XFL 2.0

Vince McMahon announced the second reiteration of the XFL this week and one has to admit it is getting a lot of attention.

It promises to be different from the short-lived 2001 version, this time with no cheerleaders, no real "in your face" promises of violence,  and promises of a safer, quicker game.

If there is a time for a competitor to the NFL, this is it.  The older league appears to be staggering.  Although the anthem protests are a definate factor, the NFL has other problems.  Those problems are high ticket prices, teams holding cities hostage for new stadiums, an increasing gulf between players and fans and what seems to be a general sort of contempt for those same fans.

Anger the customers and you will not be in business long.

Like the old XFL, the new one will be playing in the Spring.  McMahon is calling for a "re imagining" of the game.  No politics, no players with police records, less rules and safer.  It certainly seems like a re-imagining.

It is probably what the game of football needs.

The NFL has become slothful and lazy.  Competition brings out the best.  Things have changed since 2001.  It does not matter which network agrees to carry XFL games.  They can be streamed live on a variety of digital devices.  TV networks themselves may be in danger.

Every now and again, you, the fans, have to yank the chains to show sports leagues who the boss truly is.

Fans can live without the NFL....the NFL cannot live without the fans.

Keep that in mind.

Missile launches

Hawaii was in complete panic on Saturday,thinking a North Korean missile was inbound for the island.  Later Japan had a false alarm, but unlike the authorities in Honolulu, Tokyo was able quickly correct the error.  For some reason, the alert went on every medium imaginable for 38 minutes.

It seems odd in the Hawaiian case that there seems to be no communication between military and civilian authorities.  Was there communication?  How did someone hit the "wrong button" and no one noticed for 38 minutes?

I cannot predict what North Korea will do--I am not sure anyone can--but somehow I do not think North Korea wants to commit national suicide.

Kim Jong-un owns his own country.  Why would he jeopardize that? 

If North Korea attacked South Korea, the NKs stand about a 1% chance of winning.....and I am rounding it up. A lot of people would be killed, especially in Seoul, and in the end, the best North Korea could hope for is a draw.

A North Korean nuclear attack on anyone, especially the United States, would result in Kin Jong-un presiding over a radioactive wasteland, assuming he was not blown into another dimension.  The West will not launch a preemptive attack on North Korea.  China and Russia will not go to the mat for North Korea.

North Korea has no chance of victory and any attempt to seize that victory will result in its destruction.

Cold, wind, did I mention "lots of SNOW?!"

The 2010s have seen a lot of what is referred to as "Winter Events" not only here in NC but up and down the East Coast.  We have had Pittsburgh-like temps since New Year's with quite a bit of ice and snow while Pittsburgh and the rest of the Northeast has been hit with Arctic-like temps and record ice and snow.

I hate to see what the actual Arctic must be like this January.

Could you tell the difference?

If anything, at least people might (?) be getting used to it.  I have not seen as many wreaks out on the road this time around.  I also noticed people were dressed for it this time--no shivering goofballs at the grocery store wearing shorts with a bewildered look on their face wondering if a new Ice Age was upon them.

As long as you don't see sabre-tooth tigers prowling around the back yard, things will work out.

If you do, well......

The cats go out to the carport and venture no further.  They batted at the white stuff and even ate some of it, but quickly came back inside.  Michelle and I tromped around and saw only our own footprints, so it seemed everyone was taking the advice of Muffins the cat.  My running sked was completely destroyed so, I will pick that up again on Monday.

Naturally my Pittsburgh Penguins were in Raleigh to play the Hurricanes and naturally I could not go, not because of the weather, but because the game was sold out!

Nothing stops hockey!

Oh well, we lost 2-1 so such is life!

The Penguins will be back in a couple of weeks and hopefully, someone in the stands will be someplace else!

Putting a bow on 2017, on to 2018!

The year is drawing to a close and it is time to take a quick look back before charging into something new, if for no other reason than to remember what NOT to do!  LOL

2017 was a fun year as Michelle and I traveled up and down the East Coast.  We resolve to go West this year and see some stuff we haven't before.  I need to catch up on yardwork and there are several books to be written.  It never ends, but that is the way I like it.

Reffing football was something new this year.  The thing I noticed most at the football games was how incredibly insecure people were.  Coaches, players, fans, and even some other refs.  Of course, I had people yell at me when I threw a flag, but I laughed at them and assessed the penalty anyway.  No one tried to come after me even when I threw one coach out of a game!

I am pretty easy going but when a coach start dropping F bombs and screaming (this was a game with six year olds), it is time for him to go and I had not problem personally escorting him off the field.  There are basic standards to maintain....end of story.

I like teaching history at community colleges and I will stick with that. Plus I will ref more football games.  There are other things I am going to try so I will keep you updated.

Just remember, the world is a crazy place and it always has been.  Sometimes you have to put your foot down to keep it relatively sane.  No fuss, nothing dramatic, just do it.

Polite yet firm, Canadian style with some Pittsburgh steel.

Time to do some stuff!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The airline problem

Air rage incidents rose again....partly because of more flights and partly because,well, air rage incidents rose.

The airlines and their passengers are caught in a vicious cycle.

The passengers are squeezed into small cabins, leading to anger, especially after waiting in line for hours, dealing with security and getting ripped off on a never ending stream of "fees".  They go bonkers which leads to stewardesses becoming more paranoid, which leads to more angry passengers and so on.....

The people making decisions that make everyone miserable--airline execs--are not on site to deal the with the misery, focusing only on how to squeeze even more dollars out of passengers who have become prisoners and air staff who are turning into prison guards.

If you are looking for a truly miserable place full of unhappy people, go to the airport.  No one--passengers, staff, security--looks happy.  It is a microcosm of everything that is wrong in the 21st century.

Something is going to give and it can be headed of by following the Golden Rule--treating others as you would like to be treated--but with such selfish, narcissistic people on all sides of the issue, it is hard to forsee anyone doing the right thing.

At least the news will be interesting. 

Canadian Super Bowl

Canada's Super Bowl--the Grey Cup--is today, pitting Calgary  and Toronto against each other.

I played briefly (very briefly) in Canada and the three downs and 110 yard field takes some getting used to.  If the field looks crowded, its because there are 12 men on the field!

There is a lot of snow coming down too, making this the first snowy Grey Cup since 1996. 

The Canadian Football League season runs a little earlier than the NFL, starting in July and ending in November. That is to avoid the awful weather of the Great White North's winter.  Sometimes the snow hits anyway!

I have always been surprised by the amount of passing in Canadian football, especially considering the whether.  That is what happens when you have three downs instead of four.  It can come as a bit of a shock when you grow up with Pittsburgh-style smashmouth football.

When it comes to things Canadian, I'm a Westerner, so GO CALGARY!!!