Then the weirdness continued.
On Saturday afternoon most of our family went to a basketball game between Oklahoma and Mississippi State. It was a dreadful exhibition of the sport. So bad that OU shot a little over 38% from the field and won. I have been watching games for 65 years and had come to the reasonable conclusion no team ever made could shoot that poorly and win. Obviously I was wrong.
Actually the personal highlight of the two hour snooze fest was a moment during a time out when the PA announcer urged fans to, "Show us your muscles!" Cameras roamed the stands throwing images of people flexing their arms on the big screen above the court. My five year old grandson, much to the astonishment of his mother, father, uncle, and maternal grandparents, leaped to his feet, stripped off his shirt in a single fluid move, then began striking bare chested Mr. Universe type poses. The crowd in our section went wild, but alas, the cameras missed him.
Sunday brought the serious shit.
A helicopter carrying NBA and LA Laker legend Kobe Bryant, his 13 year old daughter, Gianna and seven others slammed into a foggy Southern California hillside. None of the nine people aboard survived.
The tragedy went beyond the retired Bryant who had turned to coaching his daughter's AAU basketball team, among other things. Also killed were Gianna's basketball teammate Alyssa Altobelli and her parents Joe and Keri. In addition another teammate, Payton Chester and her mother Sarah died in the crash. As did Christina Mauser who served as an assistant coach for the team. The pilot, Ara Zobayan perished as well. Reports are the helicopter was headed to Thousand Oaks, CA so the kids could play in a tournament. The cause of the crash remains unknown.
Bryant's sudden death left NBA fans, especially those in Los Angeles, in absolute shock. By late afternoon impromptu memorials were springing up all over town and elsewhere. Twitter was so besieged with tributes at one point the site froze for a few seconds as it fought to keep up with the deluge of posts.
By the time former President Barack Obama and the current resident of the White House tweeted out condolences the grief was spreading beyond basketball. In fact it was quickly becoming apparent the world of sports was having what could only be described as a Princess Diana moment.
Or at least a mini moment. By this morning national news outlets were back to focusing on the impeachment trial of Donald Trump.
This weekend word hit that former White House National Security Advisor John Bolton's as yet unpublished book, contained proof of what many already know and more than a few are denying. The President of the United States had withheld vital military aid to Ukraine only because they hadn't begun publicly investigating a political rival and his son.
Trump flew into a rage as did his supporters. Their current line of reasoning is Bolton's revelation that Trump had told him face to face the extortion attempt was just that, is a salacious fantasy meant solely to sell the book.
The news is so devastating to Trump's defense, it now seems impossible for the Senate not to call witnesses, including Bolton, to testify.
Well, the sane among us can say that. Given who is running the Senate, not to mention the type of right wing cretins who infest it, there is still no telling what will actually happen. After all, Mitch McConnell, despite an oath of impartiality, is the same guy who told us right up front he is coordinating the trial's rules and procedures with the White House. In other words the foreman of the jury isn't making a move without the approval of the accused.
Yes, the weirdness continued over the weekend. Some of it was amusing, some of it tragic, and the rest, simply proof Donald John Trump is guilty of practically every sin known to humankind.
1-27-20
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