Skip to main content

Sunday Sundown Rundown - 10/5/17


3 Up

1. Shalene Flanagan - Running 26.2 miles always boggles my mind. I'm mentally and physically exhausted once I hit four miles. I'm the worst. Regardless, Flanagan's NYC Marathon win today was epic and momentous in becoming the first American-born runner to win the race in 40 years.

2. Houston Astros - What a World Series! As their tag ling stated all year, they "earned history" with a spectacular year, and a gutsy playoff run. Honestly, any one else still in awe of AJ Hinch's ability to win the whole thing with the bullpen - that bullpen that he had? 

BTW - Luke Gregorson won a WBC Title and a World Series championship in the same year. Pretty damn good year, no? 

3. Deontay Wilder - Despite the many flaws that surround the sport, there are fights like this past Saturday night that keep hope and interest alive. Please peep Wilder's knockout victory - and several knockdowns - in the first round. The dude is a monster! Boxing has a legit draw for the sport. Hopefully, he's taken care of, and the sport uses his talents wisely.

3 Down

1. Texas Church Shootings - So now we're not even safe in a house of worship?! Ugh...

2. Manhattan Terror Attack - I shared some thoughts on this from earlier this week (SEE HERE), and it's still baffling to me that this is the world we live in. Where gun fire and trucks, or who knows what else, ant any time, any place, can kill you. Seriously, what the...

3. Terrorism and Gun Control - Anyone else surprised how quick our government is to call attention to terrorism when the suspect is of color (or of certain ethnicity), and just as quick to follow up with it on agendas that feed the narrative for the push for change in immigration and other policy? You know, the kind that will "keep us safe". 

However, if the shooter is white, such "causes" for the happening goes silent. We're the only country on earth with such mass shootings. And whether we like to admit it, we have a domestic terrorism problem, and my goodness, if we judge by the same spectrum we do other "terrorism issues" - white people are at the center of this. Just bloggin...

Recently Read

Quick Ponder: Future Self

We always think,  what would we say  to our  younger self? However,  what would  our younger self say  if they met us, today?

Turning 40 - Grateful and Renewed

I became a forty-year-old individual yesterday.  The milestone is very significant for many and has its societal measures and benchmarks that carry some fear for those approaching its gates. Regardless of approach, turning 40 is filled with reflection, pondering (of course), and preparation for what should be a "new" stage of life. A life stage centered around "transitioning" into a stage seen as the "pre-senior" years.  Sure. Whatever.  I won't disagree that the new "4" digit that sits in front of your age feels encompassing even without understanding completely. Yet, as I stated last year when I turned 39 (going into my 40th year on this earth), I was ready for it. Ready for 40. Today, oddly enough, I am not filled with profound life lessons, ponderings, or reflections.  I sit here, punching the keys, filled with gratitude. I am 40, and I love it.   I carry my baggage of life and bear scars from it at 40. I am grateful for so many experien...

Knicks Trauma - Ugh Not Again

Well, that was a kick in the stomach.  Coming off a week where the word "catharsis" was used as the description for the euphoria and release of joy from two and a half decades of suffering, Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers brought about another word - trauma.  Watching the Knicks collapse was the kind of moments that come with these deep runs and moments. NBA Playoff basketball will do that. Yet, this loss - this one - feels about as bad as the 2004 ALCS when the Yankees collapsed in the series to the Boston Red Sox.  That one carries some serious trauma. Luckily, the series isn't over.  Some other quick thoughts from this awful, awful night, New York Knicks Basketball.  - Not to conjure up hyperbole, or even contribute to "hot take" sports reaction culture - but this might have been the worst loss in Knicks franchise history. I cannot think of another in my lifetime, or historically.  - Tyrese Haliburton's "choke"...