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This just in: JFK is still dead

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Of course, just when you think this society we have here in the United States couldn’t get any weirder, along comes a group that gathered in Dallas waiting for JFK Jr.. They’re followers of QAnon. A once upon a time fringe group that is no longer fringe. Some of it’s adherents almost seem downright lucid, except when they profess what they believe.  Now, don’t get me wrong. We’ve had our share of many well meaning weirdos before. Flat Earthers, Mayan calendar end of days believers, Y2K devotees, Apollo 11 moon landing deniers, Mormons and so on.  But, among QAnon beliefs, of which there are many , is the John F. Kennedy Jr. is going to emerge and proclaim that Donald Trump is still the President of the United States, and that he, JFK Jr., is now the Vice President. Together, QAnon supporters believe Trump and Kennedy Jr. will clean up the degenerates in Washington D.C. that stole the 2020 presidential election, amongst other charges .  They’ve been camped out in Dallas since this summ

The Transcendent Shohei Ohtani

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When Shohei Ohtani chose the Los Angeles Angels, it was like the baseball gods finally gave the ball club's fans a break. Not since the Angels lost out on Mark Teixeira and got the rights to draft Mike Trout as fortune shone on Angel Stadium.  Drafting Trout was a fluke of the rules. Shohei Ohtani choosing the Angels was a miracle. He did it because the club told him he could pitch and be a position player. That ruled out National League teams. Ohtani wanted to be a Dodger. But they weren’t prepared to let him do it.  In his first season, Shohei Ohtani became the first Major League Baseball player to make 10 starts as a pitcher and hit 20 home runs as a position player since Babe Ruth accomplished the feat in 1919. The Babe was not a two-way baseball player after that. His diet didn’t allow it. Shohei Ohtani was just getting started.  He has always been a meticulous conditioning zealot. As a youth in his native Japan, Ohtani became relentless and worked out hard. When drafted

NFL: The Arizona Cardinals Are For Real

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For the first time since 1947, the NFL Cardinals franchise has an actual chance to win the league championship. To say it has been a long time is an understatement. Jackie Robinson was a rookie for the Brooklyn Dodgers the last time the Cardinals won a title. It was so long ago, the team was in Chicago. They were the Chicago Cardinals! That comes as a shock to most Chicago Bears . Joe Louis was heavyweight champion of the world. A horse named Jet Pilot won the Kentucky Derby. That sounds like a fast horse. Israel wasn't a country yet. The Cardinals made a Super Bowl in 2009. The club was lead by Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald. They almost won, but were beat by the Pittsburgh Steelers on a last minute impossible pass by Ben Roethlisberger to Santonio Holmes for an equally impossible catch. Warner had one last chance but his luck finally ran out. Being out of luck is a normal state of being for the Cardinals. The team is actually the first professional American football team. T

MLB Playoffs: The Legend of Eddie Rosario

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They’re the surprise team of the 2021 MLB Playoffs.  The Atlanta Braves are not supposed to be where they are. They only had a two percent chance to represent the National League in the 2021 World Series. They didn’t have a winning record until August 6th.  If it wasn’t for a spike in early season revenues, the Braves wouldn’t have made the MLB Playoffs .  Atlanta Braves fans purchased tickets in a frenzy that overrode expectations. Because of that, Braves ownership gave their general manager the green light to spend the extra revenue . Like a man that got an unexpected bonus check, he set out to do just that.  After the knee injury to All-Star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr., Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos sprang into action.  In four hours before the July 30th trade deadline, Anthopoulos remade his outfield and added depth to his bench.  One player they gained was Eddie Rosario. Rosario had an abdominal strain, but might return in September. He is an outfielder by trade. He hits

Major League Baseball to Provide for Minor League Players

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For the first time in Major League Baseball history, teams must provide housing for minor league players.  A majority of baseball players signed to contracts do not get bonuses. They’re players that have just enough talent to be recognized. Teams sign many right out of high school.  Those players have had to subsist on roughly $15,000 a year that Major League Baseball pays them. They’ve had to hustle and grind for day-to-day living expenses.  Many have to work side gigs outside of the game. In the offseason, they have to pay more attention to staying financially afloat. Players have to stay in shape and find proper nutrition. Minor league baseball players usually have to scrape by on junk food and sleep on an air mattress.  If the players are nursing injuries, it’s up to them to rehabilitate the damage. Most players have no access to healthcare when they can barely pay rent. Speaking of rent, players have to share living accommodations. A recent ESPN article told the stories of playe

MLB Playoffs Wildcard Games Have Been Nirvana

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The crisp October air can represent a lot of things, but it’s the best time of year for a baseball fan. The MLB Playoffs have started. This week has been Nirvana. The fans are rapturous. Ballparks are full. Every pitch, every at bat has consequences. It all began with the MLB Playoffs Wildcard games. The defending World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers were favorites to win the NL West Division. They lost to the upstart San Francisco Giants who were not supposed to be contenders. The Dodgers were playing against the St. Louis Cardinals . The Cardinals were an afterthought until they went on a seventeen game winning streak. They overtook the Cincinnati Reds for the 2nd wildcard spot to close the season. Dodger bats went quiet during the first half of the game as the Cardinals clung to a one run lead. Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner tied the contest with a home run in the fourth inning. Then it was up to the bullpens. The game stayed tied until the bottom of the 9th. St. Louis r

Tom Brady Wins Again

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He’s as predictable as the tides. Tom Brady is like the sun coming up in the east. He is the football equivalent of death and taxes. Father Time has nothing on him. Brady is like Wyatt Earp in a gunfight. He always wins. Sometimes Tom Brady momentarily falters. Like a car that needs a tune-up. You’ll be sitting at a traffic light and it idles rough. It's not enough to trade the car in, but it makes you realize some adjustments need to be made.  After routine maintenance is done, it’s back to high performance and ruling the road again. In that respect, Brady is like a machine. He had a couple of hiccups. There were two times that the human Eli Manning of the New York Giants somehow made Brady miscalculate. Something about the New York Giants’ defense disrupted Brady’s internal operating code. It didn’t compute. Brady was like a droid in a Sci-Fi movie that suddenly realized it had fallibility. He short-circuited. Then Brady's club got a tune-up. His team, the New Englan