Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

Someone sent me a photo of the Google Streetview car roaming the streets of Decatur. 

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• Developing (and a little across the journalistic line) . . . 
  

  

  
  
  
  
• The most unqualified Senate candidate of all time did not get elected last night in Georgia. 
• In almost every race these days, people vote for their team regardless of the candidate. But a handful of Republican voters crossed over because they couldn't stomach Herschel Walker.  The Democratic win last night in Georgia was their only state-wide win they had in the Peach State.
  
  
  
• This fiasco for the Republicans is 100% on Trump.
  
  
  
• From Cottondale last night. Video.
  
  
  
• Nope, no sign of the probable cause affidavit yet. I really didn't want to bug them, but I might start now. I figured one of the media outlets would have it by now. 
• I'm not prepared to say the cop is going to be found not guilty by a Tarrant County jury, but that case isn't the most clear cut criminal case in the world. 
  
  
  
• Not surprising -- in either the conviction or the response.
  

  

  
  
  
  
• Texas DPS has taken a hit lately, but I don't think trying to get recruits from Florida of all places will help.
  
  
  
• Congressional Gold Medals were awarded yesterday to the Capitol Police of January 6th although there was an awkward moment where some of the recipients refused to shake the hand of Mitch McConnell for not doing more to speak against the attack. (Video.)
  
  
  
• These are the 20 Republicans who refused to vote to award the medals. Mind-blowing.  
  
  
  
• I kept seeing the headlines of the Tampa Police Chief getting fired for flashing a badge during a simple traffic stop, so I watched the video.  I don't understand this at all. This is common conduct in Texas, and I'm not sure anyone here has a problem with it. 
  
  
  
• I still have to look to see who is Time's Person of the Year every time. Just announced:
  
  
  
• Breaking baseball news -- over 1/3 of a billion dollars. All guaranteed because the Player's Union knows what they are doing. Unlike in the NFL.
  
  
  
• Here's some exclusive high school sports content. I've always wondered how accurate the Texas AP Top Ten lists were for Texas football. I mean, seriously, how they heck do we know the Top 10 football teams in each division with so many teams involved? Those AP writers aren't watching all of those games, right?
• So here's what I did: We are now down to the final four for each division, so I went back and found the final Top Ten rankings after the final regular season games, and then I looked to see how many of those Top 10 teams are still alive in their respective Final Four.  Put another way, the AP had 10 chances to pick the final four teams for each division. Here's how they did - the teams highlighted in yellow are still alive (click to enlarge):
  
  
  
• As you see, those polls did really well. The most they could get were four. 
• In Class 2A Division I, they were perfect with teams ranked one through four still being alive.
• The blue 5 I've got in 6A is because that level is tricked up. Although there is just one 6A Top Ten poll, those teams might end up in the "big bracket" or the "small bracket" in the playoffs. So there are eight, not just four, of those teams which could still be alive. However, there are only five still in contention. 
• Notice that unranked Decatur plays #1 China Springs on Friday. 
• Also notice that College Station, who Decatur's coach was in charge of last year before being hired away, is still alive in Class 5A, Division I.
• It's the 26th anniversary of what I consider to be the gutsiest and greatest play call in college football history. And it was done by the Evil Empire. 
• Messenger: Above the Fold