Safe Leads

There are very safe leads in life either….

No News is Good News

Every local newscast starts off with stories of violence, shootings, stabbings, murder…I wait till the second half of the telecast to catch Sports and Weather.

No matter how wrong or warped your vision of the world is, there is some venue or fool that will feed you misinformation and further your delusions.

We are verbally and visually assaulted by lies, exaggerations, and rampant stupidity that we have become inured to them. You can’t shock me anymore by a news host or politician saying something incredibly stupid.

A President of the United States has the right to assassinate his or her rivals?? This craziness was actually discussed as a serious matter in the Supreme Court!

2020 may have been the last Presidential election that was legitimate. And despite its proven legitimacy, maybe a 1/3 or more of this country’s voters still feel that it was rigged., based on nothing but an old man’s rants as he faces prison.

On CNN: Kaitlan Collins interviewing Bill Barr about his support for Donald Trump.

KAITLAN COLLINS: “So just to be clear, you’re voting for someone who you believe tried to subvert the peaceful transfer of power that can’t even achieve his own policies, that lied about the election, even after his attorney general told him that the election wasn’t stolen. And as the former chief law enforcement in this country, you’re going to vote for someone who is facing 88 criminal counts.”

Running in Flow

“My favorite athletic moment wasn’t part of any competition. I must have been around 30 years old when I went out for a long run. At that time, my running pace was probably around eight minutes per mile. I didn’t have a particular route or distance in mind; my usual runs were between 3.0 to 3.5 miles. I remember how, if I missed a few days of running, I didn’t feel like myself—I became anxious and discontented.

Then, one Saturday morning, something remarkable happened. I set out and ended up running about 10 effortless miles. It was as if I was in a state of flow; I had no idea I could run that far. I even felt like I could have gone another 2.5 to 3 miles if I had wanted to. I tackled uphill and downhill segments, varying my pace effortlessly. My body, mind, and spirit were completely aligned. It was a rare moment of synergy that I’ve seldom felt in any other activity.

If I had a time machine, I would gladly go back to that moment, that place, just to experience that level of health, happiness, and contentment again.”

No Debate about No Debates

Reports suggest that the five major broadcast and cable news networks are advocating for televised debates between President Biden and former President Donald J. Trump ahead of Election Day. However, it’s time to reconsider the value of such debates, particularly involving Trump.

Let’s be frank: a debate featuring Donald Trump tends to resemble a WWE event promo more than a substantive political discussion. His approach lacks preparation and substance, often devolving into insults and misinformation. The 2016 debates between Trump and Hillary Clinton showcased this stark contrast in demeanor and knowledge. While Clinton demonstrated a grasp of issues, Trump stumbled through with little coherence.

The 2020 debate between Trump and Biden was a debacle, failing to offer meaningful insights into policy or voter concerns. In fact, it only served to highlight the degradation of presidential debates into spectacles of theatrics rather than platforms for informed discourse.

One might argue that the last truly substantive presidential debate occurred between JFK and Richard Nixon in 1960. Since then, debates have become increasingly staged, manipulated, and divorced from genuine discussion.

In today’s political landscape, debates are marred by handlers, opportunities for misinformation, and outright falsehoods. It’s understandable why networks may view them as entertainment, but for voters seeking genuine insights, they offer little substance.

(Idea and initial content drafted by Eric Burleigh, edits suggested by AI)

Fluke: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters by Brian Klaas (Reader’s Notes)

I really didn’t get too much out of this book until the last chapter where these notes come from. Some good insights and ideas listed below:

We toil in a quixotic frenzy, to squeeze the last cold drop off efficiency from corporate strategies, life hacks, and to do lists, a drive-through strategy to living. Do more, even if you enjoy each bit less. Life’s victories have become, to many, eliminating moments of slow, quiet reverence and replacing them with hyper productive multitasking as we chase Sisyphean goals that will never be enough to satiate us. It feels, too many of us, like a checklist existence. But our greatest moments are often the least efficient, those fleeting experiences in which our desires to achieve are put on hold, and the prize is just a moment of ecstatic being.

This is the paradox of 21st-century life: staggering prosperity seems to be tethered to surging rates of alienation, despair, and existential precariousness. Humans have constructed the most sophisticated civilizations ever to grace to planet, but countless millions need to medicate themselves to cope with living within them.

This is a despair of our own making, according to the German sociologist Harmut Rosa, not because of technology, but because of a futile yearning to make the world controllable. Relationships become a means to an end, reducing a magically networked existence into mere “networking.”

Countless distant decisions, accidents – – happy and not – – separated by space and time, come together in ways that we could never anticipate, and our lives changed because of them. It can be comforting to accept what we truly are: a cosmic fluke, networked atoms infused with consciousness, drifting on a sea of uncertainty.

A world without lived mystery would be a cold, disembodied one, in which we drift through life never surprised, never pausing to contemplate how nature spun us into its endlessly intricate web, never overwhelmed with an existential sense of awe.

It’s humbling to recognize that you’re not the conductor of the symphony but rather one vibrating string within it. The truth situates us within something vast and unknown. We can’t know where we are going, or why we are here (if there is any reason.) It leads us to three of the most important words in existence: I don’t know.

What happens when we can give up a bit of control and let ourselves drift and explore a bit more without direction? We know – – with clear evidence – – that moments of diversion, in which idleness envelops us, and our minds linger away from directed action, are often moments of brilliance.

“Remote” Observations from my Couch on Sports

I spent a majority of my time this past weekend on my couch, fiddling with my remote to watch various sports events. Five observations…

I watched and enjoyed the women’s NCAA basketball tournament this season and you can credit Caitlin Clark for my avid interest. She is the female reincarnation of “Pistol” Pete Maravich, who played for LSU in the late 60s. Clark and Maravich were prolific shooters, ball handlers and passers. The women’s game continues to improve and doesn’t have the same turmoil of disgruntled players flocking to the transfer portal as the men’s game is experiencing.
I have read and viewed some pushback from WNBA players about Caitlyn Clark. I already sent some jealousy regarding Clark’s popularity and athletic notoriety. When Pete Maravich was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks, he faced hostile teammates who were upset by his popularity and style of play. I am hoping that Clark does not experience the same negativity from her teammates. It will only hurt the WNBA – – the WNBA needs Clark more than she needs them.
I had some emotional conflict during the finals of the women’s NCAA game. Part of me wanted Iowa to win so it would cement Caitlin as one of the best or maybe the best women’s player in college basketball. But most of me was a Dawn Staley fan. Staley is an excellent coach and a class act whether she wins or loses. She basically took a new team to the NCAAs, went undefeated and won the title.
I read this morning that John Calipari is preparing to move from coaching Kentucky to Arkansas. Calipari could takes some lessons from Dawn Staley on communication. Calipari has worn out his welcome at Kentucky based on mediocre results this season including early losses in the SEC tournament and the NCAA tournament. I watched Kentucky more than any other men’s college basketball team this year. I was interested in the progress of DJ Wagner and Aaron Bradshaw who both played at Camden High and were expected to be drafted into the pros this year. Based on their performance on the court, I would not draft either one. I don’t think either one benefited from their tutelage under Calipari. Both should look into the transfer portal and hopefully reinvigorate their chances to get into professional basketball. Calapri is an excellent recruiter, but a mediocre coach.
Kudos to another great performance by a female athlete. Anna Leigh Waters won her 100th PPA championship this weekend. She took gold in women’s singles, mixed doubles and women’s doubles. At 17, she is the predominant pickleball player in the women’s division. Some suggest that she is the best pickleball player, man or woman. I am hoping that she will have a competitive rival soon. Her reign reminds me of how Chris Evert dominated women’s tennis in the 1970s before Martina Navratilova started to play competitively.

Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball by Keith O’Brien (Book Review)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I thought this was a fair and sensitive biography of a complicated and controversial man. This book was excellently researched and the author was able to get cooperation of many of the players, family and even mistresses of Pete Rose. The book confirms to me that Pete was a vain, greedy, self-serving and not a very smart man, not someone who you would want as a friend or be around with.

The author documents Rose’s playing exploits on the baseball field, which were legendary and his off field foibles which were many. Well I think it was easy to admire Pete Rose the player, it must’ve been very hard to admire Pete Rose the man. It’s as if he never grow up.

All that being said, I think the Pete Rose deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. Yes his gambling, particularly on baseball, may be disqualifying. However I have not read or heard of any evidence where he directly or indirectly affected the performance or results of a baseball game. What Pete Rose achieved on the field, he achieved largely on his own merits. I did not read of any evidence that he took steroids or performance-enhancing drugs.

This book is an excellent read for any sports fan but especially for this reader as I remember watching Pete Rose’s career, particularly when he played for the 1980 Phillies who won the World Series that year.

WrestleMania 40 Predictions

I have been a pro wrestling fan since I was a 10 year old boy. I grew up watching all kinds of wrestling shows. I remember staying awake at midnight to watch Florida wrestling with Gordon Solie at midnight when I was in college. I am not a “mark.” I know the results are pre-determined. Pro wrestling has entertained me more than watching baseball, tennis and other major sports. So let’s pretend I am the “Booker” and choosing the winners for this weekend.

Card	Predictions
The Rock & Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins	The Rock & Roman Reigns
Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Becky Lynch	Rhea Ripley
Gunther (c) vs. Sami Zayn	Gunther
Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso	Jey Uso
Bianca Belair, Naomi & Jade Cargill vs. Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai, Asuka & Kairi Sane)	Bianca Belair, Naomi & Jade Cargill
Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee vs. Santos Escobar & Dominik Mysterio	Santos Escobar & Dominik Mysterio
Seth Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre	Drew McIntyre
LA Knight vs. AJ Styles	LA Knight
Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bayley	Bayley
Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) vs. The Final Testament (Karrion Kross & The Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar)	The Final Testament (Karrion Kross & The Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar)
Logan Paul (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens	Logan Paul
Six-Pack ladder match for Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships: Judgment Day (Damian Priest & Finn Bálor) vs. Awesome Truth (The Miz & R-Truth) vs. DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) vs. New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate) vs. A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory & Grayson Waller)	Judgment Day (Damian Priest & Finn Bálor)
Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes	Cody Rhodes