et ceteras

I've been very tied up for the past week and a half and am still feeling that way tonight. Sooner or later I'll have time to write in depth about some of the things rattling around in my brain, but right now am settling for a quick-hit approach, so here goes:

Parts of the federal government are now shut down, and the good news is that people are bound to notice when the sky doesn't fall and businesses don't shut their doors...The bad news is that other people won't notice and will instead succumb to the hype that Leviathan's absence is making everything go to Hell in a basket...The big question is which group will be larger, because if it's the former, the GOP will see its prospects for 2014 rise, and if it's the latter, the Democrats will see theirs rise. Either way, I applaud the Republicans who stood up for having the courage of their convictions.

I do not have a problem with the NFL cracking down on head-to-head hits, but I do have a problem with the overzealous way it is trying to make its point...Officials are now doling out 15-yard penalties just about every time a hard hit occurs, even when the hit is not to the head. I have seen multiple players get flagged after hitting an opponent below the shoulder pads and not leading with their head to do so...The NFL might as well ban defense, cut to the chase, and switch to being a flag football league.

Speaking of football, it is disgusting how Tampa Bay QB Josh Freeman has been wronged by Coach Greg Schiano and others in the Buccaneer organization. It is a travesty from a football perspective, and more importantly, a moral outrage from a human perspective. I hope to publish a post dedicated to this particular subject in the near future.

On the other hand, the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team is a model of class. Manager Joe Maddon treats his players with respect and they perform for him because they know he will never throw them under the bus...Despite having a microscopic payroll, the Rays have made the postseason four times in the last six years, which is more than any other team in the majors including the much ballyhooed Red Sox and Yankees. Monday night's complete game win by pitcher David Price, in the one-game playoff that put the Rays in this year's postseason, was one for the ages...It's not likely that the Rays will win the World Series, but it would sure be fitting if they do.

I recently found myself reading about Errol Flynn on Wikipedia (don't ask) and came upon a sentence that struck me as one of the most amusing I have ever read. Here it is, and keep in mind that Flynn was only 33 years old at the time of which it is referring: "Grateful to the country that had given him fame and wealth, he attempted to join the armed services but he had several health problems, his heart was enlarged, with a murmur, and he had already suffered at least one heart attack; he had recurrent malaria (contracted in New Guinea), chronic back pain (for which he self-medicated with morphine and later, with heroin), lingering chronic tuberculosis, and numerous venereal diseases." All I can say is: Damn.

That was all quite random, but hey, the topic was "things rattling around in my brain," so what else can you expect? Until next time, take care.