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Sunday Sundown Rundown - 2/21/21

3 Up

1. NASA Moon Rover - NASA sent a rover to the moon to scope out Mars - you know, no big deal. But seriously, some of the images and information now coming from the rover's touch down have been super interesting and intriguing. There is even slight evidence that the planet has been habitable! That's just crazy to think about. Awesome stuff. 

2. Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic - Watching Osaka take down Serena brought about all sorts of emotions and thoughts this week. Osaka went on to defeat Jennifer Brady in straight sets to win the Australian Open. It's safe to say Osaka has a future that very well includes being the next generational face of tennis. 

As for Novak Djokovic, the dude once again walked away with an Australian Open title - his ninth. 

3. San Diego Padres - I absolutely applauded the Padres for doing what they are doing. Damn all of the small market stuff. The Padres locked up their budding star in Fernando Tatis Jr. with a $340 million dollar deal over the next 14 - yes, 14! - years. This might sound weird, but baseball needs more organizations to have the San Diego Padres mentality. 

3A. Fernando Tatis Jr. - And oh yeah, kudos to Tatis Jr. for landing that bag. 

I briefly discussed in a post this week why the deal thrusts Tatis Jr. into the discussion as the face of baseball, thus, removing Trout from this possibility. Give it a read (It's Too Late for Trout)

3 Down

1. Texas Weather Disaster - The images and stories coming out of Texas are absolutely horrifying. The one that truly hit me hard was the line of tens of people in front of a water spigot with buckets, coolers, and containers. This is America. SMH. Of course, there is more with many struggling for heat, trying to find fuel, and scraping together food for their families. It's all so heartbreaking to see. 

2. Coronavirus Deaths - We're not out of this pandemic, no matter how much we attempt to make it seem like we are. Yet, the grim reminder remains in the death count as we near 500,000 deaths. So. Incredibly. Sad. 

3. Ted Cruz - Look, what could I write in this spot that hasn't been saying about Ted Cruz this week. The dude is a clown. And no, I don't buy anything he says. 

2 Wow

1. Anthony Edwards Dunk - I've watched Edwards' dunk probably close to 100 times. One of the craziest (and best!) dunks I've ever seen. 

2. Oscar Valdez KO - Damn. Just...damn. 

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Sunday Sundown Rundown - 11/15/15

3 Up 1. Paris Stadium Security Guard - Not much has been revealed, and we don't even know if this security guard is still alive, but whomever this person is/was, they helped save a lot of lives. LOTS! Just by doing their job well and finding the vest of the bomber, they prevented what could have been a much larger catastrophe. Too often we mock security guards, especially those who approach their jobs with lackadaisical effort. This person is a hero. A huge, huge, big time hero.  2. Facebook - I'm not a huge fan of Facebook as I find Twitter and Instagram to be more interesting. That's just me. However, Facebook's "Safe alert" feature is a new concept that is just brilliant. Knowing a former student who worked for me and who now lives in Paris, it was nice to see her check in as "safe" in the midst of the chaos. I can't even imagine how convenient it was for those with closer friends and family.  3. Holly Holm - As gloomy as the week...

Trump Wins.

I can't say that I'm surprised.  This week, I purposely took some time to take in the moment, the time in history, and even those around me - strangers and known individuals - to understand it all. The hours and days after I awoke from going to bed purposefully (I was under the weather) to awake to an alert on my phone - DONALD TRUMP ELECTED 47th PRESIDENT - not once did I feel shocked. In fact, I'm not sure that I felt anything at all.  I said to my wife heading into election day, I very much don't blame anyone for voting for him in this election. I'm not a big Trump guy. I gave him a chance in 2016, and well, I'll do so again in 2025. I have no choice. However, after watching Kamala's run toward the election, granted, it was short and abbreviated (somewhat forced), it was hard to understand. The celebrities. The counter-rallys. For a party that said the right lost themselves, how could it be, that the party of the working class was trying to persuade my vo...

Quick Ponder: Man Love

"A man is only loved under the condition that he provide something"  - Chris Rock  Feeling that these days,  with the understanding  of privilege,  and responsibility.