I realized I had not written in a while, and since this whole blog adventure was undertaken, in part anyway, to force me to write more often, I felt I had to put something down. Actually, I did not feel I had to put something down, I wanted to put something down. I truly do enjoy writing, and it serves a plethora of purposes for me. Sometimes I write to find catharsis, sometimes I write to argue a point, sometimes I write purely to communicate a thought, and sometimes I write to develop a thought in the first place. Therefore, it is always good for me to write. However, I do not have many deep, meaningful thoughts that I feel I must communicate, argue, or develop at this point, so I have had trouble pinpointing a blog-worthy focus. Therefore, I will not have one. Instead, you will have the misfortune of stumbling through a random collection thoughts that are groggily stirring in my brain on this fine Saturday morning.
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My Dad turned 70 last weekend. That does make one pause when your parents start hitting some of those milestone numbers, doesn't it? My brother Darrel (but not my other brother Darrel), my sister Kim, and I made a pilgrimage to Ellsworth to play golf with Dad on Tuesday. The golf outing, also known as the Annual Delmar Kohls Invitational Event, has become an annual summer tradition in which my siblings and I have the pleasure of playing a round of golf together with our father. It is always an adventure, and definitely is worth the time. Somehow, we manage to select the hottest day of the summer each year, and we stayed true to that pattern this year. Of course, we could not have gone a week early, when highs were in the low 70s. Oh no, even though Darrel was in the process of loading his vehicle and heading north last week because he forgot what week it was. Regardless of the heat, it was a great afternoon. At one point, Dad commented on how certain people ignore the ropes the greenskeeper has put up around one of the tee boxes to allow more grass to take hold. "The seniors tee off from the yellows, and they like to drive right up to the box." It took me a moment to process the statement, and then it hit me. "Dad, your just turned 70. I like how you say the seniors are still somebody else." He then told me that out there, seniors means 80. At 85 you can tee off from the reds. So many people say that age is just a number, but I am really beginning to buy into that concept. Dad has retired twice already, once form his life-long profession as a carpenter, and then as an assistant manager at the lumberyard. Of course, since his is retired, his has now taken on painting jobs. Damn Dad, sit down for a minute.
(On that note, Mom retired after 25 years in the offices of B&B Plumbing so she could clean used golfballs, sell drinks, and give duffers a hard time at the Ellsworth Municipal Golf Course club house. Hey, it's just part time.)
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I know this makes a little mood shift here, but I told you this was random. The buzz lately on sports talk radio and ESPN has been about the Ray Rice, the running back for the Baltimore Ravens. Ray Rice was charged with third degree assault after an incident in which he admits to knocking his then-fiancee unconscious while riding in an elevator (Erb). The assault itself created quite a stir, as one would expect. However, the punishment handed down by the NFL has raised even more of a fervor. And this uproar is the only thing right about the entire incident. Rice is a great running back. He is a Superbowl champion. Ironically, he is a face used by the NFL to promote the sport to female fans. He's hit among the ladies. Literally. I know; that is tasteless, nut not nearly as tasteless as the apparent lack of respect the commissioner has for women. I love the NFL. I am a Chiefs fan, I have framed collectors cards of Derrick Thomas, Walter Payton, and Brian Urlacher on the walls of my basement. I will not condemn the league as a whole. The NFL is a microcosm of the society in which we live. There are good guys who take care of their families, who perform great plays on the field and admirable acts in their communities. There are also jerks. Some are harmless and ignorant, but only embarrass themselves from time to time with their behavior, and usually their mouths and tweets.. Others are criminals who have blood on their hands. Some repent and clean themselves up, while others dig holes so deep they should never escape them. It is a violent sport, and there are violent men in the arena. It is expected. However, even for NFL athletes, there are boundaries. In recent years, a players have been suspended for multiple games and fined amounts many times more than my annual salary for testing positive for marijuana. These penalties were justified and appropriate. Mike Vick was suspended a quarter of a season after leaving the NFL for two full years following conviction for his involvement in a dog fighting (Erb). Many groups cried foul when Vick was allowed back in the league after serving his time for his wrong-doings. It seems that arranging dog fights and cruelty to animals is wrong. It would seem, that in 2014, beating a woman unconscious is not quite as dark a deed. At least not in the official eyes of the league office. Rice admitted to the act and has entered a deal which allows him to avoid jail time by entering a diversion and treatment program. I am glad he is getting help. Any man, let a lone a man as muscled and strong as Rice, who strikes a woman, let alone strikes her so violently that it knocks her unconscious, is less than a man, regardless of his testosterone levels, and he needs help. However, the NFL commissioner's penalty of around $58,000 and two games (repeat TWO games) for violating the NFL's player conduct policy and placing the NFL in a poor light is not quite as admirable. It is embarrassing for the NFL. Players in past have been punished three times that game penalty for a violating the policy, even though they were not even charged with any crime. Rice's guilt has never been questioned In fact, he admitted it. I guess "oops" was a good enough defense to remove the "bad light" crushing a woman in the head with your fist might cause the NFL.
Consider this: players have been fined 10 times the amount assessed to Rice for hitting a receiver coming across the middle too hard.
Now, I wonder how many games the commissioner will assess himself for the bad light he has now cast on the league with his decision?
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Ok, I guess I did have a couple of thoughts to churn over here today. Since those ideas developed a little further than I thought they would, I think it would serve to let this post end. It is Saturday and I have things to do. The Shrine Bowl is on tonight, and I want to be able to sit down and watch as my good friend Steve Warner coaches on the West sideline. Riley Allen is also on the West roster.
It will be fun to enjoy a little July high school football.
Have a great weekend.
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*Erb, Kelly. "NFL Fines, Suspends Ray Rice: Is The Hit To His Wallet Tax Deductible?." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 25 July 2014. Web. 26 July 2014. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2014/07/25/nfl-fines- suspends-ray-rice-is-the-hit-to-his-wallet-tax-deductible/>.
