The Daily Dose/August 16, 2022
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.
HUT, HUT, HIKE: Another manifestation that America is too violent for its own good – as if another one is needed – is the way sports officials in this country have been treated for well over a decade now. As a result, officials are leaving in droves with anywhere from two-thirds and three-quarters of new officials not making it to Year 3. It’s to the point now where high school and youth teams are having to rearrange schedules or cancel games altogether because of the shortage.
Whoops, Our Bad: We were going to say it was only a matter of time – what with America a shooting gallery now and all – before somebody got shot, but it turns out we’re too late for that. This past weekend a youth football coach in Lancaster, Texas was shot and killed after coaches and parents started arguing about an official’s call in the vital youth football game. And this wasn’t the first, either, merely the latest one.
Dry, Technical, Matter: We’re long-time, mostly retired sports officials here and have been chased off the field a couple of times and not so people could hoist us on the shoulders in triumph. We’ve been yelled at and threatened and we’ve had enough and we’ve concluded it’s time for all other officials to say they’ve had enough, too.
Oh Jesus H: It wasn’t like this in the old days. Sure, you got yelled at but it was only after what in the trade are known as bangers, the really close ones, and even then it died down after a bit. Now, you’re being told you suck every five minutes and, for the past ten years or so, it’s been personal. You can hear it in the malcontent’s voices; it’s as if we’re stealing something from them.
The Bottom Line: America is a mean, violent shooting gallery now, so this problem is not going away anytime soon. So it’s time for us sports officials to go away. It’s time for us to stop signing up and going to meetings and accepting games. It’s time for leagues and teams to know there won’t be officials at their games. And don’t ask us to serve on any focus groups or committees, either. This is your problem and when game administrators can provide an environment where our personal safety is no longer an issue, when we don’t have to bring our phones out in case we have to call 9-1-1, we’ll be back.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow’s knife gets solid usage at the hotel. Today’s Diary.
Regular readers of this crap know opening two boxes of coffee is a first the knife, and, of course, it was clutch, handling both opening the new boxes and breaking down the old ones with aplomb.
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On This Date
Extra, extra, read all about it.
In 1812 – British and Indian forces take Detroit without a battle in the War of 1812 with US forces commanded by Brig Gen William Hull surrendering thanks to a bluff by British commander Maj Gen Isaac Brock, who led Hull to believe he had more troops than he really did. Hull would later be convicted of cowardice and neglect of duty and was sentenced to death, a sentence later commuted to discharge from the Army by President James Madison, in deference to Hull’s service in the Revolution.
In 1947 – The Pittsburgh Pirates and the St Louis Cardinals establish a new major league record for most home runs in a game by both teams and Ralph Kiner of the Pirates ties the major league record for most home runs in consecutive games in a 12-7 Pirates win. The teams combined for ten home runs, research into whose record they broke was inconclusive, and the mark is now 13, by Arizona and Philadelphia in 2019. Kiner hit three home runs, giving him five in consecutive games, tying the mark that had been done three times previously and many times since.
In 1980 – Olivia Newton-John is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the third of four consecutive weeks with Magic. It was the 17th of 28 Top 40 hits for Olivia, her tenth of 15 Top 10 songs, and her third of four #1s. The song also went to #1 in Canada, peaked at #32 in Great Britain, and was Billboard’s third-biggest song of the year. The song was from the soundtrack the movie Xanadu, which produced four other chart singles.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
His mind was made up once and for all upon hundreds of subjects and maybe this was the sign that he had completed his course.
Saul Bellow
Ravelstein
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
Women last ran the 80-meter hurdle race at the Olympics at Mexico City in 1968. In 1972 the 100-meter hurdles were added and women first ran the 400 meter hurdles in 1984.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
What was Billbord’s #1 song of 1980? – Answer next time!
