And The Race Is On...

The Schloss-Blog is here to remind you this week that the race is on.

Or should I say the racist? Donald Trump is sooooo playing the race card that it is funny. Now it's "Send her back," preceded by, "Send Them Back," presumably to the "shithole" countries from which they came, those being New York, Detroit and Chicago, and Somalia, via Minnesota. They're Americans, you idiot, Trump.

This fits Trump's history of things, like:

• 1973 U.S. government discriminatory housing suit, $100 million settlement;
• Calls for death penalty for Central Park 5;
• 'Many fine people on both sides' in Charlottesville;
• Birther movement, 2011;
• Shithole countries, 2018 (Haiti, El Salvador, and anywhere in Africa);
• And now, calls for four American Congresswomen to be sent back home.

But he's not a racist, right? He doesn't say racist stuff, right? He doesn't do racist things, right? Of course, you noticed him trying to tamp down the chanting in the crowd at his North Carolina rally, right? Yeah, me neither. He relished in it.

Oh, and he said his wife and his daughter were not bothered by the chanting. So does that make them part of "the race?"

Disgraceful, especially from a president of the United States.

Anyway, speaking of races, the NL Central is all within striking distance of each other, although the Cubbies are starting to look like the second-half Cubbies we've come to know and love since Joe Maddon took over, except for the last games of 2018, that is, and went home They do not look like a pennant-winner to us though. Or do they?

Speaking of races, can the Bears win one, at last? Speaking of their home turf, there were three funny sequences at the Rolling Stones concert I attended at Soldier Field:

• First, Mick strolls out to the platform at midfield along the ramp extending from the main stage and promptly reminds the 70,000 or so in attendance that this was the spot from which Cody Parkey missed a field goal against the Eagles. It elicited a murmur and not much more from the crowd. I guess Mick, like Trump can shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and get away with it.
• Second, Mick starts singing "Midnight Rambler." Keith Richard starts playing "Paint it Black." Mick tells Keith he's off-key. Keith tells Mick he's off-song. Oops! They proceed to do "Paint it Black" and Jagger promptly tells the audience, "Guess what's coming next." Uh, "Midnight Rambler," obviously, sparking rumors the show was entirely dubbed. It didn't appear so and there were no backup musicians visible either. It was too authentic anyway to be prerecorded.
• Last, Mick welcomes Mayor Lightfoot and Governor Pritzker to the show. He welcomed them the previous Friday. They weren't there that night.

Had dinner before the show at Bar Louie in Chicago's South Loop, the neighborhood adjoining Soldier Field. Everyone there was wearing Stones stuff. Asked the couple sitting next to us at the restaurant where they were sitting and they said the same place they sat Friday. Must be nice to afford two $875 tickets, two concerts in a row, four days apart. They also flew to Zurich last year to see the Stones. Talk about fans. Talk about money. Talk about envy.

One more thing: CNN has noted that Trump uses the word "sir" a lot when he lies. Played back the tapes of him denying "shithole," Tillerson's "f'--in moron" quote and 'many fine people' in Charlottesville.

He didn't say "sir" in denying those. And I ain't lying. No sir.

Also not lying about who gets shout outs tonight on the Howard Hours on radiofreephoenix.com at 11 p.m. Central, Bentley Patterson and Bill Filetti.

And condolences to the family of Gary Kleifield, who passed away over the weekend, longtime pal from grad-school days. R.I.P. Gary.

Celebrating Celebrity in America, And All That It Controls

The Schloss-Blog is here today to ask ... who's in charge here?

In the NBA, who is running the league? LeBron Freakin' James, that's who. He has set the precedent that you can go to any team, any time, whether your contract is up or not.

I'm all for free agency - it's about time the players, who are the game, made their due. Even with all they get paid, the owners are still sitting on most of the cash. But LeBron said I want Anthony Davis, and he got him, even though Davis is not a free agent. LeBron gave away every Lakers' draft choice for the next millennium to get him, but why be picky? To get Davis, he gave away three good players as well.

Davis wanted the big lights and the big city and he got 'em. With his injury history, he'll need them. LeBron's too. Those two will have to monitor their minutes to be healthy for the playoffs (what if they don't make it - have you seen their bench?). And everyone is writing off the Warriors already, well, especially without Durant, Cousins, Iguodala, Livingston and Thomspon, the latter for the greater part of the season. Steve Kerr learned a lot from Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich. He has something up his sleeve and an owner not afraid to spend to get it.

But look around. Durant and Kyrie Irving decided they wanted to play together. So they are. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George decided they wanted to play together and make the Clippers a contender. And they are and they have, respectively.

Can you imagine baseball players doing this in free agency or trade demands? Never happen, especially with George Steinbrenner not around anymore to accommodate those who would want such. Super teams don't last in baseball anymore. The Cubs were the next super team. Now they're just a good team. Well, not too bad a team.

The best super team I can think of is the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team. Dominant. Super. Victorious. Champions. Over and over again. I hate to tell you this, everyone, but at next year's Olympics in Tokyo, the U.S. Men's basketball team is going to get a challenge. From Latvia. From Spain. From Greece. From Italy. From France. From Turkey.

The USWNT in soccer, meanwhile, is going to win gold. They want it back.

But in basketball, as we said, the players have taken complete command of the league, deciding who's going where and when, contract status notwithstanding. Hey L.A., you've got two playoffs teams now. But Denver is going to the Finals. Maybe Utah (take a look at what they did in the draft and free agency - they are going to be tough and might have the best Mike Krzyzewski-trained coach in the business (Quin Snyder). The only question is whether the league wants a team from Denver or Salt Lake City in the Finals for the impact it would have on ratings. It's already bad enough that the best team in the East, this upcoming season at least, is going to be - Indianapolis. Yeah, the Pacers. Made great free-agency and draft moves and kept their best players, while weakening Milwaukee and the Greek Freak.

Now, will someone please tell Dolan to sell the Knicks. Please. Actually, someone did. A fan at a Knicks game. Dolan had him banned for life from Madison Square Garden. And the Knicks still suck. Apparently, so does the owner.

I hate to spoil this sports party, but I've been in something of a debate with my Trump "friends" over his knowledge of social media, his handling or lack thereof in international policy, his bromance with American citizen-killer Kim Jong Un, his continued, mistaken belief that tariffs have billions pouring into us and his denial of close association with role-model American Jeffrey Epstein, who was let off by debunked Secretary of Labor Alex Acosta. Trump's history speaks for itself.

So does the Schloss-Blog's. Have a great week. Listen in tonight - you never know who gets a shout out on the Howard Hours on Radio Free Phoenix (9 p.m., Arizona time).

History According to Trump

The Schloss-Blog, as the public service to which it is devoted, presents this updated version of American history, according to '45' himself, Donald Trump. As such, we have obtained this original copy of the speech he was to deliver at his "non-political" event on July 4.

"My fellow Ukrainians, it is with great honor and pleasure that I welcome all 500 or so of you to this celebration of American hysteria, the biggest in our glorious history.

In the great War of 1812, in which our valiant troops were inspired by the Star Spangled Banner, so beautifully crafted by Abraham Lincoln, the United States formed a more perfect union by defeating the evil Columbia drug lords looking to pass through Mexico and bring their violence and illicit temptations with them, the beginnings of MS-13. They remain parked outside your doors in Detroit, Seattle, Louisville and Charlottesville, where they are among the many fine people on both sides.

But we stood firm, and many of them are still imprisoned in the concentration camps we have built along the Mexican border, camps I like to call the Rio Grande Hiltons.

And so, time passed to the Mexican War, some 35 years later to 1847, in which, supported by our great Sherman Tanks, our soldiers valiantly beat back the invaders from Central America, even those seeking asylum, and we won Mexico as the U.S. colony it remains today.

This has enabled us to collect billions of dollars from them in tariffs we never invoked against them. Mexico still gripes about it, but these dollars will enable us to build what I like to call the Great Wall of Mexico, in honor of them paying for it.

You see, I do keep my promises. We have worsening air quality and extreme climatological conditions because of the promise I made to get us out of the Paris Accords. And I expect Iran to join North Korea shortly in shooting off nuclear and ballistic missiles in celebration of our nation's birthday.

But that is a great part of our future history to come. Historians will look back on this era as greater than that of any other president, including William Jennings Bryan, who, as Joe Biden's personal role model, is a three-time loser.

Let these two tanks flanking the Washington Monument serve as reminders of Bryan's three failed third-party runs at the White House.

And you wonder why I shine next to so many other presidents? Did they have foreign golf properties? Did they have resorts where guests paid exorbitant rates to overpay to join?

This is the new American beginning, and if not for our victory in the Civil War, which not only maintained Mexico's colonial status but enabled Canada to become our colony to the north. all would've been lost. The French would've occupied Venezuela, in violation of the Monroe Doctorate, which he worked hard to earn at a good school, like the ones I attended and where I learned I had bone spurs in my heels that would not allow me to do anymore beyond playing golf at the courses of my choice with beautiful models for caddies and cart drivers rather than go fight in a war in some shithole country in which I would eventually kowtow to a little fat rocket boy in a summit that was a waste of his time.

The French blew it though. If they had occupied Brazil instead, they would've had Pele, who hit more home runs than Sadaharu Oh.

Meanwhile, look at this beautiful Americana around us (some word, Americana, huh?). As history has shown us, those with might win the fight, as we have against Russian invasions of our elections and Chinese theft of our technology. These insufferable acts will only continue as long as I am your president, so don't forget to get out there, look for your local polling place, which will be marked by a Sherman Tank no longer in use, and get in there and vote.

History is history, and I intend to keep it that way, even if I do use American war materials and generals as props in my campaign appearances, isn't that right General Dunsford? You look a little tight, Joe, my chairman of the joints chiefs of staff,  like you're standing over a prospective, tournament-winning putt. Chill, buddy, chill. It's not like you have to give a speech at a politcal rally. Just stand there.

And Ivanka, I'm so proud of you for the way you dominated that conversation with international leaders at the G-20.

Anyway as we close the day, our 173rd birthday as an independent nation, let us remember all the brave soldiers guarding the safety and solitude of 2-8-year olds, unsupervised for months at our Rio Grande Hiltons. And, as they consume water out of toilets, eat your heart out, Mexico.

Good night, America, and remember, only I could get us here and only I could take us further."