Seattle became the 32nd franchise in the NHL when the city was awarded an expansion team in 2018. It took this new franchise quite awhile to unveil the nickname for this new team, after considering over 1,000 different names. Probably scratching off hundreds because some group of people would be offended. Plus, many want to eradicate any American history that took place in this country. Seattle awakened the beast that lived side by side with the Emerald City deep in the seas, a creature that swam the waters. The tales many heard as kids, who heard the same stories sitting at their bar stools decades later, of the largest octopus in the world right in their backyard. I can picture an old sailor telling the story of how he faced the Kraken and they were eye to eye with each other. He lived to talk about it! By the way, the Kraken is the name they have chosen. Perhaps the owner of the Seattle franchise likes Kraken rum. The Seattle Kraken will get cracking on the ice for the 2021-22 season.

This is not Seattle’s first rodeo with a hockey squad in their town. Their last professional hockey team that skated in Seattle was Totems.

The Totems last skated in the 1970’s. The Totems played in multiple leagues and not in the NHL. The Totems won three championships in the WHL. Before the Totems, they originated as the Seattle Isacsson Iron Workers in 1943. Years went along and they changed leagues and their name. They were the Ironmen after being first called the Isacsson Iron workers. Then they went to Seattle Bombers, then Seattle Americans and finally ending with the Totems.

The Kraken are using the same style of S as the Metropolitans used when they skated in Seattle from 1915-24.

It’s a tribute from the Kraken for the Metropolitan’s history on the ice when they played in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA.) Before the NHL formed, the Stanley Cup was still the holy grail with the different hockey leagues throughout America and Canada. The Metropolitans were the first ever American team to win the Stanley Cup in 1917.  New York Rangers won the cup 11 years later, in 1928.

I like how Seattle used the history of their city to come up with the name Kraken.

Every part in the logo is something from Seattle’s past. The Kraken will even skate where the Seattle SuperSonics used to run up and down the hardwood floors. In 2008, the Sonics left town for Oklahoma.

The Kraken has a nice sharp color scheme on their uniforms. Deep sea navy, Ice blue, boundless blue, and shadow blue. Lots of Blues with a Red eye.

The Kraken will be in the Western conference. With teams like the Vegas Golden Knights and the San Jose Sharks, who also have cool logos with interesting color schemes on their uniforms. Usually expansion teams take a few years to establish themselves in a league. Maybe not always the case. Look at the Vegas Golden Knights; from the start this team has done very well. Plus the San Jose Sharks since they arrived in the 1990’s have been in the playoffs more years of their existence than staying home for the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Kraken might not start off skating like Squiddly Diddly.

Maybe Squiddly can be the team mascot.Was Hanna-Barbera a part of the Seattle landscape? Looking forward to see who the Kraken land in the expansion draft. Many teams leave players with big contracts unprotected. Will the Kraken bite with that kind of bait? I think Seattle shows a lot of passion for their sports teams. Look at the 12th man when it comes to the Seahawks. I think Seattle should get another NBA team as well. SuperSonics part two. I think this Kraken team will get a great following in Washington, and outside the state, because of the uniforms and being the new kid in town.  I have Seattle on my bucket list for the Mariners game and now the Kraken. Coffee and good craft beer in a beautiful state sounds like a very nice combination. Lets get KRAKEN!!!

 

NHL 2020 PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS (PLAY IN ROUND)

2020 STANLEY CUP BUBBLE HOCKEY PLAYOFF TOURNAMENT

EASTERN CONFERENCE

ROUND ROBIN

The top four teams of the Eastern conference in regular season will do a round robin tournament to determine their seeding in the Stanley Cup playoffs second round. This will give these teams some games under their belt and not go into the next round rusty.

Coming in: #1.Tampa Bay Lightning, #2.Boston Bruins, #3.Washington Capitals, & #4.Philadelphia Flyers

#5.PITTSBURGH PENGUINS VS #12.MONTREAL CANADIENS

Without the Covid-19, the Montreal Canadiens for sure would have never made the NHL playoffs. Pittsburgh Penguins were swept out of the Stanley Cup playoffs last season. The Penguins always have a spot in the playoffs, as if they reserve a table a year prior. Penguins super star, Sid the Kid, will light up the lamp in this bubble hockey tournament. Sid Crosby, since coming off his injury during regular season, had 30 points in 24 games. The Canadiens’ only shot to derail the Penguins is exploit their weak goal tending. Pittsburgh is stacked in team depth compared to Montreal. Penguins seem to get deep in the Stanley cup playoffs almost every year especially from an early exit last year. I think Penguins can win a few series before they exit this season.

AS A FAN, ROOTING FOR: PENGUINS

OUR PREDICTION: PENGUINS IN 4

#6.CAROLINA HURRICANES VS #11. NEW YORK RANGERS

This bubble tournament is good, bad, and ugly in many ways. It affects each team differently. The Carolina Hurricanes have to play the Rangers who were one of the hottest teams in the league before things were shut down on the ice. The Hurricanes were having some goalie problems at the end of regular season. Meanwhile Rangers had one of the hottest goalies in the league in front of the net. Rangers’, Igor Shesterkin, went 10-2 with an incredible save percentage of .932. Hurricanes are getting back a key player from injury, Dougie Hamilton, which will help. I think ex-Blackhawk Artemi Panarin will show GM Stan Bowman, of Chicago, how stupid it was to trade this kid. Panarin is the X factor and the Rangers goalie will help New York knock off Hurricanes.

AS A FAN ROOTING FOR: NEITHER

If the Hurricanes were still the Hartford Whalers, I would root on the Whalers.

OUR PREDICTION: RANGERS IN 5

#7. NEW YORK ISLANDERS VS #10. FLORIDA PANTHERS

Florida Panthers are my Chicago Blackhawks 2.0 with legendary head coach, Joel Quenneville, behind the bench. Islanders vs the Panthers are an Even Steven type of match up. Islanders have been streaky all year and at the end were on a downward slope, losing 11 out of their last 13 games. I think the Panthers can get just enough offense to prevail over an Islander team that has trouble getting the puck in the net, to rank 23rd in offense in the entire league. I think Joel Quenneville makes a statement in his coaching abilities and gets his team to the next round.

AS A FAN ROOTING FOR: FLORIDA PANTHERS

OUR PREDICTION: PANTHERS IN 5

#8.TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS VS #9. COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

The Maple Leafs have no problems putting the puck in the net. Can the Columbus Blue Jackets be successful in the playoffs minus super star Artemi Parnarin? Panarin was a big part of the Blue Jackets success last season. Can the Columbus Blue Jackets’ strong physical play that head coach John Tortorella installed, be able to shut down a Maple Leaf offense? The Maple Leaf defense is the team’s weakest link. Can Blue Jackets take advantage of that? This series should go the distance.

AS A FAN I’M ROOTING FOR: COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

OUR PREDICTION:MAPLE LEAFS IN 5

WESTERN CONFERENCE

ROUND ROBIN

The Western conference will also do a round robin tournament to determine seeding in the next round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Western conference top 4 teams coming in: #1.Colorado Avalanche, #2.Vegas Golden Knights, #3. St.Louis Blues, & #4.Dallas Stars

#5.EDMONTON OILERS VS #12.CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

When I first heard of this match up, I thought the Blackhawks had a very good shot beating the Oilers in a short series. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, with their playoff history, can easily be the x-factors in this type of series. Oilers have their own Batman and Robin duo with young superstars, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

The Blackhawks goalie Cory Crawford, coming off recovery from Covid-19, is the biggest question mark of the series. Can Crawford turn the playoff switch on? Best out of 7, Oilers, I think, win that. The Blackhawks playoff history with the core they have, find a way to run the Oilers dry and win and move on.

AS A FAN I’M ROOTING FOR: A DUH THE BLACKHAWKS

OUR PREDICTION: BLACKHAWKS IN 4

#6.NASHVILLE PREDATORS VS #11.ARIZONA COYOTES

Nashville Predators have found themselves over the last few seasons in the playoffs and back, out of the post-season with early exits. Meanwhile Arizona has missed the playoffs, the last few seasons, by just a few points in the standings. Arizona has had some unsung heroes step up their game like a Connor Garland. The Coyotes have a nice goalie tandem to defend their net that makes this a very interesting match up. Nashville has salary cap issues so time is running out for this veteran team. Next season could be a totally different roster. Coyotes will make this into a series. I think Nashville escapes with the series because of the playoff experience this team has, even though with no success the last few seasons.

AS A FAN I’M ROOTING FOR: ARIZONA COYOTES

OUR PREDICTION: PREDATORS IN 4

#7. VANCOUVER CANUCKS VS #10. MINNESOTA WILD

Canucks have been annoying in my book for years. Vancouver has been rebuilding and has assembled some nice young talent. Elias Pettersson  is the leader of this Canuck young and hungry team that is looking to make a big statement in this year’s playoffs. The Wild has been running on fumes with a roster of young and old guys. A team that will be fighting the salary cap next season. The Wild has had a nice run getting in the playoffs, but when it comes to post season they have had some exits in the first two rounds over and over. Canucks will stop the Wild’s main scorer, Kevin Fiala, and put the Wild on the extinct list.

AS A FAN I’M ROOTING FOR: MINNESOTA WILD

OUR PREDICTION: CANUCKS IN 4

#8. CALGARY FLAMES VS #9.WINNIPEG JETS

The Jets and the Flames is another interesting series that has the potential to go the distance. Both teams have flaws. Both teams I thought would get further last season in the Stanley Cup playoffs. For the Flames, Matthew Tkachuk is on the rise, and if he can light the lamp it might jump start this offense. Flames goal tending has been better than last season. David Rittich has been working harder then ever, as the defense of the Flames have not been up to snuff like they have before. The Jets defense has been awful at times this season. With Dustin Byfuglien leaving, Kyle Connor has taken this offense on his shoulders as the Jets do have a few guys that can get the puck in the net. I think this series comes down to the Jets goaltender, Connor Hellebuyck. If Hellebuyck gets hot, he can get the Jets to the next round.

AS A FAN I’M ROOTING FOR: WINNIPEG JETS

OUR PREDICTION: JETS IN 4

In Bears country, is Mitch Trubisky on the bubble to be another of Ryan Pace’s first round busts? If Trubisky is thrown in the back seat of the car because Nick Foles out plays him in camp, will this end Ryan Pace as the Bears GM for good? This weekend the Bears traded tight end Adam Shaheen to the Miami Dolphins for a late conditional draft pick. Shaheen was a 2nd round draft pick in 2017. If Mitch Trubisky is a bust in a draft where you could have chosen Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes, then your number two pick of 2017 you have just traded to Miami after three seasons in Chicago. Do you chalk up 2017 as just a bad year for GM Ryan Pace? The Bears GM’s track record is not being able to hit on top picks.

Ryan Pace and the Bears thought they struck gold picking Adam Shaheen out of the small college of Ashland. They thought he was going to be a baby Gronk, as he’s a big target at 6’6″ with arms that reach high in  the sky. Shaheen never came close to a Rob Gronkowski as in three years, injuries sidelined his play to only 27 games. Shaheen’s play was ineffective. On the field he only caught 26 balls for 249 yards and 4 touchdowns in his career during those three years. You could say he was wide open a few times and Mitch Trubisky either did not trust him or missed him totally. Bears drafted a tight end, Cole Kmet, from Notre Dame this off season and signed veteran Jimmy Graham. This is another questionable signing the Bears have made trying to repair a hole from a draft pick. Writing has been on the wall as the Bears collected at one point 11 freaking tight ends. Bears have cut ties with a few like Trey Burton, who was riddled with injuries last season. Bears actually save 1.3 million off the cap with this trade off to Miami and actually get something for how poor Shaheen has played over his entire Bears career. A 6th or 7th rounder will not make up for a miss on a 2nd rounder. It’s something. My thoughts are Shareen would have ended up being cut and Dolphins could have gotten him that way.

When the Bears made the trade to get Khaili Mack and used some first round picks to make that deal happen, I thought it was good. GM Ryan Pace’s history shows he can not hit on top picks. In 2015, Kevin White, a wide receiver, was the Bears top pick who had injury history in which Bears knew about and still drafted him. Kevin White will be the biggest bust by the Bears GM. However if Mitch Trubisky goes elsewhere after this season, he may haunt the GM for Chicago more because he was fleeced by the 49ers to move up one spot. This cost the Bears a draft pick and he picked the wrong guy. Obviously, Trubisky has had a better career than White in the NFL. When you whiff on a quarterback and you miss two studs he could have had, it will hurt more then a wide receiver that could not stay on the field. Then let’s not forget Leonard Floyd, the skinny as rail defensive end who was the Bears’ first round pick in 2015. Floyd had moments, but he never played like he was hyped up to be. Maybe the Bears staff did not provide him with seconds at the dinner table.

By adding a Khaili Mack to the Bears defense, GM Ryan Pace turned that unit into one of the best units in the league. The hope was to have the quarterback position figured out, and that’s why they drafted Mitch Trubisky. It looked like it was going to work as the 2018 Bears were back in the playoffs. The double doink kick was the blame for the team’s whole season when they were ousted in the first round by the Eagles from one of those kicks. The kicking game can be blamed on the GM. Ryan Pace cut legendary Bears kicker, Robbie Gould. Ryan Pace still has not figured out the kicking game since cutting Gould. Bears were able to take advantage of an easier schedule when this team made it to the playoffs in 2018. Now that dominant defense sees the window is closing, as the roster has been riddled with holes like Swiss cheese. Due to trading most of your picks. Due to missing on high draft picks. The Monsters of the Midway are a boat with holes, as GM Ryan Pace continues to plug the leaks, but another leak always pops up. Putting a bandaid on the wreck here, and there, and back again eventually will burst like Ryan Pace’s GM career.

The 2019-20 NHL hockey regular season came to a screeching halt when the Corona Virus shut down every sport in i’s tracks. The Chicago Blackhawks were mathematically still alive to make a post season spot at that time. However the team had to jump over a few teams with not that many games left in the regular season. The Blackhawks were sellers at the trade deadline as they traded goal tender Robin Lehner to the Vegas Golden Knights when they only just signed him as a free agent on a one year deal in the off season. Blackhawks were left with Cory Crawford who started the last 8 games before operations were shut down. Did the Blackhawks make the right choice in net minders? Now Blackhawks find themselves alive. The team will play the Edmonton Oilers in  a short series in a qualifying round. Winner advances to the Stanley Cup playoffs. In a short series, with Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith and Cory Crawford, anything could happen. The core with the experience and they have a ticket back to the post season; it sounds too good to be true. Blackhawks announce Cory Crawford unfit to play.

In off season the reason why the Blackhawks went out and signed a Robin Lehner, was because of Crawford unable to take on the full load in regular season. Cory Crawford has been dealing with concussions and has missed more ice time in the last few years resulting in Blackhawks missing the playoffs. With Crawford and Lehner teaming up, the Blackhawks had the best goalie tandem in the league. Robin Lehner is no slouch in the 2018-19 season. He won the Masterton award for his goalie play with the Islanders. Lehner helped his team get 103 points in the standings for the Islanders which they have not done since the early 1980’s. Lehner and Thomas Greiss together in the net allowed the fewest goals in the regular season for the Islanders that season.  Too many injuries occurred this year for the Blackhawks and for this goalie tandem able to save this team and break their post season drought just did not happen. Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman shipped Robin Lehner to Vegas got a back goalie as part of the deal as Malcom Subban now wears the Indian head. Robin Lehner did want to stay in Chicago and wanted a contract extension. Two goalies paying big money was not in the cards for a GM Stan Bowman. This deal will come back to haunt the GM who is on the bubble of himself being trounced out of the windy city and being replaced.

Cory Crawford you can say is one of the best goalies in Blackhawks history. Crawford has helped this franchise capture two Stanley Cups with his brilliant play. In 2019-20 it seemed the duel banjos of Lehner and himself was helping him stay the course of the season health wise. The 35 year old Cory Crawford finished the regular season with a record of 16-20-3 with a 2.77 GAA and 9.17 save percentage. These are good numbers. These are numbers the Blackhawks need in a five game series with the Oilers. During phase 3 and 4 of the Covid plan to get  back to normal, Crawford did not participate in voluntary workouts. The Blackhawks have not givien a clear response why Crawford is unfit to play. Speculation is he’s dealing with concussions once again. Perhaps he’s just out of shape after this lay off. Some will whisper he likes to drink a bit too much. You can even throw in the Virus still lurking making him not want to play.

In a short game series with Crawford playing without issues, I thought this was a great chance for the Blackhawks to skate back in the postseason. Thought they could get by the Oilers and move on to the first round of the actual post season. If Malcom Subban gets the starting job in net, his stats this season was a 9-7 record with a 3.17 GAA  and 8.90 save percentage. Blackhawks also have Collin Delia who has only 18 career games on his resume in the NHL. Without Crawford the goalie stats do not look good versus the Edmonton Oilers. In the NHL playoffs a hot goalie could be the Ace in the deck of any series. Even if Cory Crawford played it is not a automatic series win because he could be horrible from the lay off as most players will have to knock off the rust very quickly.

Now some news has Cory Crawford may travel with the team versus Edmonton. Crawford has not got the green light to play in the series. I still think the Blackhawks should have extended Robin Lehner and cut their ties with a Cory Crawford. The Blackhawks need to remove some of the core that are aging. I can see building still around Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, but they are aging and we are wasting time with hopes of a Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith playing like they used to. We are wasting time thinking a Cory Crawford could bring superior net presence for an entire regular season and post season on a regular basis. It is a shame that Crawford can’t play because he has a great history versus Canada teams like the Edmonton Oilers. I sense if Crawford played and played well we would never be able to get rid of him. Then more concussions will come and more games Crawford would miss and we back to the same drawing board. The Blackhawks find themselves scratching their heads every year. They continue not to see the obvious and that leads their brain trust still making the wrong moves each season.

 

 

The Chicago Bears, in 2017, were looking to solve a long time problem the team had behind center. The most important position in the game of football. The quarterback position. For decades now the Bears have had nothing but hot garbage throwing the football. The quarterback from the 1940’s, Sid Luckman, is still the best in franchise history. An ERA where they ran the ball coming off the bus. Loved Jim McMahon as the punky quarterback who led the Bears to their only Superbowl title. Jim Miller and Erik Kramer showed me heart and determination at the position. If Jay Cutler had a statue, I would get a band of protesters together and play some mailbox baseball with Cutler’s granite cranium. In 2017, the Bears had a chance to fix their ongoing problem which has aggravated fans for years. The experts had 3 door prizes in the very first round to choose from. The Bears had first crack at each door prize. They went with the booby prize by taking Mitch Trubisky. At the same time, the Chiefs moved up and took Patrick Mahomes, as he was the last door to be opened. The Texans took Deshaun Watson, who was the second door prize. What if the Bears were able to land Patrick Mahomes?

It took Patrick Mahomes only three seasons to win a Superbowl after the Chiefs beat up the 49ers in the big game on the biggest stage this past February. Patrick Mahomes playing behind center has earned him a ten year extension worth 503 million dollars. It is easiest the biggest contract by one player in sports history. This deal surpasses Mike Trout for the biggest in sports. Mahomes is the first half billion dollar player in the history of the sporting world. Patrick Mahomes only played in one game in 2017, as he watched and learned Andy Reid’s system. In 2018, Patrick Mahomes lit up the league with his play. Mahomes threw 29 touchdown passes in his first ten games, more than any other QB in NFL history. Mahomes became the first Chiefs player to pass the pigskin for 8 straight games, throwing for 300 plus yards in each of those contests. Mahomes easily has become one the NFL biggest stars and you have to say he’s up there with the leagues best at the quarterback position after only three years in the league.

How did the Bears get the booby prize? Let’s look at the college stats of the three door prizes in 2017.

PATRICK MAHOMES: TEXAS TECH, 32 GAMES, 11,252 YARDS, 93 TD PASSES, 29 INTERCEPTIONS WITH 63.5 COMPLETION PERCENTAGE AND 152.0 QB RATING

DESHAUN WATSON: CLEMSON: 38 GAMES, 10,168 YARDS, 90 TD PASSES, 32 INTERCEPTIONS WITH A 67.4 COMPLETION PERCENTAGE AND 157.5 QB RATING

MITCH TRUBISKY:NORTH CAROLINA, 31 GAMES, 4,762 YARDS, 41 TD PASSES, 10 INTERCEPTIONS WITH 67.5 COMPLETION PERCENTAGE AND 157.6 QB RATING

If I was just going by the numbers and what they did in college, Deshaun Watson would be the number one pick out of the three choices. Plus Watson had Clemson in the College championships battling it out with Alabama more than once. Mahomes’ numbers in college are off the charts. Mahomes played six less games than Watson and threw more TD passes and more yards. Not even mentioning the rushing stats from Mahomes. Mitch Trubisky’s numbers look good. Most games he played was a back up role as he only started one season In North Carolina. Trubisky has the highest completion percentage out of all three. In the NFL, Mitch Trubisky has a hard time with hitting wide open receivers in stride.

What if the Bears chose Patrick Mahomes instead of Mitch Trubisky? Originally Mitch Trubisky was going to sit his first season as he learned from Mike Glennon. Glennon I first thought would be a decent choice for the Bears in 2017 when he was on the free agent market.  The Bears overpaid for his services. Mike Glennon was touched by the Bears and presto… he turned into hot garbage. Like the kiss that turned the prince into a frog. Would Patrick Mahomes have done better behind center than Mitch Trubisky in 2017 under the Coach Fox coaching staff? Mahomes makes players better around him and can make plays happen with his arm or just taking off with his legs. I would like to think that Mahomes would have done better that season in a Bears uniform than Mitch Trubisky. In 2018, the Bears had the best defense in the league. Bears gave Trubisky help with a better receiving core. Plus they brought in Matt Nagy to take over for John Fox as head coach. Matt Nagy who worked in Kansas City before coming to Chicago. Nagy had coached Mahomes in Kansas City his rookie year. Remember Mahomes only played one game in 2017. If the Bears had drafted Mahomes he would have eventually ran the same kind of similar offense they ran in Kansas City with the arrival of Nagy. Trubisky did well in 2018 with a limited amount of Matt Nagy’s play book. We know Patrick Mahomes thrives in that system, just by career numbers out of three door prizes of the 2017 draft.

Would the double doink of a kick still have happened from Cody Parky in the playoff game between the Bears and Eagles with Patrick Mahomes as your QB? I thought the Bears left a few wins on the field in 2018. Including the opener where Green Bay came back in the 4th quarter in that game the Bears had won, but Aaron Rodgers put up yet another miracle come \back. Does Patrick Mahomes extend drives in that opening night in the second half and prevent Green Bay from making that come back? I think the Bears would have won more games in 2018 and had a first round bye and never faced Nick Foles and the Eagles. If they drafted Patrick Mahomes, they might have had the best defensive player with Khaili Mack and Mahomes, the best offensive player in the league in the same year. In 2018, people can easily blame the kicker. Mitch Trubisky had a good year, but he still was the weakest link. The defense was Superbowl caliber. Matt Nagy’s offense was impressive. Mahomes would be a game changer and the Bears coulda woulda turned into Superbowl champions. I still don’t know why the Bears gave up draft picks to the 49ers to move up one spot to only land Mitch Trubisky in 2017. If the 49ers wanted one of those quarterbacks, you still had two other choices. Would the 49ers actually pick Mitch Trubisky? Bears then would have probably passed on Mahomes and Watson and found something else in the draft if the 49ers wanted Trubisky. Maybe for Patrick Mahomes it is a blessing that the Bears did not pick him. In Chicago, quarterbacks and wide receivers come and immediately are put out to pasture. What if the Bears had their guy locked up for ten years not having to worry about the most important position on the field? When they did think they had their guy in the past, it was well wasted money extending a Jay Cutler.  Bringing back Sid Luckman would be a crazy idea. We should have cloned him back then. When it comes to being a Bears fan I feel like the Portland Trailblazers passing on Michael Jordan and picking Sam Bowie is the same brain trust who made that executive decision.

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.