A Killing In Minnesota

The Schloss-Blog is disgusted by the shootings in Minnesota - which authorities say were targeted assassinations - that took the lives of the state's Speaker Emirita of the House and her husband and, previously that same night, seriously wounded a state senator and his wife.

So far, Trump has said .. crickets by way of condolences.

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A suspect has been identified in these shootings, a man who identified himself as law enforcement at the respective homes of these victims in the middle of the night and then shot them when they answered the door.

Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, a Democratic, and her husband, Mark, were shot dead in their suburban Minneapolis home. State Senator John Hoffman, another Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, were shot at their nearby home and are reportedly recovering in a nearby hospital.

Trump has said violence like this cannot be tolerated but we did not read anywhere that he offered condolences.

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And it's one of those weeks for sad news.

Brian Wilson, founding member of the Beach Boys, died at 82 last week.

We saw the Beach Boys on their 50th anniversary tour in 2012 at the Chicago Theater and they were fabulous. Did all of their hits, great harmonies throughout, backed by a terrific 9-piece band.

I'm glad we caught them at that time. Now, it won't happen again.

R.I.P. Brian, somewhere playing again with Carl and Dennis.

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"Dance to the Music." 

"I Want To Take You Higher."

"Hot Fun In The Summertime."

Those are just a few of the hits that Sly Stone composed and performed with The Family Stone.

He died at 82 last week as well.

Wilson and Stone deserve the recognition that our Radio Free Phoenix playlists will bestow upon them.

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Speaking of deaths, the NY Knicks front office died this past week. In the wake of the firing of head coach Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks - oops - forgot to have a replacement, let alone a worthy replacement, in line and ready to go.

And were subsequently denied permission to discuss the job with the head coaches, respectively, of the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Atlanta Hawks, the Houston Rockets and the Dallas Mavericks, the latter being a former Knick.

Did they really believe that just mentioning the team name would unlock all obstacles?

Apparently, yes.

And why let "Thibs" go at all? He got them further in the playoffs than any other coach, these past 25 years.

But the Knicks still have James Dolan Ownership Disease, which is sort of like Matt Ishbia Ownership Disease in Phoenix. It's an ailment that infects owners with the belief they can do a better job than real basketball people at managing team personnel.

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Courtney Vandersloot, the leading scorer and assist maker in Chicago Sky history, is out for the season with a torn ACL, suffered last weekend against the Indiana Fever.

She had broken the respective records held by her wife and former teammate Allie Quigley.

Here's hoping she comes back next season, at age 37, and finishes her career in the appropriate daylight it deserves.

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So much death, so much injury, so much violence. America, so much of this was emboldened in the last decade.

When you know who came along in politics.

We need America back. 

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Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, Melissa Hortman.

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