This Is It. Or Is It?

Schloss-Blog watching the campaigns, the games, the gripes, the hypocrisy and getting ill and fatigued from it all.

Also known as sick and tired.

Sick and tired of Trump attack ads saying Biden will try to raise your taxes. If you make less than $400,000 a year, that is simply a lie.

Keep hearing that, in effect, there will be a trickle-down tax because corporations will raise their prices after they get hit with a tax increase.

When was the last time corporations didn't raise their prices anyway? Puh-leez.

Sick and tired of Martha McSally.

Period.

Sick and tired of all the coaches, athletic directors and college sports administrators who swore up and down they would protect our football-playing children from COVID-19.

BS.

Entire seasons have been canceled in college football. Too many games as well. Take Wisconsin, where the virus is getting to be a Badger of honor.

High schools are either not playing or canceling games left and right.

Or should I say Sam and Mike?

We're also sick and tired of Donald Trump saying he was glad to help save the Big 10 football season. From what? Itself? Sorry, Donald, but the college football championship team is not coming to the White House.

Neither are the Dodgers. Or the Lakers. Or the Lightning. You're a racist. they know it. They're not coming.

We're sick and tired of the White House saying it has guidelines for dealing with the virus - it's called death, especially if you attend a Trump rally.

Eighty-two percent of counties that have hosted Trump open-air, mask-less, not socially distanced rallies have shown dramatic increases in COVID-19 infections contrasted to counties in proximity that did not host Trump rallies.

You wanna' die? Go to a Trump rally.

Ask Herman Cain.

Go ahead, ask him

Oh yeah, he's dead. Two weeks after attending a Trump rally.

Wanna' freeze to death?

Go to a Trump rally in Omaha, where you'll stand outside afterward and wait for a shuttle bus. Until Christmas. Trump doesn't care if you die of COVID, frostbite or some combination thereof.

What has happened to decency in this country?

Trump actually scoffs at media reports of the second wave of the coronavirus, which is hitting record highs in daily cases detected and in hospitalizations.

You know what that leads to, right?

Just what Trump wants, your death.

Just vote first if you're one of his core.

I'm also sick and tired of Jared Kushner. He says Blacks don't want to help themselves.

So the next time Trump says he's the least racist person in the room or that he's done more for Blacks than any other president, he's obviously only at fault because Kushner says Blacks don't want to help themselves.

They also want Confederate generals' statues restored.

And Joe Paterno's.

If Biden doesn't win, your life will be different. Social Security will dry up. Medicare too.

Trump is also putting husbands back to work, so he says.

Except women are a larger part of the workforce than men nowadays.

Trump is running for the presidency.

The 1956 presidency.

Through it all, despite the campaign-long poll leads for Biden (which have been stronger than Hillary's), Trump still might win.

And all those people at his rallies will get COVID.

Like Herman Cain.

And die.

I know, this has been kinda' morbid. But so has this country been the last four years.

So, good night, Mrs. Calabash. Koo Koo Ka Choo, Mrs. Robinson.

More on my Radio Free Phoenix show Sunday night.

This weekend is our 30th. Love you, Joss.

And congrats, Dodgers, but Justin Turner, what in Gawd's name were you thinking about?

Put that mask on.

Everyone.

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Things I Love to Hate ... Or Is It Hate to Love?

The Schloss-Blog overslept (drank too much) and is back with you. Listening to Joe Catanzaro's show on Radio Free Phoenix to help bring me back.

Anyway, on about my fourth of glass of wine yesterday, I realized...

..Every time Donald Trump opens his mouth he lies. Every time.

Unless it's to stuff in an order of McDonald's or KFC.

I realize that in Phoenix, "Stop" signs are for people.

Not cars.

I realize that Donald Trump's appointee, John Ratcliffe, is actually the Director of Unintelligence. The next time he says something intelligent will be the first time.

I realize Trump will say anything to get re-elected. Anything!

$100 trillion was a figure he mentioned repeatedly during the debate. Who does he owe $100 trillion?

Besides Putin's oligarch's.

I just realized I started a sentence with a number ($100 trillion). That is a cardinal Associated Press Stylebook sin, unless it's you start the sentence with a year.

I'm not changing it anyway. Take that, AP.

I just realized that the NY Giants may have drafted the worst first-round quarterback in history in Daniel Jones.

No wait, the Browns drafted Tim Couch.

The Bears drafted Cade McNown.

The Bengals drafted Akili Smith.

The Cardinals took Matt Leinert.

Doesn't make me feel any better about Jones.

I just realized that Bill Barr will be unemployed after the election.

Thank Gawd.

I just realized that "Individual 1" is going to be indicted after the election.

Yeah, babeee.

I just realized that I had a great time yesterday hanging with Joss, Lauren, Lara and little Ofelia. The latter is a beauty (check out my Facebook and Instagram post).

I just realized that the governors of Georgia (Dr. Death as a friend there calls him) and Florida (Dr. Dumb as a friend there calls him), really are Doctors Death and Dumb.

Except for the governor of South Dakota. She is Dumb and Dumber rolled into one.

I just realized a vote for Trump is a vote for the end of Social Security and the end of coverage for your pre-existing conditions.

And maybe insurance in general.

I just realized the next Black I see on a film clip at a Trump rally will be the first one I see.

I just realized that Brooklyn's own Anthony Fauci should be president.

What have we got to lose, right?

Except the virus.

It ain't going away under Trump.

So go vote.

Wisely.

But vote.

Good night Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, Mrs. Robinson.

More on my show Sunday night on Radio Free Phoenix.

GDX forever.

Back to Basics

The Schloss-Blog is getting back to basics today. In other words, my sportswriting roots.

With a touch of coronavirus.How enormous?

As we are on the verge of baseball's World Series, the coronavirus is running out of control.

For instance, what was coronavirus-infected coach Nick Saban doing on the sideline this weekend?

Which leads to, why isn't sports doing a better job of protecting players, coaches, administrators and their facilities? Why are leagues and teams able to get testing and processing done at a pace none of us mere mortals could ever afford?

The scope of this is enormous. The World Series, being played in a neutral site, consider the illegitimacy of all this.

• It was a 60-game season. How validating!
• It included softball-prototypical 7-inning games in doubleheaders to expedite the schedule. Did starters have to pitch 5 innings to get a win in a 7-inning game?
• It included runners on 2nd in every extra inning. Why not just start with the bases loaded?

All in all, 43 games were postponed over the course of the season due to coronavirus There were 45 doubleheaders featuring 90 7-inning games. Your MVPs are going to have 10 home runs and CY Young winners could have 4 wins.

As the NFL enters week 6

• Its entire preseason was canceled.
• 12 games have been rescheduled due to coronavirus.
• 67 players opted out rather than play this season and risk the virus.
• There was a Tuesday night game. The last one was in Detroit 10 years ago, between the Giants and Vikings, when Minnesota's dome collapsed days earlier.
• The Titans, Bears, Chiefs and Patriots are among the teams dealing directly with the virus.

There will be more postponements, cancellations, to be sure.

Jason McCourty, one of the league's premier defensive players, challenged the NFL on its premise of what he says is pulling out all the stops to be sure that games get played, above and beyond the health and safety of the players, coaches, staff, stadium personnel ... and fans.

When has the NFL ever done anything not related to making money?

College football, that's a whole 'nother story. Countless games have been cancelled, then rescheduled, in the Big 5 conferences and now everyone else. Teams are allowing a percentage of fans in stadiums.

But that has come back to bite the the University of Florida. Head coach Dan Mullen was outspoken when his Florida Gators lost at Texas A&M, critical that A&M's fans who were allowed in were a factor in the loss. He insisted that Florida, per the (feckless) governor's order, should be allowed to have a full house in its game this weekend against defending national champion LSU.

Except the game never happened. Florida's roster was suddenly bitten by the coronavirus, with 20 players testing positive. The game never happened, may never happen and Mullen, disdainful of the virus, has not been heard from. And an FCS-level champion will not be crowned this year. Sorry, North Dakota State Buyzzz-on.

High school football is in a state of confusion. Arizona pushed its season opening back 2 months and shortened it to 8 games, with no make-up dates for cancellations built in. Still, too many teams state wide cancelled whole seasons or many games, including state powers.

Illinois and California moved their high school football seasons to the spring semester. Good luck with that. Uh, the vaccine may not be ready, boys.

In addition, whole teams canceled out of the NWSC and MLS season-opening soccer tournaments because of the coronavirus.

The Summer Olympics in Tokyo were pushed back a WHOLE YEAR.

Maybe. If we're lucky, they'll be competed before the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Did anybody really think that the coronavirus would not play havoc with sports at all levels? The virus doesn't care if you're an athlete, a politician, a coach or debate moderator. By the way, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and the Washington Post no longer send reporters on the road to cover Trump campaign rallies.

Would you go to one? 

In the end, the coronavirus has beaten sports.

Final score: COVID 19

                    Sports    0

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?

More on Sunday on my Radio Free Phoenix rock 'n' roll show. Happy birthday, Cheryl.

Bad Habits

The Schloss-Blog has been roaming around, looking around and seeing some bad habits.

As in, people not adhering to the standards of wearing masks or maintaining social distancing.

Not even close.

What is wrong America? It's almost as if there are people out there (Trump supporters) who want to kidnap government officials who want to enforce COVID-19 restrictions.

No, wait...

I was watching Texas A&M play Florida. A&M fans were locked in their arm-in-arm traditional swaying and not exactly seated socially distanced either.

Not even close.

Not at any game I've watched. Texas-OU. Tennessee-Georgia. Doesn't matter. Fans don't care. Bring on the virus. We don't care.

At a football game I attended, parents and fans, sans masks, greeted each other with hugs and handshakes like nothing was wrong in the world.

Not just some of them. All of them.

And it's not just the fans. The Tennessee Titans, the Chicago Bears, the Kansas City Chiefs are all having COVID run through their rosters.

Their games postponed. We'll even have a Tuesday night game this week.

At the White House, meanwhile, the president, who may be dead by the time you read this, disdains quarantine and greets mask-less guests before seating them, not socially distanced.

For a campaign event, which, according to the Hatch Act, it is illegal to do at the White House.

Who knows how many people the president and his traveling party may have infected. No, wait, we do know - 18. Senators, aides, advisers (Stephen "Racist" Miller - aw, shucks).

On airplanes, which you must wear a mask to board, several airlines are packing their now limited and fewer flights full, selling middle seats (looking at you, United and American).

It'll likely be that way for a while. Maybe until 2022.

I know people who won't get on a plane for at least six months after a vaccine is approved and administered, to give it time to make sure it really works.

I also know people who refuse to take the vaccine in any form. They don't trust the government's rushed development thereof or are just plain old anti-vaxxers.

And they voted for Trump.

That's not gonna' help herd mentality - uh, immunity (gawd, Trump is stupid).

I had coffee the other day with an old friend who happened to be visiting nearby and was kind enough to call me. We sat, socially distanced, outside at a Starbucks.

She told me she hasn't hugged ANYONE since the end of January. She's 40. Has a teenage son.

I have a relative who never - NEVER - leaves his house. Everything is delivered, ordered online, dropped off. Groceries, household staples, dinners, you name it.

I guess the White House is not using amazon. (As if Trump would ever use Jeff Bezos' amazon).

And now, the president, assuming he is still alive as you read this, is telling everyone that getting the virus, which he once denied existed, was a blessing. His whole family should be so blessed. Virtually his whole White House has been. Dominus vobiscum, huh? 

And now, thanks to COVID restrictions, there will not be a second presidential debate. Too bad. Trump is missing an opportunity to make a crude, interrupting fool of himself because he only wants to be face-to-COVID-generating-face with Biden.

Oh, and Donald, the Durham investigation will NOT be completed before the election. Either will the vaccine.

Bye bye, Donald.

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you Mrs. Robinson.

More Sunday tonight on my Radio Free Phoenix show.

Remember When...

 The Schloss-Blog is wondering if you remember...

...when the only thing you had to worry about 7 months ago was whether you had enough toilet paper?

Now you're worried about paying the rent. And the medical bills.

Remember when, if you're an old-timer like me, the only thing you had to worry about was waiting in line for gas during the shortage of 1973?

Now you've got a full tank of gas and nowhere to go thanks to COVID-19.

Unless you live in Florida. If you live there and live that long, that is (thank you, Gov. De-Ass-tis).

Remember when the only thing you had to worry about in college was whether you could get a dime bag before you had dinner?

Now you're worried that there's a cannabis store across the street from your kid's school.

The one he or she is attending, remotely.,

Remember when you were worried about who your kids were hanging out with or socializing with or ... heavens to Murgatroyd ... dating?

Now you're worried that your kids are spending too much time at home.

On a screen.

Going ... who knows where.

With .. who knows who?

Remember when you went to the gym and worked out all the time?

Now you have to make an appointment to go.

And have your temperature taken when you get there.

And where a mask while working out.

Comfy, are you?

Remember when you covered your mouth and your face when you coughed or sneezed?

Now you cough or sneeze into the crook of your elbow.

At least you're supposed to.

Remember when you could settle in with a good book on a long flight?

Now you're wondering if you'll go on a long flight again.

Ever.

Remember when you never heard of online meetings?

Now where would you be without Zoom?

Or Webex?

Remember when you filled out a bracket for the NCAA Tournament?

Now you have to fill one out for the MLB Tournament.

In Texas.

Where the World Series will be played.

No matter who's in it.

Wonder if they'll have any 7-inning games?

And finally, remember when you had your accountant do your taxes?

Donald Trump's will be done by the Supreme Court, if he has his way.

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, Mrs. Robinson.

More on my Radio Free Phoenix show Sunday night.