I had written something about a high school football player who refused to stand for the national anthem years ago to protest the Iraq war. So I thought that my view is known here already. But now I think I had written to the local paper and not the blog. So I will comment on Kaepernick. I thought the high school player was going to become a better citizen than his buddies who may stand for the anthem but never thought about anything after the game other than finding their girl friends. So I believe that Kaepernick would be a better citizen than most of the other players whether I agree with him or not. The flag is a symbol of our freedom and maybe the most important thing it stands for is our freedom to speak our mind. So Kaepernick has the absolute right to not stand. Same with Gabby Douglas not holding her hand to her heart.
But I also wrote that the flag did not send our army to Iraq. Also today it is not the flag which cause the unjustifiable killing of innocent people by rogue cops. The flag represents our desire to form a better union, with liberty and justice for all. We are not there yet but the flag symbolizes our efforts to get there. So if I were to council the high school kid and Kaepernick, I would tell them to respect the flag even if you don't have to. Rather than refusing to stand up for the anthem, stand up to those who done wrong. As an athlete, Kaepernick has a forum. He can make a difference by contributing money, meeting with police leaders, politicians, community leaders etc.
To those people who say that Kaepernick should be shut down. I say that is exactly what the flag does not stand for. Are we going to act like North Korea and Iran? Those countries would make it a crime not to solute their flag. You don't have to agree with Kaepernick but you should defend his right to say what he believes.
To a lighter note (although not much lighter), LBOAYM calls attention to his favorite show, DWTS again. I did hear about Lochte going on the show but I did not know others until LBOAYM provided the info. Well, I am going to root against Lochte, not only because his behavior in Rio. I also saw a clip from 2008 where his sister went on some talk show and trashed the Chinese. She must have used the word chink a dozen times! Add that to some stupid comments his mother made about Lochte's sexual behavior, I think it is not an accident that this ugly American incident occurred.
I think Laurie Hernandez is great but too young to be on the show. I think Shawn Johnson was even older when she went on and won. I will be a homer and pick Calvin Johnson.
I am not going to make any prediction about college football before a game is played. I don't think you should have preseason polls. How can one judge when everybody had graduations and freshmen coming in? If someone started outside of the poll and won every game, it may still not get into the playoffs. But if someone started no.1, lose a game early, it probably still climb back into the playoffs. It is unfair. SI actually had Michigan finishing in the top 4. That is absurd even if I hope that it is true. Harbaugh is good but he is not a miracle worker. It will take another three years for that to happen, I think.
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Donald Trump called the Clinton Foundation "the most corrupt enterprise in political history". Of course Trump is wrong. This is the "foundation" of democracy: money buys access. If there is no access to Bill or Hillary Clinton, why would anybody donate millions to their foundation? For example, if you want to donate a million to fight aids in Africa, you can give it directly to an organization on the ground such as Doctors Without Borders. You don't have to channel the money through the Clintons. It is expected that if you are a big donor you will get to meet with Bill and/or Hillary. So unless you get a direct favor from them that is illegal, I don't see anything different than the usual practice in politics. Donald Trump bragged about the Clintons going to his wedding because he gave them money. So if he is accusing them of accepting bribes, then was he bribing them?
The Supreme Court basically agree with me that money buys access in Citizens United. It said that "ingratiation and access" were "not corruptions". Essentially, it means that people with a lot of money have more "free speech" than other people. I mean, do you think that a corporation donates a huge amount of money to a candidate because he would be good for the country? The donation guarantees at least access but often more than that, such as a vote. Since this is the game that is always played in Washington, I don't see any legal problem with Clinton meeting someone who has donated to their foundation.
Of course, no legal problem does not mean no political problem. Once again, the Clintons get into an unnecessary problem because of the appearance of impropriety. I am sure it was her plan to run for president even back when she was secretary of state. So she should have limited her access to donors even back then. And certainly once she announced her candidacy, she should have cut her tie to the foundation as she has said she would do once she became president. As I said before, the Clintons are such smart politicians, I am surprised they keep making these unforced errors. That is why people are suspicious of them. It is lucky for her that her opponent is Donald Trump.
The Supreme Court basically agree with me that money buys access in Citizens United. It said that "ingratiation and access" were "not corruptions". Essentially, it means that people with a lot of money have more "free speech" than other people. I mean, do you think that a corporation donates a huge amount of money to a candidate because he would be good for the country? The donation guarantees at least access but often more than that, such as a vote. Since this is the game that is always played in Washington, I don't see any legal problem with Clinton meeting someone who has donated to their foundation.
Of course, no legal problem does not mean no political problem. Once again, the Clintons get into an unnecessary problem because of the appearance of impropriety. I am sure it was her plan to run for president even back when she was secretary of state. So she should have limited her access to donors even back then. And certainly once she announced her candidacy, she should have cut her tie to the foundation as she has said she would do once she became president. As I said before, the Clintons are such smart politicians, I am surprised they keep making these unforced errors. That is why people are suspicious of them. It is lucky for her that her opponent is Donald Trump.
Sunday, August 21, 2016
Now that the Olympics are over, it is time for my medal awards. First, the bad ones.
The Ugly American award: bronze goes to all the golfers who boycotted Rio due to zika virus. This medal is shared by the American golfers with those from other countries and some tennis players as well. Silver goes to Hope Solo, enough said about her. Gold goes to Ryan Lochte and friends. I am sure everyone knows what they did to embarrass the U.S. Lochte is especially guilty because he is a veteran of the Olympics and thirty two years old. I would give a 18 year old rookie a pass on this but not someone who is so experienced in international travel and supposedly a leader of the team.
Most disappointed countries: Bronze goes to Brazil. As host nation it should get a bump in medals. While it did get 7 golds compare to 3 in 2012, the total medal count only increased from 17 to 19. This is way below expectation. They were favored to win women beach and indoor volleyball and failed. They were favored in women soccer once the U.S. was eliminated but they didn't even get a medal. They did salvaged some pride with men volleyball and most important a pk victory over Germany in soccer. Silver goes to Russia. Not unexpected since they were banned from track and field and lost athletes in other sports, they finished with 26 less medals. Gold: China. Twelve less gold and 18 less medals overall than 2012. They were terrible in gymnastics winning only two bronze in team and no individual medals. They also did worse than expected in shooting and badminton, two sports that supply reliable medals. In swimming they only got one gold medal: Sun Yang in the 200 free. He did not even make the finals in his specialty, 1500 free.
Now some good awards.
Most happy countries. Bronze goes to Singapore. It won its first gold ever and only its 5th medal of any kind. Joseph Schooling beat Michael Phelps in Phelps' last individual race. I am sure that thrilled the country to no end. Silver goes to Japan. It only improved from 7 to 12 golds but it finally beat rival China in men gymnastics. And surprisingly it got silver in the 4x100 relay in track. It actually beat the U.S. in sprints! And they were even with Jamaica until Bolt took over the last leg. China was supposed to contend in this race but Japan ended up stealing the thunder. But it is shocking that two Asian teams can be contenders in a race that they were never remotely close in the past. Gold goes to Great Britain. In 2012 GB finished third in the medal standing behind the U.S. and China. People said that was due to a big home field boost. This year they got about the same amount of gold and overall medals even though they are not the host this time. They in fact beat China 27 to 26 in gold for second and only 3 less than China in total medal. I think that is a great achievement for the Brits and partially made up for its loss to Iceland in soccer.
Top individuals: Bronze goes to Katie Ledecky. What a talent, she is taking over for Phelps as the face of U.S. and world swimming. Silver goes to Simon Biles, probably the greatest female gymnast of all time. Gold goes to Usain Bolt. Unbelievable, nine for nine. The best ever in his sport.
Special award goes to U.S. female athletes who help the U.S. beat London's haul of medals by 17. I think Title IX helped women athletes become dominant in the world stage. They outclassed the men in glamour sports such as swimming, track and field and gymnastics. Even in basketball, they were more dominant than the NBA all stars that make up the men's team. While the rest of the world is catching up to a certain extent to the NBA, the gap seemed to be widening in women basketball. In four years, we may not win baseball in Tokyo but I am confident that we will win softball!
The Ugly American award: bronze goes to all the golfers who boycotted Rio due to zika virus. This medal is shared by the American golfers with those from other countries and some tennis players as well. Silver goes to Hope Solo, enough said about her. Gold goes to Ryan Lochte and friends. I am sure everyone knows what they did to embarrass the U.S. Lochte is especially guilty because he is a veteran of the Olympics and thirty two years old. I would give a 18 year old rookie a pass on this but not someone who is so experienced in international travel and supposedly a leader of the team.
Most disappointed countries: Bronze goes to Brazil. As host nation it should get a bump in medals. While it did get 7 golds compare to 3 in 2012, the total medal count only increased from 17 to 19. This is way below expectation. They were favored to win women beach and indoor volleyball and failed. They were favored in women soccer once the U.S. was eliminated but they didn't even get a medal. They did salvaged some pride with men volleyball and most important a pk victory over Germany in soccer. Silver goes to Russia. Not unexpected since they were banned from track and field and lost athletes in other sports, they finished with 26 less medals. Gold: China. Twelve less gold and 18 less medals overall than 2012. They were terrible in gymnastics winning only two bronze in team and no individual medals. They also did worse than expected in shooting and badminton, two sports that supply reliable medals. In swimming they only got one gold medal: Sun Yang in the 200 free. He did not even make the finals in his specialty, 1500 free.
Now some good awards.
Most happy countries. Bronze goes to Singapore. It won its first gold ever and only its 5th medal of any kind. Joseph Schooling beat Michael Phelps in Phelps' last individual race. I am sure that thrilled the country to no end. Silver goes to Japan. It only improved from 7 to 12 golds but it finally beat rival China in men gymnastics. And surprisingly it got silver in the 4x100 relay in track. It actually beat the U.S. in sprints! And they were even with Jamaica until Bolt took over the last leg. China was supposed to contend in this race but Japan ended up stealing the thunder. But it is shocking that two Asian teams can be contenders in a race that they were never remotely close in the past. Gold goes to Great Britain. In 2012 GB finished third in the medal standing behind the U.S. and China. People said that was due to a big home field boost. This year they got about the same amount of gold and overall medals even though they are not the host this time. They in fact beat China 27 to 26 in gold for second and only 3 less than China in total medal. I think that is a great achievement for the Brits and partially made up for its loss to Iceland in soccer.
Top individuals: Bronze goes to Katie Ledecky. What a talent, she is taking over for Phelps as the face of U.S. and world swimming. Silver goes to Simon Biles, probably the greatest female gymnast of all time. Gold goes to Usain Bolt. Unbelievable, nine for nine. The best ever in his sport.
Special award goes to U.S. female athletes who help the U.S. beat London's haul of medals by 17. I think Title IX helped women athletes become dominant in the world stage. They outclassed the men in glamour sports such as swimming, track and field and gymnastics. Even in basketball, they were more dominant than the NBA all stars that make up the men's team. While the rest of the world is catching up to a certain extent to the NBA, the gap seemed to be widening in women basketball. In four years, we may not win baseball in Tokyo but I am confident that we will win softball!
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Having complained about golf being in the Olympics, I will now complain about the sports added for 2020 and give my suggestions of what sports to be included instead.
The sports to be in 2020 are baseball/softball, surfing, sports climbing, skateboarding and karate. I have already dismissed karate as being another fighting sport. Since Judo is Japanese and Tae Kwon Do is similar to karate, I don't think karate should be added. It was also picked ahead of wushu which is the official name for kung fu, the Chinese martial art. Kung fu is in fact the original martial art so if anything should be ahead of karate. Surfing and skateboarding are sports which western nations have advantage. Sports climbing is also the case, although if they climb actual mountains without equipment then maybe serpas from Nepal may win. Baseball is popular not only in the U.S. but also in Asia and Latin America so it is alright to be included again. Softball balances out baseball for gender purposes so had to be included.
My picks to be included are sepak takraw, kabaddi and chess. Sepak takraw is a cross between badminton and soccer. Teams kick ball over net about the height of badminton net. The game is popular in southeast Asia with Thailand, Myanmar being powers, although South Korea is pretty good also. Kabaddi is a contact sport for south Asian countries. The powers are India and Iran. So give these countries a chance for medals! If money is an issue for building venues, then chess is your sport. You just need a large library! The top three nations are Russia, China and the U.S. Not too many sports where all three are contenders. But others such as India, Ukraine, Armenia, Israel, Philippines, Norway, England, Cuba are competitive. While it is a sport of the mind, endurance is essential here. The only problem is that it is not much of a spectator sport.
Ballroom dancing was considered but did not get voted in. I say if they let people play defense, ie, interrupt other couples from making good moves, then it should be in. I would be a very good defensive player since I frequently run into other couples!
The sports to be in 2020 are baseball/softball, surfing, sports climbing, skateboarding and karate. I have already dismissed karate as being another fighting sport. Since Judo is Japanese and Tae Kwon Do is similar to karate, I don't think karate should be added. It was also picked ahead of wushu which is the official name for kung fu, the Chinese martial art. Kung fu is in fact the original martial art so if anything should be ahead of karate. Surfing and skateboarding are sports which western nations have advantage. Sports climbing is also the case, although if they climb actual mountains without equipment then maybe serpas from Nepal may win. Baseball is popular not only in the U.S. but also in Asia and Latin America so it is alright to be included again. Softball balances out baseball for gender purposes so had to be included.
My picks to be included are sepak takraw, kabaddi and chess. Sepak takraw is a cross between badminton and soccer. Teams kick ball over net about the height of badminton net. The game is popular in southeast Asia with Thailand, Myanmar being powers, although South Korea is pretty good also. Kabaddi is a contact sport for south Asian countries. The powers are India and Iran. So give these countries a chance for medals! If money is an issue for building venues, then chess is your sport. You just need a large library! The top three nations are Russia, China and the U.S. Not too many sports where all three are contenders. But others such as India, Ukraine, Armenia, Israel, Philippines, Norway, England, Cuba are competitive. While it is a sport of the mind, endurance is essential here. The only problem is that it is not much of a spectator sport.
Ballroom dancing was considered but did not get voted in. I say if they let people play defense, ie, interrupt other couples from making good moves, then it should be in. I would be a very good defensive player since I frequently run into other couples!
Sunday, August 14, 2016
The Olympics have somewhat overshadowed the election campaign here in the U.S. But Hope Solo;s remarks after the U.S. women's soccer team lost to Sweden on penalty kicks reminds me of Donald Trump. Solo complained that the Swedes played like cowards. Trump complained that if he was to lose in Pennsylvania, the election must be rigged. Both are such sour grapes. The Swedes played the way an underdog was supposed to play. The U.S. was a better team and the only way Sweden had a chance was to play defensively. This is the strategy any soccer team would use when facing a team with superior talent. There is nothing cowardly about it.
Trump is complaining about rigged election even before the election. There is no evidence of that and he seems to be preparing for excuses before hand. Both Solo and Trump are like spoil children who whine when thing don't go their way. They are extremely poor representatives of America. Hope Solo was reprimanded twice in the past, once for complaining about the coach not playing her and then worse yet the second time for domestic violence. It is time to leave her off the national team. Of course Solo is only an athlete. But Trump is running to be the leader of the free world. We cannot let that happen.
Did anyone notice all those round dark marks on Michael Phelph's arms and shoulders. Those are cupping marks. They are suddenly popular with western athletes as a treatment for sore muscles. This is a treatment from Chinese medicine. I am glad it is being recognized as an effective treatment. Ironically, I didn't see any of the Chinese athletes using it in Rio. Given the U.S. has a big lead in medal counts, maybe China should have a taste of its own medicine!
Trump is complaining about rigged election even before the election. There is no evidence of that and he seems to be preparing for excuses before hand. Both Solo and Trump are like spoil children who whine when thing don't go their way. They are extremely poor representatives of America. Hope Solo was reprimanded twice in the past, once for complaining about the coach not playing her and then worse yet the second time for domestic violence. It is time to leave her off the national team. Of course Solo is only an athlete. But Trump is running to be the leader of the free world. We cannot let that happen.
Did anyone notice all those round dark marks on Michael Phelph's arms and shoulders. Those are cupping marks. They are suddenly popular with western athletes as a treatment for sore muscles. This is a treatment from Chinese medicine. I am glad it is being recognized as an effective treatment. Ironically, I didn't see any of the Chinese athletes using it in Rio. Given the U.S. has a big lead in medal counts, maybe China should have a taste of its own medicine!