Schloss-Blog: Marking 383, Jay-Z and Maurene Comey

And so, the Schloss-Blog notes, America marks its 383rd 'mass shooting' this year as a 15-year old shoots up Florida A&M University's homecoming.

Plus, Jay-Z picks himself. And Maurene Comey gets justice (her father will, eventually). 

Hope you had a Happy Halloween.

 

***

No. 383.

That's how many mass shootings there have been this year in the US, as defined by the Gun Violence Archive, which means four or more people shot, not including the shooter.

This latest one, at Florida A&M in Tallahasee, occurred on the school's homecoming weekend, after the home football game, right outside the stadium.

And a 15-year old, yes a 15-year old, has been arrested and is looking at 11 counts - 11 COUNTS - of attempted second-degree murder.

A 15-year old!

The police are saying an altercation took place between "people known to each other." I know a lot of people. We don't start shooting when we disagree about something.

And yet, the police report, none of the people injured appear to have been the targets of the shooting.

Huh?

Six juveniles were amoung the injured as well.

Welcome to Florida. We're at No. 383 nationally, and counting.

***

That shooting is one reason I have gotten out of the business of covering high school football. At almost every game I've been to, walked the sidelines at, it would be easy for a shooter to run through and fire into the benches and the crowd, or target people outside the stadium, in the immediate adjacent area.

So easy.

And too many times I was the last one or one of the last ones out, staying to write my story and/or upload my videos and graphics to the paper's website or Twitter account.

I don't feel like being involved in No. 384.

***

No sooner did I write that than No. 384 happened, at a Spirit Halloween store in Fairfield, California.

One person is dead, six others injured. No motive other than it sprang from an altercation between parties who knew each other and no one has been arrested yet.

OK, 384 and counting.

***

Guess who Jay-Z picked to be the halftime performer at Super Bowl LXI.

You got it, Jay-Z.

And why not? His company, Roc Nation, has been selecting the halftime performer since 2019 in a five-year deal with the NFL that was reupped in 2024.

Not a bad gig for $5 million a year.

Justin Bieber and Mylie Cyrus had reportedly been under consideration as well, but Beyonce's husband ultimately went with what he knew best.

Himself.

Gotta' like his taste. Bad Bunny did him right last year.

***

DOJ had it coming.

Again.

The attorneys who have been beaten on almost every election-related ruling on which they're been trying to justify their boss' whims (that would be President Trump), lost another last week when Judge Jesse Furman ruled that firing the former FBI Director's daughter was unlawful and without merit.

Was she fired because her name is Comey? Probably. But with her sparkling reputation and list of achievements on high-profile prosecutions, like those of Ghislaine Maxwell and Sean "Diddy" Combs, she was a star in DOJ's Southern District of New York.

She has since moved on anyway and is a partner in the Litigation Department at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP, specializing in white collar.

It's another big middle finger to Trump that he had Comey-ing.

Meanwhile, Trump's attempted third prosecution of her father, former FBI Director James Comey, contiues on flimsy grounds, charging, without an indictment, that he allegedly leaked classified information.

***

I don't care who wins what, but I've had it with the yapping of Angel Reese, Luka Doncic and even LeBron James, who stares down refs when calls go against him

Look, the only reason he signed a two-year deal with Philadelphia was because he needs to win two more NBA Championships to be in the same sentence with the GOAT - Michael Jordan, for number of titles won.

With only one title in eight years with a superstar Lakers roster, we'll wait and see what he gets in Philadelphia.

But just shut up and play basketball. You'd never survive on a New York City playground.

***

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, upcoming Radio Freedom stars, Kelly and Karin.

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

Schloss-Blog: Special Arizona Edition

The Schloss-Blog, in a special Arizona edition, wants to know ...

...why Gov. Katie Hobbs keeps coming off as a wuss in her own advertising, intead of responding more strongly to the grossly negative ads about her and blaming Andy Biggs for all the high prices for his backing of Trump's war with Iran and hgis tariffs. 

...why all the media fire at the Arizona Cardinals? They suck.

But they have a new head coach with a bright mind and clever ideas. Now, he needs the roster to go with it.

And why all the fire at quarterback Jacobi Brissett? He needs an offensive line to protect him because he has proven he has an all-pro arm and can find his receivers when given time.

As to the defense, after a stellar effort against the Rams in an 18-16 win, they were invisible against the Broncos. You could visibly see Cardinals defenders with no idea the Bo Nix was even running on his 62-yard touchdown scamper. Literally, you could see on camera that they had their backs to him when he was already 20+ yards downfield and was not touched afer breaking the line of scrimmage until he got to the Cardinals 2-yard line.

And on Larry Fitzgerald honors day, no less, when they retired his jersey and put the Hall-of-Famer into their Ring of Honor.

***

Arizona State favorite Cam Skattebo got back into the good graces of Giants coaches and fans with his enormous 17-carry, 124-yard day, including a 42-yard run to set up the overtime game-winning score in the team's 27-21 win over highly favored Houston.

He got a game ball from head coach John Harbaugh, did his signature backflip after scoring a TD and the Giants maintained their surprising grip on the NFC East lead.

***

Jay-Z was saying as long as a week ago that he would name himself as the Super Bowl LXI halftime act.

And he did.

His company, ROC Nation, had long "curated" so many of the recent halftime performers. Now, he is rocking himself as the halftime act on Valentine's Day, 2027.

The game, LXI, is at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2027.

***

Arizona State gave up 108 points total in two straight games. They only gave up 17 on Saturday and got a win over Kansas State, breaking an ugly streak of being outscored 108-44.

Arizona, meanwhile, moved to 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the Big 12 with a surprisingly easy 39-3 win over Iowa State.

If you haven't seen them, quarterback Noah Fifita is a treat to watch play.

***

Arizona remains the only continguous state that does not 'fall back' this weekend for Daylight Savings time. That's because we're on Mountain Standard time, but shift to Pacific time when everybody else falls back.

Got that?

It's confusing enough. We don't  need to change anymore. Just fall back, forever.

FOREVER!

***

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, Rachel Maddow.

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

Schloss-Blog: Quarterbacks Out, "Shylocks" In and Lindsey's Sex Life Revealed (Or Is It?)

The Schloss-Blog is watching the NFL, especially the NFC East, but we're also watching Donald Trump repeatedly proving he's a racist out there on the campaign trail with almost every comment he makes.

***

As to the woeful NFC East, we're watching a division where all four teams went winless on consecutive weekends, even though two of the teams played each other.

So, who will win the NFC Least?

Probably the Cowboys, because, of the four teams, they're the only one with their starting quarterback.

**Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart is out for the season;

**Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is out for the season;

**Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is out to lunch.

***

Trump the racist... (falsely calling Dem candidates a shylock or members of the Muslim Brotherhood, respectively)

But will voters go for the Devil they know, or the Devil they don't?

***

Republican desperation:

Pursuing a top Virginia Democrat (Louise Lucas) and her family; falsely claiming that Talarico was in an Ohio treatment center; Ramaswamy's been running an unethical ad using Acton's "mother;" DOJ is making false claims over 20K California voters; Trump's DOJ is threatening Dem voting officials; Trump is offering $5K checks if Republicans hold both Houses of Congress; the FBI is raiding Ilhan Omar's DC house; And Trump is offering up "Mohammed" designations to Muslim  candidates (i.e., Abdul El Sayed).

Desperate? No, dubious that Trump's DOJ is suing California to disqualify some 20,000 voters they say are not US citizens, even though it's been proven otherwise. 

Desperate? No, dubious that Trump's DOJ is suing to prevent Alaska from declaring a winner in its Senate seat election because two Republican guys named Dan Sullivan (Dan and Dan J) are on the ballot, in Alaska's ranked-choice elections, even though it's legal.

***

Lindsey Graham, paying three young men for sex?

The left wing-leaning Young Turks Network is playing a video saying, yes, he did.

The video has been released just 11 days before the midterm elections in which Graham's sister, Darline, appointed to the late senator's chair upon his death, is running to keep it.

Playing dirty can be a two-way street.

***

In a disgustingly simple-minded interview, Bill Maher embarrassed himself by lobbing softball questions at former White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, letting her off the hook about her often unethical and inappropriate behavior at the podium, especially toward left-leaning media.

The headlines don't lie: Maher, 70, was disgracefully fawning, consistently, over Leavitt, 29, letting her slide regarding her disgusting behavior.

This was in the aftermath of Maher's participation in a celebrity dinner at the White House, in which he and the likes of Stephen A. Smith were wined and dined by Trump. Maher was clearly overwhelmingly impressed by the con man-turned-president. 

What a shame he's so easily impressed.

Maher always has had a reputation as a hardnosed, dive-right-in intereviewer, unafraid of political fallout and the interviewee's stature and profile.

Not anymore.

***

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, Erin Mercado.

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

Schloss-Blog: Tupac, Harrison Jr., Inflation, Live Executions and Arizona Sportscasting Housecleaning

The Schloss-Blog is following:

**The Tupac murder trial;

**The Marvin Harrison Jr trade;

**The rate of inflation month to month;

**And the rate of inflation year over year;

**The once and former livestreamed execution;

**Housecleaning in Arizona sportscasting.

Not necessarily in that order, but...

***

...inflation continues out of control. The Consumer Price Index was up 0.6%, month to month, August to September, and year over year it was up 3.7%, from 3.4% a year ago. 

In other words, that money you don't have anymore, now it's less than that.

***

Housing costs are also running away, rampantly. A typical new homeowner's monthly payment is up 5% from a year ago, assuming, as Ilyce Glink reports in her "Love, Money and Real Estate" newsletter, a usual 10% down payment and 30-year mortgage. 

A typical new homeowner, she reports, has a more than $3,000 monthly mortgage payment.

And with mortgage rates averaging more than 7% now, actually 7.5%, can you say, "Ouch!"

Househunters, beware and be aware.

***

Duane "Keefe D" Davis received a 40-year sentence for his role in the murder 30 years ago of star rapper Tupac Shakur, in Las Vegas.

Davis, a kingpin of the South Side Compton Crips gang, wrote in his memoir, "Compton Street Legend," that he was "the only living witness to Tupac's killing" and "who also knows the much larger story around the reasons why both Tupac and Biggie Smalls (aka, The Notorious B.I.G.) were killed."

His memoir confession, so to speak, effectively negated his agreement with the police and prosecutors against self-incrimination.

So now, 30 years later, we finally know what happened in the Tupac-Biggie rivalry. 

Or do we?

***

The once and former livestreamed execution by firing squad of Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan has been called off.

The livestream, that is, not the execution. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had announced it to be livestreamed, but ater considerable backlash, much of it by Republicans, Trump called it off.

The livestream, not the execution.

But, all you veterans, how would you like to be one of the members of the firing squad, called upon to deliberately shoot a man, in a wheelchair, to death?

Even if he did kill 13 people in his shooting spree at Fort Hood.

Not comfortable, is it?

***

Marvin Harrison Jr. got traded by the Arizona Cardinals to the Houston Texans, where the star wide receiver (star?) is reunited with his Ohio State quarterback, C.J. Stroud.

Why did he appear to be so underutilized by the Arizona Cardinals? Only the coach and GM know that.

Now though, we'll see if he really was underutilized in the desert.

Or if he'll be the same ghost he was in Arizona.

***

In Arizona, the play-by-play man and the analyst on radio for the Arizona Cardinals have been replaced this season, as has the play-by-play TV guy for the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

Veterans all, with great reputations for honesty, integrity, fairness.

So how come they're gone?  

***

What a great show Chris Isaak did at the Celebrity Theater last week. He is fabulous. If you have a chance to see him, go.

***

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, cross-country star (and grandson) Jordan Grinnell.

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

Schloss-Blog: Those Lying Numbers Hurt; The Real Numbers Hurt More

The Schloss-Blog has noticed that in so much political advertising this year, made-up number prevail.

Here in Arizona, incumbent Governor Katy Hobbs in accused of losing jobs in a difficult economy. Actually, Arizona lost 4,100 nonfarm payrool jobs in August and added - wait for it ... 17,500 nonfarm employment jobs.

In other words, Republican idiot Andy Biggs is, like the president he worships, lying, or at the very least, deliberating misinforming.

***

Trump, meanwhile, has pushed his DOJ to investigate Democratic Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, possibly for purposes of deporting her.

The Somalian native is saying she will not be silenced.

She likely won't be, deported nor silenced. Like Trump's other politcal targets - James Comey, Adam Schiff, Leticia James, Lisa Cook - she has done nothing wrong and will likely have any charges dismissed.

***

Speaking of numbers, my friend Ilyce Glink is reporting that the Mortgage Bankers Association is saying that interest rates, already approaching 8%, will likely stay above 7% through 2027.

2027!!! Above 7%.

Good luck mortgage shoppers, especially you first-time home buyers.

***

 

Schloss-Blog - Cheating is so de rigueur among DB's

RIP Mike Ditka.

*** 

The Schloss-Blog agrees with Trey McBride, the Cardinals tight end, who complained so viciferously to a ref about pass interference supposedly committed against him that the ref allegedly cursed back at him.

Problem is, defensive backs commit pass interference on almost every play - EVERY PLAY - making it impossible to call it every time and thus throw the game into chaos.

***

The Paramount-Warner Bros deal has closed. Uh oh. The Ellisons have CNN and CBS News.

***

Trump has seen, has heard the backlash and is saying he is having his Super-PAC pay for his campaign ads disguised as public service ads.

Except he's apparently not, as a new set of those ads, government paid, launched immediately therefater anyway.

***

You've heard the expression: the Devil you know, the Devil you don't know.

So, will prior Trump voters, mad about economic conditions, inflation, the war - now vote against his personally endorsed MAGA candidates in the midterms?

Or stick with the man who they acknowledge is killing their wallets?

Stay tuned.

***

Watching the WNBA playoffs has only further reinforced to me that the women's game has degenerated into a WWE brawl.

Players like Angel Reese of the Atlanta Dream, for all her natural talent, are only out there to pick fights. What she does best though is talk trash. 

It's amazing the refs don't call more fouls in WNBA games - female players climb all over each other, clawing, bumping, tackling and, yes, fouling. They do it so often that the refs let most of it go rather than call something on every single possession.

It is just disgusting to watch the New York Liberty play. The team doesn't run even a semblance of an offense and plays little to no defense. It's a team with so much talent, so much of it embedded into the league's legacy, like Breanna Stewart, 

And yet, turnovers, sloppy passes, missed shots, missed layups and no concept of team play are all prevalent in the today's WNBA.

The league has such a golden opportunity to do something. Yet, its stars are playing "Angel Reese-ball."

***

They're going to livestream the execution of the Fort Hood shooter.

Executing him is one thing - livestreaming it is another. MAGA will love it.

What's next? Livestreaming Kushner and Witkoff's failed negotiations with Iran? Livestreaming the botched fix of the Deflecting Pool.

F-ckin' idiotic.

*** 

Is it a trend on American Airlines?

An international flight had to divert to JFK in New York when it was discovered that six of its eight bathrooms were not functioning.

SIX of EIGHT. Imagine being on that flight.

Had a similar "waterfail" on my two flights this week.

En route to Nashville, flight attendants announced that they couldn't make coffee or tea because they had no way to heat the water.

On the return flight, we had a "waterfail" of our own:" one of the bathrooms was out, one of the four on the plane.

Hmm ... American, what's going on? Flew you round-trip to/from Nashville because you went direct.  United, our usual choice, would've required a connection to get there.

But at least their bathrooms would've been connected.

***

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, GDX at SUNYA.

More next Sunday, the 18th, on my Radio Free Phoenix rock 'n' roll show. The "Howard Hours" are taking this weekend off after a long, tiring but so-rewarding week with my GDX brothers and their significant others in Nashville.

Schloss-Blog: How To Find An Extra Second White The White House Looks For An Extra $5,000 (Per American, Or $1.35 Trillion)

The Schloss-Blog wants to know: Where are all these football teams finding an extra second? And how come the White House can't find one.

Or two.

***

Anyone notice, football teams are finding all kinds of extra time.

To score.

It started with Michigan beating Western Michigan (WMU won!). But that's not the only unique example.

Idaho (0-4) got an extra second to get off a game-tying Hail Mary to tie up Montana State (4-0). Which enabled the 2-point conversion they got to somehow win the game.

Even the Philadelphia Eagles got an extra second to score a TD as the clock expired on the first half, albeit in a loss to the Bears.

And Virginia Tech, coach James Franklin's new home, got an extra second but missed, according to the refs, a last-play field goal that otherwise would've beaten visiting and also unbeaten Pitt.

(It was good.)

Wish I could get an extra second - we would've won our intramural football league at Albany State (OK, UAlbany - yuck).

Alas - officiating looks suspicious sometimes. Just ask Western Michiga,

***

WTF is Trump doing?

While America struggles with high-priced gas and groceries, with inflated prices for everything and a national deficit run wild, he is spending lavishly on his suddenly public-funded ballroom and his D.C. Arch, which is going to house snipers.

WTF are they supposed to be shooting at? Tourists? People around the Deflecting Pool? Congressmen and senators he doesn't like?

He's falling asleep at meetings and conferences, Heck, he's been falling asleep on the job when it comes to inflation and costs of insurance and healthcare.

He fell asleep on strategy and tactics in the Iran War a long time ago, which is why we're losing it. Well, we certainly haven't won it, not by a long shot.

We likely never will, because Iran will never surrender outright, which is what Trump wants. He's never going to get it, despite his constant promises.

In all, Trump has promised more than 100 times that we have won the Iran War or that we're about to.

Tell that to the thousands of U.S. troops deployed there. 

And as to the economy, things are getting so bad that friends and relatives of mine, some in deeply red states, are doubting their support for Trump, for his tariffs and for the war. Deeply doubting, in fact.

And if you're waiting for your Affordable Insurance check, Tariff Payback check or Trump Check for something, good luck ...

...every check he might send adds to the $5 trillion he has added to the national debt since taking office again. 

***

Is it just me noticing this or is it the 4th week of the NFL season and everybody's hurt?

Everybody.

• Jaxson Dart. 
• Brian Burns. 
• D'Von Achane. 
• Puka Nacua. 
• The 49ers defense. 
• Sam Darnold. 
• Caleb Williams. 
• Jayden Daniels. 
• Baker Mayfield.
• Trent Williams. 
• The Detroit Lions secondary.
• The Packers offensive line.
• Drake Maye (we think). 

Who did I leave out? 

It's week 4. Injury reports are getting longer than some active rosters. 

Hey NFL, what's going on?

People's fantasy lineups are in jeopardy.

***

Here's to you Dave Hoover, Larry Marcus, Gary Leventhal, Rich Smyth, Bennett Axelrod and a few other fraternity brothers who had to cancel out of our reunion this week, for reasons that are making the rest of us deeply sad.

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