Some people will do anything

Happy Sunday morning, everyone.  I’m not doing anything in particular, so thought I would stop by to share some things that have been on my mind.

A quick thumbs-down to Disney and ABC for pulling Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show from the airwaves.  Cowardly and not at all supportive of a guy who’s been a stalwart of your programming for many, many years.  Hard to imagine NBC doing the same to Johnny Carson, EVER.

But an equally quick thumbs up for Disney and ABC reversing themselves, and restoring Kimmel to his rightful place after the local news each night.  And apparently without any restrictions or instructions on what to say or not say.  I’m not a regular viewer but in the clips I’ve seen, Jimmy seems to be back in his usual form.

Our Vice-President has been in the news here and there since the Charlie Kirk shooting, and the Veep seems intent on making sure that he’s not forgotten by the MAGA faithful, who have always been a little wary of him.  It’s my understanding that he had a spat on X (formerly Twitter) with a progressive-leaning podcast host in which the VP called this fellow a “dipshit.”  Yes, that will get the entirety of the radical right onto his side.

The Ryder Cup, the every-two-years golf event between teams of professionals from the United States and Europe, will conclude this afternoon, and not a moment too soon.  The American team looks like this is just too big for them, and to add insult to injury, the crowds of fans in attendance have been largely without any sense of propriety and decorum, heckling European players and hurling profane insults at them with increasing vitriol.

Here’s a hint, people.  Golf was designed as a game for gentlemen, and still has a lot of traditional decorum associated with it.  The President visited briefly on Friday, I believe, and things went pretty much downhill from there.  I would hate to think that I was competing in this for love of country and people in the gallery would act this way.  The American players who are so dominant in individual competition often fail to perform well in this format, and this year’s event is no exception.  Flashes of good play are overshadowed by relatively short putts missed and met with a shrug in reaction.  The Europeans always want to win and play as a team, something our rugged American PGA individualists aren’t capable of summoning.

Worth noting that the tickets to this event are outrageously expensive, and it’s a challenge to get out to Long Island where the event is being staged, unless you have the clout to take a helicopter from downtown NYC.

And we’re on the verge of a government shutdown, which by all reports will be accompanied by massive firings (not furloughs or layoffs as so often happens in these situations) of government workers that our President really wanted to get rid of anyway.  The principals are going to meet tomorrow at the White House, to what end, I really don’t know.  Each side has demonized the other in this matter, but when one party controls the White House, the Senate and the House, it’s pretty easy to see where the blame will fall.

One more thing….for the first time in a regular-length season since 2013, the Cincinnati Reds are playing today with a chance to gain entry into the postseason!  They appeared in the playoffs of the COVID-shortened season of 2020 and lost both games in which they played.  If they win today, they’re in.  And if the New York Mets complete their alarming free-fall from contention, the Reds are in.

I love ending these posts on a high note!  Have a good day!