Category Archives: Sports

Why I No Longer Watch Major League Baseball: by Michael Hawke

24 Monday May 2021

Posted by in Politics, Sports

≈ Leave a comment

Politics Has Taken Over: I have watched baseball my whole life. I am a long time Padres / Tigers fan. I have attended many professional and minor league games over the years. In my working days, if I were out of town and a they had a MLB or Minor League game, I would do all I could to get to the park. We raised our kids going to Padre games at the Q, and then at Petco Park. Petco Park is an awesome venue for baseball. Too bad I have lost my love for the game at the Major League level. I just don’t feel the competitive thrill when watching or listening. You wonder why I lost the joy?

Politics….plain and simple. I played organized baseball as a youth and followed the game my whole life. The game is thrilling to be a part of on any level and is rightly called America’s Pastime. So many parts of the game draw you in; nine innings, extra innings, balls, strikes, walks, home runs, playoffs, all star games, world series, and the toughness of the players.

The competition, challenges and come backs as well as the eternal hope your team might go all the way to the Wold Series makes it a clear metaphor for life. The game inspires weather playing, watching, or listening. Rob Manfred, MLB Commissioner, ruined the game of baseball for me…and for millions of other fans as well. Attendance and viewers on TV is at an all time low….and falling harder than a good sinker coming in on a left handed hitter. MLB, by having yet another liberal Harvard educated lawyer as Commissioner, made this outcome inevitable.

Rob Manfred Must Go: How can moving the All Star Game from Atlanta, with a black population of 51% to Denver, with a black population of 9% be a statement in support of “Black Lives Matters” ? Which Black Lives Matter? Those in Colorado or those in Georgia? Who gets hurt by the removal of the game from Atlanta? Black business owners and black families who would have attended the game, and black advertisers, to name but a few. Who wins in Denver from this move? White business owners, white families who will attend the game, and white advertisers to name but a few. So we are supposed to think this all about standing up for minorities in Georgia?

The dollar losses to Atlanta from removing the game at the 12th hour are crushing. Rob Manfred supported the left wing political narrative that was spun up after the new voting law was passed in Georgia. Had he and his team taken a pause…did a study on the law as it compares with other states in the country, he would not have made this dumb move of the All Star game. He would have realized that much of the narrative, if not all of it, was political manipulation by the Democrat left and outright lies and moving the All Star Game was sure to backfire. He should resign and or be removed from his position. Until he is gone I am done with the game at the MLB level….and I am not alone here as millions of fans are turning off the game every day..

I simply cannot enjoy baseball and escape from the real world grind like I used to be able to do. I am watching baseball and instead of following averages, home run leaders, and pitch counts, I hearing about the BLM propaganda and the whole “systematic racist nation” lies. “Field of Dreams” has turned into “Field of Nightmares”. It’s just no fun to watch anymore. MLB needs a new commissioner and he must be a former player. No more liberal, political, woke trolls please. We cannot say goodbye to moron Manfred any too soon!

The Big Lie: The big lie was that the new voting law was a racist act to limit voting rights for minorities and especially blacks. President Biden called it the” 21st Century Jim Crow” law. He spun the “no water allowed in line, the no drop boxes, the less voting days”, which were all lies misrepresentations of what the new law stated. The requirement for voter ID to register was not new to either Georgia or many other States. Rather, it is about making elections more fair and honest. Most countries require voter ID to prove citizenship in order to vote. Our neighbor to the South, Mexico, will put a person in jail who votes illegally. To be eligible to vote in Mexico one must be a Mexican citizen, verified by a government issued voter ID. No one from the United States, who resides in Mexico, can vote in a Mexican election. President Biden and other liberals got “4 Pinocchios” from the liberal Washington Post for their outright lies on the Georgia voting law. Biden simply thinks most Americans are either too dumb, or too lazy, to even care about truth.

The Corporate Hypocrisy…”not a peep”… NBA, NFL, MLB, Coca Cola, Delta Airlines, CBS, Cisco, UPS, Chase Bank, Citi Group, and Merck: These corporations actively support left wing, destructive political groups and ideas. I am taking my hard earned dollars elsewhere. I used to drink coca cola every day, I have switched to juices. Why these businesses, and especially professional sports leagues, do not stay out of politics, who can figure? Americans today are politically polarized with half the nation on the right, and the other half on the left. From a purely business position it would seem dumb for corporations and sports teams to give up half of the potential customers by picking political sides. These woke corporations claim moral courage for taking a stand against this so called “Jim Crow” Georgia voting bill. They are not moral, upright, or courageous…they are simply devious liars.

Will They Boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics?: These guys are liberals and driven by their political motives, not morals or ethics. If these corporations and sports teams really care about freedom and justice they would be walking away from the coming Winter Olympics. The Chinese government engages in terrorism, slave labor, child labor, forced sterilization of women, sex trafficking, and genocide.

MLB and all the other corporate hypocrites smugly supported moving the All Star game in the name of “racial justice” and yet they are raking in millions and millions of dollars working with the Chinese Communist Party. These companies all cozy up to the CCP backed companies and organizations because there are making a financial bonanza in China.

Last year the Hong Kong freedom protesters were brutally beaten, jailed, and killed. Do you remember Coca Cola pulling out of China in support for their courageous acts? Nope….not even a tiny little peep of a protest toward the CCP. The Muslim Uyghur minorities in Western China have been put in slave labor factories., re-education camps, and are right this very minute experiencing a systematic genocide by the CCP. Have you heard any NBA, NFL, MLB, or other corporate businesses openly support the plight of these people? No you have not heard them utter a peep and you wont hear them either. They are cowards, liars, and hypocrites and do not deserve our financial support.

Where do these these companies, like MLB, who pulled it’s All Star game from Georgia, stand on the issue of boycotting the coming winter Olympics in China? Are they threatening to move their operations and sales out of China unless the genocide taking place there is stopped? I will tell you where they are….they are nowhere, nowhere to be seen or heard, not a peep, not a whimper, nothing. They rather give full backing and support for the coming China Winter Olympics. They nod and wink….and keep collecting the money. Threatening to move the Olympics in order to stop the genocide of the Uyghurs is not even a consideration.

They are liars….join the boycott…help stop the genocide!

Michael Hawke

The Daily Mix….by Michael Hawke

22 Saturday Aug 2020

Posted by in Politics, Sports

≈ Leave a comment

Black Lives Matter: Their mission statement is clear as mud. Yet, in spite of the attempt to appear reasonable, they still say enough to make it clear they are for the undoing of American society and family norms.

It  states:  “We are self-reflexive and do the work required to dismantle cisgender privilege and uplift Black trans folk, especially Black trans women who continue to be disproportionately impacted by trans-antagonistic violence. We build a space that affirms Black women and is free from sexism, misogyny, and environments in which men are centered.
We practice empathy. We engage comrades with the intent to learn about and connect with their contexts.

We make our spaces family-friendly and enable parents to fully participate with their children. We dismantle the patriarchal practice that requires mothers to work “double shifts” so that they can mother in private even as they participate in public justice work.

We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and “villages” that collectively care for one another, especially our children, to the degree that mothers, parents, and children are comfortable.

We foster a queer‐affirming network. When we gather, we do so with the intention of freeing ourselves from the tight grip of heteronormative thinking, or rather, the belief that all in the world are heterosexual (unless s/he or they disclose otherwise).

We cultivate an intergenerational and communal network free from ageism. We believe that all people, regardless of age, show up with the capacity to lead and learn. We embody and practice justice, liberation, and peace in our engagements with one another”.  Reading this I am puzzled why our news programs, sports teams, and now our schools are lifting this organization up as something worthy of support, praise, and funding”.

We have lost our minds here in America if we can support these goals as ones that will benefit all black lives. This organization is Marxist at its very core and as such anti America. 

Abortion Leading Cause of Death Worldwide: In 2019 there were 42 million abortions across the globe. America tallied 876,000.  Meanwhile Covid has killed 160 million Americans, mostly the elderly and those with health problems. Black women have the most abortions percentage wise. Over 80% of women having abortions are unmarried.

The Iran Boondoggle: Remember the Obama Iranian Nuclear Deal? The Obama administration gave Iran $150 billion dollars to secure Iran’s compliance with Nuclear inspections to ensure they were not creating weapons. The administration flew $1.8 billion dollars in cash…that’s right… a 747 filled with cash landed in Tehran and delivered America’s payment for Iran’s compliance. The results of this disastrous policy became evident withing months. Inspectors were denied access to the research labs, terror attacks in Iraq, Israel, and throughout the Middle East increased, and Iran took on a belligerent tone regarding it’s nuclear program.

The NFL, NBA, and MLB are Near Dead: The Covid crisis alone did a lot to kill these sports but what really did the damage was the Black Lives Matter support and praise given by each of these leagues. The players think the big bucks will always be there for them but the reality is they are soon to be playing for a lot less money. Fans are leaving in droves. The NBA has the lowest ratings ever. I personally love basketball yet I have not watched an NBA game in three years. I find the way the game is played at the NBA level boring to watch. The NBA’s BLM position, their support of the PRC and open denial of support for Hong Kong freedom fighters or Muslim factory slaves did it for me. Steve Kerr and LaBron James telling us “we need to respect China’s culture and not meddle in their internal politics” was ignorant at best, self serving in the lowest way, at worst. They are money grabbing hypocrites and they no longer get my time or money.

The NFL and MLB also knelt to the BLM propaganda and did so in a way that just ruined my ability to enjoy watching a game. I am like 99% of the fans who watch sports. We watch to feel good, get away from the daily stresses, and root for our teams. The political positions these sports leagues openly support have simply taken the fun out of watching. I am playing tennis again, going to the beach more with my dog Abendigo, and watching other, more fun entertainment programming.

As Mike Ditka recently put it…. “These high paid athletes can all go to Peru if they do not like it here…and by the way see what kind of income they will be making there”.

The DNC Convention Lies, Lies, and More Lies: I watched it throughout, paying close attention to the major speakers. The thing I came away with was everyone thought Joe Biden was “a good guy”….the salt of the earth as they say. Well if being a good guy qualifies one to be President then there are probably 50 million Americans ready and willing to serve.

Being a good guy is great…..being good at leading and governing is what is needed. He spent 47 years in Washington as a politician!  To me this should qualify him as a swamp rat, maybe the top rat in fact. He certainly is not the creative outsider willing to bring change and “build us back better” that they painted him to be. He did nothing for 47 years except support Senator Bird, vote against integrating the schools, and serve as Barack Obama’s right hand man. In three years President Trump has done more, and kept more promises, than Biden in all of his 47 years of government service.

The Daily Mix……by, Michael Hawke

24 Sunday Feb 2019

Posted by in Political Science, Sports

≈ Leave a comment

Padres Sign Manny Machado:  Free agent, Manny Machado signed a ten-year, $300,000,000 million dollar, contract with the San Diego Padres. Seems like the Padres ownership has finally stepped up to the plate!  This is now the highest paid contract in Major League sports. Manny Machado is one happy baseball player and is really excited to be joining the San Diego Padres!

Hayden Williams….Newest Member of “The Sucker Punched Club”: Welcome to the club Hayden. I myself am a member as are many famous, and not so famous, people. Remember Geno Smith, NFL quarterback? He joined the club last year after getting sucker punched by a teammate.  You are in good company young man. I find it interesting that most people who are sucker punched are hit by a person who is both bigger and stronger. These “sucker punchers” are so frustrated by their inability to verbalize their thoughts and ideas once they realize they have nothing to say they revert to verbal abuse and physical violence. Their use of the sucker punch is pretty safe for them and they almost always flee after punching their victims.

Hayden there are no membership card privileges but if you want to pay a membership fee just send it to me. As a matter of observation I thought you handled the punch with grace and dignity. You can definitely take a hit! Keep up the conservative fight.

I graduated from U.C. Berkeley in 1980 with a degree in Political Science. Back then, post Vietnam War, Cal was moderating a bit. The past thirty years or so has led to the total liberalization of the Berkeley faculty, pretty much from top to bottom. The cost of this intellectual imbalance has been great on the students who have attended and graduated from Cal. Brainwashed is almost too mild a term to describe their inability to think critically about political and social matters.

Anyway kid….welcome to the club. The focus for most of us in the Sucker Punched Club is to never let it happen again. No need for more pain and humiliation as one punch is all that is needed to become a lifetime member.

Jussie Smollett: I suggest you read or listen to Geraldo Rivera who was on Fox News Friday. He summed up this incident and spared no words on Smollett’s self promoting racist scam. I find it interesting how the left news media outlets expressed shock and condemnation blaming President Trump when the now out of work actor initially reported the fake attacks. The Chicago Police Chief, an African-American, laid out the charges against him and labeled him a despicable human being on Friday. The liberal media were mum. There was little to no coverage of this new development and their focus quickly shifted to the crazy Coast Guard Lt who had plans to kill democrats and media persons.

As for Jussie Smollett’s premeditated plans to “attack himself” and then report it as a hate crime I remind the readers there is no connection whatsoever between acting skills and intelligence.  Jussie Smollett made a really dumb move which will follow him for the rest of his life, a punishment worse than prison time and fines, which he will also have to suffer.

An upside for him is that he may be eligible for admission into the Sucker Punched Club due to sucker punching himself. To date no one has been admitted under this status but there is a first time for everything.

A Dumb Joke:  A penguin walked into a pub.  He went up to the bar and asked the bartender…. “have you seen my brother” ? The bartender paused, then looked around the bar, and said…. “I don’t know…what does he look like”?

The Daily Mix…….by, Michael Hawke

11 Monday Feb 2019

Posted by in News, Spiritual, Sports

≈ Leave a comment

The Pebble Beach Pro-Am Open:  This is one of the best golf tournaments on the PGA Tour. The pros teamed with amateurs makes for fun golf. Needless to say if you have been watching this weekend’s event you watched some exciting golf.

Phil Micklelson’s Three Shot Lead-Two Holes To Go: Not much work will get done in offices around the country on Monday morning due to the last two holes being teed off around 08:30 AM Pacific Coast Time. Workers will be heads down on their computers, not doing work, but rather watching PGA.com. as Phil goes into the morning ahead by three strokes, with two holes to go. I am rooting for him all the way. He has been my favorite on the PGA Tour for many years. My mother, Rita, would always try to watch every PGA event he played in. She loved watching Phil play golf and followed his career closely.  I would have to label mom a Phil Mickelson groupie. She would regularly comment on how much she loved his aggressive play, reckless even, at times, but very fun to watch. Mom will be looking down on him tomorrow…..watching him close out his 5th Pebble Beach Trophy. Win this one for my mom Phil!

The University of California Needs To Go Private: In this Sunday’s San Diego Tribune, front page story, Gary Robbins writes how “international student enrollment” at UC San Diego is pushing 25%. The UC Officials cite their oft heard defense that they do not get enough tax funding to maintain their status as a “first class university” on par with schools like, Stanford, Harvard, and the like.

The University of California Regents justify reducing the seats offered to California student residents….your kids, and grandkids in order to keep the University of California a top notch institution of learning. They have decided to “sell” our kid’s UC seats to Chinese, Indian, and other foreign students in order to have the money needed to do what they are supposed to be doing, which is educating our students.  The article failed to list how many of the remaining seats go to “out of state” students, which also brings in higher tuition revenues.  Foreign, and out of state, student admissions are nearing 50% of total seats taken by all students UC wide.

What this means for these hard working, smart, California kids is their chances of attending the University of California, at any campus, are extremely slim.  The parents, and grandparents, worked year in and year out paying high California taxes as their kids transitioned through grade school and high school, believing it would pay dividends for them in the end.  When these kids finish up and are ready to apply to UC schools what do they get?  They get an “I am sorry to inform you” letter from the admissions office. The best of our California kids, finishing with 4.0 GPAs and higher, find it “a crap shoot” at best to get admitted to a U.C. School.

This sucks for them but also it sucks for mom and dad….and the grandparents too. Is this really “The University of California”…or has it evolved into a semi-private school system that caters to whoever they choose, based on their goal to bring in the most money per seat?

It is time for the University of California to stop taking tax money from the residents of California. If you live in California and have a young child you hope to will attend a UC school one day in the future then move to Beijing, Toronto, Mexico City,….anyplace but California.  Your kid’s chances of admission will be far better.

The Regents need to come clean with the citizens of California and admit they are using our tax monies to benefit a private school system.  They should stop taking my tax money, and yours too. They call our tax support meager and they marginalize the importance of our students.  I suggest the State of California begin a ten year draw down of support after which time they no longer contribute any tax monies to the UC system.  After the ten years pass the Regents can admit whoever they want, but they also must drop the name “The University of California”.

As things now stand I know I would benefit more, as would my kids, and grandkids, by the State of California redirecting my tax portion to fix the local potholes in San Diego.

 

Michael Hawke

 

 

 

 

The Philadelphia Eagles Fumbled The NFL Ratings Ball….by, Michael Hawke

05 Tuesday Jun 2018

Posted by in Political Science, Sports

≈ Leave a comment

President Trump often says….”we will see what happens”… when asked about how things will work out on any particular issue. We now know what will happen regarding the NFL ratings. They will continue to plumet to the point that they will lose many fans for good. I, for one, am gone this season. I watched college football last season and will do the same this year. The NFL’s rich spoiled players killed it for me.

The Philadelphia Eagles informed the White House they will not be bringing the entire team to the traditional White House Recognition of the Super Bowl Champions. Then they requested the event be rescheduled during the week that President Trump will be out of the country attending the Korean Peace Summit in Singapore. The Eagles stated over 1000 fans have already planned to attend the coming Friday event, but while most of the players would be in Washington that weekend, only a handful of would come to the White House celebration honoring them as Super Bowl victors. President Trump decided since the majority of the players would not be coming they would hold a Patriotic performance for the fans and those in attendance. The Marine Band and others groups would perform, honoring our military and our country.

Facts on team victory visits missing… The champions of the World Series, the Super Bowl, and the NBA have traditionaly been honored by Presidents at the White House for many years. It is a tradition that says we are one, we celebrate our best atheletes and their great accomplishment. It has always been a postive event.

Players standing for the National Anthem to start the game also has always symolized a unity of our best and the tremendous positive impact sports has on our nation and on our youth in particular. It brings us together no matter our pollitical, economic, or social differences. Taking a knee during the anthem distracts from this positive and unifying moment prior to the start of the game.

The NFL players fail to understand they are not in sync with most of the fans… The players are now running things in the NFL. It is clear that a small number of players and owners are thumbing their very rich noses at the facts about the knee taking and stepping up the ante. Lets be perfectly honest… the fans, who are offended by these so called ” it’s not about the anthem” knee takers, do not buy these acts of kneeling are about respect for free speach and protection of those abused by police.

To the players I say get your heads on straight. The common fan knows an idiotic statement when they hear it….and your free speech claims are pure idiocy. Fans know players can stand for the anthem at the start of the game and do their issue statements in other venues. Otherwise, the knee taking is about the anthem and only about the anthem. It offends those who respect and love our country with all of its great strengths and….yes flaws. People are not dumb, fans are not dumb, but you players, who are mostly all college educated and making millions…must certainly be dumb!

Recent NFL rules changes are too little too late: Would “pathetic” be the correct descriptive word for the NFL trying to stop the ratings cliff fall….well, there are better words but not suitable for print here in this piece…so yes,“pathetic” ! The NFL has stated their new rules will require players who wish to kneel during the anthem to remain in the locker room until after the playing of it. If players who choose to be on the field kneel there will be punishments and fines to both the players and the teams.

Several owners have already declared they will not fine players for exercising “free speech” and they will also pay any NFL fines the players incur. Well it sounds like the NFL fixed this problem, eh? Idiots all. Free speech is not the issue here. Last I checked…if a company has a training event the sales staff must attend and some decide to take a knee about the police shooting issue during the training, they suffer consequences….likely they get the boot.  This is about rules, following rules, doing what your boss or company tells you and being part of the big picture…so simple. If a player kneels during the anthem before the game and tells me he was praying to the Blessed Virgin Mary and not protesting the flag and all it represents, all I think is he thinks I am a dummy. Fans are not dummies…they get it.

The NFL’s last chance….and best move: When it comes to representing a team, and a so called non-profit (a topic for a later piece) like the National Football League, players are a mere cog in the wheel. They do not have free speech rights when it comes to doing what they are paid to do for their employer on game day. The NFL players make up less than 10% of the college players who finish college each year desperatly hoping for an NFL chance. The NFL choice to save their product and their billions of profits is to fire the players who do not follow the rules. There are 100 guys waiting in line for that knee taker’s job and given the chance many would end up being better than the guy they fired. Fans do not revere these players, they used to, but they don’t any more.  The average fan attends games or watches on TV to support his or her team. It is a recreation thing, an escape from the every day grind of work. There are other things these fans can do on game day….and most take way less time and money than watching an NFL game.

To the Commissoner and the very rich owners… May I remind you it is not 1980, 1990, or even 2010? Times have changed and people have many choices to spend both their time and money on when it comes to recreation. The major league sports teams no longer have a corner on the fan’s money and time. Play it smart boys, start acting like the businessmen and women you are. No player should be permitted to hijack your profits and success over a personal protest during the National Anthem on game day, especially when it attacks the values and traditions most all of us treasure and love.  The fans simply won’t “buy” it. 

 

 

The NFL Today…….by, Michael Hawke

07 Thursday Dec 2017

Posted by in Sports

≈ Leave a comment

NFL: The NFL has claimed they are only down a small amount in fan attendance at games. They brush over the more telling sinking TV numbers. Flags, flags, flags….there are so many flags flying on so many plays that long passes are not thrown for the catch, but rather to draw the flag. Boring…did I say boring?

Roger Goodell Lottery Win: He just got a 5 year contract for over $3million a year plus incentives that include expenses, and the use of a company jet….could total over $50 million dollars a year. Not bad for a guy who sided with the knee takers early on when he could have been decisive and prevented this mess. Like I said, lucky dude.

Tim Tebow: Speaking of “knee takers”…I could think of more than six NFL teams that would benefit by having his toughness and winning attitude behind center. Can he throw better than most? Nope, but look at those taking snaps today…not much better, and they are losers. Tebow is a proven winner, and winning is the only stat that really matters. Did I say Tebow would help sinking ratings?  If I were the Cleveland Browns I would sign Tim Tebow in the off season as a back up. The guy will fill the stands home and away. I bet he stands for the National Anthem too.

Dumb…End Zone Skits: The end zone skits are ridiculous. If the NFL thinks this will encourage people to watch, holy smokes….what are they smoking? These things are high school level at best, more like Junior High level to be fair. These are attempts by Roger Goodell to be consistent about allowing knee takers during the anthem. How can he say that is their “free speech rights” and then say no end zone celebrations. And for this he gets $50 million a year. Jerry was right!

 

The Marshawn Lynch Mexico Stadium Protest….by, Michael Hawke

21 Tuesday Nov 2017

Posted by in Character, Sports, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Forbidden Pictures…in the NFL: North Korea censors pictures and stories of the terrible living conditions their people suffer under. This is just what we see in the pre-game NFL sports shows by the talking-heads. These guys are going out of their way to make sure images of positive support to the anthem, the military, and the flag are seen by viewers….but you will not see a picture of Marshawn Lynch sitting during the Anthem in the Mexico City game. The NFL does not want to discuss it, show it, and no longer defends it. They just won’t stop it.

Mexico: The temptation is to call this guy an uneducated idiot, but I will be more clear. Generalizations never help one understand problems. And this is a problem worth understanding…..and fixing. Marshawn Lynch, Oakland Raiders running back, sat down for the American National Anthem during the game against the Patriots in Azteca stadium (Estadio Azteca) and he stood up, giving full respect, during the Mexican National Anthem. If Marshawn was sitting to protest police abuse, racism, and overall injustice in America he sure should have stayed on his spoiled butt during the Mexican Anthem too. Justice is not to be found in Mexico for the poor, indigenous, and minorities. If he really believes things are bad in America….then he needs to factor 100 times worse in Mexico. Lets not even talk about their murder rate, kidnappings, and disappearances.

The Truth About Marshawn: His sitting for the American National Anthem and then standing for the Mexican Anthem outed him. He is not sitting for justice and fairness. He is sitting for himself. He seeks attention, pampering, and special privilege. If only there were just one NFL owner who had the kahoonas to say….enough. I frankly do not see the need for even average size kahoonas here.  If one owns the team it is easy, knowing the business reality that Marshawn Lynch is replaceable…. as is every other NFL player in the league. Simple deal Mr. NFL owner, make him stop it. You certainly know there are  hundreds who can run, pass, kick, block and tackle that would step in and do the job. The fans would be just as happy, and the team would have less “distraction”. Might be good for winning, eh?  Why suffer fools if it is an owners market.  Is it so hard to sit these guys down? Personally the words “you’re fired” would be what I would do. By the way….. it is really bad for your business.

The Message to Kids: The young people today are growing up in a world where there is great confusion. They do not know the rules anymore about anything. Sports has always been a place where there are rules, predictability, and structure. The kids are equal and can be sure hard work, dedication, and skill will get one ahead. Today we now are witnessing kids in high school kneeling during the National Anthem, modeling their heroes, knuckle-heads like Marshawn Lynch. I think it would be nice if the NFL owners would begin to act like the adults in the room and give young kids the security of knowing that there are rules in football, just as in life, and if you break them you sit….. consequences…. you know?  No need to fire these prima donnas. Sit them down, make them warm the bench….and next year do not bring them back.

Freedom to Protest: Marshawn Lynch can protest injustices, racism, police abuses, or anything he chooses all day long in America. He has the right to do this and he does have the platform. It is perfectly clear he can hold a weekly press conference and discuss his concerns and the media would be present in droves. So why sit during the National Anthem? Is it to send a message to fans, young and old, how unjust our country is? Is it to show how much courage you have by standing up to the NFL, the owners,….why even to the President of the United States? Is it because the third stanza of the song, which is not part of present Anthem today, somehow promotes racism?

I Quit the NFL: I used to be a fan of yours Marshawn, and of the NFL. Now I am neither; players like you taking knees, sitting, and linking arms in disrespect did it for me. I watch college ball on Saturdays and my Sundays are free. I kind of have always loved my football as an form of “entertainment”. If I want politics I watch CNN, FOX, or the networks. Thanks for the memories.

 

NFL Mexico City Game-Big Dilemma For Knee Takers….. by, Michael Hawke

31 Tuesday Oct 2017

Posted by in Sports

≈ Leave a comment

The NFL scheduled three regular season games outside of the United States this season. Two of the three games are in the books, both having been played in London, the third is coming November 19, in Mexico City. The NFL owners and Commissioner Roger Goodell see these international, regular season, games as a way to promote and grow international fans and increase revenues.

Ironically the NFL is seeing their US fan base decrease in larger percentages each week due to the many NFL players taking a knee during our National Anthem. The players claim they are protesting against social and racial injustice toward minorities by police and others.

Many NFL fans are patriotic and watch NFL football to get away from the stresses of real life and the weekly grind of work. Fans watch to relax, enjoy, be entertained, and to feel the competition of the game while rooting for their team to win.  No fan wants to sit down on Sunday watching their team play knowing half or more of the players on the field started the game by disrespecting the National Anthem.

This creates “serious angst” for many fans and is causing them do something else….as shown by the growing numbers just tuning out the NFL. For the average fan it is hard to keep watching million dollar athletes disrespect the flag every week when they are grindiing it out paycheck to paycheck, knowing, in their work place, there is no knee taking allowed…. none, nada, zip!

So….”the NFL is not the only game in town”.

The obvious question is why these knee takers feel their protests must happen during the National Anthem. These are million dollar athletes! They can have a platform with microphones, cameras, and the media hanging on their every word, any time or place they choose. They could be making  a “positive impact” on these social issues.

Instead, they choose to disrespect our nation, our military men and women, our veterans, our anthem, our flag, and all those who have paid the ultimate price for our freedoms by kneeling during our National Anthem.  Not only do they disrespect….. they send a very wrong message to youth, to fans, and to other nations, that America is so bad, so unjust, and so racist that they must protest during their own National Anthem.

Rocky Bleir, former Vietnam wounded war hero, seven season Pittsburg Steeler half back, four time Super Bowl champion, put it best; this is a mess created by Roger Goodell and the owners. It is not about free speech in the work place. The players are harming the profitability of their company, the NFL.  No worker could do the same thing at their place of work and not lose his or her job.

The London, England Games:

  • Wembley Stadium, London England; September 23, 2017
  • Jacksonville Jaguars 44 – Baltimore Ravens 7
  • Knee Takers: National Anthem- 2 dozen / British Anthem “God Save the Queen” – 0
  • Wembley Stadium, London England; October 1, 2017
  • New Orleans Saints 20 – Miami Dolphins 0
  • Knee Takers: During our Anthem aprox. 5 / British Anthem “God Save the Queen”- 0 note: the entire Saints team stood and locked arms for unity prior to our anthem.

The Mexico City Game-The Perfect Storm: The Mexico City NFL game in Azteca Stadium between the Raiders and the Patriots should pose a problem for the players who claim to be taking a knee to promote social and racial justice in America where, by their view, things are pretty bad.

There could be no two teams more suited for the “perfect knee taking storm” than the Raiders and the Patriots. There is no doubt the knee takers will see it as an opportunity to “put it in the faces” of the anthem supporters, President Trump, patriotic Americans, by taking a knee of disrespect during our National Anthem…..and then…. standing during the “Himno Nacional Mexicano” (the Mexican National Anthem), as a show of their respect for Mexico and the Mexican people.

Their Big Dilema: There is no better place to show protest toward political corruption, social prejudice, racism, and police abuse than in Mexico City.  Mexico is a two tiered society made up of the rich and poor. There is however a hidden third class, the indigenous peoples, who have suffered open prejudice, abuse, and political exclusion since Mexico’s independence from Spain. Today the indigenous peoples of Mexico live in abject poverty.  State racism condemns the indigenous people of Mexico to prison and poverty.

“Discrimination and racism permeate the state, institutions, and society when native peoples are perceived as needy, lazy, lacking, and impotent. Stereotypes continue to exclude indigenous people from developing policy to address their rights”. Laticia Aparacio Sorrono, Octobre 27, 2015

To NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, the owners, and the knee takers: Here is your veracity test. Are you really all about “free speech” and the courage to say and do what is needed to bring attention to social and political wrongs?

Compared to the problems in our country these things are a thousand times worse in Mexico. Do you believe knee taking during a National Anthem is the best way to draw attention to these social evils?  If so, I challenge you to take a knee during the playing of “Himno Nacional Mexicano.  Show the same disrespect toward the national pride of the people of Mexico as you do toward that of your own fellow citizens and fans back home.

Michael Hawke

 

 

 

The Daily Mix……by, Michael Hawke

27 Friday Oct 2017

Posted by in Political Science, Spiritual, Sports, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

 

Tom Steyer: Most people have never heard of him….. He is running “Impeach Trump” adds on TV. The adds cost in the 7 figure a minute range. He claims they are not funded by Nextgen, but rather being paid from personal funds. By his own claims he is spending $10million dollars to promote the impeachment of the President. His bio claims he is an environmentalist, progressive activist, hedge fund manager, and fundraiser….oh, also a philanthropist. Seems like that $10,000,000 could have done a lot for the homeless problem here in California…doubt it will do much to impeach President Trump.

Rocky Belier: Most people have never heard of him….. He is an American hero having volunteered for the Vietnam war. He was an high NFL prospect and went to serve, foregoing the NFL. In Vietnam he had his foot nearly blown off and it was doubtful he would ever play football and maybe even walk again. He is a gritty blue collar guy form the Midwest. He went on not to just walk, but to play halfback seven season for the Pittsburg Steelers.

His recent take on the NFL knee takers crisis: He said it should have been nipped in the bud by Roger Goodell. It is not about free speech. Nothing any of us do at work gives us the right to upset the company rules for our own personal issues. If he were NFL Commissioner it would be stopped. These guys are being paid to play football, it is a business, they are employees. If their actions damage our product they do not stay with the company. He also pointed out the obvious, like these guys cannot make their point in a thousand other ways and places and not like none of these NFL knee takers are irreplaceable. I hope he replaces Roger Goodell.

Ken Burns: Many people have heard of him…. He is an American documentary film maker, the creator of the recent Vietnam War history that ran on TV a few weeks back. It was a docu-series about the history, “according to Burns”, of the Vietnam War.

If you are a left leaning person or a college student you ate it up. Many scenes, quotes, and interviews were either incomplete or lacking truth altogether. It made for good TV though, and also good political brain washing. Too bad Rocky Bleier was not interviewed, or many of the thousands who actually fought in the war. I keep waiting for….”The Real Historical Documentary of the Vietnam War”. I know it is coming.

Dominus Vobiscum: Latin invocation to St. Michael the Archangel for protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. We sure do need this prayer in our personal lives as well as for our nation.

The Daily Mix…….by, Michael Hawke

12 Thursday Oct 2017

Posted by in Motivation, Sports

≈ 2 Comments

NFL Players Union: The NFL Players Union has announced that Jerry Jones threat to bench players for not standing for the Anthem is against their union agreement. I suggest the NFL Players Union take a knee on this effort. They must be aware ratings are slumping….. and will fall fast and far if this continues.

Economics 101: Just want to state what is obvious to me….the NFL players need the fans more than the fans need the NFL players.  I quit the NFL a few weeks back and now I get my football fix watching college football games on Saturday. My Sundays are now free and I do other things. So much better not getting aggravated watching these rich, privileged, players bringing their politics into my living room when all I want to do is relax and watch football.

Jerry Brown’s ” Sanctuary State “: Governor Brown decided he would make the entire state of California a “sanctuary” for illegal immigrants. He has removed ICE  (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) out of all prisons, jails, and other police sites where they have traditionally been located in order to facilitate the deportation of illegal immigrants who have broken the law. Governor Brown says the Federal Government has no authority to manage and enforce the immigration laws of our nation in the state of California. To me he is coming pretty close to declaring independence from the Union.

Governor On Notice: ICE has put California, and the good Governor, on notice that it’s officers will continue their mission of enforcing immigration law and arresting and deporting illegal immigrants. ICE stated since they are not getting cooperation from the state law enforcement agencies they will now be seeking illegal immigrants in their neighborhoods, work places, and homes. ICE officers will send all arrested illegal immigrants out of the state in order to secure them during the deportation process.

Governor Brown has now caused ICE to broaden it’s footprint in the state and when illegal immigrants are detained they will be removed from their families and sent to another state. This is called the law of unintended consequences. Good job Governor Brown, so very compassionate of you.

Race Horses: I recently read about a stallion that was shot while running across a pasture. The shooter was aiming for the rider and hit the horse instead. The horse leapt over a fence clipping it with his back legs as his muscles gave out in mid air. The rider fell off as the horse hit the ground. The horse never quit and in his dying moments lay there on his side moving his legs as if running. This is how we should live our lives…keep on running, keep on doing good, keep on being good.

Tim Tebow: He finished his first professional baseball season with a .226 batting average. He had over 60 RBIs and over ten home runs. Not bad for a guy who has not played baseball in several years. He was moved up two levels in the minor league system and says he will return next year to play in the Mets organization.

Tebow A Distraction: Remember when Tim Tebow was taking a knee after touchdowns and the NFL got upset. He was giving thanks to God. The sports talk shows kept bashing him saying the reason he was not picked up was not just his poor throwing skills but that he was too much of a distraction on the field and in the locker room. I have to laugh at this when I see what a mess they have on their hands now. I bet the NFL  wishes they had Tebow on a team now. It is hard for me to listen to these same sport talk guys echoing the NFL line that the players have free speech rights to take a knee during the National Anthem. Good thing these NFL knee takers are not a distraction…. such utter hypocrisy. To the NFL I can only say karma is a real hurt!