Shot After Shot...

Hard for the Schloss-Blog to turn attention away from the horrible shooting in Uvalde, Texas. And hard not to.

This being Memorial Day weekend, we start by thanking all those who have served and all those serving now for just that - their service.

But for me it comes back to the fact that the same people - the same politicians, that is - who want to "protect life" by banning abortion are the same people - uh, politicians - who won't protect life by approving universal background checks for gun purchases.

Or by mandating vaccinations for COVID. 

With 19 kids ages 9 and 10 now dead though, the attorney general of Texas, in the wake of the shooting, is suggesting that teachers be armed.

I'm sure teachers can't wait to be walking around, packing. In their free time, they can patrol grocery stores in Buffalo.

That AG, Ken Paxton, is under indictment for securities fraud, but Texans don't care. They gave him the nod in the Republican primary for state attorney general.

Texas is the same place where the conspiracy theory has been suggested to me that Biden is stacking voters by housing illegal immigrants who will eventually be granted citizenship.

As long as he's under indictment anyway, maybe Ken Paxton ought to look into it.

Meanwhile, Ted Cruz is suggesting that armed guards - more armed guards, should be placed at every school as a deterrent to crazed gunmen like the one who rampaged through Robb Elementary.

Except, Ted, studies show that more guns mean more bullets flying and more people wounded and/or dying in those situations.

As I post this on this Sunday, the National Rifle Association convention is wrapping up in Houston, several hundred miles away from Uvalde. 

Speakers there spent the weekend lamenting that with the shooting at Uvalde, liberals are now coming for your AR-!5.

No, but they want to shove it up your ass.

How could you watch a minute of the coverage of this event and not get emotional? TV anchors I watched, Kate Bolduan of CNN and Stephanie Ruhle of MSNBC, broke down and cried on air doing interviews with parents, experts, witnesses and survivors of prior incidents.

In the last three weeks, 21 were wounded in shootings in Milwaukee, 10 more died and 3 were wounded in Buffalo, one died and 4 were wounded in Laguna Woods, California, and now Uvalde, Texas.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, meanwhile, will be signing into law legislation that makes it difficult for ordinary citizens to sue gun companies and will also make it difficult for federal statutes to be upheld over Arizona law in state.

May he be stung by a scorpion.

Bottom line: Uvalde shooter Salvador Ramos, 18, is not old enough to buy beer in Texas, but he can buy automatic rifles and ammunition. And he did.

The Sandy Hook shooter, who took 26 lives, was confronted almost immediately and it was over within about 10 minutes. At Uvalde, despite the protestations and pleas of parents whose kids might have been trapped in the building, Texas law enforcement didn't enter the building for almost an hour. It is entirely possible that some victims who died might have been wounded and perhaps saved by an earlier intervention.

Watch the video of the parents screaming for law enforcement to help their kids.

Now imagine it's your kid, your grandchild, in there and you not knowing what the delay is in going in after them.

It just seems inappropriate this week to end the blog with "Good night, Mrs. Calabash, and here's to you, Mrs. Robinson," but I just did anyway.

Definitely more Sunday night on my Radio Free Phoenix rock 'n' roll show.

Josh Wondering...

The Monday Morning Schloss-Sports Blog is wondering...

...what in hell was Josh Donaldson thinking when he made an inappropriate remark to the White Sox' Tim Anderson, referring to him as Jackie Robinson? White Sox Manager Tony LaRussa called it "racist."

Donaldson has been on six teams in his 12-year career, five in the last six years. We've heard references that he has worn out his welcome in many a locker room.

Now, perhaps, you know why.

***

Can you name (no Googling) the five current coaches longest-tenured with the same team? Greg Popovich is No. 1.

The rest at the end. No Googling!!

***

Are you a gambler?

The world of sports seems to think you are. Every event - EVERY EVENT - has a gambling element, with announcers telling you the odds on everything.

Early Voting was 5:1 to win the Preakness (did you watch? Me neither.)

Justin Thomas had a 1.2 percent chance to win the PGA Championship when play began Sunday morning, He was seven strokes back.

Won in a playoff.

One point two percent chance to win. Did you throw some money on him?

You could've bet the PGA by continent - that is, from which continent would the winner be a native of?

FanDuel and Draft Kings rule the world.

Your world?

If you can afford it, but the people who gamble the most can usually afford it the least.

***

Speaking of gambling, Chicago is getting a downtown casino. Nine people got shot over the weekend downtown outside a McDonald's.

Can't wait to see who shows up at the casino, in that case.

***

Calgary beat Edmonton 9-6 in an NHL Stanley Cup second-round playoff game the other night.

So far, through three games, the Rangers and Hurricanes have scored 9 goals total in their second-round series.

Which series would you rather watch?

***

Florida, for all its politics flaws, is a hotspot for sports right now.

Lightning seeking a record-setting, third-straight Stanley Cup.

Against the Panthers, from south Florida, who were the best team in the league during the season.

And the Heat are threatening to win the NBA title.

Why is Chicago blessed with losers this year?

Why is Phoenix blessed with losers?

Period.

***

Did you watch the Preakness? Me neither, like I said.

Who cared about it?

No Triple Crown possibility. No dynamic horse, nor jockey, nor trainer.

No interest.

***

The answers:

Eric Spoelstra (Miami Heat, No. 2); Steve Kerr (Golden State, No. 3); Quinn Snyder (Utah, No. 4); and Mike Malone (Denver, No. 5).

Get 'em all?

Get any?

I got Spoelstra and Kerr, that's it.

***

Hope you enjoyed my Radio Free Phoenix show last night.

Schloss-Blog comes at ya' on Sunday morning.

I Love Arizona

The Schloss-Blog wants to reflect on all the things that make Arizona ... Arizona.

I'm heading back to Illinois for the summer because in Arizona, it is always hot ... except in the summer. Then it's hotter. A lot effin' hotter.

***

In Arizona, traffic patterns are kind of ... odd.

For instance, you can be the only car in the left turn lane in one direction, with no cars in the left turn lane in the other direction.

Yet, the vehicles in all lanes in the other direction get a green light. Not you. In fact, you never get a green arrow. You just wait out traffic in the other direction, which, on streets like Camelback Road, which are tantamount to Sheridan Road in Chicago or Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn, means next Thursday.

***

In Arizona, "Stop" signs are for pedestrians.

Yellow lights are for the out-of-towners who observe them.

***

In Phoenix, the police cruise around in oversize SUVs, white ones with words and logos in blue paint on the side

In your rearview mirror though, it looks like just another oversize, white SUV, which might as well be the official state vehicle.

You're not sure which it is. So, can you speed? Run a light? A "Stop" sign? Not come to a full stop when making a right turn on red?

Of course you can. This is Phoenix. The cops all do. Then they usually just watch as you don't.

No, really.

***

In Chicago, they pick up construction after 5 p.m.

In Phoenix, they pick up construction after 5 months.

***

In a Starbucks in Phoenix, at 6 a.m., they need lessons in customer service.

That's because right after they opened, they couldn't make coffee because they ran out.

Of filters.

And so they bump you up to an Americano instead, and charge you full price for it instead of giving you the courtesy of a freebie, or at least the lower price of the regular coffee they couldn't make because they ran out.

Of filters.

***

Only in Arizona, or maybe somewhere in Florida, do they write - and publish - letters to the editor calling for controlling gun violence by legalizing murder and giving everyone a gun.

Archie Bunker lives.

***

Only in Arizona is every other driveway a golf course entrance.

***

Phoenix is, however, to good extent, a suburb of Chicago, despite being the 5th-largest city in the United States.

You don't go anywhere out here without running into Chicagoans, retired or otherwise. The Cubs are still the biggest spring-training draw, when there is a spring training, and Chicagoans are prevalent in spring-break attendance.

And now Lou Malnati's Pizza and Portillo's hot dogs have invaded The Valley.

Thank God.

***

On one of our first visits to Arizona, we went to dinner with a fraternity brother who lives here and his wife. He cautioned us to be careful about talking politics in an open, crowded room around strangers because of the conservative political atmosphere here. Twenty years ago.

Now, despite there being two Democratic senators from Arizona and Biden having carried the state, I realized at the gym this morning, a really nice one I joined, that half the people there probably voted for Trump or Mark Kelly's opponent or Kirsten Sinema's.

Guess I'm spoiled having grown up in Brooklyn and having lived most of my adult, working life in the Chicago area.

That notwithstanding, Republicans, discriminatory, racist Republicans and the conspiracy theory-believers who voted for them, all suck.

A big one.

Maybe, just maybe, the rapid growth of Arizona, especially Phoenix, has spawned a younger, more-liberal populace here.

Maybe, because the Republican idiots in the state legislature are pushing laws to restrict minority voting ability and restricting mitigations against COVID.

#COVIDiots. Too many of 'em here, too many.

***

Everything happens earlier in Arizona.

Morning Joe at 3 a.m. Monday Night Football on Monday afternoon. Saturday Night Live in prime time at 8:30 p.m., when a real good college football game is on.

Then again, SNL will not be the same with the quartet leaving now - Kate McKinnon, Pete Davidson, Kyle Mooney and Columbia College's own Aidy Bryant.

***

But enough about Phoenix, where recounting votes takes six months, costs taxpayers millions, finds no evidence of fraud but does find more votes for "the other guy."

I'm a big fan of Saturday Night Live, but it looks like being a musical guest is either a kiss of bad luck or a case of bad judgement by the SNL producers.

Two recent musical guests, rappers Young Thug (Oct. 16, 2021) and Gunna (April 9) were both arrested earlier this month on a 56-count indictment of violations of the RICO act (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations act). They allegedly belong to YSL (Young Slime Life), a criminal enterprise. They are reportedly involved in a plot  to "distribute methamphetamine, hydrocodone, and marijuana," as well as Gunna being in possession of a stolen firearms.

I get it - SNL has been "out there" sometimes this season on musical guests.

Unfortunately, some of their musical guests have been "out there" when it comes to being role-model citizens.

***

In Georgia, where they try to make it hard for Blacks for vote, now they make it hard for Black athletes to travel through the state.

Delaware State's women's lacrosse team bus was stopped by Georgia's Liberty County Police on the way back from a game in Florida, allegedly for a minor traffic violation.

But video by players on the bus shows "...law enforcement members attempting to intimidate ... student-athletes into confessing to possession of drugs and/or drug paraphernalia."

In addition, a K-9 is sniffing around the vehicle.

Officers even went through passengers' luggage before informing them nothing illegal was found.

In case you're wondering, Delaware State is registered as an HBCU (Historically Black College and University).

Delaware State officials have classified the incident as "profiling and harassment."

Well, what would you classify it as?

***

Finally, read a "Fast Company Compass" article on eight words to never say in a job interview.

Don't tell them you're a "self-starter." Don't tell them you're "motivated." Don't tell them you're a "people person."

If you haven't figured out that it works better to give examples of how motivated and productive you are rather than just saying you are, you probably don't deserve the job.

Even if you are a "people person."

Like me.

***

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

More Sunday night on my Radio Free Phoenix rock 'n' roll who, and stay tuned for the Bohemian Night Cat, John Kirk DeRitis, right after me.

Jordan, I'm coming home. Looking forward to seeing you play.

S-B Sports Monday

The Schloss-Blog would be remiss without a quick reaction this morning to the headlines generated in sports this past weekend. I am a career sportswriter after all.

***

Games 7: 

Still waiting for the Phoenix Suns to show up. The game started with them putting the JV on the court and Luka Doncic, Spencer Dinwiddie and Stevenson High School's own Jalen Brunson put on a show, along with their Dallas Mavericks teammates in a 123-90 blowout.

The best comment I saw was on Twitter from sports reporter Alex Clancy, who reminded Phoenix sports fans that this game is why the national media never take Phoenix teams seriously. 

I mean, who do the Suns think they are, the Atlanta Hawks? Even the Cleveland Cavaliers have a recent championship.

Phoenix sports has one - ONE - championship ever - D'backs over the Yankees in the 2001 World Series.

***

Two amazingly exciting games 7 in hockey.

The Rangers, my Rangers, Linda Cohn's Rangers - outplayed most of the game by Pittsburgh, finished off a comeback from a 3 games-to-1 deficit and came all the way back for a 4-3, game 7 win on Artemi Panarin's OT goal, as Panarin remembered to shoot instead of pass.

Fortunately, did Sidney Crosby forget to shoot. Good luck, Rangers, against defensive-minded Carolina in the next round.

The Calgary Flames, meanwhile, needed overtime and 67 shots on goal to score 3 times in a 3-2, game 7 win over the gutty Dallas Stars and goaltender Jake Oettinger, who made 64 saves before giving up a ridiculous-angle goal by Johnny Gaudreau in an OT that probably never should've happened.

All this while me and Jocelyn were running back and forth from the living room to the patio between forkfuls of pasta to watch the red moon eclipse (way cool). 

One thing about playoff hockey: nothing like it. Players definitely raise their games. The four games yesterday were all jaw-dropping, the NBA's for the wrong reasons (both blowouts).

***

Is there a difference between North American and European sports fans?

While North American fans were cheering (or bemoaning) game-7 excitement over the weekend, FC Stuttgart fans in the German soccer - uh, futbol - league were storming the field in celebration as their heroes scored late to win and avoid being relegated to the lower league.

An over-the-top celebration for avoidance of being relegated. Meanwhile, Suns fans were streaming out of the Footprint Center in Phoenix as their local heroes went into the fourth quarter of their game-7 playoff versus Dallas trailing by 42. 

What a contrast between what drives fans - and what doesn't. Go figure.

***

Real quick:

The Reds threw a no-hitter, and lost. Wait, what?

The White Sox showed they're not the Yankees.

The Blackhawks are looking for a coach. Isn't Joel Quennville available? No, wait...

The Schloss-Blog finds it amazing that most of the national media was talking about what a great NBA Western Conference Finals were going to be between the Suns and Warriors.

Unfortunately for the Suns, the Top Gun Mavericks showed up.

*** 

Not sure if this will become a regular Monday thing on sports, but it might. Yet, still mourning over shootings at The Bean in Chicago's Millennium Park and a grocery store in Buffalo, the latter by an 18-year-old who had posted things about "replacement theory," or the white-nationalist belief that immigrants are being brought in to replace them as voters.

Yet, they go to hockey and basketball games and root for Eastern Europeans and to baseball games and root for players from Central America and the Caribbean. And for Blacks across the board.

Welcome to S-B Sports Monday, huh?

Hope you enjoyed my Radio Free Phoenix rock 'n' roll show last night. Leave it on in the background on Sundays for Joe Catanzaro in the morning, and Miss Holly King and dear friend Sharon Kelley in the afternoon.

Calling All Graduates...

The Schloss-Blog is suspending political commentary this week to focus on graduation - it is that season, after all - and remembrances of favorite graduates and graduations gone by.

I'd be remiss if I didn't start with my daughter, Erin, and the terrific social worker she's become with her degree from Northern Michigan and MSW from Aurora University.

Will never forget her graduation at Northern Michigan in their largest wood-domed stadium in North America, I believe. First weekend in May. Marquette, Michigan, in the Upper Peninsula. Snowing on the way there. Snow on the nearby peak tops, visible from the rooftop restaurant we dined at in celebration.

And running into former Hoffman Estates head basketball coach Bill Wandro at the hotel, there to pick up his daughter, who was still an undergrad. After all those years interviewing him in post-game locker rooms, that was the only time I ran into him otherwise. Brilliant strategist, especially defensively.

***

Long, long list of Columbia College favorites, after 23 years teaching there before retiring.

Jessica Beverly, a rancher now in McHenry County after a long career as an attorney for the Social Security Administration. She became a daughter to me rather than a former student and has been as successful a mom and wife as she was an attorney and the journalist she would've been. Love her, her fam.

Her dear friend Jenni Golz, who has been as successful on the "dark side," as journalists like to call it, as she was a scoop-breaking reporter before that. Beautiful fam, Jenni, beautiful. Broke one of the biggest stories ever in Chicago journalism regarding the Stebic disappearance.

Ally Brigid, who I just love. Period. Because I do.

Hollie Deese, a successful publisher and editor in Nashville. Proud of you, girl, and your handsome fam. And your "neighbor" Maddy Hoerr, a super-successful editor at the Tennessean.

Have to give a shout-out to Katherine Raz, who came to Columbia an intellectual wildcard and left to become a businesswoman extraordinaire, with her own flower/plant stores in Tacoma, a handsome fam and a very intricate, very entertaining blog about her adventures as a "small" businesswoman.

Catherine Wolf, a radio reporter award-winner who returned to Chicago to become one of the most-impactful, effective editors at Crain before leaving for her current job and the compensation she deserves. Among all the grads, my favorite rocker.

Emily Capdevielle, who proved her trade magazine instructor wrong by moving on and becoming an ultra-successful trade editor. Her Trade Magazine instructor wrote her a note on an assignment she turned in, recommending that she should take another track, literally. Give this up - you'll never succeed, she was told. Who's laughing now? Ten years later, trade editor Emily makes more money than the instructor who wrote that note to her.

Rod Burks, Graham Couch and Adam Jahns, who have gone on to stardom as sports reporters, re-establishing my faith in all those hours I put in developing that Sports Reporting program. All three break some of the biggest stories, regularly.

Joe Trost, who turned sports reporting into public service and into his dedication to developing youth talent and finding ways to charitably support it. Kudos, Joe, kudos.

Lauren Nisavic, who paid her dues in the industry, working freelance and working everywhere from Indianapolis, back to Chicago to Jacksonville, Florida, and has become a reporting and communications legend in the world of professional golf.

Dave Rawske, who I watched play record-setting football at Fremd High School and now has become my spirit guide, giving lessons on overcoming adversity. Can't wait to see you, Dave.

Dr. Cresencia "Cycy" Felter, who selected me to make a video about as part of an assignment for another class, and then left journalism to become a successful, naturopathic specialist doctor and has graciously helped me out in that regard. Respect, Dr. Felty, respect. 

So many more who are going to be disappointed that I did not mention them by name, but I take as much pride in knowing that I touched their lives as I have disappointment that I wasn't able to mention all of their names.

And I haven't even touched on all the high school grads I had the honor of writing about over a 40-plus year career covering their exploits.

One of them, Greg Bazany of Buffalo Grove, passed two weeks ago. He once hit a home run off me in a softball game that has not come down yet. He was a tough-as-nails athlete blessed with a gentle soul. R.I.P. Greg, R.I.P

More to come...

***

Real quick:

• Lou Malnati's is open in The Valley. Yes!!!! Real pizza is here.
• Fred Savage has been relieved of his duties on the Netflix show he was producing. Fred, welcome to the world of Michael Weatherly, Freddy Rodriguez and Chris Noth.
• There's a TV show, "BullSh*t," on Netflix, that has a striking resemblance to the "Bullshit" card game I played with my friends, growing up in Brooklyn. Me and my boyhood friends Keith and Gary, should ask for royalties.
  
• If you had a choice between seeing Rod Stewart, with Cheap Trick opening for him, or Chicago, with Brian Wilson & his Beach Boys friends opening for them, which one would you go to, if they were on the same night? I'm debating that as you read this.

***

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

More Sunday night on my rock 'n' roll show on Radio Free Phoenix.

About Last Week...

The Schloss-Blog is actually looking back this week, slightly, and seeing calls for what I wrote about the dangers to our democracy and how they should be screamed from the rooftops.

But first...

Am I the only one who has noticed the hypocrisy going on in the world? Probably not.

Like, Putin says he's trying to stamp out Nazism in Ukraine when he's the one who's the communist acting like a Nazi.

***

Hypocrisy: Republicans who don't want Title XLII ended, the privilege of turning away immigrants at the Mexico border on the basis of prospective COVID infection, are the same ones campaigning for and enacting laws, Red State to Red State, that prohibit mitigation of COVID, like mandates for masking, quarantining, testing or especially vaccination.

In other words, and we quote from Title XLII, "...whenever the U.S. surgeon general determines there is a communicable disease in another country, health officials have the authority, with the approval of the president, to prohibit “the introduction of persons and property from such countries or places” for as long as health officials determine the action is necessary."

If only we could apply it so that people who are not allowed to take mitigation measures, by law, in places like Arizona, can't travel to New York, Pennsylvania or California, etc., if they test positive. But you can;t force a test upon them. And now COVID is ticking up - hospitalizations from COVID are up 18 percent nationwide now.

Thanks to the #COVIDiots who refuse to mitigate against it - except at the Mexico border.

***

Hypocrusy: We keep hearing that so many people are so comfortable working from home now as the pandemic winds down (it is winding down, right?) that they don't want to go to the office anymore to protect from getting COVID.

However, those same people keep showing up at sold-out concerts and sporting events. Hmm... speaking of hypocrisy.

And now there are reports of a spike in positive tests after the White House Correspondents Association dinner in Washington, D.C., last week.

Well, at least Trevor Noah killed it there. 

***

Hypocrisy: Everyone is taking seriously what should be an the investigation into how the Supreme Court draft opinion on abortion was leaked but no one is taking seriously a prospective investigation into Justice Clarence Thomas' opinions relative to his wife's radical behavior in the insurrection and overturn-the-vote conspiracies and movements.

***

Hypocrusy: Now that Roe v Wade is expected to be struck down, what's even scarier is what could be next: gay marriage; interracial marriage; LGBTQ rights; voting privileges; and so much more.

If the minority is allowed to rule, we are in trouble. Polls consistently show that the majority of Americans favor pro-choice.

But the Supreme Court's choice is not to be pro-choice. In the separation of powers between branches of government, the Supreme Court has become anything but separate, wielding political influence, as state politicians in Mississippi predicted it could and Justice Sonia Sotomayor feared it would.

Oddly enough, and hypocritically enough, Justices Gorsuch, Coney Barrett and Kavanaugh all said in their confirmation hearings that they would not break with heretofore established court precedent.

Like Roe v. Wade.

They lied.

***

To go back where I started today, last week, I called for shouts from rooftops to combat the ever-increasing assaults on our democracy.

A columnist I so greatly admire and read regularly, E.J. Montini, noted last week that an Arizona congressman (Andy Biggs) and the former White House chief of staff (Mark Meadows) traded text messages calling for the replacement of the legitimately elected Arizona electors with ones who would vote not to certify Biden's election.

That makes them traitors. By law.

And USA Today columnist Jill Lawrence wrote of author Don Winslow's movement to energize the Democratic Parties' efforts to call out these 2020 election lies and now the 2022 and 2024 election restrictions. He's also calling for Democratic to shout out their achievements in the economy, which is roaring, employment and infrastructure, which passed on a strong bipartisan effort.

And in case you haven't seen Michigan legislator Mallory McMorrow's speech on the underhandedness of the Republicans, here's a link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLWo8B1R0MY). Worth a watch.

For our freedom. Our democracy. Our country.

Ironic how much we have poured into saving Ukraine's democracy, on a bipartisan basis, but we are watching our own slip away. prospectively in the dangerous hands and minds of J.D. Vance, Mehmet Oz and Kari Lake.

Wake up, America. We're in trouble.

***

Speaking of trouble, the NY Times makes a very interesting case for why COVID is responsible for Biden's tumble in popularity ratings, to his current 42% (inching up from 39%).

Remember last summer? Biden promised that COVID would be far back in the rearview mirror very soon, as millions of Americans continued to get vaccinated. Then the Delta variant happened,

The Times argued that COVID began Biden's drop in approval, subsequently, not the soon-to-be-botched Afghanistan withdrawal, which didn't help his approval ratings, to be sure.

His ratings have never recovered, and the approval ratings for the CDC plummeted the same, what with its inconsistent and confusing messaging.

People don't trust government (see Gate, Water), and still don't. Now, the very thing that sunk Trump, #COVIDiots who refused to get vaccinated, is doing the same to Biden.

And America. Which is in trouble.

***

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Coo, coo, ca-choo, Mrs. Robinson.

More Sunday night on my Radio Free Phoenix rock 'n' roll show. You never know who gets a shout-out. Maybe you.

All In, Please...

The Schloss-Blog has a lot to discuss today, but must start with a journalistic failure: every newspaper, every news telecast in America should have a front-page headline story or a lead broadcast story, every day, that America is losing its democracy and Trump did not win the election.

The Republicans are hammering home just the opposite and acting swiftly and cruelly on it.

American media? Silent. Maybe, maybe, in the fourth or fifth paragraph of stories I read about the 2022 elections do newspapers mention that the GOP candidate or candidates profess that Trump won the election and the result was stolen in Biden's favor.

This is not just a wake-up call for Democrats. This is a wake-up call to American media. Before the GOP takes power in this country and your First Amendment privileges are suddenly restricted by the conservative Supreme Court, every day should start with a headline that SCREAMS that not only did Trump lose but that there is no proof whatsoever that there was fraud in the election.

When media wakes up and finds new laws and court rulings restricting its privileges, it will be too late. An an industry, we must shout to the heavens every day that Trump lost and there was no fraud.

Because he and his acolytes are doing just the opposite now and by the time you wake up and counter it, it'll be too late.

***

As a quick aside, when it comes to reporting on the latter, some people, some reporters spin the news the way they want to. Some are better Spinners than others, and some aren't.

***

Have you been watching the Showtime special on First Ladies?

Michelle Pfeiffer is playing Betty Ford.

Betty Freakin' Ford.

Pfeiffer played a sexy woman on the run in 1985's Into the Night, and she was glorious playing opposite Jeff Goldblum's accidently drawn-into-her-dilemma hero. That was the first time I remember seeing her on screen.

And she was sexy.

Had a crush on her for the longest time.

Now she's 62 and I still do. Except when she's playing Betty Ford.

***

Arizona's new law banning abortion makes no exception for rape or incest.

No exception.

It's bad enough the law exists at all, or any of them in so many states. In Oklahoma, they are proud to have passed a law that bans abortion without exception.

This is all part of America losing its rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, especially women in this case. No control over their own bodies. 

The majority of Americans are in favor of keeping abortion legal. Republicans are not. The Supreme Court apparently is not.

We're in trouble,

***

If you haven't seen it or heard about it, a Weatherford College pitcher, Owen Woodward, charged off the mound and tackled Josh Phillips of North Central Texas as Phillips rounded 3rd after homering off him.

Really.

Benches cleared, players were suspended and Woodward was thrown off the team, which means when he signs a minor-league contract, he'll become a hotspot for media attention.

This is like when the Cubs signed Ben Christensen of Wichita State after he beaned and was almost charged with criminal activity for hitting Evansville's Anthony Molina, who was in the on-deck circle at the time.

Christensen allegedly thought Molina was timing his pitches and threw at him to retaliate. Hit him in the eye.

In the freaking on-deck circle!

That was in 1999. Twenty years later, Woodward tackled Phillips in Texas.

Christensen was chastised, as were the Cubs for drafting him.

Now though, in the age of Trump, some of us feel privileged to retaliate any way, any time we want to.

Unfortunately.

***

Real quick:

• Will Elon Musk ruin or improve Twitter? I say ruin.
• Three out of four kids in America probably had COVID. So did half of all of us adults.
• The next time Kevin McCarthy tells the truth will be the first time.
• Russia is cutting off natural gas shipments to Poland and Bulgaria, allegedly for their help to Ukrainian refugees and support of the Ukrainian military. Russia says it wants to get paid for the natural gas in rubles and Poland and Bulgaria refuse.
• Because rubles are worthless thanks to all the sanctions we've put on Russia.

***

Congrats, Buffalo Grove's  Joyce Gallagher, inducted today into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, player wing.

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

More Sunday night on my Radio Free Phoenix rock 'n' roll shw.