Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

I'm not sure how I got mentioned in this Letter to the Editor ten years ago, but it's sobering to realize he's still in a federal prison. 

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• An NFL player is fighting for his life this morning after a hit on the field caused his heart to stop.
  
  
  
• He just fell over backwards after the collision after initially getting to his feet. 
  
  
  
• I don't recall a game ever being suspended due to an injury.  And the NFL is denying that it initially issued an edict to give the teams "five minutes to stretch" and then to resume play. In all fairness, on the broadcast Joe Buck did say there would be a five minute delay, but he didn't say anything about that coming from the NFL office. This is what the NFL issued after about an hour last night:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• We probably should all be ashamed that we watch and support football. From CTE to destroyed and crippled knees to a player on the verge of dying. They are simply now too big and too fast. I saw someone posted this last night and it fits perfectly:
  
  
  
• I used to harp on this all the time. This is from Random Thoughts on July 29, 2014:
  
  
  
• But, admittedly, it has happened before. 
  
  
  
• This is your reminder that the owners have a arbitrary and self-imposed "salary cap" in place. Hamlin was drafted in the sixth round in last years draft, given the option of playing for only the Bills, and was offered a basically non-negotiated contract that pays him $825,000 this year. 
• For Troy Aikman to make $18 million a year to speak on TV, he basically sat moot last night as all of this was going down. Joe Buck, on the other hand, was great.  (Here is the first 4:00 minutes from the broadcast, post-injury, with the commercials edited out.) 
• Man, Clay County, and especially its Sheriff, is a mess.  "Clay County Sheriff Jeff Lyde was arrested on three new charges of official oppression at about 7 p.m. Monday, according to online information from the Clay County Jail. Lyde was indicted on the new charges, and Texas Rangers had been seeking to arrest him " As of last night, the indictments were still "sealed" so we don't know what the specific allegations are. 
  
  
  
• Sounds like what I speculated about might be true. 
  
  
  
• The Republicans are a mess as they try to elect a House Speaker.  Rep. Kevin McCarthy has wanted the job for years, but he doesn't have enough votes -- a vote which happens today. If he doesn't get it on the first ballot, they keep voting. I keep seeing that "multiple votes hasn't happened in over 100 years."
  
  
  
• Four defecting Republicans will sink him. Five are firm no's, and even the following nine are in the "unlikely" camp: 
  
  
  
• Fun fact from over in Denton. 
  
  
  
• TCU is a 13.5 underdog to Georgia. That seems about right, but there's no way I'd bet against them.