"We want to kick. That way." Words to live by, I think we can all agree.
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You know what deserved better Christmases than were delivered? People who pay attention to baseball.
You know who really deserved better? Dave Henderson and those who knew him, Joe Strauss and those who knew him, and Bobby Dews and those who knew him. All died Sunday morning, and had more days and memories coming to them.
[STIGLICH: Former A's, Giants outfielder Dave Henderson dies at 57]
Henderson, the former Oakland and Boston outfielder without whom the histories of both teams could not be accurately told, died in Seattle at 57 after complications from a kidney transplant. Strauss, the longtime baseball writer and columnist in first Baltimore and then St. Louis, died of leukemia at 54. And Dews, the longtime coach for the Bobby Cox Atlanta Braves, died at 76 of unannounced causes.
[RELATED: What they're saying: Hendu gone at 57]
So in case anyone tells you Christmas sucked this year, this was the reason. Well, a significant reason, anyway.
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Now back to the inane . . . like Andy Reid dabbing after the Chiefs beat (but failed to cover against) Cleveland. Or really, like any middle-aged person trying to figure out what new trend is actually a thing as opposed to something that already came and went. When will we learn the young have a right to their own stuff that we let be, like we had a right to Motown that our parents weren’t privy to back in the day.
Because dignity. That’s why.
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This, from the actual @StephenCurry30:
“Wish we coulda ran the table but if @Panthers nation is upset about 14-1 or concerned about the next part of the journey……miss me with that!”
Now, Conspiracy Toadworld, does he also refer to the Golden State Warriors as “we,” and who's “we” is more “we” in his eyes? Hint: He named his eldest Riley, the same name as the titular Warrior general manager who drafted him (though not for him). He did not name his next child Fozzy Whittaker, or even give it a moment’s thought.
Still, it’s worth asking the question, especially now that Peyton Manning did and did not use HGH at the same time.
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There is only one more game left until our long Jarryd Hayne nightmare is over. Never before has a lightly-used special teamer been so debated by so many for so little work. Then again, that’s how tedious the 49ers were this year – Jarryd Hayne had a dream the 49ers chose not to fulfill, so people got incensed about it, over and over and over again.
And yes, the people who operate, watch, and medialize football do have a higher incidence of CTE, too. It’s just that most of their brains aren’t worth the bother of the autopsy.
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J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic captured Wizards guard John Wall’s bemusement over trailing Cleveland in All-Star voting despite Irving having played only three games.
“I played like horses--t the first month and a half but I still was averaging like 16 and eight. That’s not bad numbers,” Wall said.
“I guess it’s the record. No offense Kyrie, he’s played (three) games. If he was healthy, he probably would be in that position because he’d be playing well. I can see him there because that’s how talented he is.”
That said, it’s fan voting, and fan voters, like fans, media and operators have a higher incidence of CTE.
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I wanted “Concussion” to be better, I really did, but since the actual story was so much better than the movie retelling, I guess I’ll just settle for actual life.
Because moviemakers, and moviegoers, like fans, media . . . aaahhh, you know.
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And finally, the Super Bowl really needs to pit the New York Jets and Minnesota, because that way, both 49ers and Raiders fans can double their angst and make the game an additionally ugly tourist attraction: “You guys? We beat you guys, and we suck! That’ll be $79.50 please, and no, we don’t validate, suckers.”
