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Sunday Sundown Rundown - 11/29/20


3 Up

1. Scotland Free Female Hygiene Products - I thought this was so cool. And yes, that's coming from a dude. Scotland became the first country to make period products FREE for those in need of them within the country. As a man, it's hard to wrap the mind around the additional expenses women go through for matters of the menstrual cycle. The new offering gives some hope regarding female health issues and universal health care - that yes, it is possible. 

2. Sarah Fuller - The very first female athlete to play in a Power 5 football game. Fuller, the starting goalie for Vanderbilt's Women's soccer team, serves as the kicker on the Football team as well. Forget the first, can we also just give props for being an awesome athlete?! Nonetheless, a great accomplishment in its own right, and socially confirmed by the number of men bothered by its occurrence. 

3. Beyonce Grammy Nominations - Bey kills it again. What else can be said about the Queen? 

3 Down

1. Coronavirus - Yeah, I'm giving the Coronavirus the top "Down" once again this week. After the Thanksgiving Holiday, we're all expecting a tough few weeks ahead as Winter settles in, and yes, the Holidays approach. Cases continue to rise all over the globe, and we're still struggling to deal with this as a society. 

2. Purdue Pharma - I have lots - LOTS! - of thoughts on the Opioid crisis. None bigger than the idea that it was started by our own industries. This week, we saw just a glimpse of that as Purdue Pharma pleaded guilty for its role in the nation's crisis. 

3. Youth Mental Health - It's not talked about due to the obvious necessary survival of the pandemic, but the mental health ramifications of our youth have taken a huge hit. With early results beginning to rise, we're now getting a small glimpse of what will be resonating effects after the pandemic is under control. So many sad and unfortunate stories - scarring and stunting in so many ways. 

1 Inspirational 

1. Tiana Mangakahia - So much props to the Syracuse Women's Basketball Student-Athlete, who battled breast cancer, endured a double mastectomy, returned to the court this week and dominated. We forget the stories of the many young individuals who are battling the nasty disease of cancer so early in their lives. Tiana is a fighter and an inspiration. 

Recent Favorites

Yankees 2024 World Series - Ponderings and Stuff

I thought I would try something different for the 2024 World Series, especially since my Yankees are in it, and offer some quick ponderings and share some stuff from my thought process. Why not?  I expect a tough and arduous series. In many ways in approaching it, I would be shocked if this goes five or fewer games to either side. Obviously, I wouldn't mind if it happened for the Yankees.  Whoever wins, maybe they should also get claim to the 2017 World Series title. I'm kidding. Sort of... Game 1 Dodgers d. Yankees, 6-3  (LAD Leads Series 1-0) This is one of those games where I love baseball, but I hate it. That was a tremendous game if I didn't have a rooting interest. However, I do. And baseball, by nature, has a flair for creating moments that can rip your heart out as a fan. This one did. It's up there, to be honest. In this time, it feels worse than Sandy Alomar's home run off of Mo in 1997. But likely to not leave me in my feelings like the 2001 World Series

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It's Time. Pete Rose Belongs in the Hall of Fame

It sounds mean, but Pete Rose served his lifetime ban. After the recent passing of the all-time hits leader, the court of public opinion is now in session on one of the sport's biggest questions and most debated topics - should Pete Rose be in the Hall of Fame? We all know the stances and varied degrees of opinion on this by now. Rose committed the biggest and most unforgivable crime in the game (and in all sports) - gambling not just on the game, but on your own team. That’s sanctimonious to the integrity of everything that is MLB.  And there is the other side - watching baseball evolve into a product that pushes gambling on billboards, commercials, and a staple of the fan experience, yet, retrospectively keeping one of the sport's most salient record holders guilty for the same thing that is now exercised heavily. The Hall of Fame of Fame standards have been criticized as we deal with the aftermath of the steroid era and the other major elephant on the field - Barry Bonds bei