Simone Biles opting to not compete in some gymnastic events during the Summer Olympics, opened the worlds eyes to the pressure athletes feel to perform at a high level. We sometimes forget that they are human just like the rest of us. Without the right team supporting them, sometimes the pressure becomes too much. Since the start of 2022, four college athletes have died by suicide. Fortunately, for Harry Miller, a center on the Ohio State University football team, Ryan Day was his head coach, and Harry’s life did not end in a tragedy. OSU has one of the strongest mental health support systems in the country for its athletes, much of which can be attributed to Ryan Day, who’s father committed suicide when Ryan was 8-years old. Last year Miller decided to give up his football career to pursue his engineering degree and OSU has continued to honor his football scholarship. In March, he announced his medical retirement from football in an emotional, detailed tweet. The former high school valedictorian from Georgia referenced scars on his wrists and his throat. Below is a link to a very comprehensive story on Miller and mental health issues faced by college athletes as reported by CBS Sports. It is worth the time. I thank my friend Dan Jeffery for sharing this story with me.
Also, see my Video of the Day below for Miller’s interview on the Today Show.
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Last week was a great but very busy week. While in Ypsilanti, I had dinner with my sister Nancy, who was in from Maryland to attend her high school class reunion. Leah and I attended the Alicia Keys’ concert on Tuesday. I had tests done at U of M Hospital and i had to call Roto Rooter to unclog my basement drain, which needs further repair.
I made it back to Petoskey, late Wednesday to sit on a “fart” buzzer that my granddaughter Kaylen put in my chair. Katy and her family along with Leah and I attended the Young Americans Dinner Theater on Thursday, which was even better the second time around. There was lots of pool time, lake time and golf time, all topped off by celebrating Katy’s birthday on Friday, 17 days late. On Thursday, Leah and I celebrated our 49th anniversary, which was highlighted by the Young Americans surrounding us after their performance and singing a love song to the two of us while we were sitting at our table. By Sunday evening, Leah and I were exhausted.
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Leah and I bought tickets to the Alicia Keys concert to celebrate our 47th anniversary in 2020. Due to Covid-19, we were able to celebrate it two years later. It was worth the wait. The Freedom Hill venue was perfect on a cool summer night. Alicia performed for2 hours starting promptly at 9 PM. The first part of her concert was her new music which in my opinion had too much electronically enhanced rhythm and bass. The second part was her popular songs, which really excited me and the rest of the crowd. Most people stood the entire two hours. In addition to her tremendous talent and wonderful voice, the thing that really impressed me was the joy at which she performed and the way she connected with the crowd. She smiled her beautiful smile the entire two hours.
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The Detroit Tigers got a big wake up call this week when The Athletic reported how the Atlanta Braves immediately fixed former Tiger Robbie Grossman’s hitting woes after he was traded by the Tigers to the Atlanta Braves in late July. Last year Grossman had career bests as a hitter for the Tigers, but this year was another story as he was performing at career worst levels in all offensive statistics. Within 24 hours after arriving in Atlanta, hitting coach Kevin Seitzer and the analytics team put together a plan for Grossman, which he has executed to perfection. Since arriving in Atlanta, Grossman is performing well above last years levels if taken over a full season. Grossman’s story is similar to that of Issac Peredes, who the Tigers traded to Tampa Bay right before the season started. The Tigers did not think Peredes would be nothing more than a utility player. Since arriving in Tampa Bay, Peredes is having a career year in all offensive categories, including a tremendous increase in homeruns.
In one of the great understatements of the year, Tiger manager A.J. Hinch says the Tigers need to reexamine their entire organizations hitting instruction and resources.
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The legal woes surrounding those close to Trump continue to rise. Allen Weisselberg, the longtime top financial officer of former president Donald Trump’s company, pleaded guilty on Thursday to committing more than a dozen felonies, including criminal tax fraud and grand larceny. I am sure he knows of many skeletons in the closet. It seems the Feds continue to squeeze those around Trump as they work to develop a case against Trump. I think it is safe to say that the plea deal with Weisselberg requires his cooperation with any investigation into Trump’s finances. It is going to be a fascinating and tumultuous time between now and November 2024. The big winners as always are the lawyers.
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Elections Matter. Pray for peace and tolerance. What are you doing to stop the violence and mass killings?
Orchid of the Day: Ryan Day, Ohio State head football coach. See above story.
Onion of the Day: The Tigers’ hitting instruction. The performance of Grossman and Peredes, after being traded by the Tigers, should be a major wake up call to how far behind the Tigers are as it relates to the use of analytics to improve performance.
Quote of the Day: “Holding on to anger is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die.” A wise women.
Question of the Day: Will Allen Weisselberg flip on Trump and give the keys to the closet to the Feds?
Video/Image of the Day: Former OSU tackle Harry Miller on the Today Show earlier this year.