I am about to make my way out the door for my morning paper run. The Wilmington Star-News and The Jacksonville News are the two dailies I can easily get my hands on where I am right now. During the summer time you can add the Raleigh News Observer. Either way I am better off here reading any other daily than the one I am relegated to reading back home. Some paper is better than no paper at all. That is what I keep telling myself. After looking at some others on the road this past week, I am ready to call a meeting with an editorial board to ask a few pointed questions. They won’t listen of course.
Don’t let me use this moment without taking my hat off and saying a thousand thanks to The Corydon Democrat for doing an exemplary job with news, sports, and features. When I read the weekly Topsail Post I think about my local weekly and it is good to know they have it figured out.
Football picks. I picked 10 winners and 2 losers last week on College Football Picks. Maybe I should be in a restaurant and be in a hurry to make my picks more often. I only bring this up because I am always one week away from going 5 and 7 instead of 10 and 2. For the season we have 54 winners and 18 losers.
I held up Ben Waynescott’s jersey in my office as he took a picture with my antiquated cell phone. It worked out. I reiterate…I wish I could have been there Friday night. The Cougars are shelling the corn. 8 wins 0 losses so far this season. Clarksville is next on Friday night. The Generals have fallen on hard times. I feel for them. I don’t want to see any school lacking the competition they strive for. They have lost more games in a row than I want to report here. Still, Go Cougars!
North Carolina is a FRIENDLY place. They have my favorite ice cream to prove it.
Carl is enjoying himself on the trip.
He was all about getting a cup of coffee this morning.
He was truly enjoying the sun rise.
There is always more emphasis on the new day when you see the sun come up over the water. We are told in classes as we look at maps that water covers 3/4 of the earth. Perhaps that is part of it. We are so small and the water is so big. I just don’t know. I do know I am blessed and impressed each time I see the sun come up over a solid horizontal line. There is just something I can’t explain about it.
A peek at the last three mornings.
Well, Mitchell Trubisky finally made his start as quarterback of the Chicago Bears. I was pining for his time to take the helm during the pre-season. He is a rookie. Most rookies don’t start at quarterback their first season. Tom Brady did not. Aaron Rodgers did not. Peyton Manning did. Well, of course he did. Eli Manning rode the pine when he got to New York. He might wish he was riding it now…for self-preservation purposes. Anyway, I think Mitchell Trubisky will be my new favorite player. I just like the way he plays. For me choosing your favorite player is like choosing the type of music you like to listen to…you just do. Or should I say…I just do. Trubisky played at UNC. I was never a Tar Heel fan. He hails from Ohio originally. Don’t ask my opinion about Ohio. I will forgive him. I just like to watch him play. I always contended that my preference of NFL is player first and team second. I rooted for Ken Anderson and when he left the Bengals so did I. I was a free agent until Peyton Manning came along. Then Eli came from Ole Miss and I so enjoyed watching him in college. I rooted for and still root for the G-Men. I have a feeling when Eli is done I will be a Bears fan. I was wondering if I would ever find someone else to root for.
Rooting for the NFL is tough these days. I wish the Giants would go ahead and get rid of Odell. He is out for the season. I don’t want any player to get hurt. I am glad he is gone from the team now. The Giants could use a team. They have not had one yet this year.
I have said it before. Any wide receiver making the noise he makes is bad for the team. Ever heard of Reggie Wayne? Ever heard of Marvin Harrison? They were great receivers that were steady at their craft. They caught EVERYTHING that was thrown their way. Odell might drop three easy balls before he makes a GREAT catch that produces a touchdown and enables him to make a fool of himself in the end zone and then run to the sidelines to jump on a bleacher to face the crowd like he was Donald Trump at one of his self-serving rallies. Talk about needing to go!
I was reading a story about Pat Conroy and how a couple of his books were being banned from schools in Charleston, WV in 2007. Pat said thank you. A banning of books will only make folks want to go out and read them more. If you are familiar with Conroy’s work you too know that the school leaders from this West Virginia school district did not get enough of what they are there for. I liken this to the flag controversy. Political leaders that should have kept their mouths shut and let things be wanted to stir up their “base” with flag rhetoric and that in and of itself is disgraceful to what the flag stands for. I will be so glad when political leaders put their country ahead of their “base” again. Do I think folks should stand for the flag? You damn right I do. I don’t like it when they don’t. Just like I don’t like it when politicians use the flag for political leverage and divide this country even more.
Well, it is paper time. I will be back later to…
Speak the Rights.
Danny Johnson