rabbis and imams and holy writ before proceeding any further? Is there a formula they need follow? Does diplomacy mean anything? Does world opinion sway considerations?

It’s all stupendously pathetic. Nothing matters but payback. Surely there is no code of ethics involved, other than the ethic of endless animosity and degradation.

Doesn’t anyone ever get tired of this?

Sounds like it was an instant classic. Glad I wasn’t watching, especially Freeman’s showboating. No need for that shit. The Yankees will remember that and pay it back, if they have the chance.

There’s something about the two richest franchises ending up in the World Series that seems both predictable and somehow privileged, as in “Should we expect anything less?” As in a foregone conclusion. Like no one else in the majors really had a chance.

I’m always amazed that the stands are full at a game that costs anywhere from a little over $1K to over $30K per ticket. More power to ‘em, but count me out. The shine came off that apple a long time ago. No more for love of the game. I’ll just cherish the days we went to Fenway and sat in the center field bleachers for 3 bucks, or a box seat for 6 or 8.

It’s probably nicer to watch on TV. Certainly cheaper, anyway.

We really are two countries.

One is fully or at least blindly behind Donald Trump; the other isn’t. One prefers lily whiteness, God, and guns; the other is more open to a multi-cultural tapestry. One is fearful and paranoid; the other is more open to going with the flow.

Holding on versus letting go. Posting the Ten Comandments in every classroom versus embracing diversity and ideals. Single-issue voters versus a more wholistic world view. Believing immigration and the economy are the only issues that matter versus a willingness to tackle a whole host of complex issues.

Wanting things to be simple versus realizing that they’re not.

There’s a new book out on Mitch McConnell. I’m sure it’s informative and fills in certain details of events and decisions in his painfully long career. The author was on Newshour last night and did little to betray the contents of the book, other than to say that McConnell admits to pissing people off with the Merrick Garland stonewalling, along with an unwillingness to pursue impeachment after January 6.

I don’t know if my personal favorite gets a mention: proclaiming that Job 1 for Republicans was to make sure that Barack Obama was a one-term President.

There was no mention of any regrets about Garland or January 6, events with major implications for what’s happening currently. Apparently, he was just playing politics and protecting his brand, whatever that was. He even garnered praise in certain quarters, and most likely feels little remorse. In fact, McConnell is proud of the make-up of the SCOTUS, since he had so much to do with that.

What sticks in my craw about Mitch and others is that there are few rules in politics. It’s more about what you can get to stick, by any means necessary. In McConnell’s case, it’s this seemingly irrational hatred of anything Democratic, or perceived as liberal. It’s the unwillingness to play fair. It’s about power and prevailing and forcing one’s views on people who don’t share those views. It’s about disregarding precedent or protocol or processes put in place, simply ignoring these things, and, in this case, appeasing Donald Trump and the MAGA crowd instead.

McConnell will have his moment, his opportunity to “explain” things. But I can imagine that this book will do little for those who look on McConnell with disdain for his role in perpetuating the monstrous ruse that has been the Trump era. He won’t be missed by many when he finally retires soon.

It’s Donald Trump’s Republican party, sad to say, though there might be a few chinks in that armor.

What seems to have been lost in the maelstrom that has become this election cycle is that Trump is a felon who knowingly instigated an insurrection on January 6, 2021. There are several court cases pending with him as the defendant. And there is the general knowledge that, even though he appears to have dictatorial aspirations, he’s also delusional and incompetent and a highly suspect judge of character.

His ego has long gotten the better of him, yet despite all of this and more, he’s the Republican nominee for the 3^rd straight time. Some will give him credit for somehow pulling this off. Others will commend him for his stamina. Or is it simply motivation born of poor sportsmanship and revenge and a fear of jail time?

Let’s not forget that if he loses this election, he still faces the prospect of all those court proceedings. Maybe we can take solace in the fact that if he loses, we will not only have dodged a bullet, but we may have the satisfaction of watching as he goes off to prison for the rest of his life, or is at least tied up in litigation for that duration (we’re never going to be rid of him…).

He’s wasted everyone’s time and diverted our attention and efforts for nine years, and all because he’s a sore loser, an attention hound, and an immature adolescent. No vision, no real patriotism, no sense of duty and responsibility except to himself, no appreciation for this nation’s history and ideals. No real leadership qualities.

Such people are unworthy of the public’s trust. He should have never gotten this far.

Jon Stewart made an impassioned plea for clarity on Monday night’s Daily Show. He focused on Trump’s latest display of dumbness in Latrobe, PA where he talked for ten minutes about Arnold Palmer’s dick. Stewart then used this as an entre into a discussion about more serious stuff Trump has said recently about “the enemy from within”—you know, people like Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi—the real, dangerous crazies on the left.

Stewart tried to convey to viewers that, with Trump, we are always unsure about what we’re supposed to take seriously. He dances for 40 minutes and makes everyone on stage- and everyone at home- uncomfortable, and maybe wondering what the takeaway is supposed to be. He goes on Fox News and spews Hitleresque rhetoric about enemies from within and without, and hints that he isn’t above using the military to silence critics.

What are we supposed to do with this, and why must we put up with it in the first place? How about we take it all seriously and treat it as a warning to be heeded?

LIz Cheney is right– Donald Trump should come nowhere near the Oval Office ever again, in no small part because he’s not a serious person. He’s just a 78-year-old loose cannon with no moral compass who’s trying to stay out of jail.

And Chris Sununu and the rest of the wise-ass shit talkers and gaslighters can walk east ’til their hats float.

Even if it’s hyperbole, even if it’s mostly for votes, even if Donald Trump just says shit because he knows it resonates with his fucking base, why would he say the stuff he says, anyway? He must know he’s sounding more like a dictator every day. His rhetoric is most likely not an accident. Still, he emanates a vibe that says, “I just like talking big. I enjoy the bully shtick. I love that people seem to love me.”

Trouble is, half the country, if polls are accurate, is buying his act. They like the sound of it. So they must be unbothered by the prospect that America the (truly) Beautiful is teetering on the edge of being no more.

I’m not buying that Trump, if elected, would have an easy time of implementing all the dystopian ideas he and others have been spewing. It’s just that to utter them in the first place and seemingly find so much fertile soil, so many receptive ears, is a troubling development.

Fear, lies, deceit, and paranoia. Helluva platform.

Yankees- Dodgers. The two best teams money can buy. Maybe they’ll both find a way to lose.

Who am I kidding? It could be one of the all-time greats. Hard to see how it couldn’t be—Ohtani v Judge? Come on.

Gonna be wild.

It’s been nice taking a break from this.

We were out in Colorado for a while, breathing in the mountain air, enjoying the scenery and the ambience while realizing that the constant influx of people looking to better their lives in the Mile High City and its growing suburbs is all taking a toll on resources and land use and general well-being by turning open space into one big sprawly, suburban hamster wheel.

We took a bit of a break from following the news, too. I see nothing has changed on that score, except for the frequency of paid political advertising, which is reaching its mind-numbing fever pitch.

Only a couple more weeks, and then we can all look forward to another protracted, unnecessary slog because Donald Trump is a real-life nightmare. That the election is still close at this point should worry us all– even those who still think he’s got the chops and not just making it all up as he goes.