WEYMOUTH, MA – Yours truly finds himself in towns like this when moonlighting for www.RugbyWrapUp.com. Today, for instance, I’ll be handling color commentary for a college rugby championship – the Liberty Conference – to be specific. Iona is playing Northeastern at 6 pm, following the 3rd place match between Syracuse and Fordham. Watching the news in my Select Sonesta suite, it’s all Patriots when you get to sports, and that led to today’s topics: Mac Jones, NYC Marathon, Aaron Rodgers
Mac Jones
Have you seen this guy? He looks nearly as young as Zach Wilson, who looks like the son in The Incredibles. Jones doesn’t look much older. Indeed, he looks like an assistant manager at The Gap. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, Cam James, so save your OBJ, Sr-esque tweets for another time. Anyway, this is the QB drafted after all the bigger names. And guess what – he’s started every game, is 4-4 and looks like he’s been playing for 5 years. Oh, and he’s won 4 of his last 5 starts, including a a heartbreak loss to his predecessor and the Bucs. Maybe, just maybe, this Belichick guy can actually coach.
NYC Marathon
It’s great to have this iconic event back, even in a somewhat reduced fashion. Yours truly has a couple/three pals running and my thought was to join them at some point. With that, I’ve been running (more gasping, wheezing and whining) with the dog in Central Park. I got it up to about 2 1/2 miles over the Ramble, around Bethesda Fountain and up to Belvedere Castle and home… Then both calf muscles betrayed the plan. It felt like I got shot in each. This means my marathon participation will be be “marathon drinking.”
Aaron Rodgers
Unless you were in a coma, a cave or were off the grid with your first post-concussion syndrome migraine in 25 years – like moi – you likely heard some Rodgers’ interview on the Pat McAfee Show. Now, I don’t know about you, but I constantly get tease texts from outwardly opinionated friends on both sides of big issues, trying to get me to engage on politics and the pandemic. The sender thinks they are without opinion and that they are simply sharing important news/research via some publication or expert. Yet, with very little effort, you can tell that they are clearly bolstering an already-formed opinion. Well, here’s mine: I am pro-vaccine. I got the scary one; the Johnson & Johnson version. Aside from a little bit of a tail, some added ear hair and a new sympathetic view of the Jets (Woody Johnson owns them), I’m fine. Got it back in May. But this is about sports, so let’s spin it back. I’m pro-professional vaccine. What does that mean? It means that I have a choice not to get vaccinated as a NFL QB, but that means I may not be able to continue with that job, as per Corporate. That sucks for everyone, I know. But companies aren’t infringing on your rights if they have a rule and you can’t abide by it. That’s it. You have the right to not work for that company. Rodgers has the right not to play. Like him, I’m a critical thinker. As such, I’m critical of his thinking, particularly after he looked into the camera and said he was immunized. That was a douche move. It’s even douchier that his stance on the show was that it was the media that failed to ask him a follow-up question re that immunization.
NOTE: This is just about one instance with Aaron Rodgers, a professional athlete playing for an organization with boatloads of money. This is NOT about first-responders or teachers and I will not engage in any discussions re them in this forum. If you take it bey0nd the Rodgers case, your comments will be deleted. This is a company with rules, after all.
That’s all for today. God bless you and God bless Grinding Ax Walt for his topnotch NFL stuff on this site tomorrow.
