In his own mind, he thinks of himself as Superman. We know he is not a super hero in a cape. Maybe perhaps one of those middle of the road villains who don’t scare you, like maybe once a upon a time ago. Can a villain go soft like a quarterback? Almost like a cookie. I would never consider Cam Newton as a good guy. For sure, now his signing with the Evil Empire gives him that villain status. The New England Patriots are going from Darth Brady to Darth Newton as he inks a one year deal. An incentive laden deal that can pay the former MVP of the league 7.5 million if he reaches all the clauses. With this move, it instantly improves the quarterback room with only journeyman Brian Hoyer and second year Jarrett Stidham on hand. Does bringing in Newton put the Patriots back on top of the AFC East?

Cam Newton remained on the open market for a long period of time this off season. There are two reasons. Injury and Newton’ character both come into play.  A Lisfranc fracture sidelined his 2019 season. With Covid 19 very strong at the beginning of free agency, Newton could not get to teams’ facilities and get looked at by other teams’ experts. That’s why you’ve seen every other quarterback get gobbled up and signed before Newton.  Including Newton’s former team signing of Teddy Bridgewater. The writing was on the wall when Panthers went in a total different direction, ending ties with Newton. They were the only team he has played for. I always have to bring up Cam Newton’s character as a quarterback, the most important position on the field. When things are going good for Newton it’s Show Time at the Apollo. When things go dark with tough questions, Super Newton is weakened like kryptonite and Superman. Newton wants to take his ball and go storming home. Plus, Newton has tendencies to behave irrationally, especially towards female reporters. My biggest gripe is Newton not jumping on the loose ball in the Superbowl with only minutes left in a close game. Newton said he did not want to get hurt in the biggest game of his life.

Looked like the Patriots, with Tom Brady bolting for Tampa Bay, were quietly going walking off into the sunset. They were expected to go in with an unexperienced unproven quarterback in Jarrett Stidham. Then in his third stint with the Patriots, Brian Hoyer was in the fold just in case things went sour. Bringing in Cam Newton could work for both camps. Patriots will not be in the basement of their division when the season is over. It will not be the first round easy bye with Newton this team did get better. Seems head coach Belichick always can plug veterans into his system, even players with character issues, and make it work. Plus this is a prove-it deal to Cam Newton in which he wants to showcase his talents and continue to be a starter in this league for years to come. Look what Teddy Bridgewater did in New Orleans. Bridgewater filled in for injured Drew Brees and won all his starts. Now he’s got a big deal in Carolina and is a starter once again. If this experiment implodes, the Patriots will not be out of very much money. They might have to deal with their first losing season in a very long time.

It will be interesting to see how Cam Newton does versus Carolina Panther 2.0. The Buffalo Bills have tons of X-Panther players and coaches, that Newton has played with as teammates. It will be interesting to see how Josh Daniels redefines the Patriot offense. He’ll likely tailor it around Newton after having Tom Brady all those years. Will the Patriots system prove that it’s that easy like changing a light bulb from Brady to Newton, even though it’s a dimmer bulb. Who will be more successful now, Tom Brady or Bill Belichick? Cam Newton to me is just a fantasy quarterback. Every other year he puts up great numbers in stats, but will lose more playoff games than win them. With the signing of Newton, it keeps the New England Patriots a very easy team to hate for multiple reasons. When the season starts, I hope to see plenty of egg on their Darth Evil Empire helmets. Be great to see the Patriot way abolished from the galaxy like the death star ridding of a planet. The weakness to the Death Star this go around may be a Cam Newton soft serve play.

During the 1980’s, the Chicago Blackhawks had no problem getting to the playoffs year after year. The team had lots of talented players on the roster. They seemed like they were always missing one or two ingredients. It kept them from being really good, rising throughout the playoffs, and making it to the Stanley Cup finals. Maybe win one. The owner at the time, Bill Wirtz, was happy as a camper just making it to the playoffs. Stanley Cup teams cost too much money, he was quoted saying. One and done could have been their advertising campaign back then. Bill Wirtz had rational thinking. Besides the money aspect of it, fans would keep getting hooked, line, and sinkered… wanting more. Players like Doug Wilson never got to experience what Duncan Keith did during those three Cups he was a part of. During the 1980’s, Doug Wilson was the Duncan Keith of the Blackhawks. Wilson was the best defense-man on the team and around the league. Finally all the hard work to try to get the Stanley Cup did not pay off. After 24 years on the ballot, Doug Wilson received the call and will be heading to the Hockey Hall of Fame on a 2020 ticket.

It is well deserved, playing 14-16 years with the Blackhawks under the Wirtz tyranny and Tom Foolery. Doug Wilson left Chicago through a trade and ended up playing two more seasons in San Jose with the Sharks. Wilson easily has etched his name in both the Blackhawks and the Sharks franchises, after being drafted in 1977 as a sixth pick overall. The Ottawa native has made a life in the game he loved growing up. His playing career on the ice and working in the front office, meant putting some great Shark teams on the ice each year as the teams GM. Doug Wilson was one of the last helmet-less players to skate in the NHL. Wilson’s hair in the 1980’s had that Doug Collins look going as he coached a very young Michael Jordan at that time during that decade. Doug Wilson was the first Shark to wear the captain C on his sweater since the Sharks were new kid in the league at the time.

Still to this day, Doug Wilson owns some of the Chicago Blackhawk franchise records from his playing days. Wilson has the most goals of all-time wearing the Indian head as a defense-man scoring 225 goals with that wicked slap shot he had. Wilson also is number one in assists with 554 and points overall as a defense-man with 779. Doug Wilson also 4th in games played. Then add his 95 post season games he scored 19 more goals and dishing out 61 assists. Wilson finished his career lighting the lamp 237 times and had 590 assists with 827 points. These numbers rank him high with NHL defense-men all-time. Wilson is 12th all-time among defense-men in the whole history of the league in goals scored by his position. Then 15th in points. Then 18th in assists. Those are very impressive numbers. You wonder why it took so long to get him into the hall in the first place. Let’s not forget he was a seven time all-star. Plus he took home the Norris Trophy in the 1981-82 season, as top defense-man of the league that year. That year he put the puck in the net 39 times which is 4th highest single season by a defense-man.

Seems like the norm back then was that all great athletes that leave the Chicago sports landscape, go kicking and screaming. A strained relationship with Mike Keenan who was coach and GM at the time, meant shipping Doug Wilson to San Jose to end his Chicago ties. This always happens as we chase the wrong guy out of town. Doug Wilson takes  a front office job with the Sharks after his playing career was over. Wilson uses his Hockey wisdom and Sharks hardly ever missed the playoffs. While we have Stan Bowman trying to figure out what to do next with the Blackhawks. Wilson, I have faith he could pair up Toews and Kane with some talent to make the Blackhawks a once again playoff threat. If only he was in the Blackhawks front office right now. Doug Wilson got to wear the two coolest sweaters in the league with the Blackhawk Indian head and the teal shark head biting the hockey stick. Wilson going to the Sharks from the Blackhawks made me become a fan of San Jose, and I still am today. Both the Sharks and Blackhawks have been awesome to watch over the last decade. With no live sports, this a great sports story and the hockey hall of fame gets a true grit style type of guy in their museum.

 

Not many live sports going on these days. Will we be able to pick the NFL helmets like some people do in fall and win prizes from the weekly pick-em pools? Crossing my fingers and toes hoping that football does come back this fall with the virus still looming. I had some time to rank the helmets in the entire NFL from best to worst. This is based on looks and looks only. So Green Bay and Dallas are not automatically in last. I found doing this that many helmets of the past are much better than the present. I did notice some teams have never changed their look since day one. Enjoy as I give some reasoning for why I like some, believe others are bland, and some… I question what the hell they were thinking.

#1.

The Raiders helmet is the best in the league. First, we have the silver and black colors. Then the logo of the pirate with a football old school helmet on, with swords in back of his head. It makes the helmet intimating and Fonzie-cool at the same time.

#2.

Fire engine red is one of the best colors in the crayon box. That’s the box with the crayon sharpener. The Chiefs helmet is simple and cool with the KC lettering on the arrow head.

#3.

The Steelers helmet has the meats. The colors. Black and yellow says Pittsburgh and represents the blue collar steel worker. Now I can go for an Iron City draft while writing this. It’s unique as well, to have the logo on only one side of the helmet.

#4.

The bolt of lightning makes this helmet. The yellow lightning looks great in multiple colors. Like the powder blue helmet the Chargers wear, with the bolt and the number of the player. In the movie The Natural, the Knights put the lighting bolt on their sleeves.

#5.

The Buffalo Bills have the American flag colors going on. Love the Buffalo logo. Looks like it’s ready to pounce on the opposing team. The Bills’ older helmet that The Juice wore, the orange buffalo, was even better than this helmet the Bills wear presently.

#6.

They say the Redskins’ name is racist. Which I agree with them on. The Indian logo on the helmet I think is not insulting to Native Americans. I could be wrong. Love the Chicago Blackhawks’ Indian head. Maybe the best logo in sports. I can see the Cleveland Indians logo being insulting. To me, the Cleveland logo looks like Scottie Pippen, more than any Native American. The Redskins older helmet with the arrow and feather is much cooler. Something about Indian logos done well, I always thought they were cool looking like University of Illinois and Marquette University.

#7.

Saints have one of the best color schemes in the NFL using gold and black. The gold on the Saints helmet is true golden. Not the Packers yellow they say is gold. The Saints logo on the helmet is cool looking and makes me want to head to Bourbon Street right now. I’d be looking for some kind of Hurricane drink on a hot day. Did someone say gumbo?

#8.

No red bull about it, the Eagles have wings. The wings of an Eagle on the side of those green helmets is very cool. I loved the dark forest green the most, and that put this helmet in my top ten.

#9

If Ace Ventura can help the Dolphins out, I can admit they have a cool logo. The dolphin is wearing a helmet and leaping in the air with the bright orange sun in the background. Plus, the Dolphins have those typical Florida colors of teal, white, and orange. You expect every Florida logo to have bright colors of some kind.

#10.

Love the pirate flag on the Buccaneers helmet, but not a fan of the pewter color scheme on this helmet. Cool logo in general. I liked the creamsicle pirate they used to have on their helmets, better.

#11.

Love the falcon beak and eye in Atlanta’s logo. A black color scheme gives this bird a menacing look, like it’s going to pluck your eyeballs out. Would be cooler if the claws were wrapped around a football.

#12

I tend to like the Seahawks’ original helmet with the bird on the gray helmet. Seattle’s has put in greens and blues with the same bird. What is a Seahawk? A king seagull. I like the green eyes. But the Seahawk looks like the long neck part of an airplane 747. Imagine this bird on a cutting board, like a chicken that’s lost its head. Overall, it’s a  cool logo. Just don’t stare too long at it.

#13.

The Arizona Cardinals’ helmet looks like that of the University of Louisville. Or vice versa. What if Arizona made their logo like the St. Louis Cardinals? After all, they were from St. Louis before Arizona. Instead of two Cardinals on a bat, maybe two perched on a football.

#14.

The Colts logo is simple and to the point. A classic horseshoe. Blue and white colors. Simplicity sometimes is the best way to do things.

#15.

I do not like the Lion in the wimpy color blue Detroit has. Looks like the Lion is begging for a treat, like a dog begging for a bone on their hind legs. Please give me some more kibble and bits and bits please.

#16.

Have you seen a purple viking? Have you seen a grown man naked? At least you can tell they are horns on the side of their helmets, not like the Rams. I’d rather have the viking himself on the side of the helmet, instead of the horns. Still can’t get over the purple.

#17.

Did Ohio have a big supply of orange paint back then? At least the Bengals added some race stripes to their helmets, not like the Browns. The stripes of the Bengal give that feeling of wearing orange and black, picking up trash along the side of the road. Everyone loves a good work detail. Ask any Nazi.

#18.

The star on the helmet is simple and to the point for the Dallas Cowboys. America’s team. I like the blue star on the white helmet, better than the blue star with gray backing. Hate any player who wears the star bonnet on their head. America’s team… I just felt something coming up in my throat.

#19.

The Houston logo is a battle between a steer, and the shape of Texas. The Texas University with the steer on their helmets is much better than what Houston has going on here. Texas should really make their own country because they really love showing off their state shape.

#20.

The Carolina Panthers just hijacked the old Michigan Panthers from the 1980’s, OF THE USFL. It’s like that high school that takes some professional sports team logo and uses it for themselves. No artists in the Carolina area?

#21.

The New England Patriots’ older helmet, by far beats this futuristic Patriot they wear now. Will the Patriots have to change their name since Boston is rumored to be a racist town these days? Maybe it was these savage Patriots that dumped black tea in the harbor at that big shindig of a tea party.

#22.

If you woke up to find a horse head in your bed, you may be in trouble. If you woke up and found the Broncos head in your bed, you’d just laugh at the retarded unicorn and roll back over to sleep. Maybe if they showed John Elway’s horse chompers in the logo, you’d have something better. I like their older helmets much better than this unicorn with orange hair.

#23.

Tennessee Titans logo looks like a flaming comet with a retarded sword. Titans now have darker colors instead of that powder blue and white. You had me with the oil rig before you left Houston.

#24.

The Ravens are the worst bird-type logo in the NFL. The bird looks like a purple crow. All you need is a gang of bikers from Sons of Anarchy to come roaring by and turn this Raven crow into road kill. Remember the show Scarecrow and Mr. King? What happened to Mister King?

#25. 

I like the green the Jets use on their helmet. It just says Jets with a football which is kind of boring. I’d rather have the concord looking plane with Jets spelled out on the sides, like they wore before those white and green helmets.

#26.

For years I thought the Rams helmet was just blue and yellow stripes. You have to get the magnifying glass or microscope to see that these are ram horns on their helmets. Like one of those pictures where if you tilt your noggin’ and squint, you can see an image in the squiggly lines of multiple colors. Maybe adding some crank to your diet would help the average Joe quicker.

#27.

The 49ers color scheme is similar to the Winston Lights cigarette packages. It’s a cool color scheme, but the simple SF lettering is what your baseball team has. Maybe a gold-rush miner with a big pick axe would be sharp.

#28.

The Bears color scheme is awesome. The simple C is boring to me. They could do so much more with their helmet. Their Monsters of the Midway logo they use, would look awesome on the side of their helmet.

#29.

Traditionalists will not like my opinions of the very simple helmet. First of all, some say the Packers helmet is gold. Looks like Tweety Bird yellow to me. Yellow has never been my color with a big G on the side. What the hell is a Packer anyways? Movers?

#30.

The Giants helmet looks like if the show NYPD Blue had a football team. Why don’t they just put Detective Sipowicz’s bare butt on one side. I like the old helmets better when they spelled out Giants on them, instead of NY.

#31.

The Jaguars helmet is terrible. The color scheme hurts my eyes. The Jaguar head looks smooshed down like it hit a glass patio door. The smurf blue tongue… Was it eating a blue ice pop?

#32.

The Browns helmet is the way they played for the last two decades. The lemon of the league. The helmet is actually orange, not Brown. No logo, just an orange helmet. Put a bull dog head on one side at least.

Looks like Colin Kaepernick’s legend will grow from his kneeling during the National Anthem. Kneeling was his stance in an effort to change Police brutality across this nation. Then with the unfortunate situation with George Floyd in Minneapolis, tensions have sparked high. It was the final straw that erupted this nation in protests for change. Looting unfortunately followed this demand for change. I questioned his way of doing things, kneeling like he did, when Kaepernick was on the 49ers. In practice, he wore pig socks with oinkers dressed in police uniforms. I thought the flag represents the fallen who have fought for this countries freedom. Freedom of expression is one of the things the fallen fought for. I know things need to change so we’ll feel side by side in brotherhood, just from another motherhood. I know we need police. The bad apples need to be found and discarded. The judging of the book cover needs to be looked at in a different way.

On the football field, this brings back an old subject. A very dead horse we have beat to exhaustion. Colin Kaepernick as a starting quarterback in the NFL. Kaepernick has a cult following like the movie, Red Dawn. Red Dawn did not do well years ago in the box office. Red Dawn with Patrick Swayze picked up a following when it went to video, nowadays DVD or presently streaming. Through Colin Kaepernick’s whole entire story, his following think he was one of the elite quarterbacks in the league. At present times, let’s see if Colin Kaepernick could land a starting job right now. I will take you through every team to see where Kaepernick stands versus the quarterback already in place for each franchise. How many openings as a starter would Kaepernick have a chance for?

NFC

North

BEARS:(NO) I’d rather have Nick Foles, because he beat the Evil Empire in the Superbowl.

PACKERS:(NO) Aaron Rodgers, is all I need to say.

VIKINGS:(NO) Kirk Cousins can make all the throws on the field.

LIONS: (NO) Matthew Stafford could be a top ten quarterback. Give him a running game and a better scheme.

EAST

COWBOYS:(NO) Dak Prescott is emerging as a top ten quarterback in the league.

GIANTS:(NO) I liked what I’ve seen in Daniel Jones. He has a very high ceiling.

REDSKINS:(MAYBE)Possible starting job for Kaepernick. Do you give up on a young Dwayne Haskins? I like Alex Smith over Kaepernick this go around, if he’s healthy and able to play.

EAGLES:(NO) Carson Wentz is a guy I still like even if Eagle Nation is down on him. Eagles drafted Jalen Hurts this year who is an interesting option in the future.

SOUTH

SAINTS:(NO) Drew Brees is a future hall of famer. Still playing like a 30 year old in his prime.

FALCONS:(NO) Matt Ryan and that aerial attack can be electric. Can Kap play defense?

BUCCANEERS:(NO) Only the Kaepernick faithful would say he’s better than six time Superbowl winner Tom Brady.

PANTHERS:(NO)Teddy Bridgewater waited and proved himself as a full time starter in this league. That’s why the Panthers invested heavily on him.

WEST

49ERS:(NO) Kap’s former team is no dice. Jimmy Garoppolo’s winning percentage and the team has this guy’s back.

SEAHAWKS:(NO) Russell Wilson could take over the whole downtown area. Instead of only a few blocks like that terrorist unit holding up in the coffee shop, or whereever the mayor of that city is letting them camp out.

LA RAMS:(NO) Gared Goff was able to play the full season and playoffs to lead the Rams to the yawn of all Superbowls. Kaepernick arrived as most of the heavy lifting was done all ready.

CARDINALS:(NO) The future Patrick Mahomes of the league in Kyle Murray with how the Cardinals fly these days.

AFC

EAST

PATRIOTS:(YES) I think right now Kaepernick is better than what the Patriots have, including journeyman Brian Hoyer. Can you picture Coach Belichick working with Kaepernick? The luck the Evil Empire has means just watch the young Jarrett Stidham take the league by surprise.

BILLS:(NO) Josh Allen means to Buffalo what Jim Kelly means to Bills today. Allen has not reached his full potential. When he does, the Bills will even be better.

JETS:(NO) As long as Sam Darnold can avoid any virus, bug, or flu, he spells out J-E-T-S.. New York better have him quarantined on some military secret base like Area 51 so he be able to play this season.

DOLPHINS:(NO) I’d rather Ryan Fitzpatrick as my bridge quarterback over Kaepernick. This team will be Tua Tagovailoa. Tua might win the preseason camp like Russell Wilson did his rookie year in Seattle.

NORTH

RAVENS:(NO) LAMAR JACKSON IS WHO KAEPERNICK WISHES HE COULD BE OR COULD HAVE BEEN.

STEELERS:(NO) Big Ben’s clock is ticking to the end. If Big Ben is fully recovered, he can easily get the Steelers back in the playoffs. Plus the Steelers’ quarterback room with Mason got my bell rung. Rudolph and the Duck Man got some experience with Ben Roethlisberger MIA last year due to early season injury.

BENGALS:(MAYBE) Can Kaepernick be a bridge type quarterback for number one draft pick Joe Burrow? I don’t see that situation playing out. Bengals will have Burrow on the field game  unless some freak injury.

BROWNS:(NO) No way you giving up on a young talent like Baker Mayfield. Problem in Cleveland is making the right hire as head coach.

SOUTH

COLTS:(NO) Phillip Rivers had a bad year last season for the Chargers. A bad year by Rivers might equal a good year for some. (Kaepernick) Rivers united with former coach Frank Reich in Indianapolis may be what the doctor ordered for both parties.

TEXANS:(NO) Deshaun Watson won a playoff game last year which might be just the beginning for this franchise. His college resume should have been looked at by the Bears.

JAGUARS:(YES) When it comes to quarterbacks in the NFL, Jacksonville has no clue. This franchise seems like they can’t find their Mark Brunell. It’s like they look under the wrong rocks for the most important position on the field. I like the progress Gardner Minshew has made. However the way Jaguars handle quarterbacks, Minshew might regress and Kaepernick may have an edge.

TITANS:(NO) Ryan Tannehill earned that position when you wipe out the Evil Empire from the playoffs and could possibly sent the dark side in a permanent tail spin.

WEST

CHIEFS:(NO) Patrick Mahomes is the last quarterback to have gone to see Mickey Mouse in Disney World.

BRONCOS:(NO) Drew Lock puts a padlock on the starting job in Denver.

LA CHARGERS:(YES) Who’s better, Tyrod Taylor or Coin Kaepernick? I give a slight edge to Kaepernick. Hold the phone because this gig would only be temporary as the job will eventually go to first round draft pick Justin Herbert.

RAIDERS:(NO) Derek Carr with Jon Gruden as a QB/Coach relationship is only going to get better. Plus Carr has more weapons on the way, due to the draft.

Out of 30 teams in the NFL, I have found 5 possible starting jobs for Colin Kaepernick. The Redskins is a maybe because I think Dwayne Haskins will take that job. That leaves the Patriots, Chargers, and Jaguars as the only teams with questionable starters at this time. The Bengals as a possible bridge style quarterback. Have we forgotten to mention the fig newton? Yes, Cam Newton remains on the open market as a free agent. If I wanted a starter and my choices were Cam Newton and Colin Kaepernick… oh goodness, get me a revolver to blow my brains out with these two. Cam Newton easily is the better option over Colin Kaepernick.

Colin Kaepernick has not played an NFL game in multiple years. Last season, he invited teams to watch him train. At the last minute, he changed the location. WHY?? Kaepernick makes more money just being an activist. Plus he has perception which people still have etched in his mind about that run he had with the 49ers that got them into the Superbowl. His last season he played with the 49ers, he was just below average behind center. It was a bad team, but the league figured out Kaepernick relatively quickly. If Kaepernick can’t run and can’t escape the pocket collapsing behind center, he does have a strong arm to complete passes of 20 yards or more downfield.

Kaepernick asked for a boatload of money when the AAF knocked on his door to be in that league. Money is something the league did not have. In the XFL this season, P.J. Walker was the best QB in the league. As soon as the XFL closed up shop, Walker was immediately scooped up by the Carolina Panthers. Colin Kaepernick, if he wants to return to the gridiron, will have to earn his stripes again and be a backup. Wait for another opportunity and then show us what we have missed here. I’m not buying that Kaepernick wants to play the game. The more years go by, his football story becomes even bigger. Like the size of the fish that the tale grows bigger by the year. Prove it to shut me up or the following that you have, that think you were bigger than Tom Brady on the field.

 

This will be the first ever article written by us, involving red necks driving cars really fast around a race track. Is red neck an offensive word to describe race car drivers? When it comes to stock car racing or Indy car racing I may be like the fool who watches hockey just for the fights. The crashes stand out to me the most. Wrecks that involve flames shooting out. Burning rubber now seems to make sense. I loved the cool looking cars. Seeing all the sponsors intrigued me about car racing. No Chico Bail bonds though. I loved playing the video game Pole position at much younger age. Movies like Days of Thunder and Driven were great on the big screen about the sport car racing. These days it seems like we write whats going on in sport off the field or off the track then the race or game itself. NASCAR is banning the rebel flag. Bubba Wallace is driving in a car with Black Lives Matter plastered all over the race car. While Ray Ciccarelli wants to race his car home after the 2020 season because of the confederate flag ban.

The Confederate flag to me is the General Lee. Bo and Luke Duke driving the orange challenger around Hazard county trying to elude the police. I have to mention the Daisy Dukes, as ZZ Top may have written their song “Legs” just because of Daisy. My point is they had a Confederate flag on the roof of the car. The Confederate flag represented the South in the Civil War decades ago. Some see this flag as hatred. Racism dating back to the days of slavery. Some see it as a band of brothers coming together to defend their homes from the North. Some people use the Confederate flag to represent hatred like it’s the Nazi flag back in World War II. It seems to me like a flag that has too many moving parts. It makes sense to take the Confederate flag down from government buildings. There should only be one flag that unites everyone in a broken nation. A nation that often feels like it was never fixed in the first place.

The Confederate flag at these races is like a hot dog at a baseball game. Bubba Wallace is the only full-time African American race car driver in NASCAR and he suggested the sport move on from the orange flag. What about if a driver wants the Confederate flag on their car? I can see taking the Confederate flag off the poles of the race track itself, but if you want it on your car this is also a no no, now.

The words of Ray Ciccarelli are, “I don’t believe in kneeling during the Anthem. Nor taking people’s right to fly whatever flag they love. I could care less about the Confederate flag, but there are people that do and it doesn’t make them a racist. All you are doing is fucking one group to cater to another and I aint spending the money to participate in any Political BS!!! So everything is for sale.”

I think most people in life misunderstand things. Like Black Lives Matter does not mean everyone who is not black can go straight to hell. The Dutch are the ones who brought African people to this country and sold them as slaves. The Confederate flag people instantly think represents slavery. The Nazi flag means one perfect race with blonde hair blue eyes. The swastika seems to bend their rules on that. I swear I have seen white supremacists have brown hair and green eyes. I think people use the Confederate flag to represent hate. It shows you most people really don’t know the true original meaning of things. They get twisted in present times because of stupid people from generations prior. Like looters going after historical statues across the  nation. Taking their heads off. You could find something wrong with almost everyone famous in this country. John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King liked to womanize. Everyone has a skeleton in their closet. Some may have a graveyard, as that closet door may be reinforced steel to hold everything shut.

Bubba Wallace may be the Jackie Robinson of the sport of racing. Doing things to change a sport that has a predominantly white following. Ray Ciccarelli has the right to his opinions. Why does Lebron James suddenly have to chime in on everything? Don’t get me started on his hour long program, “The Decision,” when he left Cleveland for Miami. If Ray Ciccarelli is set for life with money or has other plans, then he should leave the sport. Sometimes it’s best to make a statement on the track and win the race no matter what you believe. For Old Glory we should all stand as one nation under God. Old Glory, the American flag, represents freedom. Many have died fighting for that flag and this country. Maybe you can have freedom of choice when it comes to standing, sitting, or kneeling. You don’t expect a crippled person to stand during the National Anthem. If we all unite with our hand to our heart, for that minute each time the Star Spangled Banner is played whatever way you want or wherever, we come together. You can’t erase American history. You can better yourself after what occurred in Minneapolis. Police reform is a popular choice. Maybe just ending the hiring of the high school bullies as officers, would be a good way to prevent stuff from going down the wrong way. Most of our family genes come from another country. Maybe if we considered ourselves only as Americans, would that help? That is a bad idea because you are erasing the roots of everyone. Their background and history. People should be able to fly their Irish flag or that of wherever they come from. In history, everybody that came to America one way or another, felt unwelcome and hatred. Ask my mother about the Irish. Everyone needs to do more listening then yammering. Understand before you judge jury and execute something that may not mean what you thought. Racing cars will continue to go on without the Confederate flag flying at the track. The parking lot may be a different story. We need to remember they have the right to fly their flag. We have to respect their rights. Maybe we should just simply go and have a conversation about their flag. You may be shocked. Sometimes the scary biker at a party looks like an asshole. Feels like one. Then after a conversation, you realize the person you judged by their cover is the coolest person at this shindig. That is what it’s all about, coming together.

The death of George Floyd has sparked an inferno of emotions throughout the nation. Stuff like this brings out the good, the bad, and the just ugly in humanity. Protesting to demand change. Some have other motives as peaceful protests, which hope to get your message across, go haywire. Rioting, looting, injuries, property damage, burning wrecks, and death have ravaged this nation because of what went down in Minneapolis. These things also bring in people that were probably not even involved in it. Sure they have watched from the sideline. Mayhem has a way at times of showing up at your front door. Playing Call of Duty, a former NBA star got the call. The call was to go outside as some of the ugliness was not very far away from J.R. Smith’s home in Los Angeles To open the door to find someone breaking your window on your truck, this has brought Smith from the bench once again and into this game that is not a game.

J.R. Smith was the 2012-13 sixth man of the year to be called into action at the spur of the moment is very familiar with the veteran. Smith chased the looter down. Smith played 16 seasons in the NBA and toured 4 different cities in his playing career. New Orleans to Denver, and then to New York finishing in Cleveland. As a Cavalier he was part of that  2015-16 championship team with Lebron James. J.R. Smith was released in July of 2019 and has not played in the NBA since. Still in game shape I imagine, he caught up to him and in his words said, “I WHOOPED HIS ASS.”

I remember being a younger lad and throwing snow balls at moving cars. It was a time of innocence back then because it was about the thrill of the chase. We were not going out looking to damage someone’s car. Bad things, yes could have happened, so I would not recommend it to youth these days. Every snow ball or egg thrower never would expect a former athlete to chase you down. I remember if you did get caught, you always had a made up name to confess did it. Good ole imaginary Jack McCormick was the blame for everything gone wrong in the neighborhood where I grew up. Worst thing when you got caught would be if they found out where you lived and told your parents. No cell phones back then. That left out the Police. They could not drag you inside their car and take you to the Police station. They did not beat you up. We were kids.

In the heat of the moment J.R Smith did something that many have envisioned they would love to do. To catch a person stealing or looting or doing something to your home or the property of family or friends. To punch their lights out and wait for help to arrive. Makes you feel like Spiderman or Batman. But that feeling gets quickly stale if you have kids. J.R. Smith has kids, 4 gals. No kid wants to see their father turn into a monster. Turn into something like the Incredible Hulk. Something that will be etched in your children’s minds for the rest of natural lives. To become so dark and twisted and to stoop to a level lower than the thief or looter. J.R. apologized for that. Again it was the heat of the moment. But calm, cool, and collected in all situations is the best way. This guy who got beat up by J.R. Smith is not a very good looter. Before this incident, this guy was probably not very good at his day job either. Where do failures at looting go from here? Hope they have some kind of 12 step program to get them into a trade or something. J.R. Smith can go back to his game. Not on the court looks to be more Call of Duty or John Madden. What ever happened to Missile Command?

 

Jerry Reinsdorf, the chairman of the Chicago Bulls and the Chicago White Sox, has 7 championships under his belt. The six pack collected by Michael Jordan and the Bulls, during the 1990’s. The one World Series trophy, in 2005, by the unexpected Chicago White Sox that year. Since the 1980’s, the Bears have won one Super Bowl title. The Cubs finally snapped an over 100 year rebuilding campaign, in 2016. The Blackhawks won three lord Stanley Cups with a young superstar tandem, in Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. Out of the 4 major sports in the Windy City, Reinsdorf’s teams have 7 titles compared to the 5 the other franchises have collected in the four major sports. Since 2000, that would be one Championship won from the Reinsdorf teams compared those the 4 other teams in Chicago won. If Michael Jordan did not come to Chicago and play for the Bulls, Jerry Reinsdorf as an owner would be looking very pathetic with only one title from the White Sox while the rest of town would have had 5 titles. You could say Jerry Reinsdorf got very lucky with one player that put him on the map.

Before Jerry Reinsdorf and his investors purchased the Chicago Bulls, the sport of pro basketball in Chicago was surrounded by dark clouds with no sign of sunny days in the forecast. The Bulls were established in 1966. Before the Bulls, Chicago had other basketball teams in their town history. They had teams such as the Chicago Bruins and the Chicago American Gears. They even had Packers in Chicago. Bears fans will cringe. Chicago Packers who now are the Washington Wizards. Before the Bulls, it was the Chicago Stags that played on the hardwood. The Bulls in the early 1980’s were being outdrew by the Chicago Sting indoor soccer team. My mother-in-law would say the best thing about the Bulls of the ’70’s was their short shorts. Did Jerry Reinsdorf or Michael Jordan take the Bulls and put them on the map in the NBA and around the world?

The thing I hate most is the amount of loyalty Jerry Reinsdorf has with some of the wrong people. Former players in high up positions in the front offices for both organizations, should have been terminated in my book. John Paxton and Kenny Williams still have jobs when they should have been shown the door years ago. How many squabbles in a front office from both these organizations do we have to deal with on a regular basis with both the White Sox and Bulls? In The Last Dance, the series was defined by Jerry Krause giving Phil Jackson an end date. John Paxton punching a former coach he hired in the heat of the moment. Then let’s not forget the All My Children episodes of Ozzie Guillen and Kenny Williams that went way too long. Not like Gar Forman and John Paxton tandem biking that finally ended as Forman is out the door. While John Paxton has another role. Both Paxton and Williams still have their hands in the organization, which leaves dark clouds that still follow both franchises.

Jerry Reinsdorf had the best basketball player on the planet, Michael Jordan. Yes, six titles, but Jordan is obviously not happy in the end of his time with the Bulls. Jerry Reinsdorf is the head honcho, so could he have stepped in and pushed Michael Jordan and  Jerry Krause aside? Get them to repair both their egos and be on the same page? Uncle, you’re the owner for Christ Sake. This should have been done years prior to the last dance with the Bulls winning their second three peat. What about the mishandling of Scottie Pippen’s contract? No wonder Scottie was referred as No Tippin’ Pippin’ by the locals. I know Pippen signed the original deal. If Jerry would have stepped in and came up with something both can agree on, you would most definitely have a different ending. Maybe the Bulls win seven. I thought they should have went out on their own terms and then start the rebuilding process. Then at least you don’t have egg on your face when you watch a ten episode documentary about your team in the 1990’s with the best player ever, having an axe to grind with your ways of thinking. Yes, Uncle Jerry is shocked at what Michael said about him.

With the White Sox, things jump out at me as well. In 1994 the White Sox had a great team. They either were the best in the entire league or a close second. Some say the 1994 team was better than the 2005 team. The baseball season was never finished due to the strike year. Good ole Uncle Jerry Reinsdorf as an owner was a big part of why the strike even happened. His cheapness left a stench in the negotiations with players that left after 1994.  In 1995, to let pitching ace Black Jack McDowell walk away in free agency and thinking a has-been Chris Sabo will somehow save the day.  In 2006, trying to repeat or just getting into the playoffs for the second straight year does not happen. Big egos of Ozzie Guillen and Kenny Williams prevail as a talented team wins 90 games and does not make it back to the playoffs with a team stacked with talent. Uncle Jerry does not step in to get his family on the same page. Instead this feud lingers on for years with a messy divorce. Only way it seems in Jerry’s book is people shown to the door kicking and screaming. Why not Kenny Williams?

Overall with Jerry Reinsdorf at the helm, I’ve seen a lot of second place finishes with the White Sox. If you subtract Michael Jordan from the Bulls organization. Before it was grim and even after it was even grimmer. The Bulls organization just did some retooling. The new guys they brought in have said the Bulls front office over the decades has been outdated. Not talking about the paint job on the walls. The whole unit as a whole is not up to snuff as other NBA teams of the future. The Bulls’ ways were still in Bedrock chiseling out scouting reports on stone tablets. Look at both teams in free agent history. I like to say some of the White Sox teams may have been a big type of free agent away from being solid. Instead, Uncle Jerry settles for the dollar bin style rather than opening his wallet to get his teams over the top. They never get the big fish on the market. Don’t say Albert Belle because he was doomed before they even signed the contract with more out clauses than in. Look in the mirror, Uncle Jerry, and don’t be shocked on the next documentary when someone else throws you under the bus. Just where you deserve to be.