Sunday Morning Coffee — September 28, 2025 — Sunday Morning Scramble

By Roy Berger, Las Vegas, NV.

We rarely Scramble two weeks in a row, but the items were stacking up so here’s to Sunday morning and let’s get at it…

Back in 1988 Mike Tyson knocked out Michael Spinks in 91 seconds to retain his world heavyweight boxing title. Spinks lasted longer than our Ryder Cup team did this weekend vs. Europe. Embarrassing on our home turf.

Last week was an interesting one for both major political parties. Those were not screams of joy you heard coming from the Democratic National Committee headquarters in DC upon the release of Kamala’s 107 Days. At least the Dems now have one less candidate in ‘28. Meanwhile, Republicans took a huge sigh of relief that another assassination attempt on President Trump was thwarted, this one in the lobby of the United Nations. The would-be terrorist was very innovative and did not use a gun, or knife, or bomb, but instead an attempt on a sabotaged escalator. Trump said if he and Melania weren’t in as good of shape as they are, they would have been doomed. The would-be culprit remains at large.

Big throwback concert weekend for us. Last night we went to see Rod Stewart at Caesars Colosseum. Dinner prior at Brooklyn’s famed Peter Luger’s steakhouse, with a new western outpost also in Caesars. It was good, very good, at the cost of a mortgage payment. As for Stewart, close your eyes for two hours and roll back to the mid-70s and 80s and remember. Stewart, 80, is still that good. And even better when the show started at the crack of 7:30 pm as posted and ended at 9:05. Beautiful. The only thing I didn’t like is at 80, Rod still has all his hair. This afternoon, after the Raiders and Bears, we’ll stroll a mile from Allegiant Stadium to the MGM Grand to catch The Who in what they’re billing once again as their North American farewell tour. I think it’s the fifth or sixth farewell but sounds like they are serious about this being the last of the last. Roger Daltrey, 81, and Pete Townsend, 80, still headline and that’s good enough for me. As a bonus, Billy Idol, a kid at 69, is slated to open.

So, New York City has a rat problem but is that really something new? Mayor Eric Adams has announced annual funding just shy of a million dollars to shoo-away the rat population which now numbers 600,000, about the human population of Louisville, Kentucky. Included in the funding is the hiring of 12 full-time staff inspectors, support services and hopefully a decent exterminator. But NYC has had a long history of rats on the street including Henry Hill of the Lucchese family; Sammy Gravano late of the Gambino’s; Big Joey Massino of the Bonanno’s and of course, across the river in Jersey, Sal ‘Big Pussy’ Bonpensiero of the Soprano’s. Budget conscious, those Mafioso families didn’t need high priced consultants. They took care of their own extermination in an efficient and cost effective manner.

Which reminds me of the two mob guys, one a rat, walking deep into a forest late one night. The unsuspecting rat says, “I gotta admit I’m a bit scared out here.” The other guy looks at him, “You’re scared? I have to walk back alone.”

She’s only seven weeks old but sure knows how to get to an old guy’s heart. Pictured below is granddaughter Harley’s reaction when Mom and Dad told her GrAndi and I will back in London in December to visit. Whatever this kid wants, she’ll get:

I had no idea the late actor Robert Redford and the late baseball player Don Drysdale were high school classmates graduating from Van Nuys High School in metro LA in 1954. Both were great baseball players as kids—Drysdale made a career of it pitching 14 seasons, 1956-69, for the Dodgers. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984. Redford never played varsity ball though he easily could have. But instead chose a path in the arts leading to an Academy Award, five Golden Globes and entrenched for the ages as an American matinee idol.

My two big season baseball bets both cashed. The White Sox, over 53.5 wins, hit the win column three weeks ago. On Thursday the Orioles walked off the Tampa Bay Rays, giving Tampa its 82nd loss of the season. I wagered they would lose at least 81.5. The icing will be today if the Yankees can overcome the odds and win the AL East outright.

One more baseball note. Down to the final day of the regular season and the National League MVP will undoubtedly be the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani. However, the voting for this year’s American League Most Valuable Player will be razor thin between the Yankees’ Aaron Judge and Seattle’s Cal Raleigh. If I were one of the 30 baseball writers with a vote, I would cast it for Raleigh. With one game left in the regular season Raleigh, a switch-hitter, is batting .246 to Judge’s .330 but has 60 home runs and 125 RBI to Judge’s 52/111. Raleigh’s numbers helped the Mariners to a rather easy AL West title over Houston, Seattle’s first division crown in 24 years. (They are also the only present MLB franchise to never make it to the World Series). Additionally, Raleigh is Seattle’s everyday catcher, the one position in baseball that absorbs more physical wear and tear and abuse than any other. He has stayed relatively injury-free and is the defending Gold Glove winning backstop in the AL. Plus Seattle, as remote as it is, has the toughest travel schedule of any team in baseball. If Judge wins it, fine, his numbers are deserving but Raleigh’s season should take a back seat to none.

A month ago I noted how the Hunting Wives had me at the edge of the couch and Animal Kingdom, both on Netflix, became an addiction. Add two more to the Netflix list: High Town is three seasons and once you get past the first couple of episodes it holds a can’t-wait-to-see-the-next-one grip. Also Hostage, five rapidly paced episodes. Good stuff.

Sixty-five years ago Friday, September 26, 1960, was the first televised presidential debate in United States history. Over 70 million viewers watched candidate John F. Kennedy and incumbent Vice President Richard Nixon from the CBS studio in Chicago. And what a difference the medium of television made: Kennedy was calm, confident and attractive; Nixon, recovering from illness, refused makeup, wore drab clothing, came off as pale and looked incredibly uncomfortable. For those who watched on TV, energetic JFK was the clear winner. But on radio, where only the issues took center stage, Nixon appeared to get the best of the scrum. Most agree, the result of that first of three debates, carried JFK to a close victory. There were no debates in 1964, ‘68 or ‘72 but every year since then, starting in 1976 with Carter and Ford, it has become a mainstay during presidential election cycles.

The loneliest guy in the NFL has to be Indianapolis Colts punter Rigoberto Sanchez. Through the first three games of this season Sanchez has only punted once, the least amount since NFL records were kept dating back to 1940.

Wish we had health care like North Korea does. Its supreme leader Kim Jong-Un, despite smoking, drinking, gout, diabetes and obesity was seen a couple of weeks ago in Beijing sweating heavily and panting while walking up a staircase. However, it’s obviously just a mirage. North Korea officials say Kim shows “no signs of serious ill health.”

Maybe take a break and read a book or watch Netflix: Shaun Alexander, former Alabama football great and 2005 Seattle Seahawks NFL MVP, announced he and his wife Valerie, 44, are expecting. Anybody who knows the Alexanders were not surprised by the news. This will be their 14th child.

Was this wrong? In Manchester, England, a doctor left a patient under anesthesia on the operating table to have sex with a nurse. A colleague walked in on them. However, it’s not like anesthesiologist Dr. Suhail Anjum, 44, totally shucked his responsibility. He had five cases that day and in the middle of the third one, he decided to take the comfort break. The UK medical board decided it might be best if he continued to practice medicine in his native Pakistan.

And finally despite the calendar telling us otherwise, the longest day of the year for Jews was not the summer solstice on June 20 but instead will be this Thursday October 2. It’s Yom Kippur, the day of the 24-hour fast that begins at sundown the night before and ends at sundown on Thursday. Yom Kippur is the day of atonement and repentance for Jews; you gorge yourself the night before, then when the sun goes down for the next twenty-four hours, health permitting, it’s nothing—no water, no coffee, no food, no snacks, no brushing your teeth and if you go by the book no bathing and a lot more no-no’s. Most painful of all is no gym. Synagogue is almost an all-day event on Thursday. The fast is meant to be spiritual, not punitive, but tell that to everyone who gets a depravation headache at about 11 am. Theoretically we cleanse our souls pray for forgiveness for sins and indiscretions of the past year and look forward to the new year. The holiday centers on reflection and repentance and connecting with God. When the holiday ends at sundown, watch out. Andi and I will go to the communal break-the-fast at our temple. Starving Jews take no prisoners when the doors swing open a little before 7 pm. It becomes a combination royal rumble and roller derby. Get out my way— people are knocked down, bodies scattered, elbows fly, there’s pushing and shoving all in the name of getting that bagel and chicken salad that you fantasized about all day. The first one to the buffet raises a challah over their head like they just won the Stanley Cup. The feeding frenzy is officially on. You have another 12 months to make amends for the human destruction just caused. If you are participating in the fasting custom, I wish you an easy fast and a Shana Tova, a year ahead filled with promise, health and peace. Jewish or not, it’s something we all need.

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I’m proud that Medjet is sponsoring Sunday Morning Coffee. I spent 20 wonderful years with Medjet in Birmingham, Alabama, and can tell you unequivocally they are the standard-bearer for medical assistance membership programs. A talented staff, who cares about its members, is at the forefront of the company’s success. Whether you are traveling for business or pleasure, domestic or international, a Medjet membership should be an important part of your travel portfolio before you leave home. Check out the Medjet website at medjet.com or just tap on the Medjet logo and you’ll be able to get a look at Medjet’s services, rules and regulations, pricing, and an overview of the organization. And remember, any opinions expressed in Sunday Morning Coffee content or comments belong to the author and not the sponsor. Safe travels with your Medjet membership! — Roy Berger