Irony

It seems a tad ironic that Trump is threatening big tariffs on foreign countries to protect the US market,  since a significant % of Kentucky branded spirits manufacturers have been bought-up by foreign companies. 

I asked my AI Copilot about this: 

" The exact percentage of U.S. alcohol owned by foreign companies isn't available, but foreign ownership is significant, especially in the spirits industry. Many iconic American brands, such as Jim Beam, Makers Mark, Bookers (owned by Japan's Suntory), Four Roses (owned by Japan's Kirin), and Bulleit (owned by the U.K.'s Diageo), are under foreign control. Additionally, international companies like Anheuser-Busch InBev (based in Belgium) dominate the beer market in the U.S."

What will Trump do when he finds out that his asinine trade wars are are making foreign investors rich at the expense of American consumers?  Whose gonna tell him?

Found this in my desk

A Vignette  (May 2023)

I am constantly telling my wife:
"I'm going to work outside. Please don't lock me out."  
Typically, I go out to the garage where I keep my work boots and gloves.
through the den door then I go out to the yard. through the outer door

Inevitably. she decides to clean the cat litter box
or take out the trash, or perhaps
searches for something stored on the garage, 
then, out of habit, turns the deadbolt to the locked position. 

This occurred again for the hundredth time just yesterday.  
I had come into the garage after working in the garden, 
 taken off my boots, and ... surprise!
found the door to the den locked. 

I knocked petulantly, then pounded a bit harder,  But no answer. 
Standing in the darkened garage in my stocking feet 
I had no choice but to keep pounding on the door 
or put the boots back on, go back out the outer door 
and walk around to the screen porch to enter 
through the (hopefully) unlocked back door slider.  

55 years of marriage  has taught me to take the easy road.  
So I stopped pounding and put my boots back on.  
Went into the porch and took the boots off 
and made it into the kitchen through the slider.

Inside, at the other end of the house, 
Judy was on the computer playing Mah Jong. 
 "You locked me out!" I complained.  
"Oh, sorry, I wasn't thinking." she answered,  
for the hundredth time.  
And that was that.   

Cutting Revenue to save money.

I read an news article today in the NYT  that likens Trump/Musk firing 6,700 IRS employees in the middle of Tax season to a business CFO deciding to cut the size the accounts receivable dept., in the middle of a successful sales campaign.  Cutting-off revenue is the last thing a competent businessman would do.
The CFO, however, would likely be fired for such a stupid move. 

What shall we do with Trumsk?

STFU if You Don't Agree

A drinking buddy of mine who has clearly imbibed too much Trump Kool-aid recently remarked that the Progressive Democrat Commies want to censor free speech. He cites Europe as an egregious offender, enacting laws against hate speech and even prohibiting criticism of government leaders, and even denying the Holocaust.    

I did some fact checking: In Europe, it looks like they are jailing offenders of "Hate Speech" when there is a threat attached. That seems reasonable to me.  

In general I'm not a fan of political correctness, especially when it inhibits normal expression of feelings or opinions.  Some of the recent censorship laws do seem Draconian to me: e.g., laws against Disparaging a public figure, without fear,  is a capstone of a free press. 

 Just calling someone a midget or an Indian should not be a crime by itself. I'm not certain, but I think that that it's legally okay (though morally wrong) to call someone a "dirty Jew" or a "Fag," even when there is no threat, but I would not support a general law against name-calling.

During the time when the people who were running Facebook and Twitter were censoring obvious misinformation and what was generally considered hate or threatening speech, I thought those platforms were more balanced and more pleasant places to exchange thoughts. 

Why they stopped monitoring is mysterious to me. (I don't log in  anymore to either site, in protest)

I am a fan of censorship when it comes to suppressing disinformation. The problem is in the execution. Who decides what is a fact? To me this is the existential crisis that we have today: People don't trust "trusted" sources anymore.

So it is that we cannot intelligently argue, because neither side will accept the other's source of any "fact". I blame Trump and his ilk. They have sown the seeds of distrust --with unsubstantiated claims -- in our legal system, election integrity, and any person or organization that disagrees with them. Trump makes claims with no evidence, and none of his claque dares to say him nay.

Funny that most of the witnesses during the Jan 6 hearings were Republicans who worked in government. And the majority of his first administration staffers said publicly that he was "unfit" to be president again. These weren't Dems, mind you. The only reason the 2nd impeachment didn't stick is that the Republican senate majority simply ignored the facts revealed by Jan 6 witnesses.

But of course, no self-respecting MAGA would believe any of that. They say, "The First Amendment guarantees free speech, so shut the fuck up!"

Phony Christians

 I don't disagree that the government is bloated and ineffective.  But the phrase "Throwing the baby out with the bathwater" comes to mind,  when you look at what the Trump team is doing.  Instead of taking a considered approach and cutting stupid and wasteful programs, they want to eliminate USAID, which in fact keeps a lot of people in the world from starving to death.

Where are the so-called Christians who think every glob of protoplasm is sacred?  Or, does that only apply to the unborn? 

How can they sleep at night -- knowing that they helped to elect a would-be Emperor  who refuses to take the time to do his homework,  and now is letting people in Sudan and other countries die as a result?  

Did Jesus limit his vision of the responsibilities of his followers to the boundaries of the United States.  I did not see that in my copy of the New Testament.   

When judgment day comes, if there is any justice, I expect to see them in hell.

How to Fix a seized Impeller

 Today I fixed my snowblower.  It had been out-of-commission during the recent snowstorm.  Oh, the engine started-up okay, and the axel drive gears worked just fine.  But the impeller (the part that throws the snow) was seized-up.  Every time I tried to engage the mechanism the belt would screech like a banshee and, if I forced it, the engine would quit under the strain.  

Hmm what to do?  Like any halfway intelligent modern man, I went to YouTube and typed-in "Craftsman snow thrower."   As expected, there were dozens of videos covering various problems with Craftsman snowblowers and how to fix them.  After watching one that seemed to be my problem, I deduced that the problem was either A) something (like a stone) got stuck in the impeller mechanism, or B) it was frozen.

I immediately decided that my problem was B, a frozen drive.  This is where the wisdom of old age guides the problem-solving process.  I reasoned, that it was unlikely to be that something got stuck in the mechanism because the last time I used it, I had no problems with that mechanism working.  Since the temps had been well below freezing since the last use, icing-up was a more probable cause.  Until today.

Noting that the forecast for today was an unseasonable warm-up (mid forty degrees) I decided to go out and crank 'er up.  Voila, everything works perfectly!

Not to brag, but a more impetuous soul might have rushed to call someone to fix the machine.  But, by waiting for a natural thaw, I did not waste any physical effort or money.

I must admit that I was forced to face the reality that "Old Trusty" might not be repairable for a reasonable expense.    At our age, we can't count on living in this (or any) house for enough years to make the investment in a new machine make sense. An existential crisis indeed!  The plows do a shitty job.  There are no neighborhood young people interested in making $20 bucks.  (These kids probably have more walking around money than I do)

In the end, procrastination once-again  saved the day!   I'm thinking of making my own YouTube video showing me literally doing nothing but looking at a thermometer and cranking-up the now perfectly working snowblower.

 

Sound Familiar?

Historian Lawrence Britt studied the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and Pinochet (Chile) and found they had 14 elements in common. He calls these the identifying characteristics of fascism. (Thanks to my friend Bruce G. for finding this)

Powerful and Continuing Nationalism
Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.
Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights
Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of “need.” The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, and long incarcerations of prisoners.
Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause
The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists…
Supremacy of the Military
Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.
Rampant Sexism
The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation.
Controlled Mass Media
Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation or by sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Government censorship and secrecy, especially in war time, are very common.
Obsession with National Security
Fear of hostile foreign powers is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
Religion and Government are Intertwined
Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government’s policies or actions.
Protection of Corporate Power
The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.
Suppression of Labor Power
Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed .
Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts
Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.
Obsession with Crime and Punishment
Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.
Rampant Cronyism and Corruption
Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.
Fraudulent Elections
Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

Sound familiar? Fact: Historically, things did not turn out well either for the citizens or the Fascists.

Tuning Out, Again

 

I have deleted my social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter and have stopped wasting my time watching the talking head shows on cable.  My plan is to hide my head in the sand (like an insurance ad  emu), to avoid having to deal with further unpleasant political realities.  

I’m chagrined to see that both Biden and Trump have further eroded our trust in the justice system with their blanket commutations and pardons for violent criminals.  That makes a mockery out of the judicial system of costly investigations, courts, juries and sentences that put the felons behind bars.   

Trump threatened to slap a 25% tariff on Colombian goods because they refused to let the Deportation Plane land (probably because it was filled with a bunch of Illegal murderers and drug dealers.)  This is awful because now we will have to pay more for Starbucks.  Such short-term thinking worries me.  I would just drop them by parachute into the jungle. (If they can pay for the chute)   

How’s that for genius thinking?  Maybe I should apply for a government job?

Zen and the Art of Snowblowing

 

It’s been a cold winter hereabouts, as it has been everywhere else, even the Florida contingent is experiencing a bit of unseasonable frigidity.  So, where the heck is global warming when you need it?  

We had about 6 inches of snow last week – a good excuse to get my trusty Craftsman 5HP Snowblower out of the shed and cranked-up.  I find clearing the driveway a most satisfying activity, displaying my mastery of machinery as well as the psychic reward of seeing the results of my efforts.  

After a long career as a corporate minion, most of the companies where I was employed have gone away, and none of the systems that I helped build are still in use.  I sometimes wish I had taken up carpentry or masonry, so I could go and look at my work and perhaps get a feeling of fulfillment and pride.    

Don’t get me wrong; I’m not feeling that I wasted my career, or into philosophical musings about the meaning of life.  I’m just saying that I get a warm sense of satisfaction when I can see the results of my labors.   

Narcissism

 Narcissism is prevalent in politics, public celebrities, teen agers, and especially in the performance and creative arts.

I believe every famous artist I've met or read about is a narcissist to some extent. How else can one justify excluding the rest of the world from one's proximity when in the act of creation? Creation of art (painting sculpture, writing, composing) is the act of mental masturbation -- is it not?

I define a narcissist as someone who wishes the world revolved around them. Most of the sane ones know that it doesn't, but they secretly believe that to be a flaw in the system. It should be all about them.

Many artists are not totally sane, as we define normalcy. We like to describe them with positive tinged adjectives like, quirky or eccentric, but at the heart of it, they tend to march to the beat of a selfish drum.

We find a lot of these types on a college campus. Businesses and governments do not tolerate quirky behavior, but academia has a high tolerance for abnormal behavior. So the campus is the last bastion for the less-sane among us.

In a writing group, the alpha narcissist will usually start their analysis of the piece you just read about oversalted french fries at McDonalds.   "That reminds me of the last time I was in Paris …" they will intone.  Then, they will hijack the conversation to those fond Paris memories.  

As a hack writer, I am probably a bit of a closet narcissist myself. But I am also highly social, and, recognizing that most people find narcissists irritating, I try to hide the fact that I am primarily interested in discussing my favorite topics. 

 If I were more successful and famous, I most certainly would have a higher sense of self importance, and would let my inner narcissist roam free. But I am in touch with reality so I keep my delusions of grandeur under wraps.

Vibecession - The Word of the Day

 

Today I had to look-up the word "vibecession." I came across it while reading the front-page Globe article about how people are feeling more isolated and uncertain in these post-pandemic times.  

It combines "vibe" and "recession" to describe a situation where people feel like the economy is in a downturn, even though the economic indicators are positive. It's all about the mood and perception rather than the actual economic data.

It helps explain why the Dems lost the election. The pro-Trumpers simply ignored the data and kept harping on the price of eggs and butter as proof of Biden's failure to put a lid on inflation. 

It worked.

AFTERMATH - Trump Gets Re-elected.

Well, I did not see this coming. 

I am stunned to learn that I'm in the minority of the American voters who showed-up for the Presidential election last Tuesday.

I honestly did not believe that anyone with basic common sense, a shred of decency and belief in the rule of law would vote for Trump.  But I am duly informed that we do not always see things the same way as others do.    

After the majority of people who actually worked in his government refused to support him, claiming that he is "unfit for the office" I sort of wrote him off.  (If you can't get the support of people who know you best, it would sem to be a no-brainer for citizens to choose a different candidate.)     

I knew that his base -- MAGA  -- had consistently supported him, despite his contempt for truth, fact and decency, but I guess his message of intolerance and toxic nationalism appealed to a much wider swath of the uneducated/uninformed than I had imagined.

Endorsement (in case you were undecided)

The Philadelphia Inquirer endorses Kamala Harris in the critical swing state of Pennsylvania.

"Voters face an easy but tectonic choice in the race for the White House.

Will they choose the first woman or the oldest man to be the next president?

Will they choose the prosecutor or the convict?

Will they choose the candidate who supports restoring Roe v. Wade, or the man who bragged about overturning it?

Will they choose the candidate with a tax plan to help the middle class or the one who wants to help the superrich?

Will they choose the candidate who backs a tough bipartisan immigration law or the guy who killed the measure?

Will they choose the candidate who wants to combat climate change or the one who thinks it is a hoax?

Will they choose the candidate who upholds the peaceful transfer of power or the one who summoned a violent mob to attack the U.S. Capitol?

Will they choose the candidate who stands up to Vladimir Putin or the one who said Russia could do “whatever the hell they want?”

Will they choose the candidate who champions education, health care for all, and sensible gun safety laws, or the person who wants to close the U.S. Department of Education, repeal Obamacare, and told supporters after a school shooting to “get over it?”

Will they choose the candidate who supports the working class or the one who is anti-union and opposed raising the minimum wage?

Will they choose a woman of color who wants to unite the country, or a man with a history of misogynistic, racist, and divisive comments and actions?

Will they choose the candidate who supports LGBTQ rights or the one who wants to roll back protections for the gay community?

Will they choose the candidate who will uphold the presidential oath, or the one who was impeached twice for high crimes and misdemeanors, profited from the White House, dangled pardons to cronies, and was indicted four times?

This baker’s dozen list could go on, but the choice is clear and obvious.

Vice President Kamala Harris wants to help all Americans.

Donald Trump wants to help himself.

That is why The Inquirer endorses Kamala Devi Harris to be the 47th president of the United States.”

The Shit List

 It was another of those warmish Fall days that make you glad to be alive. I was sitting at my desk reading the obituary page in today’s paper. One of my few obsessions in life is the daily reading of death notices, hoping to see the names of people who are on my shit list. 

The shit list is not very long. I keep it in my head. The list contains the names of people -- mainly former bosses who failed to appreciate my genius, a few evil and conniving coworkers who betrayed confidences and thwarted my ambitions. The neighbor with the barking dog. The CFO who torpedoed my career back in the 80’s, one of his lackeys who made my job (and me) disappear hoping to get suck-up points. The moron who thought my idea for using the internet for customer service was a dumb and risky idea in 1996. 

The list has not had any new additions in the last few years, mainly since I stopped working for people with their heads up their ass. Unfortunately, I have not crossed too many people off the list either. I heard one of them got testicular cancer (thumbs up!) but sadly, it is not always fatal. 

I am not saying that their crimes are a motive for murder or anything like that. I’m just saying that news of the early and agonizing death of people on the list would cheer me up. A bit of schadenfreude, you say? Hey, I never said I was perfect.

 Actually, now that I think of it, I have a more unspecific list of nameless people whose deaths I would have enjoyed reading about. Call center owners and employees, authors of those scam emails, drivers who have cut me off or otherwise violated my safety and lane occupation on the highways… that sort of offender. 

Today, no one I know was listed in the paper, so I turned to the bird sightings section. One of the sightings was a scarlet ibis. This has to be a secret code. You never see ibises in the North.

What normal people are thinking

 I blame the extremes on both sides for the divisive rhetoric that characterizes public discourse today.  

From the far left we are lectured and hectored by self-righteous, politically correct, tree-hugging wussy progressives  who want us all to feel guilty for all the wrongs of the world.  They want to make things right by reparations, redistributing wealth, saving the planet (and all it creatures.) They want the outliers of society to be treated as if they were normal.    

From the far right we are treated to incredible conspiracies, distrust of government,  threats of violence, distorted truths and the willingness to overthrow an election based on debunked claims of fraud.  

 Most liberals are not progressive.  moderate liberals are willing to accept gradual change, but we don't agree with "In your face" attempts to enforce change.  I, for one, am still a long way from accepting  Drag Queen Story Hour as a good way to influence children. 

You scolds, wallowing in your self righteousness,  may frown and remind us that not everyone was as lucky as we were - that some folks are poor and starving and oppressed, or worse.  Yes, I get that.  I can empathize with others' pain.  

But,  I do not like being told how I ought to think.  

Happy Columbus Day

Sorry folks, I am old school when it comes to October 14th.  It's been Columbus Day all of my life and I don't really see any reason to stop observing it as such.   Not that I spend much time celebrating.  For me it is just another holiday -- a reason to have an early beer and maybe a grilled hot dog or burger.  

The progressive liberals among us want to call it Indigenous Peoples Day, as a rebuke to the reported excesses of Columbus and his crew of marauders against the natives.   That's a bit too woke for me.  I liked it better when Columbus was the hero who put America on the map.   But no,  Lefty know-it-alls are determined to explode the  myths that have been part of my education since I was able to read.  The other day I read that according to recent research,  Abe Lincoln was probably gay.   Who needs this kind of  "truth"?   Does it make us happier, more secure, wealthier?  I say no.

 

The So-Called Debate

 Well, that shit-show couldn't have gone worse.  A weak sounding, scared looking geezer trying to parry the confident, bullshit slinging Trumpster.  I was so disheartened that I shut it off after 20 minutes  of schoolyard name-calling and went to re-organize my sock drawer.

At 11pm, I tuned-in to The Daily Show for the most reliable analysis.  John Stewart did a pretty good job of characterizing the event.  Biden had one thing to do --convince the doubters that he had the mental capacity and stamina for another term.  He failed.

 

I still believe that most reasonable people will vote for an addled, muted Biden over the rambling, incoherent, lying Trump.  But  I fear that Trump did not lose a single supporter where mumbling Joe may have sent a few million votes towards Kennedy. 

I wish they had sent Kamala instead.  She is a good debater.  I can just hear her, walking out there and saying "Joe's got the flu.  As #2 I am here to take-on this orange motherfucker, so let's get started." 

 It's Tuesday, or as I call it "Book Club Day."   Book Club as you may remember is the weekly gathering of a select group at an Irish pub (Dunn's) located in Newton Upper Falls.  Tuesday afternoon around 4pm is a slow time at the pub, so we get there just as it opens and claim our usual stools. We don't actually talk about a specific book (as is the practice in ladies' book clubs), but we all read books, and if someone is reading a particularly interesting book, they might recommend it to the group.  No, the real reason is to engage in sociable quaffing and solving the world's problems. 

For example, we discuss the guilt or innocence of the accused in high profile trials, or offer an opinion about issues of the day, or even remark on the outcomes of sporting events.  There is never a loss for words.  Oh, and I almost forgot the popular topic:  Health challenges.  We are all over 50 and most of us are closer to 80.  Several of us are currently being/or have been treated for Cancer.  One is a Doctor (Cardiologist). One has COPD and Heart issues.  Everyone has some bodily malfunction to share.  Those of us in the geezer section think of health as a game of whack-a-mole.  If you get one problem fixed, two more will pop-up to take its place.  

The bar staff looks at us with apparent affection.  Perhaps we remind them of an elderly family member or friend.  They know our drinks and stories.  The ambience is much like what you might recall from the old TV program "Cheers" -- where everyone knows your name.  

Afterword: Someone has asked why we call it "Book Club,"  when we do not actually discuss an assigned book.  This, my friends, is  a genius  example of  "Reframing."     Before Book Club , on Tuesday afternoons,  you would meekly say to the wife,  "I'm off to the pub to have a few beers with the guys."  She, of course, would scowl at you.   

But now you say "I'm off to Book Club."   She says "Have a good time."  or even "Hey, aren't you late for Book Club?"    Reframing!

 Well, another Monday.  When I was a corporate employee, I never liked Mondays much.  Usually, they would start=out with a dry mouth and headache from too many beers on Sunday.  Rarely did I look on a new week as a chance to excel, or acheive any long-sought accomplishment.  No, it was a return to hum-drum, tedium and some asshole in the corner office wanting to know why my projects were behind schedule.  As I think I have mentioned before, I was born (82 years ago this week) without a sense of urgency.  (I was reportedly 3 weeks behind the expected due-date, weighing almost 11 pounds at birth.  My mother never let me forget that fact,either, especially when I was being a pain in the ass.  She would make me sit in a chair and listen to how painful it was to pass a large object through a small opening. This was my penance for my many crimes of smartassery and excessive boyishness.)

But I digress:  You would think that being born without a sense of urgency would be a handicap in life, but that is not the case.  Many others, who have a well-developed sense of urgency, are perfectly willing to share their senses of urgency with you.   It doesn't matter that you can't understand why a report needs to be submitted on this Friday instead of, say, Wednesday next week.  The boss wants it on Friday. So...when you come in on Monday --  not having finished the Status Report from last week

He (or she) is all over your ass before you even get a chance to pop down to the company cafeteria for a coffee and jelly donut.   But I shall not belabor the bad associations that I have with Mondays.  For more details you will have to wait until my autobiography is published.  Given my low sense of urgency, you should not hold your breath waiting for it to come out.

Waving Goodbye to Summer

September is my favorite month of  the year. The nights have started getting cooler, the days less humid and we have football, corn on the cob, tart apples and tomatoes that taste like tomatoes instead of cardboard.

That said, I confess that this has not been a great year in the garden: Too much sun combined with too much rain, and me getting lazy about fertilizing and weeding. The tomatoes have not as good as in past seasons. I harvested a lot of them, but many were cracked or sunburned  and I had to cut off the top third to slice the ripe part for my Caprese salads, Irish salsa and homemade tomato sauce. My recipes generally utilize "secret Irish spices," (salt and pepper). 

Anyhow, I'm happy to wave goodbye to the Summer and to embrace the Fall with open arms.
They are predicting a "snowier than normal" Winter this year. I really don't mind the snow  in manageable quantities. Say up to 10-12 inches.   The snowblower is my favorite piece of machinery. Most power tools scare me. Good thing I wasn't a carpenter.

I am not talking about politics these days, there is still more than a year to go until the big election and currently we have two doddering candidates and no good choices. I have enough to worry about without wasting time arguing with gullible zealots about stuff I can't understand or control.

To paraphrase Rodney King, Why can't we all just get along?

Talking about Sports is almost as bad as opining about politics. Lately, I have been turned-off by the inordinate focus on individual players rather than the team. Brady, Ortiz, Brown big names in Boston sports,  earning deservedly big paydays, but folks, there is a team out there, making the big plays possible.  I wish there was an option on the remote that allows you to hear the crowd noise but mute the announcers during a game.   I am definitely a fair-weather fan.   If my team is losing, I switch to another channel.  But  I do faithfully watch playoffs and big games. Sometimes with the sound turned off.