Thoughts of a Common Man

Politicians are truly amazing. Ask them a yes or no question and they will stammer through it with a stump speech of sorts that has zip to do with the original question. You’re liable to hear any of these phrases at any time. I hate every single one of them! 1). “The American people want...” This is used so freaking frequently that I want to throw up every single time it is uttered. Mike Pence has to say it 30 times a day. “The American people want us to get back to work on making the world a better place for our children.” 🤮 2). “Focused like a laser.” Question: “Do you think we should call witnesses?” Answer: “The American people know that we have to be focused like a laser on doing the right thing.” Question: “So, that means, what?” Answer: “Focused. Laser. American people.” 3). “Crystal Clear.” Again, like the focused laser it’s always crystal clear. It’s also a Pence favorite when he’s puckering up to the orange dope. “Let me make this crystal clear,

Yesterday Dershowitz argued that a president can’t be impeached for any conduct if said conduct helps him win an election that he thinks he should win if it’s for the greater good of the country. Uh. What? So, a president can order nukes to strike states that aren’t expected to vote for him??? Cause if he wipes them out it gives him a better chance to win??? The day before he argued that abuse of power is a-okay and he actually had argued the exact opposite side of that argument 20 years before. “There doesn’t have to be a crime for impeachment!” He cried in 1999. Now: “There isn’t anything a president can do to be impeached!” They asked him, point-blank, what the difference is in his 2 arguments. “I studied,” he said. This is the same guy who used the following as a defense when asked if he had sex with an underage girl: “I got a massage. I kept my underwear on.” They call him professor. He claims to be unbiased. Every word out of his mouth is dumber than

So, the Super Bowl is Sunday and honestly, if you asked thirty people on the street about 20 of them might not know who is playing because... ...WE HAVE LIVE BREAKING NEWS EVERY 30 SECONDS!!! 1). Impeachment Hearings Now there may be actual witnesses at the trial because the witnesses are spilling the beans on television or in books or in the middle of the weather reports, and the truth of the matter is that everyone knows he’s guilty of all sorts of crimes! His main defense is, “yeah, he did it, so what?” What happens next is anyone’s guess. Wake me up when they’re dragging him out of the office. His blonde wig and tanned face being rubbed across the carpet. 2). Coronavirus China is under quarantine. There are cases all over the place. I haven’t read a lot about it. Does Vicks on the bottom of your feet work? Is it a fatal disease? Spread how? Let me know when it’s a real threat to me and the family. I don’t want to get bogged down in worry here. 3). The Copter Crash

My day started at 5:45 yesterday with a text message from a buddy: “Not sure if you heard, but something might be going on with Kobe Bryant.” We chatted via text about the shame of it all and then I mentioned: “Gotta’ go the music route today.” And I mention that because when a celebrity dies (especially in such a horrific, tragic manner) the coverage is way over the top... ...and the trolls come out. I saw a couple of nasty “jokes”. Some made reference to Kobe’s long ago criminal problem. Others were enraged by the fact that Kobe and his daughter received more news coverage than the other 7 people who lost their lives. (That’s how celebrity works). Yet, I kept thinking about the last few moments of their lives. Were they aware that they were going down? Did Kobe have a moment with his daughter... ...knowing that he couldn’t save her? The coach died with his wife and daughter beside him. The pilot had to be a mess. Did they know? And I’m a safety guy..

Just awful news broke yesterday afternoon. 9 people killed in a helicopter crash and Kobe Bryant was in the copter as was his 13-year old daughter, Gianna. A sad story got sickening. Kobe was just 41 years old... His wife and daughters lost not only Kobe, but a daughter and sister as well. My son, Jake, is a huge Kobe fan. Every once in awhile he would sit down next to me and show me Kobe’s Top Ten plays. Of course, I watched his entire career as well. From the moment of his first game through his very last. He was a hell of a player and was unbelievable in the clutch. But that was just him with the ball. The thing that gets you about a death of a celebrity icon like this does is smack you upside the head. I can remember exactly where I was when my Mom pulled up in the car and said, “Thurman Munson died in a plane crash.” One of those moments when I knew right where I was. He was obviously more than a ball player - he kind of transcended the sport. Years ago, he

Derek Jeter got the ‘yes’ vote from all but one writer. He fell that short of being just the second unanimous selection. I’m not sure Jeter much cares about that, after all, Mantle, Mays, Aaron, even Babe Ruth we’re not unanimous selection. Only Mariano Rivera so far, and since he was the greatest ever as a closer, by a lot... ...maybe that’s good enough. But things have gone south from there. There are now people on social media saying that Jeter was overrated, and that if he weren’t a Yankee he’d be just another player. That’s ridiculous. It’s like Isiah Thomas saying that Larry Bird would’ve been just another player had he been black. Senseless. Jeter had more than 3,400 hits. He won 5 titles as the starting shortstop. He was clutch, hit .310 in the playoffs. “He wasn’t even the best shortstop on his own team,” one genius posted, referring to A-Rod. And of course, A-Rod was a great player, but he was also stained by steroids. He was also a lightning rod of trou

As kids we were taught about the three distinct branches of government. The house has impeached which means that the executive branch must comply with requests for information. The executive branch had a blanket response to not comply. The investigation was clearly obstructed. It went over to the senate where the leader of the senate decided, before he even got the articles, to side with the executive branch and then he bashed the house leader saying, “you didn’t have any witnesses!” They ignored the request to testify! But the senate surely would do their job, right? It does not appear as if that will happen. They got up and left during the trial. They played drinking games, they played with spinners and did crossword puzzles. They don’t want any witnesses! A trial without evidence and witnesses. They asked the president, the subject of the investigation, what he was thinking. “They don’t have the materials. We have all the materials. They aren’t getting them.”

My son Jake is getting used to the grind. He’s working every day, Monday through Friday and there are days when he has to work overtime, without anyone telling him it’s going to happen until it does. He likes routine and hates change. He’s a lot like his Mom that way (kidding). But he gets irritated, and texts Kathy when he’s frustrated. She lets me know when she gets the text and then I text him something about absolutely nothing to get him to not focus on the fact that he’s mad. And I think of all the jobs I had as a kid or young adult that weren’t great: 1). Stock boy - it was a job that was degrading at times because every once in awhile the customers were real as***les. I remember when an elderly man came in. He was holding an apple pie. “How much is this?” He asked. I looked closer. “2.99,” I said. “For this?” He asked. I didn’t know what to say. He threw the pie on the ground and drove his foot into it. “That’s a rip off.” He stormed off. 2). Telephone Wi

I’m not kidding here... ...for the first time in my life I felt as if I were burning out. Between work, the holidays, Kathy’s injury and feeling as if I were constantly under pressure, I finally listened to my body and the screams of all that work with me. “Take some time off!” There were people taking bets that I’d work more than 3 out of the 5 days that I was scheduled to take off. I knew I couldn’t do that this time. “What are the plans?” Kathy asked. “Just zero pressure or aggravations,” I answered. I purposely changed my routine... ...no rushing out of bed. ...no heading to the corner for the paper. ...staying away from the emails. We finally got to a few movies that had been sitting in the bullpen. The Joker was great. Greenbook was fun. We are all caught up on Ray Donovan. And I made one other decision: No Trump. None of his idiotic interviews. I’d check in on the impeachment trial but only for as long as I could watch or listen without being ir

They came from all over the country... ...the crowd estimates were set at six-thousand people. I saw a lot of photos, and was happy to note that it was peaceful. In those photos I saw a lot of white men, dressed in camouflage, carrying guns and wearing armor as if they were marching off into war. And I know enough not to get into any discussion on guns. It’s pointless. Yet, whenever I see someone dressed like that I often wonder if they have any thoughts about the victims of any of the mass shootings. Are they truly convinced that more weapons on the streets would solve the problem? Are those victims just collateral damage? Do they actually believe that there will come a day when they will have to wear all their gear and grab all their arms and fight? Who are they fighting? The government? They’d lose. Other gun nuts? One middle-aged man who looked to be about 5’10” and weighed approximately 250 pounds of pure fat, held up a rifle that looks like the one Joh

Melky and me are usually up and out of bed by 6:30 or so. On Friday night I mentioned to Kathy that I planned on sleeping in. “What’s sleeping in?” She asked. “At least 7:00. I might even lay there until 8:00.” “Never happen,” she said. “You’re too routine.” But it happened! I didn’t open my eyes until 7:08 and I grabbed the phone and started reading. Wasn’t gonna’ move until 8:00. I forgot to tell Melky about the plan. She cried. “Ah man.” Let me tell you, this dog is amazing. She’ll be 14 years old in about a month. She jumped from the bed and together we made the trip to the back door. She handled the 24 steps and I opened the door just in time. This is when it got really weird. We went back to bed. I stayed in until 8:00. The routine was screwed up in Melky’s mind. Usually, after she goes out, she goes for a ride. This time, they (Paris joined her) were forced to sit with me as I drank coffee. Melky cried the entire time. So much so that I had to cut coffe

I suppose the greatest sadness I feel as a result of the Trump presidency is the realization that rampant racism is alive and well. I really thought that we were a lot further down the road. We’d elected a black president! Turns out, only some have evolved in thought... ...and the crazy thing is that a whole bunch of people say that Obama was the racist! Evidently he stoked racial tensions by lending a sympathetic ear to communities devastated by police shootings of black citizens. It’s impossible to comprehend what people feel free to say on social media. About Obama and his family. About Latinos and Asians. Crazy stuff. We aren’t very far along and on MLK Day 2020... ...I’m a little sad about that. “Here’s my African-American!” Trump gleefully shouted at one rally. These days he’s saying that he has more blacks working than anyone, ever, in history! Who, at this point in this sordid mess, doesn’t acknowledge that he’s been racist in thoughts and actions sinc

I watched the new Eminem video for a song called ‘Darkness’. He wrote the song from the perspective of the shooter in Las Vegas. The lyrics, mixed with the video, made my heart sink. So disturbing. That’s the thing that all of us who haven’t been thankfully involved in a mass shooting... ...can’t really feel the panic. The rage. The loss. The endless grief. Just goes from one shooter to the next. And I’ve been following Eminem’s career for a little while now... ...because he is an artist, and he can write... ...which took me a long time to accept. He was the one who kinda’ arrived in the scene in a whirlwind of controversy. I thought he was a hoodlum, a gangster, a no-talent creation of the mass media. It’s a video that hit hard. Makes a guy just sitting here want to do something to stop something like that from ever happening again. It’s too bad that there are so many people pulling on the other direction of the rope of progress and humanity. Total

In 2018 the Red Sux won the World Series. In the divisional round they beat the Yankees in a couple of close games and one blowout. I took a lot heat from Boston fans... ...which stinks. But, hey, what are you going to do? Sometimes the ball breaks the wrong way. At the parade following the World Series win, their puny, little manager, Alex Cora - who was fresh off starting his cheating enterprise as bench coach for the cheating-est, cheaters who ever cheated. Cora stood up and said: “Suck it, Yankees.” I recall thinking he was a really classless human for doing such a thing. But again, they won. Whatever. Well, well, well. “Have you ever seen a more clutch team with runners in scoring position?” One Red Sux fan asked me back in ‘18. Well, now we know why. They were cheating. Led by their cheat of a manager who cheated for the Astros when they won in ‘17. Only one thing left to say: All together now. “Suck it, Cora.” Hope to never see you in an MLB

A whole bunch of senators took an oath yesterday to tell the truth... ...and now the lies begin! A lawyer on a crime show always says: “And let me remind you, you’re under oath! Did you kill her?” Can you imagine the guy on the stand saying, “Well, I was gong to lie about killing her, but now that you mention the oath thing. Yeah, dang, I’m a killer, but I’m not a liar! I did it!!” It’s so dumb! Swearing to tell the truth on the Bible? How much of an impact does that have when you’re a lying piece of crap??? And I hate liars more than anything else in life. When you cross your heart, you aren’t supposed to lie! When you tell a lie to someone you’re actually telling them: “I have zero respect for you. Prove that I’m lying.” And it’s exhausting. Trump tells one lie after another. Yesterday he claimed that he didn’t know Parnas. “There might be a picture of him with me because I take thousands of pictures with people, but I don’t know him.” Later on it be

So, the sports betting is legal everywhere now, right? Sam and a couple of his buddies were dabbling in some small bets online somewhere. “I took the Lakers with the points,” Sam announced. “I have to win a few bets, get it up to $30 in winnings so I can cash in.” So, he wasn’t exactly putting up the house in the wager, but still, I warned him. “You aren’t in control,” I said. “Betting on something you can’t control is dumb.” “It’s a sure thing,” he said. He lost. And I told him about a couple of bets I made back in the day: NCAA - Houston and the Phi Slamma Jamma team with Drexel and Akeem. They lost. Georgetown when they had Ewing... ...no way they lose! I put up money I couldn’t afford to lose. Lost! When the Bears were playing the Patriots in the Super Bowl in ‘85 I drank a little much the night before. Gave a kid from Boston 40 points! When the game started I was losing 40-0! Okay, so I won that one. But betting the outcome of a game is never a su

“God came to me in a dream last night and showed me Donald Trump and Jesus riding horses through a green field.” Paula White, the spiritual advisor to Trump made that claim yesterday. In the late afternoon, evidence dropped that showed that the ambassador to Ukraine was being stalked and followed by Rudy and his gang of idiots and there were implications that they could take her out if the right price was offered. In the early evening, Trump stood before a rally crowd and told them that Mexico is paying for the wall. “It’s all worked out. It’s happening.” The crowd cheered. In West Virginia people are suffering because food stamps and general help has been stripped for the working poor. The coal jobs that they were promised were coming back... ...aren’t coming back, and these people are starving. They’re poised to vote for Trump again. The federal deficit is the highest it’s ever been. It was being worked down until, oh, three years ago. The reasons given for the atta

So, MLB handed down the punishment for the Astros. The general manager and manager were each suspended for a year and then promptly fired. The team also was fined the maximum and lost draft picks. They deserved every ounce of that punishment, and what is sad is that they actually may have won a World Series because of that cheating. Think back to 2017. The Astros beat the Yankees 4 games to 3. They won every game of that series at home and hit a lot better at home than one the road. It was a well-played, exciting series. Hats off to them. They won. Turns out it wasn’t fair and square. Their hitters, through an elaborate system of cheating, knew when a fastball was coming. To top it off, Jose Altuve got the MVP that year even though he was behind Aaron Judge in every single statistical category except batting average. And people are downplaying it... ...in Houston. “You ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying.” “Everyone steals signs!” Well, not like that. Thing is,

So, Harry & Meghan shocked the Royals by saying: “We’re out!” It’s actually a fairly big story here in America... ...over there, forget about it! It’s all anyone seems to be talking about, and a lot of people are saying some truly disparaging things about Harry. “He wants out, but he wants to be in as far as the money is concerned!” One angry guy pointed out. “If they want to get out, they should leave with just the clothes on their backs.” Here’s the thing: I don’t blame them at all! Harry’s mother lost her life because of how she was pursued. Meghan has been dragged through the mud since day one. Perhaps because she is an American. Maybe because she was divorced... ...or half-black? The wedding was a royal deal and the world watched her every move. Her parents were a bit different compared to all those high and mighty. Meghan was compared to Princess Di and Kate Middleton and no matter how she carried herself... ...it wasn’t good enough. They figured

It was 67 degrees in Buffalo on Saturday. Australia is burning down. Puerto Rico has been having earthquakes for about a week. Climate change is a hoax??? Anywhoa...I’m playing golf in Florida in early February. I got the invite from my Syracuse buddies and after a whole bunch of hand-wringing, I got the flights booked. Finally. I’m told that we will play at least 4 days in a row... ...which will be a bit of a chore, but I’m also hearing that the accommodations are first-rate so I can hot tub it. The course is great. We are eating buffet style. On Saturday it was over 80 in the town I’m going. Just a few short weeks. Nothing to think about other than: “Where’s my ball?” Sun, golf, hot tub, buffet. Let’s go!

I’m not. It’s a little weird... ...2020. I knew it was coming, but writing 2020 is strange. It seems like a date from way out of the future. It’s been a really mild winter too so I’m way out of whack. We normally go somewhere in January but not this year. Kathy can’t move yet... ...so we’ll tough it out. But what really freaks me out about it is that 1990 was 30 years ago. I graduated from college 34 years ago... ...high school 38 years ago! So, 2020 certainly does seem like a date that was way off in the future. Carl Reiner is 98 years old. He posts on twitter from time to time and I think of him trying to figure out how much life has changed during the course of his life. Someone born in 1922 has watched life really, really change. He can recall the Great Depression, television becoming the main form of entertainment. He may even remember watching Babe Ruth play. World War II, Vietnam, Human Rights... ...one advancement after another. Of course, Carl

I’m old enough to remember Ronald Reagan’s second term. The Gipper was suffering with Alzheimer’s and he was simply propped up. His handlers kept him clear of the public and he certainly didn’t make many long speeches. On Wednesday, Trump made a speech about Iran. He tried his best to act tough. He was a mess. His pupils were like two piss holes in the snow. He was slurring his words. His orange makeup was shattered by white blotches and heavy blue bags under his eyes. Drugs? A health emergency? There are no answers forthcoming. In fact, the media did not report in his speech delivery at all. No one is actually commenting on his physical appearance. At all! Are we all supposed to pretend that it’s not happening? He couldn’t read the teleprompter! And it brought to mind the fact that the presidential candidates are all in their 70’s or knocking on the door of 70. Bernie Sanders, if elected, would be, what, 83? I’m not saying that anyone is incapable due to

It looked sunny enough out there. I got a late start on Wednesday morning because I’d spent two days in Boston listening to every single person I saw up there wonder what Tom Brady is going to do next year. Some of those guys know that I’m coming from the Buffalo area and every one, to a man, went out of their way to let me know they were rooting for the Bills. “Man, they had a great season,” one guy mentioned. “They might have something there.” “Are you over the Pats losing?” I asked. “Well, it was a lousy team! You can’t win a wild card game, you gotta’ consider that a bad team.” It’s all perspective, I guess. The Bills also couldn’t win a wild card game. I didn’t mention that. But back to Wednesday. It looked sunny! I was out of the car and walking towards a huge scaffold that no one was on. The wind caught my five-head (as the boys call it) and I muttered a little something: “Holy shit!” Frozen! The site inspection didn’t take long and I headed for the t

So, let’s try and figure the foreign policy out. American troops pulled out of Syria because we didn’t want to be involved in endless wars. The Kurds, who fought along with us were abandoned and slaughtered. As far as Iran was concerned, the situation had been stable... ...but since it was an Obama deal... ...it had to go. Meanwhile, there was a lot of domestic news - banks reporting things. Impeachment going down. Suddenly, intelligence reports that the Iranian leader is plotting something. (Anyone want to guess who doesn’t trust or believe our intelligence?) Well, he trusts them now! And then... ...he tells us the story. (And we’re supposed to believe it? 70% of what he tells us is not factual - that’s a fact). And last evening, Iran struck back... ... and the troops were in harm’s way. And young men and women lost their lives. Now what? An endless war? We go to war? We bomb cultural sites? Kids are killed. What a damn shame. Pray for them

My boys were hurting on Saturday evening and on Sunday and on Monday and probably today. The Bills lost. Blew a 16-0 lead and had a couple of calls go against them. I watched the game with the boys and one of their buddies after making a huge assortment of food. Before the game began, I ate. A little too much, actually... ...I was kind of drooping a little when Josh Allen caught a pass for a TD on the first drive. The cheer that went up woke me up. By halftime I was wondering whether the Bills would be playing the Ravens on Saturday or Sunday. I actually said this: “They can really give the Ravens a good game.” Then Houston scored and got a 2-point conversion. 16-8. Still nothing to worry about... ...but panic set in. In my living room and on the Bills sideline and then in the huddle. “What the hell is he doing?” I asked as Josh Allen, the young, athletic QB produced 3 straight horrendous plays “It’s okay,” the boys kept saying. It went to overtime.

Written by Hu Shih in early 20th Century “Life on its own does not mean anything. It takes on any meaning that you decide to give it. Instead of spending all day contemplating the meaning of life, we may as well attempt to do something that gives it one. Be bold when making a case and cautious when seeking evidence. Be earnest in all matters and solemn in your conduct. We must be firm, believing that today’s failure is yesterday’s lack of hard work. We must be firm, believing that today’s hard work will lead to tomorrow’s great success. The moments when you feel the most sadness and disappointed are the times when you most need a courageous and strong faith. Firmly believe that no hard work ever goes wasted in this world. I do not need to be the one to succeed. No effort will be in vain. Every part of yesterday makes up what I am today. Do not think too far ahead or grieve. From now on, reap as you sow.” Thought it was pretty neat that it was written more than 100 years a

As much as I’d like to not comment on the news of the country... ...I’m a tad nervous. It’s not just the Iran, wag the dog, military strike. It’s what it’s always been. Russia. If you go back to before the election I knew all of it. Trump is a Russian asset. They’ve owned him for a long, long time. The Dutsche bank revelation on Friday night was the news that the Iran attack was supposed to drown out. It’s why we’ve never seen the taxes. It’s why he talks to Putin alone and why there was a Russian plane landing in Ft. Lauderdale on Saturday morning. Our government is under Russian control. And I understand if you believe that it’s just a conspiracy theory, but there’s a whole bunch of evidence... ...right there for you to read. Treason out in the open. And I can’t even open Twitter or watch the idiotic Evangelicals surround him and pray. Because it makes me want to throw up. Don’t believe me... ...that’s fine. But know. We’re in trouble. Bigly trou

The Buffalo Bills have not won a playoff game since 1995. We’re closing in on a quarter of a century. Today they play the Houston Texans at 4:30 “I’m so nervous,” Sam confessed. “I’ve been so fired up all year. If they lose.” He couldn’t even finish the sentence. It’s going to be a close one. The Bills have a young quarterback who can run and kind of pass. He’s an exciting player. Same with the Texans. The game is in Houston. JJ Watt is coming back. But the Bills have a better D. Going to be a close one... ...it could come down to a bad call. I would hate to see that happen, but it’s the NFL, right? I’m going to be open-minded. I will actively cheer for them... ...and after careful consideration I think it’s over. 24 + years of futility! Bills 24 Texans 21

The idea is to try and stay patient and under control. Won’t work, but it’s the idea I start off every new year with. Do what you can do and forget the rest. Love to fight another day! So, day one of the back to work was take a deep breath time, but the schedule filled up fast. We talked about finding some sun in Florida and have a plan in place. But I spent part of my day trying to write 2020 instead of 2019, and it freaked me out a little. 2020? Seriously? 1990 was thirty-freaking-years-ago???? “Are you a boomer?” A youngster asked me on one of the jobs. “I am,” I said. “Last year of that generation. What year were you born?” I asked. “1997,” he said. “My God! You missed Jeter’s rookie year. They won the series.” “Jeter was old before I knew what was going on,” he said. “Oh that saddens me.” And of course, it’s just time, right. Just because the calendar flipped it doesn’t mean anything, right? “I’m giving up sugar and caffeine,” one guy wrote on Twitter

So, day one and the Pope was in the news. He was greeting folks and a lady in the front row grabbed hold of his arm and yanked him close. He slapped her hand away. The world was up in arms, instantly. When I saw the footage all I thought about was: It was enough to piss off the Pope. Then I thought: “I don’t blame him.” The woman literally assaulted him... ...yanked his arm. He reacted. Of course the outrage was immediate. I saw one woman who was screaming for him to step down. The Vatican sent out an apology and in the greatest of all ironies he spoke to Catholics everywhere: His message? Respect for women. But again, watch the video... ...she yanked him hard... ...like the nuns used to do back in grade school. It had to anger him. “What kind of example is he setting?” Someone cried out. Great day one story.

Technically, I made it to midnight. Then things got weird. We had thought about dinner out to see my sisters... ...which is what I really wanted to do. But then, 2019 got in the way. Kathy was really struggling to move. The snow started flying. So, we had nothing prepared for dinner and no plans! Netflix and season 2 of You. Nice little serial killer series to roll us into the new decade. The last episode I wanted to watch ended at 11:30. “Night. Happy New Year,” I announced. I packed up my old dog and we headed for bed. “That’s it?” Kathy asked. “I said ‘Happy New Year.’” I closed my book - Mickey Spillane novel - at exactly midnight. “Onto the 20’s!” At 2:40 I saw a text. Sam. He had gone out at 12:30 to join a party. He was giving me his agenda. At 3:15 it sounded like someone opened out front door. Kathy yelled out, “Who’s here?” I got up to investigate. Nothing. At 4:13, said, old dog had to pee. She spent some time looking around the backyard.