Taking a Stand
Now that Colin Kaepernick is officially starting for the San Francisco 49ers again, perhaps we can dispense with the single stupidest discussion point to come out of the National Anthem kneeling controversy (and that’s saying a lot): the notion that, as a backup quarterback, Kaepernick owed it to his team to shut up, keep his head down and go about his business.
ESPN NFL analyst Trent Dilfer actually had the audacity to suggest on live television that Kaepernick was being “selfish” with his protest and criticized him for “disrupting the organization.” Now, agree with the issues Kaepernick is protesting on or not, we should all be able to see that he has a right to make a public stand for something he believes in.
And correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t remember the Founding Fathers putting a provision in the First Amendment that exempted backup quarterbacks from being able to speak their minds. I wouldn’t care if Kaepernick was the 49ers waterboy, I would respect his decision to protest peacefully for something he perceives as injustice, and quite frankly so should anybody who claims to be supportive of free speech.
But at least now that he’s a starting QB, the nincompoops who think otherwise will have nothing to complain over! Your move, Trent.
Congrats…North Korea?
So apparently North Korea just won the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, beating Japan in penalties for the team’s second championship.
There’s so much going on here that I’m not even sure which bit is the most shocking. Is it that North Korea, that stuck-in-a-technological-dark-age-dictator-controlled-human-rights-abusing dump of a country has a sports team competitive enough to actually win an international competition? Or is it that this probably isn’t some insane fluke because they’ve already won once before?
No, I’ve got it! It’s the fact that North Korea is even allowed to field a team in this tour…oh wait. You’re right, you’re right, it’s FIFA, of course they are okay with North Korea, human rights abuses and corruption are their middle name! Carry on, ladies.
Yankee v. Yankee
I’ve been on the Cubs bandwagon ever since my Yankees missed the playoffs, and I fully support you Dodgers lifers or petulant Cardinals fans out there who don’t want to see the greatest championship celebration in the history of American sports (because you know that’s what we’re getting if the Cubbies win).
But just as a baseball fan, if you can honestly tell me that you’re not jacked up over the prospect of an Aroldis Chapman-Andrew Miller showdown in the World Series, I’m going to check you into an insane asylum.
The two profile similarly: tall, lanky lefthanders who throw overpowering fastballs and knee-buckling sliders and have thrown together some of the best stat lines of any relievers in history. Oh, and earlier this year they were both on the New York Yankees.
Don’t mind that sound, it’s just me crying my eyes out because we couldn’t leverage the potential best bullpen in history into a postseason berth.
Anyway, a duel between these two in the later innings would be freaking incredible even if you had no rooting interest.
An unstoppable force going up against an unhittable object. The two could combine for something like 10 strikeouts and no baserunners in four total innings, and it wouldn’t even seem that unrealistic! Get hype!
