The Olympics
The last two weeks have been a joy for me. Every afternoon or early evening, I check the Olympic results for the day. Based on what happened, I then decide which events I want to watch and how I want to watch them. Some nights it is the television and NBC, other nights it is the internet and highlights from specific events. It has been a great distraction from the other news that we are being bombarded with from the media.
The performances of Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky have been legendary. Biles wins gold in the all-around eight years apart while Ledecky wins the 200 freestyle in each of the last four Olympics. I will not be surprised if Ledecky competes in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
The men’s 100-meter race was incredible with 7 of the 8 sprinters involved in the photo finish. Only 0.14 seconds separated the winner from the seventh-place finisher as American Noah Lyles came from last to first in the final 50 meters. I have watched the race in real time at least five times and still cannot see how he won. Technology decided the medal winners. See my Video of the Day
The men’s 1,500-meter race was nearly as close. American Cole Hocker squeaked by in the last 10 meters to snatch the gold from the two favorites. Hocker beat his personal best time by three seconds, which is unheard of at this level of competition.
One of the most amazing come from behind gold medals was by American golfer Scottie Scheffler, who shot a closing round 62 (29 on the back nine) to make up four strokes on the final day. There is a reason Scheffler is the number one player in the world.
I am looking forward to the remainder of the Olympics this week, especially the men’s and women’s basketball, women’s soccer, and the rest of track and field.
Jim Harbaugh
The NCAA announced their penalties for recruiting violations by Michigan while Harbaugh was the head coach. The University of Michigan previously settled the case with the NCAA a few months ago after Harbaugh had left U of M to coach the Chargers.
The NCAA has banned Harbaugh from coaching college football for four years. His contract with the Chargers run well beyond that. Harbaugh has consistently denied the charges from the very beginning and has refused to cooperate with the NCAA.
I have said time and time again that the NCAA is one of the worst run organizations in the country. They are a bureaucratic organization that is always 10 years behind the times. Remember, it is the NCAA who preaches Title Nine, and then provides female participants in the NCAA basketball tournament with training facilities that are significantly inferior to those provided to the men. It is the NCAA, who implements electronic signaling between coaches and quarterbacks twenty years after the NFL implemented it. It is the NCAA who sat on the sidelines and watched major conferences fall part before their eyes and had no answer. I can go on and on and on.
Here is the response from Harbaugh’s attorney, Tom Mars, regarding the NCAA violations. “The way I see it, from Coach Harbaugh’s perspective, today’s decision is like being in college and getting a letter from your high school saying you’ve been suspended because you didn’t sign the yearbook, If I were in Coach Harbaugh’s shoes and had an $80 million contract as head coach of the Chargers, I wouldn’t pay any attention to the findings of a kangaroo court which claims to represent the principles of the nation’s most flagrant, repeat violator of the federal antitrust laws.”
When Judge Amit P. Mehta of U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia found on Monday that Google had violated antitrust laws by stifling rivals in internet search to protect its monopoly I was not surprised by the outcome. However, I was surprised to find out the Google has been paying Apple $20 Billion annually to have Google as the primary search engine on Apple products. Google had similar contracts with many other companies. None of these contracts are in the best interest of the consumer.
This case will be appealed to the max before it is finally settled. However, like the Microsoft case of 20 years ago, it will cause changes that hopefully will benefit the consumer. META, X, and Apple are all in the Justice Department’s crosshairs. The Google case will be interesting to follow over the next few years.
The Former President
Nolan Finley and the Editorial Board of the Detroit News is no friend of the Democrats. Finley continues to be baffled by the former president. Here are excerpts from Finley’s editorial last week.
Headline: Trump Could Win if He Would Just Shut Up.
Through the whole of the 2016 presidential campaign, I was convinced Donald Trump didn’t really want to be president.
It seemed impossible someone who was in the race to win would say and do so many things that offended large blocks of the electorate.
Here we are again. Trump seems to be trying to throw the game. How else would you explain his performance last week at the National Association of Black Journalists convention?
Maybe there’s an audience somewhere for Trump’s contention that his new Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris, is not really Black. If so, it was unlikely to be found in that Chicago convention hall.
Facing jeers from the Black journalists… many of whom are covering the race — Trump self-destructed. Republicans have been courting Black voters for months and had been making remarkable progress.
Trump risked squandering that hard work with his bizarre theory that the nation’s first African American vice president is not the race she claims, and before people who have little appetite for listening to a rich White guy expound on racial identity.
Despite having been spanked previously for claiming undocumented migrants take “Black jobs,” Trump did it again.
Harris has most of the cultural influencers in her pocket. Attacking her on a personal level will backfire on Trump… If he wants to win — and I assume he does this time — he should stick to carefully crafted talking points on those matters and knock off the rambling diatribes about racial theory and other such nonsense.
The chances of the former president doing what Finley prescribes is slim and none.
The Presidential Race
With Biden stepping away and Harris stepping in and naming Waltz as her running mate, the game has changed tremendously. The Democrats now have candidates who bring energy and enthusiasm and can relate to the middle class. It is amazing what this is doing to the anti-MAGA movement. Hope and energized are two words I have heard more in the last two weeks than I have heard any time in the previous seven months.
I have never believed that a vice-presidential candidate will make a difference in an election. However, in Waltz’s case, I am sure his enthusiasm, his mid-western roots, and his teacher and coaching background are going to open undecided voter’s eyes to the difference between the optimism of the Harris and Waltz versus the pessimism of the former president and Vance.
The next three months will be different than what was expected just 30 days ago. The country is better off because of it.
The Stock Market
Monday’s major correction in the market is a reminder to people that the market is volatile. Investing in the market and watching it daily is not for the weak at heart. The ups and downs will drive you crazy especially if you relate the ups and downs to dollar gains and losses.
I am a big believer in the stock market as a long-term investment strategy. Over extended periods, the market has always gone up. However, its volatility is not for everyone.
Monday was just another reminder of the volatility. There will be many more.
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Quote of the Day: “To the fans, how could I not love you after all you’ve done for me. One thing I want you to know from the heart, I never took you for granted and I will never forget you. Thank you very much.”
A choked-up Jim Leyland said during the on-field ceremony of having his number 10 retired by the Detroit Tigers.
Orchid of the Day: My best friend since we were five years old, George Mihaiu, turns 73 tomorrow August 8. Although we have lived over 1,200 miles apart for the last 45 years and have not seen each other in over three years, we continue to remain best friends. He is part of my soul. I do not recall ever having a misunderstanding or an argument in all these years. Our friendship has been based on mutual respect and love for each other. I have been blessed to have George in my life for all these years. Happy Birthday George.
Also, to my brother Garry, who turns 62 on Friday.
Onion of the Day: The driver of a car in Oden, Michigan (five miles north of Petoskey) who hit a jogger with his car and continued to work like nothing happened. The jogger a 48-year-old female on vacation from Colorado was killed. The driver was eventually arrested later the same day.
Question of the Day: Has the vice-presidential candidate ever influenced your vote for president?
Video of the Day: A 100-meter final like no other.