Richard’s Ramblings, 9-13-2020

…I watched a little bit of Rocky V on TV a few nights ago. Sylvester Stallone is an inspirational writer, as he sold the Rocky script when he was broke and desperate. But as the fifth installation opens with him learning he’s gone from riches to rags courtesy of his brother-in-law, the street-wise (except for Wall Street) Paulie signing over his power of attorney to a crooked accountant, it’s hard to believe Rocky would be that stupid or careless. 

It’s not a surprise that Rocky V received nine Razzie Nominations, but it was a surprise that it received none–not even for screenplay…

…Does anyone else remember how Bill Cosby around 2012 gave a speech admonishing black youths and telling them to live life responsibly and not to blame others? This was when he was respected. Soon, the media chose to magically give a voice to women who had been ignored for a long time: women who claimed “America’s Father” had raped them. I suspect Cosby did, but the timing has always made me suspicious…

…Whenever I need inspiration to post a blog, I visit Wil Wheaton’s blog. Wheaton is prolific, the Isaac Asimov of Bloggers…

…I have learned recently as I continue to be a pen freak: H-E-B makes great pens. Walmart’s, at best, are mediocre. A metal pen slathered in Crisco would be easier to grip. Time for another giveaway…

…No, I don’t watch sports except for occasional peaks out of morbid curiosity, but I decided to watch a little of the football game today between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Team Formerly Known As The Washington Redskins. I have a longtime obsession with uniforms and when teams decide to change their look. What do the Former Redskins look like now? I wondered.

I’ve never liked burgundy (I prefer scarlet red), but Washington made one change I love: jersey numbers on their helmets. It makes me think of the iconic Alabama Crimson Tide helmets.

Perhaps Washington should keep this look and not acquire a new mascot. Washington Football Team. It works for a lot of soccer teams. You know: Liverpool Football Club, Manchester United FC, Real Madrid, etc.

Not acquiring a new nickname also guarantees nobody else will get offended, although that seems to be a major offered today by colleges…

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Random thoughts about the world

…Bill O’Reilly has announced he’s boycotting Sean Penn movies. Great, Bill, give Penn publicity. Instead of boycotting his movies, why not analyze his political comments and rate them on a Spicoli System? (Penn played the stoned surfer Jeff Spicoli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High). A general dumb comment would be worth one Spicoli while the most stupid comment imaginable would be worth five Spicolis…

…O’Reilly is also taking on rapper Marshall “Eminem” Mathers over a song/video where Mathers makes R-rated comments about Alaska governor Sarah Palin. Again, does Eminem really need more publicity? If O’Reilly had to say something, maybe he should’ve just dismissed Eminem’s unrealistic, not-happening fantasy as a pathetic attempt to remain relevant?

I’ll never forget how a few years ago the twice-ex-Mrs. Mathers, Kim Mathers, found a creative way to get under Eminem’s skin by questioning both the size of a certain part of his body and his lack of prowess in a certain area of the house.

If anything, it’s too bad O’Reilly didn’t simply point out Eminem’s a poor sport. He parodies people all the time without getting permission, but refused to let “Weird Al” Yankovic do a video to accompany “Couch Potato”, the Weird One’s spoof of “Lose Yourself”. Makes me wonder if Mathers should instead change his name to Twofayss…

…Three games are in the books this season for the Houston Astros. In the first game, they brought out their whiffle bats against Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos “I pitch like Cy Young anytime I see a batter wearing an ugly Astros uniform” Zambrano and, predictably, flailed. Decent pitching with bad hitting. The second game, the Astros squandered a great pitching performance by lefthander Wandy “It’s Wandy, NOT Wendy!” Rodriguez as they got great pitching but very little offense. Houston won the game on a bases-loaded, broken-bat single. And, in the third game, the ‘Stros hit five home runs to the Cubs’ two but still lost since their starting pitcher seemed to think his start was batting practice…

…If you look at recent public photos of him, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il looks noticeably gaunt. I know he’s had some recent health problems (although you’d probably never know if you’re the type that believes everything the official North Korean News says), but it’s puzzling. I always thought one of the cardinal rules of being a ruthless, all-powerful dictator was to never allow yourself to be seen as physically or mentally week. An Atlantic Monthly article on Saddam Hussein told of how the late dictator dyed his hair and moustache to hide the gray, limited his walking in public to keep his limp a secret and had his speeches printed in huge letters so he wouldn’t have to use his reading glasses.

Makes me wonder if Kim is simply trying a diet. You know, the starvation diet many North Koreans tend to be on…

…Haven’t watched Lost lately. I like the show, but lately there’s just been far too much else to do…

…What will the Dallas Cowboys’ new stadium be named? I’m guessing it could be AT&T Stadium or Nike Stadium. If named after Nike, it could be nicknamed “The Shoe”, although it’ll probably be known as The House that Jerry Built.

Here’s a name I really like: I Hate The Redskins And Eagles Stadium…

…I’m very sorry to hear of the death of Los Angeles Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart. He was killed in a car accident in which the preliminary results say the other driver was drunk. Not surprisingly, the other driver (who apparently had a suspended license from a prior drunk driving arrest) reportedly tried to flee the scene. Why is it the drunk drivers seem to survive while their victims don’t?

Don’t get me started on American drunk driving laws…

…Watching the recent world events and President Obama’s sometimes-tepid and timid approach to the tough issues (such as terrorism), I’m starting to think that if he’s defeated for re-election in 2012, a softness on security might be the trump card. Jeff Jacoby of the Boston Globe once wrote a column about how the liberal former New York City mayor Ed Koch announced he was voting for President Bush in 2004 because Bush was right on terror, and that trumped every other issue…