Happy News Year ... And All That

The Schloss-Blog is watching the convergence of so many things and trying to stay upbeat.

However, the only thing worse than the president lying all along about the obvious severity of the coronavirus is that he is continuing to lie about lying about it. At the expense of nearly 200,000 lives now.

But sports is my thing, so I tried watching a couple of college football games, but with so many schools and conferences not playing, and the FCS  schools (D-1AA or 1-A, as you prefer) having already canceled their postseason championship tournament, it's hard to be excited when I know my alma mater schools - Northern Illinois (FBS) and UAlbany (FBS playoffs last year), aren't playing or aren't playing for anything meaningful this season.

The season has lost all legitimacy anyway. Virginia and Virginia Tech, two great ACC rivals, postponed their opener because of COVID concerns. The Ivy League canceled all sports until 2021, if then. Other schools, other games, have canceled.

I just don't care as much as I once did about college football for the first time in a long time. It has no purpose, no direction, no saving grace, a lot of angry parents from Nebraska who think they and their lawyer are the most important thing about the game and there's just no legitimacy.

What will the Big 10 presidents do though? We'll see by nightfall.

I'd love to see them all playing but have seen no guarantees that players and fans can be kept safe. Not reasonably safe but outright safe. I have to cover high school games starting Oct. 2 and I will put on my mask and go, stay socially distanced from the field instead of walking the sideline like I have done for 40 years and videotape postgame interviews from a distance.

But unlike cowards like Clay Travis, who hide in their basements and criticize sportswriters whom he says want to see the virus cancel sports, I'll be there, braving the elements of virus and crowds and people who don't believe they'll ever get the virus because President Trump says so. Ever notice, he never lets anyone within 6 feet of him Any. One.

Even with the virus hitting close to home, striking his Republican colleagues and crippling the Secret Service, Donald Trump doesn't care. Maybe if he got it he'd learn. He'd disappear, only be heard from on Twitter for two weeks, at minimum, his staff lying about why he's been invisible (in secret negotiations to take our troops out of Syria so the Kurds can get slaughtered or put troops in Portland so they can slaughter fellow Americans - no, wait...).

Did I mention my daughter got married last week. My ex, who hasn't spoken to me for 30 years, actually hugged me after the ceremony. I was very grateful for that, actually.

My daughter could not have looked more beautiful and it was her facial expression more than anything else that made the day. Instead of 200 people in a classy ballroom and a ceremony under the stars, a farm field and 25 people tucked into an open-air garage felt just right. Jordan was the classy ring-bearer. Kudos to Mike's parents for facilitating.

If only the college football season generated such enthusiasm. If only the football parents at Nebraska had the same pride to know how to do the right thing for everyone instead of just for themselves.

But they don't. They're just like Clay "I'm All About Myself" Travis. Clay says all sportswriters rooted against sports and for the virus to cancel everything. Then all the sportswriters showed up to cover everything and he stayed in his basement and didn't. What a coward.

Bite me, Clay.

Stay safe everyone. Vote early, no matter how you vote, vote early. If you vote by mail, btw, and show up to vote in person, you will be turned away. Even in North Carolina. 

For the first time in years, I'm going to be watching pro football more than college. The pros are keeping themselves covered while the college campuses are keeping themselves COVID-ered.

Good night Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you Mrs. Robinson. And Daniel Jones, hold on to the damn football this year.

More on my show Sunday night on radiofreephoenix.com.