Forcing (Anti) Religion

Last week's Dennison column: Attorney General William Barr is making headlines for a speech he delivered at Notre Dame University’s law school last Friday. Barr, a devout Catholic, told faculty and students that “the problem is not that religion is being forced on others, the problem is that irreligion is being forced—secular values are being forced on people of faith.” Barr adds: “Among the militant secularists are many so-called progressives. But where is the progress? We are told we are living in a post-Christian era, but what has replaced the Judeo-Christian moral system? What is it that can fill the spiritual void in the heart of the individual person? And what is the system of values that can sustain human social life?” The attorney general said of the moral problems we are facing, “This is not decay. This is organized destruction. Secular forces and their allies have marshaled all the forces of mass communication, popular culture, the entertainment industry, and academia, in an unremitting assault on religion and traditional values.” I believe Attorney General Barr is absolutely right. Here’s why we are here: Many in our culture believe the lie that all truth claims are subjective impositions of personal power on others. Tolerance of all viewpoints must therefore be mandated, except, of course, for viewpoints deemed intolerant. According to this agenda, the freedom to express religious beliefs ends where such freedom is deemed harmful to or by another person. Any person. Of course, the harm done to the person expressing his or her religious beliefs is ignored. Seventeenth-century theologian John Owen: “There is no duty we perform for God that sin does not oppose. And the more spirituality or holiness there is in what we do, the greater the enmity to it. Thus, those who seek the most for God experience the strongest opposition.” One of the tragic ideas of our culture is that ideas are subjective statements of personal preferences and cannot be expressions of objective truth and morality. This was the idea Attorney General William Barr addressed in his remarkable speech to the law school of Notre Dame University last Friday, a message I hope you’ll read in its entirety. Mr. Barr noted: “Religion helps frame moral culture within society that instills and reinforces moral discipline.” He added: “Scholarship suggests that religion has been integral to the development and thriving of homo sapiens since we emerged roughly 50,000 years ago. It is just for the past few hundred years we have experimented in living without religion.” As a result, due to the “growing ascendance of secularism and the doctrine of moral relativism,” we are seeing “the wreckage of the family” and “record levels of depression and mental illness, dispirited young people, soaring suicide rates, increasing numbers of angry and alienated young males, an increase in senseless violence, and a deadly drug epidemic.” The response of secularism is tragic: “We have the State in the role of Alleviator of Bad Consequences. We call on the State to mitigate the social costs of personal misconduct and irresponsibility. So the reaction to growing illegitimacy is not sexual responsibility, but abortion. The reaction to drug addiction is safe injection sites. . . . The call comes for more and more social programs to deal with the wreckage. While we think we are solving problems, we are underwriting them.” Response by Mr. Barr’s critics has been swift and angry. Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin spoke for many when she claimed that “the attorney general has no business preaching about faith to the American people.” (Of course, he spoke not to “the American people” but as an invited speaker at a Catholic university.) However, as with other critics, she focused entirely on the alleged evils of the Trump administration and the Republican Party. She did not devote a single sentence to engaging Mr. Barr’s address on its merits. Perhaps that’s because the facts are not on her side. The Wall Street Journal‘s William McGurn noted: “Mr. Barr’s argument has been echoed throughout American history: ‘Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people’ (John Adams). ‘Liberty cannot be established without morality, nor morality without faith’ (Tocqueville). ‘In teaching this democratic faith to American children, we need the sustaining, buttressing aid of those great ethical religious teachings which are the heritage of our modern civilization. For “not upon strength nor upon power, but upon the spirit of God” shall our democracy be founded’ (FDR).” We could add President George Washington’s Farewell Address: “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens.” The “Father of His Country” added: “Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.” What’s noticed the most on job interviews: 1. How you meet and greet them: body language, charisma, confidence. 2. How passionate you are. The word passion is derived from the word pain. Translates into hard work, innovation, and loyalty. Disruption creates opportunity. 3. How self-aware and flexible you are. To be constructively critical of yourself, to be confident and understand your own struggles and be adaptable. 4. How respectful you are – of others and yourself…the first step toward social connection and collaboration. Being on time and prepared. 5. How comfortable you are, in your own skin, in your ability to perform. A strong yet humble sense of self. It’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance that many don’t realize they’re stepping over, though it’s evident to those around them. Make eye contact. 6. How to answer the “what’s your weakness?” question – you can’t cop out. Be honest: “I dig into the details too much” or “I don’t take enough time for myself.” Those unable to find fault with themselves won’t be as receptive to on the job criticism. Companies are looking for applicants who will take risks, make mistakes and learn from them, and be humble. 8. How specific you are, what steps you took to achieve results. Better than theoretical answers. There are a lot of smart people who know the answers but have never achieved the results. https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/7-executives-on-what-they-notice-the-most-on-job-interviews?utm_swu=6280&utm_medium=email&utm_term=DNL-10-11-19%20StitchFix%20FOR%20SEND&utm_content=10/11-DNL%20StitchFix%20FOR%20SEND%20&utm_campaign=daily-newsletter&utm_source=member

 

Atlanta Food Bank

Had a good time volunteering down at the Atlanta Food Bank. Left work at 4 pm riding with warehouse manager Jhannio driving and secretary Renee in back. I navigated downtown through a neighborhood from Northside Drive to Howell Mill. Both Jhannio and Renee also had/have kids at UGA. We arrived at La Fonda just before GM Eric, his son Jake, and coworker James. A coworker had been surprised I hadn’t picked a BBQ place to eat, but I don’t know of any on that part of town. Pulled into La Fonda and spied one right next door.

 

Jhannio Lopez was thrilled with our dining selection. La Fonda has Latin food: both Mexican and Cuban. He advised Eric that the Cuban steak sandwich was good, and Eric, Jhannio, and Renee all ordered it. Jake also ordered a Cuban sandwich. James ordered a burrito, which I hadn’t been thrilled with on my last trip to La Fonda. Instead I ordered chicken enchiladas, which had more sauce than the almost dry burrito. Everyone liked what they got, except maybe James and his burrito.

Traffic was bad the mile down to the Food Bank but we were good on time. After a short introduction we started our jobs. James moved boxes. These eight little girls from a small school in Dunwoody took the food items from the large cardboard boxes and put them onto the table, where Renee and I inspected for quality and expiration date. I found a couple of cans with 2008 dates, that I had to toss. Eric and Jake took the good food from us and sorted it into boxes: food, condiments, snacks, paper goods, misc. and placed them on the container. Jhannio moved boxes from the conveyor to the weighing station.

I messed around with the girls about the various songs that would play. They loved it when the theme from Friends came on. Four of the girls would climb down into the huge 48” x 48” x 48” cardboard boxes to dig out the foodstuffs down in the bottom of the box. I’d also try to keep Eric entertained. Not sure why the “Rice Hexagons” cereal wasn’t a big seller, though it must’ve been popular just down the road at Georgia Tech.

Our shift went by fast, as we kept busy feeding the food through the whole time. Snapped some pictures. My back ached a little due to the bending over, but not too bad. When the evening ended Eric shepherded us out of there quickly, and soon we were back on the road north. I seemed to catch every red light on the way home, plus there was night paving on Holcomb Bridge that slowed me down. Didn’t even pull out my laptop. Watched a little World Series before hitting the sack.  

 

For historical porpoises the Tuesday group included Rodney, Rachel, Tin, and Glenn. Wednesday AM group included the HR department, Brad, and Patricia. Today’s AM group included Angie, Matt, Beard, Buck, Sam, and Teresa. Today’s PM group included Zack, Rachel, and Lowell. Monday morning Steve, Kim, Billy, and Andrea had a more strenuous session working in a garden.

 

This afternoon Angie brought me back BBQ chicken and fries from Que, the restaurant down the street. It’s been a day full of one interruption after another. Coworker Brad had an emergency and had to take the afternoon off. He’s going to be off all next week on vacation.

 

Bad news comes in threes: (1) Frances, my coworker who recently retired after over 50 years with the company, isn’t doing too well. Her cancer has spread and she’s back in the hospital. Friends think she’s given up. (2) Ronald, another recently retired coworker, has cancer that’s spread to his brain. (3) I haven’t heard from my old boss Steve Apollo in a couple of years, but his 41 year old daughter Sarah passed away a few weeks ago, also from cancer. Her mother had died from cancer when she was little.

 

Fun Fact: by the start of the 1993 season, all 26 MLB teams had been beaten at least once by Doyle Alexander, Tommy John, Gaylord Perry, Nolan Ryan, Don Sutton, Scott Sanderson, Mike Torrez, Rick Wise & Goose Gossage.

Top 25 Tom Hanks Movies

BrightSpotlight.com ranked Tom Hanks’ 25 best movies. I haven’t seen six of them, though I know some of those six are classics. Another six of my favorites didn’t make this list. 

What was left out?

25. The Polar Express 2004

24. Turner & Hooch 1989 haven’t seen

23. Sully 2016 seen parts

22. The Ladykillers 2004 haven’t seen

21. The Terminal 2004 very good

20. Nothing in Common 1986 very good

19. You’ve Got Mail 1998 a favorite

18. That Thing You Do 1996

17. Road to Perdition 2002

16. Splash 1984 a favorite

15. Bachelor Party 1984

14. Sleepless in Seattle 1993

13. Captain Phillips 2013 haven’t seen

12. Charlie Wilson’s War 2007

11. The Post 2017 haven’t seen

10. Apollo 13 1995

9. The Green Mile 1999 haven’t seen

8. Big 1988 a favorite

7. Toy Story 1995

6. Catch Me if You Can 2002

5. A League of Their Own 1992

4. Saving Private Ryan 1998 haven’t seen

3. Cast Away 2000

2. Philadelphia 1993

1. Forrest Gump 1994

Can’t believe they left out Larry Crowne. Also good: The Circle, A Hologram for the King, Bridge of Spies, Saving Mr. Banks, and The Da Vinci Code series.

https://thebrightspotlight.com/movies/the-25-best-films-of-tom-hanks-legendary-career?amxt=tbdt_advan_new&utm_campaign=bs_tb_dp_dt_tom_hanks2&utm_source=tb_ae&&utm_term=msn-ie11-us&utm_content=Ranked%3A+The+25+Best+Films+Of+Tom+Hanks%E2%80%99+Legendary+Career&utm_medium=taboola-tbdt_advan_new

Tuesday: left work not long after five. Ceil was at her Tuesday ministry so Anna and I went to Moxie for burgers and fries. Took our time but still made it home by eight. Watched the new church choir show Perfect Harmony and a couple of episodes of Speechless, about the odd family with the boy in the wheelchair. Watched some of the World Series but not much. Smoltz is calling the games so Maddux got in a jab.

Late this afternoon I’m headed down to the Atlanta Food Bank with five coworkers. We’re eating near there, so I submitted a list of possible nearby places. Left off The Optimist, JCT Kitchen, and Flip Burger because they’d take too long.

La Fonda Mexican on Howell Mill

Yeah Burger in Westside Provisions

Taqueria Del Sol in Westside Provisions

Agavera Cantina on Huff Road just west of Howell Mill

The Varsity on North Ave

Nuevo Laredo Cantina on Chattahoochee Ave

Delia’s Chicken Sausage Stand at Marietta & Northside

www.AtlantaEater.com listed 20 places to eat.

1. Tortas Factory Del DF Doraville

2. Heirloom Market BBQ (Korean) Akers Mill

3. Quoc Huong Banh Mi Fast Food Doraville

4. Pan American Bakery Clairmont Road

5. Zunzi’s Howell Mill

6. The General Muir at Emory Point

7. The Po Boy Shop Clairmont Road

8. Momonoki 8th Street Midtown

9. Tiny Bistro Marietta Street Westside

10. Brick Store Pub Decatur

11. Victory Sandwich Bar Inman Park or Decatur

12. Fox Brothers BBQ

13. Fred’s Meat & Bread Krog Street

14. Ticonderoga Club Krog Street

15. Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks Forsyth St Downtown

16. Lloyd’s Restaurant & Lounge near Krog Street

17. Noni’s Deli Edgewood Avenue

18. Elliott Street Deli in Castleberry Hill

19. Chic-A-Loes in East Point

20. Grecian Gyro Hapeville

https://atlanta.eater.com/maps/best-sandwiches-atlanta

I noticed Atlanta Eater’s list of essential Atlanta coffee shops included Joel Norman’s Bellwood and Kitti Murray’s Refuge Coffee.

https://atlanta.eater.com/maps/best-coffee-shops-atlanta-map

Remembering Big Victor: Life was different in 1966, when the Braves arrived in Atlanta Phil Schaefer says he remembers the photographic moment, not because of the radio promotion, but because he was wearing a suit. “Big Victor,’’ a 22-foot Styrofoam Indian stood between the fence and right field at old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium for several seasons. Victor turned his head, blinked his eyes...

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.ajc.com_sports_baseball_remembering-2Dbig-2Dvictor_Wn3EVHlYIGsF9uN9CZnaZK_&d=DwIFaQ&c=UXihhqr7vvdA-hrKyTiC1Q&r=wMWwaEbn9nr4zXI4p6CDP7FGwn1DrBd77MJElrWsP6U&m=kHm6frKZFTAtdhg2hJ30tuBQlTQKIa-uI4hjsAJvVe8&s=LnbkuGTKlCrcofKPPcLoQem-U9WwB-BQrk7ROD3IEYk&e= 

An interesting SI article about a female sports agent who’d led a life of lies, who’d scammed millions from the five athletes below. Another $600 million was scammed by other unsavories from Tim Duncan, Roy Oswalt, Mark Sanchez, and Kevin Garnett.

3010000 Ricky Williams Dolphins

1240000 Dennis Rodman Bulls Lakers

1400000 Travis Best Indiana Pacers

0132123 Lex Hilliard Dolphins

0200000 Rashad McCants Timberwolves

5982123 total

https://www.si.com/nba/2019/09/19/athete-financial-advisor-embezzlement-fraud-scandal-peggy-ann-fulford

 

HOYT WILHELM [SABR Bio] a one-time Cleveland Indian, he famously hit but a solitary triple in his 20+ year career. He got stranded at third. Triple = 04-Jun-1954 for NYG He was the first pitcher on a 20th century American League team to lead the majors in ERA after the team had moved to a new city. ERA in 1959 for BAL was 2.19.

Doubleheader

 Jim & Alyce Cheatham's memorial service packed out the sanctuary. Allen and Andy shared fitting, heartfelt memories of their parents. Both repeatedly thanked Angela and Don for their service. Interesting tidbits: Jim had attended O'Keefe High School. They had just celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary. They passed away 37 hours apart. The day in between was Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.

 

On the drive down I had pulled up a YouTube recording of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and tried to sing along to The Majesty and Glory of Your Name, but just couldn't pull it off. Walked in with Clay Ramsey and caught up with him. He and his wife attend Passion City Church. Loves the preaching but admits the music is a little loud. Sees Bruce there every now and then, and thinks Bruce is very active, going on youth trips, etc. Stacy Head greeted us in the vestibule. Did she say her husband miraculously escaped injury after a two story fall?

 

Greeted Julianne Acuff Watts, then made my way down from to sit with Reid Whitaker. Bill Dukes came by and shook my hand. Not sure if the service started on time or how long it lasted. Later Allen Cheatham mentioned it was 3:05 before he and his brother finished speaking. Dock opened and closed the service, but did not speak long. Later Reid introduced me to Dock, and we had a quick chat. After the service I spoke to Dee Williams and his wife.

 

In the choir: John Condra, Bob Lamb, David Anderson, Whitney Anderson, Danny Morris, Gayle Suggs, Edie Whitaker, Melissa Hollingsworth, Deborah Light, Kelly Vonfeldt, Betsy Anderson, John Roma, Ron Watts, and Sharon Lim (who helped with the reception). Two choir robes were draped over the two chairs that Jim and Alyce used to sit in, in the choir loft. Nice touch.  

 

On the way to the reception I spoke to Reid, Dr. & Mrs. Bunch, Bill Dukes, Dock & Melissa, and Connie Morris. Caught up with Reid in the reception. Chatted with Jerome, Gayle Nelson, Barbara Brown, Mrs. Reid, Sara Maddox, Marcine Head, and Randy Scoggins. Gayle moved to Martin's Landing in east Roswell. Frank and Babs Gudger had left guests at their house to attend. Danny Morris was loving the Varsity hot dogs. Talked shoes and foot problems with John Roma. Saw the Sapps and Nancy Harris Driggers but never had a chance to speak. Was talking to Rob & Gayle Suggs, Deborah Light, and John Condra when Diane Bagley Carmichael walked up. I think they only one of us she remembered was Condra.

 

Jere and Mary Goldsmith said they'd talked to Will at Bellwood Coffee. Talked to Steve Head. Edie re-introduced me to George from Taqueria. The line finally shortened, but Clay Ramsey and I cut over to talk to Angela and Don. Debra Head Vann and Deborah Light cornered me for a bit, then finally I pulled up a chair and sat for a spell with Don. Fun chat. He remembered a bunch that I had forgotten. Before leaving I finally got a chance to chat with Allen. Most of the crowd had slipped away. Grabbed one more Varsity dog and cold root beer on my way out.

Hopefully the title isn't in bad taste.

Friday: Pizza Hut for lunch. Ceil was at a friend's house so I took that northern route home Friday night. Stopped by Baskin Robbins and three thrift stores, then Ceil had me pick up eggs at Kroger. Passed on a cool pair of Deion Sanders Nikes: Air Diamond Turf. Too flashy for 60 year-old me, and a little roomy. Caved and bought a newer pair of black Nikes with white soles. I'd seen them in stores but now I can't find a picture on the internet. Now I can sell the pair they replaced, plus several more pairs to clear out my heard. Sold three pair last week.

Arrived home after 7 pm Friday. Supper was chicken and grilled vegetables. Watched Chicago Med, New Amsterdam, and Fresh off the Boat. 

 

Saturday: dragged into work at 6:55 am. No traffic. Sausage and egg casserole and Chickfila biscuits. Chickfila for lunch. Helping with inventory and getting a little extra work done. Missed my small group due to work. Stopped by the post office and Baskin Robbins on the way home.

 

Went over to Reid's again to watch UGA/KY. I love watching the game there, but just wasn't in a good mood. Nice to have Lee there, but his wife Nancy was moaning and groaning after the scoreless first quarter. Many times games start slowly, and the driving rain didn't help. Steve kept giving factually incorrect information, so Lee and I had to call him on it. Sara was showing off her new iPhone11. Supper was chicken soup, chocolate cake, and chicken quesadillas (I'm not the only one who makes quesadillas). I skipped the shrimp and tossed salad.

 

JFBC Sunday School, then headed out to the memorial service. Got home after 5 pm. Changed into some cooler comfortable clothes. Then to the Rice's house for a missionary prayer meeting. C took cheese, crackers, carrots, and Anna's brownies. The Mayfields brought chili. Didn't get home until ten. I was bushed, but had to package two eBay shipments.

 

I did not know that National 3B Anthony Rendon is a Christian. He is a free agent after the season. The Braves need a third baseman or outfielder. I will be rooting for the Astros.

 

Monday: left work shortly after 5 pm and drove straight home. Cleaned upstairs, changed clothes, did some laundry. Ceil cooked pork in a sauce with cut carrots and rice. Tossed salad. M had come home from school and ate with us. I helped clean the kitchen and watched The Neighborhood. Also some of the Patriots / Jets. The Falcons are trading WR Mohammed Sanu to NE for a second round draft pick. Might as well.

 

Tuesday: met a guy at lunch to sell him several bobbleheads: Uggla, BJ Upton, a Marlins mini Martin Prado, Gwinnett Ron Gant, and a larger than normal Evan Gattis. Probably gave the guy too good of a deal, but the Uggla and Upton weren't worth beans. Nice lunchtime to drive from Norcross to Buford on Highway 23.

 

Coworker is out this morning volunteering at a community garden, along with the human resources department. This is my company's week of service. Several coworkers are going to the Atlanta Community Food Bank tonight to sort groceries. Tomorrow night I'm going the same thing, with GM Eric, his son, secretary Renee, and coworker James.

 

Stopped by Bojangles this morning to break a twenty. Bacon egg & cheese biscuit. Good, but the bacon was rubbery.

 

Anna says she's moving in with W&MC to be closer to downtown.

 

Miami Beats Themselves

Watched GT/Miami and Clemson/Louisville. Canes missed three chip shot field goals. Miami QB fumbled in end zone for a GT TD. GT fake punt for another TD. Jackets scored two offensive TDs and won 28-21. After watching last week's Miami/UVA game I predicted a Tech win. GT QB Graham's QB rating is 125th in the country. GT needs to play their freshman QB. For his TD pass, my man Pressley Harvin III was named ACC special teams player of the week.

The Clemson player who got thrown out for punching a Louisville player – Dabo kicked him off the team flight home and made him ride the manager's bus 450 miles home.

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa-football/news/clemsons-dabo-swinney-throws-ejected-player-onto-the-bus-not-under-it/d43sjlpd02mz1ft4bkr2n7qk7

 

Later I watched Vandy/Missouri. Both teams are terrible. Vandy had a backup QB named Hasan on the field.

Went over to Reid's again to watch UGA/KY. I love watching the game there, but just wasn't in a good mood. Nice to have Lee there, but his wife Nancy was moaning and groaning after the scoreless first quarter. Many times games start slowly, and the driving rain didn't help. Steve kept giving factually incorrect information, so Lee and I had to call him on it. Sara was showing off her new iPhone11. Supper was chicken soup, chocolate cake, and chicken quesadillas (I'm not the only one who makes quesadillas). I skipped the shrimp and tossed salad.

 

UGA/KY: loved how announcer Ron Franklin pointed out the UGA problem: the receivers were running the wrong routes and not breaking into the open. Freshman WR Pickens (#1) wasn't doing anything. Finally he catch a pass for a key first down and started to celebrate, but a big tight end gave him a hug to end the celebration. UGA's best receiver missed the game.

Many blame Fromm, but what's different from the last two years? Same QB, who finished in the top 5 both years. Same great RB's. Different offensive coordinator / play caller. Different WR's. After last year three WR's went to the NFL. Against Kentucky Fromm had all day to pass, but no one was open. No shame in a 9-12 passing day in the driving rain. In the end UGA won 21-0. Kentucky completed one pass. Their QB was terrible. He couldn't pass. He's take the ball and just wander around.        

 

Fromm's QB rating going into the Kentucky game was around 81.1, which would rank 8th in the country. Before SC he's just came off the four game stretch with a rating of around 90.7, which would rank 5th in the nation. Now Fromm has dropped to 24th, still ahead of media darlings Jacob Eason (Washington), Khalil Tate (Arizona), Kelly Bryant (Mizzou), Bryce Perkins (UVA), Shea Patterson (Michigan), Bo Nix (Auburn), and Ryan Hilinski (SC). Notre Dame's Ian Book is tied with Fromm. Anyone saying Fromm's NFL stock is dropping doesn't know what they're talking about.

 

Came home and watched some AL/Tenn. Bama likes their new stadium lights. Things got interesting when Tua went down, then the backup QB got up limping. But the good young Vol QB was already out of the game, and Bama cruised to a win. The Vol backup QB fumbled at the goal line, and Bama scooped it up and ran the length of the field to score. Bama didn't beat Tennessee as bad as UGA did. The high ankle sprain will cause Tua to miss even more time next week, further damaging his Heisman hopes.

Meanwhile Jalen Hurts had another five touchdown game as Oklahoma dismantled West Virginia. The Heisman is Jalen's to lose. Oklahoma wore their alternate uniforms. Unfortunately the Boomer Sooner Schooner was tackled for a loss.

 

 

 

Two bad missed calls on two Florida touchdown plays was the difference in the FL/SC game, but at least one SC fan admitted the officiating was bad on both sides.

Undefeated Wisconsin lost to Illinois, but RB Jonathan Taylor broke Herschel's 40 year old record to become the fastest to reach 5000 yards, only the third back in history to do so in his junior year.  

 

Texas wore throwback uniforms to celebrated their 1969 title team, but almost lost to Kansas.

Rutgers wore interesting throwbacks, with long-sleeved jerseys. Nice. Unfortunately the jerseys had five logo patches – not exactly period specific.

Clemson won 45-14. Ohio State was off this week, yet still passed Clemson in the polls. Both UGA and Notre Dame have one loss. ND lost to UGA but is ranked higher. Next week will be the first playoff poll, so expect to see a more accurate ranking.

 

Georgia Southern and Coastal Carolina were both penalized for dancing (in a threatening-like manner). Bless their hearts. Earlier in the game three players had already earned unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, so they were ejected from the game for drawing a second unsportsmanlike penalty.

 

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa-football/news/georgia-southern-coastal-carolina-penalized-for-dancing/627mz8tzhhhn15q88h9scgstm

At least we didn't have to watch the Falcons. Detroit's Matthew Stafford broke Matt Ryan's record as the fastest NFL QB to reach 40,000 yards passing. Won't be long before the next young passer will break Stafford's record.

 

Buffalo recovered an onside kick and ran it in for a TD. You'd think that would happen more often. Always remember as a kid when the Falcons ran in an onside kick against the Patriots in a preseason game.

 

The Cowboys kicker booted a 63 yard field goal, his third career 60 yarder. Rumor is he's not as good inside 40 yards. 

They're saying it's the first decade the Yankees have missed the World Series in over one hundred years. But I thought decades ran from 2011-2020 and 2021-2030. Seems to me they have one more chance.    

 

Chris Dimino asked a provocative question: you can have a SOLID but not over the top great, but really good 15 year career. What sport would you choose? He took a poll and almost two thousand voted.

 

48% PGA

39% MLB

10% NBA

03% tennis

 

JOHNNY BENCH [SABR Bio] hypes a product that he insists won't make you stink. Spokesperson for pain-relief cream Blue-Emu, which contains an odorless oil harvested from Australia's largest flightless bird. Watch Bench's "pitch" here. You're unlikely to forget his handshake. The size and strength of Bench's hands are legendary. He hit 3 home runs in a game 3 times in his career, twice off the same Hall of Famer.  Bench frequently undressed Steve Carlton bashing 3 homers off him 26‑July‑1970 when Lefty was w/STL and again on 9-May-1973, while Carlton was on PHI. (Bench's third 3-HR G was against Randy Jones of SDP 29-May-1980.)  Bench's career 1.065 OPS (min 60 AB) against Carlton was his highest against any hurler.