Three weeks ago, Jon Rahm suffered the biggest disappointment of his professional golf career when he was forced to withdrawal from the Memorial Tournament when he was leading by 6 strokes heading into the final round because he tested positive for Covid-19. His parents had flown in from his home country of Spain where they were going to celebrate Jon’s victory and then see Jon’s newborn son for the first time. There was no victory celebration and Jon could not be there when his parents saw his son for the first time because Jon was forced into quarantine. Fast forward to yesterday, when Jon birdied the last two holes of the U.S. Open to win his first “major” by one stroke. It was also his first Father’s Day as a father so it was heartwarming to see him hold his young son in his arms as he walked off the 18th hole with his beautiful wife. As I watched the tournament on TV, I found myself rooting for Jon to win as great player after great player fell by the wayside on the back nine. When those two birdie putts when in the hole, I couldn’t help but think that the golf gods were making amends for what happened three weeks ago.
When I get together with my college roommates, we have a simple rule, do not talk about religion and politics. I am going to violate that rule in my blog tonight because a conservative contingent of American Catholic Bishops are trying to push a doctrine that would prevent President Biden, and I assume others, to participate in the sacrament of communion because of their pro-choice stance. This is laughable to me. These conservative bishops will support an adulterer, a liar, a narcissist, a divorcee and a non-practicing Christian for president as long as the candidate is pro-life. However, a strong practicing catholic who attends church regularly and has been married for a very long time is not worthy of communion because of pro-choice. What a joke! It is important to note the conservative doctrine being pushed by these conservative American bishops is not supported by the Pope.
In a decision that will have major implications on the future of NCAA sports, the NY Times reported today that The Supreme Court unanimously ruled on Monday that the N.C.A.A. could not bar relatively modest payments to student-athletes, a decision that underscored the growing challenges to a college sports system that generates huge sums for schools but provides little or no compensation to the players. The decision concerned only payments and other benefits related to education. But its logic suggested that the court may be open to a head-on challenge to the ban by the National Collegiate Athletic Association on paying athletes for their participation in sports that bring billions of dollars in revenue to American colleges and universities. In a concurring opinion, Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh seemed to invite such a challenge. This is a major blow to the NCAA and a major victory for the student athletes. With this ruling and with the implementation of the “transfer portal” the power is shifting to the student athletes.
Stay safe. Wash your hands regularly. Social Distance. Wear your mask properly. Schedule your vaccine.
Orchid of the Day: My granddaughter Kaylen who turned four today. She is a lover of life.
Onion of the Day: The conservative American catholic bishops for their trying to railroad through a doctrine that will prevent President Biden and others from taking communion because of their pro-choice beliefs.
Quote of the Day: “Nowhere else in America can businesses get away with agreeing not to pay their workers a fair market rate on the theory that their product is defined by not paying their workers a fair market rate. And under ordinary principles of antitrust law, it is not evident why college sports should be any different. The N.C.A.A. is not above the law.” Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in a concurring opinion supporting the majority opinion of the Supreme Court.