Football Write Up # 3

 Episode 3 for the Desert Fans

YES! We beat our arch rival! Finally!

More on that later.

              Georgia, now ranked number 2 to Alabama in the top spot, smothered UAB as they were supposed to, 56 to 7. That is four more points than Clemson scored last week, but I am sure the bench had a hand in that. Now in week 3 of the season Georgia faces neighbor state team South Carolina, which has no Jadeveon Clowney, so expect a rout. The Bulldog offense showed some scoring prowess against a smaller opponent, so now we will see if the genie is out of the bottle. (Ooh, Arab reference, a humbling point for me this week!) A Georgia fan that I talk to regularly likes the RB named White, who apparently can run for speed and power. As I told some other Bulldog fans this week, this might their year.

              Number 6 ranked Clemson will face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, who I have on good authority no longer run the triple option. They sucked the life out of the Game Coks last week, 49 – 3. So, expect a traditional dumping by the ACC traditional power of the Palmetto State over the not so Ramblin’ Wreck of the former penal colony next door. The Tigers should get some big numbers, like last week over South Carolina State. Only this time against a FBS team, and a Power 5 team.

              Number 12 ranked Notre Dame escaped a pesky Toledo Rocket squad. I know for some fans it was frustrating on multiple counts, both receptivity of the game and the closeness necessitated to win. Watch out for Purdue this weekend, the Boilers can always ruin your day, or your whole season. This in-state rivalry is heated; I know Purdue fans can be as obnoxious as they come. No more luck, my Irish, just lay down a whoopin’.

              Number 24 ranked Miami has another Big 10 foe on the docket, the Michigan State Spartans. I wear those colors daily and I try to not let it get to me. Say less. This will be a tough game, I predict, as Sparty has improved from some down years. The Hurricanes barely won over the Appalachian State last week, 25 – 23. Miami needs to bring their A game to win this one, I will be interested to see the outcome. If it is a blowout that would surprise me. But that outcome last Saturday was far from expected.

              Indiana opened up their scoring on FCS team Idaho in my hometown, but a lot of it was from the special teams, with blocked punts and a punt return. As a Hoosier fan I am still worried about the offense, the QB Penix has not found many long routes on passes, and now number 8 ranked Cincinnati come to town and we hope it is not ugly like the Iowa game the first week. The IU running game is not that impressive so far, either. The defense did okay against the surging Iowa Hawkeyes, who last week handled a top 10 (and probably over ranked Iowa State Cyclones).  Indiana is no longer ranked, nor will they deserve to have a ranking until they show us more.  More on the Big 12 at the end of our episode, Desert Fans. Maybe it’s just me that is pretty excited about the news…

              Auburn, ranked by some (like 20^th in the polls), dropped a whopping 35 points on Alabama State in the 3^rd quarter alone and came away, 62 – 0. That was some half time pep talk, I guess, after only scoring 6 in the 1^st quarter and 14 in the second. If a mighty school like Auburn is only up 20 to nothing at the half to lowly ASU (still not sure of the mascot), then them boys need some religion. Yes, suh! Next for the War Eagle (we need you to Roll the Tide at season’s end! Anybody, please!) Saban might already be the most successful coach of all time… But today is no cake walk at all: Auburn versus number 12 Penn State in University Park, Happy Valley. Should be a good one.

OKAY, I’ve been holding it till now! I might be letting 13 some odd years of frustration out!

The Utes (then ranked) could not stop the Cougs (then unranked)! It happened Saturday night in our Happy Valley in the great state of Deseret, along the picturesque Wasatch Range. For those who may not have read the first episode, I lived in Utah for five years doing work and college. But more than being there then, BYU is a church–owned school, of which I have been a member since the 1970s. So, I like it when BYU Blue outshines the Utah bloody red. In that decade of the 1970s BYU first became a pretty decent football school that would upset bigger teams. And we might be there now, since losing our former coach to UVA in Charlottesville in 2015 … BYU expects to play anyone, any time. And win our share. Especially against the heated rival a mere 49 miles to the north.

The QB Jaren Hall beat Utah with his arm, and legs, and that means he did it with his head. The Cougar defense stepped up and stuffed the formerly ranked Utes. Brigham Young is now ranked 23, or 21, and going to play the ranked Arizona State Sun Devils. They, possibly the best of the PAC 12 after Oregon (congrats for road win at Ohio State) are nationally ranked 21 or so, depending on the polls in the high teens, both 2-0 and standing to get a big win.

Can the Cougars keep it rolling?

I say yes!

Thanks Desert fans, for another installment of the college teams that we follow. It was a little less researched and more abbreviated due to my testing in Arabic and some night time duties this week. Things are okay with me, I surprisingly passed the listening portion and then failed the reading portion, sort of like a good Indiana team thinking they can beat a middling SEC team in a middling bowl. They cannot (see last January versus Ole Miss).

I did not read and guess on the DLPT well enough to pass the Arabic reading. I will re-take it in another six months, in sha’ allah, and we will see. This Hoosier and Cougar may get his share… But he will go out fighting, regardless… Enjoy the games!

Peace.

 

 

Okay, two more notes, I love it: Arkansas crushed Texas, 40 – 21

AND FINALLY: Jacksonville State 20, Florida State Seminoles 17.

Yes, college football is great. I think J-State is a HBCU (historically black college or university). If so, power to ‘em. If not, they are not FBS. Either way, Tomahawk chop that!

             

             

Bryce Tied with 3 Others for Number 210 on All Time Home Run Hitter List

 

210.	George Bell (12)	265	6592	R	HR Log
	Bryce Harper (10, 28)	265	5451	L	HR Log
	J.D. Martinez (11, 33)	265	5265	R	HR Log
	Matt Stairs (19)	265	6024	L	HR Log
214.	Bobby Thomson (15)	264	6961	R	HR Log
215.	Danny Tartabull (14)	262	5842	R	HR Log

George Bell only played twelve years, finishing in 1993 with my Tim Raines White Sox. His best year by far was 1987 with 47 long ones.

JD Martinez is 33 years-old and still active in his 11th season of playing.

Matt Stairs finished after a long career in 2011 with the Washington Nationals.

Bobby Thomson was a famed player who ended his career in 1960. He only hit over 30 once (32) in 1951 with the Giants.

Tartabull is now alone at 215 with his 262 long ones, last on the field in 1997. His career high was 34 in 1987.

-------------------------------

Harper's Phillies are still battling the Braves to win the NL East, but there is only about eight games left. They trail by 2 games or so.

As I learned only 3-4 years ago, post season stats do not count for overall career numbers.

Football Write Up # 4

                        Desert Fans Episode 4: Changes in the Top 25

The regular FBS season of post-pandemic 2021 is a quarter done for most teams, three weekends into September. Some things have gone as expected; there have been a few changes in the pre-season Top 25, which is normal. For historical context, the delta variant of COVID-19 is still infecting and killing quite a few people, clogging up some hospitals in the United States. But it looked like most college football games were very well attended this past Saturday, and in many cases stadiums were packed this last part of the summer of ‘21. Many of us are happy the summer has concluded. For those living in broiling hot deserts, fall seems like the inevitable solution to access more reasonable times.

So what happened? Georgia’s date with destiny goes unabated, roasting the Game Cocks 45 -13. We all enjoy ourselves a Cornish hen now and again. The Bulldogs are still ranked second, while Alabama struggled in the Swamp against the Gators (a highly ranked squad), so there is hope that the Tide can lose. This year. Up next: Vanderbilt. This should be a cake walk for the mean dogs.

Clemson, still highly regarded and still able to control their own destiny to make the College Football Championship Series, or final four of the elite January games—if they run the table the rest of the way with one loss— struggled to beat Georgia Tech 14 – 8. I did not see or hear much about the game, but both the total points scored and the final spread should be of concern to Tiger fans. Next up for the number 7 team (in some polls) is North Carolina State, who is 2-1, and might be better than Georgia Tech. Get your paws and claws ready, you crazy Tigers! The Wolfpack can be a sneaky foe.  I hear tell that wolves roam in vexing, tactical, formations. Clemson has some good play to prove.

Notre Dame handled their business with the Boilers of West Lafayette, 27 -13. Judging from the box score, and seeing the updates from the first half, the Irish simply played solid D and got their scores methodically. Up next: the mighty Wisconsin Badgers. This should be a tough match up for both schools. I am willing to think that the Boilers are better than the Rockets, so the Irish made some progress this game. They will have to play on all cylinders to take on the Cheeseheads of Madison. (Toledo folded to lowly Colorado State 6 – 22, so I do wonder how good Toledo is after the close loss to Notre Dame the week before.)

Looking across the Big Ten from Purdue to all points of the Mid-West, this almost concludes our teams followed by us Desert Fans. Almost. Penn State and Michigan State played some desert fans’ squads. This was a Big Ten centric weekend.

Credit both SEC and ACC powers Auburn and Miami for scheduling their Big Ten opponents in the third week of the season. There is honor in that. Auburn played a tough game in the Whited Out Beaver Stadium in Central PA, and fell 20 – 28. Both teams, PSU and Auburn, belong in the top 20, if not top 10, in my book. The War Eagle will play the Georgia State Panthers next week, which I expect to be lopsided.

Sparty took care of the ‘Canes late; it was not a good time for Miami on Saturday. The Hurricanes next will face the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils. They look and sound like the Duke Blue Devils a bit, but this should be a large rout for the big guys. CCSU is a small program not well known, probably cashing out a bit to play the Hurricanes. Miami can even their record at 2-2 and still finish respectably in the Atlantic Coast Conference, if they can figure out what happened against MSU and fix it.

I wish to get to my Big Ten team, Indiana, soon, but…BYU is now ranked and IU has slid down the most as a team of the Desert Fans 7, so let us talk top 25 first. Miami has to battle to get back there, too. I think that they will achieve that.

However, I have to share more about my Deseret desert team. ASIDE: (Deseret (pronounced DEZ- UR- ETTE) was going to be the original name of the Utah region when settled by church President Brigham Young and the pioneers back in the mid-19^th century. The U.S. government had other ideas, and thus Utah became a state later in 1896, six years after the Latter-day Saints ended polygamy. By sheer population and citizenhip Utah could have become a state as early as 1855, but Washington D.C. and most Americans could not accept the plural wives issue with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, aka the Mormons, therefore the native tribe Utah took the state name rather than it becoming the religious name Deseret, which means beehive in Hebrew). Enough history for now! On to more grid iron…

BYU upset its second ranked PAC 12 team in a row, at home, to a loud and proud Cougar nation in Provo. Arizona State committed a large number of penalties, many of them false starts due to the ravenous and raucous home fans. The same pattern emerged in this game as the first two games: BYU got an early lead, then let the opponent slip within range of taking the lead, then a few clutch plays secured the victory for the Cougars. Up next is the University of South Florida Bulls, which upset Brigham Young a couple years ago. The Y is now ranked around number 16 in the nation. Some claim that they are the best in the PAC 12 (3-0), and also the best of their future conference, the Big 12. (Longhorns smooshed by the Arkansas Razorbacks and Oklahoma struggling against lesser teams). BYU is still independent, by the way.

Meant to mention it last week, that the Big 12 is expanding to invite BYU (closest to Kansas by geography?), Houston, Cincinnati (rival to eastern based West Virginia set up), and the University of Central Florida. That one is strangely balanced by far off Provo, Utah. Maybe.

I am very happy with these turn of events for my alma mater in general (BA in Spanish ’95), only concerned that a few injuries, especially on the defensive side, are beginning to take their toll on the team as a whole this so far tremendous season. Keenan Pili, one of their best tacklers, was seen after the game wearing a protective boot. A few other guys have been dinged up, but as we say, no one is unscathed after 3 or 4 games.

And then we have my hoped-for-better-times Indiana Hoosiers. Unlike the game against Iowa, IU was able to move the ball and score, against a Cincinnati team that is ranked number 8 in the land. Although with that improved ball movement came some more QB Michael Penix interceptions, that cost Indiana points, at least a 3 point field goal twice, if not more in touchdowns, plus a key late game RB fumble to lose a TD go ahead score, and a kick-off return by the Bearcats in the second half that ensured their lead for good. Indiana was more respectable in this loss and showed some good signs of better play, but fell into some errors that prevented the upset. The Hoosiers have to beat next opponent Western Kentucky, or this season will be a long, losing one. Former weaker conference foes (Terps, Scarlet Knights) now seem pretty good this year, so IU has to establish more discipline. While losing 38-24 on paper, Indiana in fact was a few plays from winning this game.

I do not think that Cincinnati looked like a top 8 team (I watched the whole game), I could be wrong. Indiana may deserve their now 50^th ranking or so, we shall see. Hopefully they can right the ship and get more wins than losses, I am thinking 7 -5 now, realistically, perhaps optimistically. Or, they could tighten it up and be a top 30 team. I wish.

LAST NOTES: A highly touted UCLA was upset by Fresno State, Oklahoma looked beatable to Nebraska, winning by only one score, Florida State was crunched by Wake Forest (‘Noles are now 0-3 for the first time since 1976!), North Carolina trounced Virginia, Army blasted UConn, Air Force was bested by Utah State late in a thriller, and Navy had the weekend off. They needed it, their offense has been anemic. 34 undefeated teams remain among the 130 Football Bowl Series programs.

As it stands for the Desert Fans:

Georgia               3 – 0.      #2

Clemson             2 – 1.       #7

Notre Dame       3 – 0        #9

BYU                     3 – 0      #16

Auburn               2 – 1     #23

Miami                 1 – 2      #35

Indiana               1 – 2      #50

Have fun this week, my friends! Things will be better. Right? Of course.

Football Write Up # 2

 

Desert Fans Episode 2: First Full Weekend

Well, well, well. What did we learn after all these games Labor Day weekend? Georgia is pretty good! Maybe their defense is like those Bears or Ravens teams in the pros that made it to and even won the Superbowl with overpowering defensive sides? Are the Bulldogs that good defensively, or maybe the Tigers are down, or Clemson need a little more seasoning and oil to get their mean salad together? (Poor analogy for football, sorry.) Some people were picking Georgia to win it all. If their offense can kick it in gear, they might be the ones this year. I have some security guards that I am friends with, Georgia guys, so I think Bulldog nation is going to be a thing in this 2021 season. 1980, perhaps here’s looking at you. This Deep South power has apparently risen again.

Clemson still could be one of the best teams by the end of the season; it is unknown if any ACC teams can match them. Most likely they are better than Coastal Carolina, and until proven otherwise superior to the in-state Game Cocks. Gamecocks? So they are still the best in their home state, if not the nation.  Up Next: South Carolina State, which might be the 5^th best team in the Palmetto State, if in fact the Citadel is better than this Football Championship Series team, which most assuredly will be pulverized on September 11[1] by the national power.

For those counting, there are 130 FBS teams (formerly Division 1, now Bowl eligible teams). I need to count up the FCS teams, perhaps there are more than 130? Some of them accomplished some amazing wins this weekend, topped by the U. of Montana. The Grizzlies, right? The “U”? Or Montana University, maybe set in that order. The Big Sky State is not known for much outside of nature, so people will keep an eye on them this season, like Appalachian State back in 2007. Or was it 2006? Either way, an unforgettable lower division upset that brought them huge attention, that I still cherish as a fan for that up-and-coming school. And, being a long-time opponent fan of Michigan lording over my teams, it was nice to see the Big House eat their humble pie. Props to the smaller school FCS victors this weekend over Vanderbilt of the SEC, Tulsa of the AAC, UNLV and Colorado State of the Mountain West Conference. Pretty embarrassing, like maybe when your little brother beats you in a competition that should be yours to own, and he is way too young to be that good. But it happens. Montana, the new Appalachian State.

Speaking of the U, I am sorry Miami of Florida fans. Alabama reloads and just continues to look scary, scary good. I would like to see ‘Bama take on a pro team. I bet some in the NFL would not do too well against Nick Saban’s squad. Amazingly talented and powerful, it was not the Hurricanes’ day. Up next for Miami: Appy State! I did not purposely mention the Mountaineers above thinking of their being the upcoming opponent of the ‘Canes, but I suppose this is apropos. Miami is picked by 7.5, apparently, but I expect King and the Canes to drop a lot of points and win by 20+. Too much talent there not to romp. Appalachian (pronounce it right, non-homeland elites!) is a full-fledged FBS team now in the Sun Belt, a lower ranked tier of college football for sure. I will be shocked if the Canes do not blow them out.

If you did not notice, I am trying to go in order of presumed power of the seven teams we are discussing per Desert Fans protocols. However, Alabama is so dominant that it was natural to talk of them and Miami, the Tide’s first victim of the new school year. Auburn, we hold out hope…

Notre Dame was up 38 to 20, and then allowed the Seminoles to tie the game! Luckily the ‘Noles missed a field goal in the first possession of OT and the Irish did not. It was a good offensive display in the first two thirds for the Golden Domers, but the last twenty minutes or so the offense clamped up and the defense broke down. Maybe Florida State is much improved; time will tell with the Irish players of South Bend. I cannot recall if I am repeating myself from last time, but I have a goal to make it to South Bend, of my home state, and see a game there. I heard that BYU and the Irish may play next October, but I think it might be in Provo. More as that story develops.

Our Lady of Hope (I got that wrong I am sure, but it is the name of a beautiful church close to my house, and refers to the Virgin Mary, no offense),  plays next against: the Toledo Rockets of the MAC. I grew up in the Midwest surrounded by those Mid-American schools, and some of them can rise up and sting you sometimes. It has happened to both my Hoosiers and Cougars even in recent years. Be wary, Notre Dame! But I pick the Irish to crush them efficiently, by at least three touchdowns.

Speaking of Golden Domes, a shout out to our service academies. Navy got pummeled by Marshall! Ugh! I like Ken Niematalolo, the long-time coach, but this might not be the best time for his longevity in Annapolis; earlier successes may not take him too much further. Army and Air Force took care of business; the former seems to be the one to beat of the military academies, like last year. Army strong, soldiers! Maybe those butter bars got some moxy in them for the next war or three. And I mean real wars, not pig skin battles.

Back to our teams in the realm of the desert fandom. Auburn nullified the Zips early and often, and then removed the foot off the gas pedal. I was tracking the score live, and it seemed the War Eagle might have dropped 80, easy, but I assume the second and third stringers (fourth?) got in the game and finished it up more mercifully to Akron, also of MAC provenance of the heartland. Now the Tigers have their second game on tap: Alabama State. Wow, I really do not know much about this FCS team! There are 128 of them, I have counted since, or have been informed by the Google. Auburn could score 100 if they wanted to, but that is what the third and fourth string teams are for. Freshmen can still red shirt if they play in four or less games the whole season. This is a win/win, because it allows young guys to get some reps and learn, not burn up their eligibility, and it helps the veterans stay more rested and avoid stupid, needless injuries. War Damn for the lay-up. Stay whole and save it all for the Iron Bowl. Is that the right term? Writing this letter forces me to act like I know more than I usually do. Yeah, Iron Bowl until proven otherwise. We have a ways to go, college football fans.

Now my alma maters, plus one that I also attended.

Indiana, top twenty team this year? Not so fast! yells Lee Corso of ESPN, former Indiana coach who led IU to their first bowl win in 1979, their second bowl ever and till now one of only three bowl wins ever. Yes, Indiana has suffered more losses than victories, if you did not know. Losing is familiar to us Hoosier fans. But there were really high hopes in 2021, despite playing a ranked Iowa squad in Iowa City. Accoladed QB and oft-injured athlete Michael Penix threw two pick sixes early (one tapped by his receiver), they could not move their offense much, and this Stars and Stripes featured star tossed three  total interceptions for a swing of 17 points. IU down 31-3 at the half. The defense did okay, but the offense only produced two field goals. And the give aways made it look ugly. IU will get some healing and repetition time hosting the Idaho Vandals this Saturday. They need to figure out how to run and pass (in neither category that good against the Hawkeyes), and maybe they have a shot at still being a good team this year. Top 20? Hard to anticipate unless they get some upsets against traditionally better programs. Even Maryland and Rutgers seem better than normal, so we will see. Idaho should help their mental states get over a whale of a bad Saturday, and this disappointingly poor way to start the conference season. We were supposed to not be the old Hoosiers…

BYU handled matters in the Las Vegas desert region, which I think lies between the Sonoran and Mojave deserts. I have seen the Cougars play in the Silver Bowl of Vegas three times and come out victors. They handled another desert team from Tuscon, the Arizona Wildcats. Some predicted an easier rout for my church school, but after going up 21-3 in the third quarter a serendipitous safety and fast touchdown brought this PAC-12 team within 8, and BYU used a back-up kicker to seal the game at 24. ‘Zona winding up with a scrappy 16 points. Injuries hampered the Cougars as far as a few regular starters. But that is probably true for most teams.

Up next for Brigham Young: the in-state bitter rivals, the Utah Utes. We have not beaten them in nine games, and the streak would be an all-time long feat of futility if BYU does not alter its habit of choking. Utah is ranked, but hopefully a few pigskin fates fall our way this Saturday. We shall see. Most of the last previous coaches at the Y made this a pretty even match up. We hope it turns that way soon. BYU beats teams when they play them enough. Ask anybody: Miami, Notre Dame, USC, Wisconsin. Alabama is afraid, I say. We played them once in 1998. BYU is willing to play anyone, anywhere. I think they are better than 49^th, but perhaps Arizona is not that good either. I think the Cats are going to surprise a few folks. As for now, BYU looks better than Indiana, which might not be saying much.

Finally, a congratulations to UCLA[2]. They thumped LSU after wasting Hawai’i. Any time a PAC-12 team dumps an SEC team, and a stronger one like the Tigers, I think it is of note. Not a good weekend for the PAC-12 in general, but the Bruins might be, may be, something special. Highly respected Oregon struggled to win, so did Oklahoma. There were many other wrinkles last weekend that I will not touch on, but the season is underway and we will continue to see who is best. It might be in Athens.

If we are lucky the pandemic will not shut us all down, we will have no further catastrophes, and each of the desert fan seven will go to the best bowl possible. It is still in the cards, friends.

Stay safe, stay cool, and get ready for week number two.

My estimated ranks of our teams now:

Georgia # 2 (5)

Clemson # 5 (2)

Notre Dame # 7 (10)

Miami # 18 (15)

Auburn #25 (30)

Indiana # 35 (21)

BYU # 40 (45)

(CBS in parentheses)

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[1] I thought twice about using the word “pulverized” in the same line with the special date September 11, but I decided not to let the terrorists win. Hyperbole, bravado, and smack talk are the life blood of sports, particularly smash mouth college football, so while we talk and speak of things referring to violence and mayhem in the context of the grid iron (see George Carlin comparing the language of football to baseball) , we all know this is a test of strength and skill that avoids the actual awful results of war, fighting, terrorism, and murder.

[2] I attended UCLA from 2001-2003. As I tell people: it did not make me root for them like my other schools, but it cemented my hatred for the cross-town Trojans. Hatred might be too strong a word. Maybe call it hostile antipathy.

State of the World September 2021

 

State of the World 2021

Time and the world keeping twirling about, the heavens continue to circle around our purviews from our respective perspectives from here on the global sphere, some of us in hotter or cooler places and spaces, some of us producing or consuming more or less towards the local and global economies, some of us generally oblivious while others acutely aware of the plight and the trajectories of our individual and collective fates, the combined effects of years and lifetimes previous to our own. History has lead us here.

Kizza, kizza, the Egyptians might say. Thus it is, or c’est la vie, c’est la guerre. Some say modernly: it is what it is.

We all try to think on and off our feet, some of us are better at this than others, some of us have gifted talents and/or strong genetic or financial inheritances, thus allowing us to enjoy, more thoroughly or robustly, the material and other social benefits that exist on our big blue and green planet, with a lot of white and brown inter-mixed.

Geo-politics is what leads me to wonder where we are at, this far into the 21st year of this millennia. Along with the power and the trends are always the money and the economics. The Economist (the British-based magazine that is one of the best at documenting things); happy to see a few copies in the library, yesterday. (22 Sept. 2021, first day of fall, spring for southern Hemishere.) How and where and why are we as we are at this juncture in time?

This last week (September 17 – 23, 2021) a Chinese company went in arrears or into financial default in China, maybe to the tune of 300 billion dollars. This news event caused the stock markets of the United States to tumble a bit, approximately 900 points on the Dow Jones over the course of two work days, which has been historically high anyway, for some years now; I am not sure how much may have dropped on the NASDAQ exchange, which is more technology driven. The shares of my wife and children are TQQQ, a mutual fund based on the world’s biggest tech companies, like Apple or Microsoft. The share values dropped from $ 150.00 to $ 128.00, of which my wife bought a few upon my request. As of today/yesterday the TQQQ share have returned to the higher 130s per share; we stand to profit 8 to 10 dollars per share if we choose to sell. If they go into the 140s again we will profit double that amount, which is not bad. We are not investing the same types of larger quantities like my 84 year-old father in Indiana, or my wife’s little brother (age 44?) in Utah, or our brother-in-law (age 42?) in Texas. They are making thousands of dollars in their sells, or simply accruing more wealth and share value by watching the shares rise over time. The 40 year-olds are actively making their own principle incomes apart from their side investments, while my dad, the octogenarian, is comfortably retired.

Elsewhere in our country and throughout the world, there are many less fortunate populations and situations, many who struggle for health, safety, shelter, and security. This is due to a lot of reasons. This past month witnessed a momentous time in the removal of U.S. personnel in one famous corner of the planet, Afghanistan, where the former repressive regime called the Taliban has regained control of the central government, after our presence ended after twenty years, to the vexing chagrin of most of the modern, secular world. China, again, is a major player in all things international, and looks to assert its influence here in this middle ground like everywhere else. The Chinese maintain their own form of repressive or draconian restrictive government, and espouse their long term strategies which are imposed upon their own population, while their policies and sometimes open threats have their impacts and reverberations on the rest of us.

Discussing India a bit with a buddy the other day, he mentioned the Prime Minister or President  Modi; I rejoined that I thought he was a part of a Hindu nationalist party, I cannot remember the name of it, but perhaps that type of organization might be in favor of the caste system, as opposed to the modernist notions of egalité, fraternité, liberté. Not necessarily in that order. Modern virtues and principles that we as the West and the advanced humanistic and secular and many times religious communities advocate and promote, through multiple hard and soft policies, such as media, money, and influence. The military and political policies only go so far. We— I am a part of the aforementioned organizations and would-be philanthropists, or those humanitarian minded or idealistic people that want a world without want, without hate, envy, and violence, without unneeded diseases and social ills, or economic or political programs that wind up harming and killing the masses in droves. In the millions upon millions, failed policies and wrong persons in power do so much bad. Sinnead O’Connor once famously cried out on live television to “”fight the real enemy”. She was right in her statement, probably misguided in her target. (The Pope in Rome.)

Poorly planned, ideated, developed, implemented, and obliged policies and undertakings do end up hurting many otherwise unsuspecting victims, in this case all of us. When one nation falls under destitution, anarchy, tyranny, malfeasance, we all suffer, we are all to blame, yet we shift those blames around. “It did not happen in my country, it did not happen to my people, it did not happen to my type of people, it did not happen on my side of town, it did not happen in my neighborhood, it did not happen in my backyard, or, it did not happen in my driveway or living room.” To surmise: “It is not my problem, I cannot take accountability for it.” Also, in the United States for sure, “We are not the world police!” and “Bring the troops back home!”

Meanwhile the last few days we have Border Patrolmen on horseback laboring diligently to push back thousands of illegal Haitian immigrants on horseback at the Rio Grande of Del Rio and Ciudad Acuña, many of whom were squatting or surviving in different manners in Chile, South America, a country many thousands of miles to the south, of both the Caribbean poor island and the United States and its infamous southern border.

Problems in Africa, Bangladesh (all of South Asia, plus further to the east), Central Asia, Latin America, the Philippines, the Caribbean, over-run Europe, affect all of us. Forced laborers (slaves) of North Korea and the prisoners of re-education and concentration camps of China are us, too. The bullied Ukrainians and helpless disenfranchised Russians or Armenians in Azerbaijan or any number of other nations show us that we have more than the wage issues and political divides in the Fifty Nifty and its territories, or the heavy handedness of the police upon the local populace of American citizens who have issues with complying with the law, a la George Floyd and countless others. Including the policeman Derek Chauvin, who thoughtlessly killed him, the modern day martyr of abusive law enforcement.

After all this, the United States is still a beacon to the world community, in strength and moral underpinnings. Sure, we compete with avarice for money and resources, for services rendered and relationships with foreign partners (see France fuming for the new submarine deal between Australia and the Brits and us), but the United States and its projected law and order are basic tenets that the world holds on to as true; millions of U.S. peoples are dedicated to these principles and platforms. Naval ships, air bases and their outreach, the law enforcement and intelligence communities, the space and mapping experts and programs, transportation and commerce and energy, nuclear, chemical, and biological plus the ever growing cyber worlds of interplay and interaction. Let us not forget green technologies, or even the amorphous artificial intelligence realm. The United States and its allies are on the forefront of these domains, based on our insatiable corporations and business models, the constant striving for profits, production, and Fordian efficiencies, cars and trucks and other vehicles ever progressing and evolving and delivering us its passengers to our many points of desire on and off the globe. We now have Space tourists. Hello 2021! And reciprocally we have a Space Force. Outer space is closer than ever. But does that conclude in benefits for human kind?

Climate issues aside, the world progresses in many ways of human rights and comforts like never before, but there exist many formidable challenges to assuage, confront, and conquer. Hunger and disease, government oppression and militant ideologies still abound in too many capitals and regions of our continents. We the United States had to check ourselves this past January 6 in the not as peaceful transition of executive powers as hoped. The year prior we dealt with sit-ins, street protests, parades, violent riots, and destructive pillaging and lootings of many communities due to the perceived threats to our local populations, particularly against people of color. In quarantine and pandemic stressful months nation faced some real hurdles and challenges. I think that we have made our way past many of them. But not all. Always more to do.

In sum, the world is in an ever burgeoning and teeming place, full of opportunities, problems, wealth, disparity of wealth, climate issues and pollution, social and moral issues that have evolved and in some cases digressed. There are natural catastrophes that harm and endanger us, there are diseases and chemicals that ever vex us. Human history is replete with these phenomena. There are military and security threats that are constant and continual, there are U.S. domestic and international challenges and disturbances that we confront, as a national, as a confederate member among other like-minded individuals and groups and communities, like NATO, like the EU, like the IMF and WTO.

The world is an interesting place which can be cruel and unfair. We are lucky to be around for these things, to witness the good, the bad, and the ugly. And the beautiful. Enjoy the ride and stay low if bullets come flying.

 Bryce at 215 All by Himself; Has Passed Up Some Notable Names

See below

L	HR Log
216.	Roy Campanella+ (18)	260	R	HR Log
	Eric Chavez (17)	260	L	HR Log
	Derek Jeter+ (20)	260	R	HR Log
	Javy Lopez (15)	260	R	HR Log
	Tim Wallach (17)	260	R	HR Log
221.	Carlos Santana (12, 35)	259	B	HR Log
	Chase Utley (16)	259	L	HR Log

Campanella made the Hall after 18 years. Chavez played 17 in the modern home run era.

Jeter is an all time great and Hall of Famer. Not a "home run" hitter, but great at hitting. Fielding. Winning.

Lopez played a solid 15 years, and Wallach was an all time great Expo, playing along with my favorite of all time, Tim Raines, Senior.

Carlos Santana, now 35, is just behind Bryce at age 28.

Chase Utley had some great years, always to be remembered for Philly phans.