Sunday Morning Coffee – September 10, 2017
Thanks to the three of you who inquired about missing ‘Sunday Morning Coffee’ last week. The cup was dry and we took a week off to catch our breath. Literally. But it was nice to be missed. So, the Chock-Full-O’Nuts is hot, we are thinking and praying for all those, including my dad, in Irma’s path and off we go:
If this is what retirement is all about, I think I’ll stay in the workplace:
Last Monday, Ray and Wilma Yoder of Goshen, Indiana completed a quest that began forty years ago and spanned over five million miles. When they stopped for lunch in Tualatin, Oregon they finally did it! They ate in all 645 Cracker Barrels in 44 states. Ray, 80, said “a retiree is just that way.” Chicken, dumplins and cornbread aside, no thank you.
I missed Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray during the U.S. Open fortnight. Ilie Nastase and Michael Chang too.
And speaking of Nastase, you’ll never see two classier competitors on the same court as yesterday’s ladies final between Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys.
This stuff you can’t make-up:
Chick-fil-A has a restaurant in Atlanta’s brand new Mercedes Benz Stadium that just opened replacing the Georgia Dome, home of the Falcons. Chick-fil-A’s corporate philosophy is they are always closed on Sunday. It’s family day. No exceptions. Ever. The Falcons play seven of their eight home games on a Sunday this season.
However, Zaxby’s is the official chicken product of the Falcons. Zaxby’s is always open on Sunday’s. But Zaxby’s will not be sold inside the new dome.
This week on LinkedIn expect Chick-fil-A to begin accepting resumes for the now vacant director of franchising position. Zaxby’s is looking for a new director of strategic planning.
A week delayed but congratulations to Howard and Liberty Universities, which pulled off two of the biggest college football upsets in the last decade on opening weekend.
Howard, a 45 point underdog, went to Las Vegas and beat UNLV 43-40 for the biggest point spread upset since 2007 when Stanford, as a 39 point dog, beat SoCal 24-23. Liberty visited Waco, Texas as a 35 point underdog and topped Baylor 48-45.
The scoreboard tells the biggest point spread upset in recent college football memory.
If it wasn’t humiliating enough to UNLV, they paid Howard $600,000 to come to the desert to play and presumably take a whooping. But Howard balked. They didn’t think $600K was enough so UNLV cinched the deal by throwing in a $20 slot play and a half dozen breakfast buffets. And then those rascals turned around and beat them; that wasn’t the deal!
Throw Florida Governor Rick Scott’s Navy hat into the ring of Republican Presidential candidates sometime over the next four to eight.
Time to phone a friend: where is Howard and Liberty? How about their nicknames? And your super-duper bonus question is what conference(s) do they play in?
The Howard and Liberty quarterbacks not only had career days but both have older brothers who have gone on to professional significance. Howard’s Caylin Newton rushed for 190 yards in the win over UNLV; his brother Cam is employed by the Carolina Panthers. Liberty’s Stephen Calvert threw for 447 yards against Baylor making his older brother Doug, a senior architect for Vandalay Industries, very proud.
Liberty, founded by Jerry Falwell in 1971, are the Flames and call Lynchburg, Va. home.
Howard, in Washington D.C., are the Bison. Liberty, who is putting tons of money into athletics, play in the Big South Conference. Howard, who is not, is in the MEAC. Of course, you knew that.
I’m not sure if the timing is really shitty or it’s really good, but five days after losing in the biggest college upset of all-time, the Nevada Board of Regents approved a $28 million football practice complex for UNLV. They seem to need it.
LPGA tournament winners normally pocket about 10% of what their counterparts on the PGA Tour do. So “yay” to native Texan Stacey Lewis, who donated her entire winning paycheck of $195,000 last Sunday to the Hurricane Harvey relief efforts!
Boo to Pittsburgh International Airport officials who last week began letting non-ticketed passengers through security to the flight concourse area. We don’t have enough conjestion already? Better yet, leave the non-flyers outside and let us bring bottled water through the ropes.
Baylor, of course, did the American thing and blamed the Russians for their loss to Liberty. It’s probably just coincidental, or they may be a bit paranoid, but Oleg Ivanishin was the game referee; Mikhail Yurchikhim the umpire; Andrei Kornienko the line judge; Yuri Ovchinin the field judge; Oleg Leonov the side judge and Sol Katz was the back judge. As Katz said after the game–“I’m a Jew, what the hell do I care who wins a game between a Baptist and Christian school?”
UNLV at least took the high road and didn’t pin their loss on Russian interference. They did what everyone in Vegas does when things go wrong– blame Steve Wynn.
The Jets, who begin their drive for the first draft choice this afternoon in Buffalo, have petitioned the Commissioner’s office to allow them to cancel both their games this season with the Patriots and instead schedule Baylor and UNLV.
And speaking of sports ineptitude, I’m jealous of the Lakers who were fined $500,000 by the NBA last week for tampering with a player from another team still under contract. Just once I’d like to see the Knicks tamper or cheat or just try and do something, anything, to get better.
Come on boys, off your tush. It’s walk time again!
Three weeks after my cinco de bypass, the surgeons office has given me the okay to begin cardiac rehab; to take Ibis and Deuce on walks, and go back to work part-time. Driving is still a no-go but I’m okay with that as long as Ms. Andi continues to drive Mr. Roy. To me, it’s all good.
And finally, very humbly and sincerely, I want to say thanks to the literal hundreds of people that reached out to me during my illness over the phone, text, visits and through social media. Your thoughts and friendship mean more than I can ever express. Thank you!
Or as my old UMiami buddy Henry Seiden said when I told him how overwhelmed I was with all the good wishes, “Sure, you have to be almost dead for people to give a shit.”
I think I just completed a whole blog without once mentioning ‘Big League Dream’, available on Amazon and at bigleaguedream.com.
Have a great week. Florida–be safe and smart. And let’s not forget to say an extra prayer tomorrow for all those lost 16 years ago. Don’t let 9/11 become just a footnote in our history.