Ups and downs
The Thumbs staff bows down to Copperas Cove’s Shaye Haver, one of two female soldiers to earn the coveted Army Ranger tab this week. Females can’t serve in a Ranger regiment today, but we’re betting that will change — fast. And speaking of fast, for those of you with goals, here’s a small part of her fitness test: 49 push-ups in two minutes, 59 sit-ups in two minutes, six pull ups, a two-mile run in 15:12, a five-mile run in 40 minutes and a 16-mile hike with a 65-pound pack in 5 hours, 20 minutes. Pass the Advil, please.
Most parents think twice about letting kids play football because of head injuries. A worse headache? It comes from listening to Texans coach Bill O’Brien on the HBO reality show “Hard Knocks.” Here is the filtered audio of our guy on camera talking about his own team with assistants: “I want to see what these (bleepers) know. I want to hear their communication. I want to know what they know. OK? I don’t give a (bleep) what you know. … I want to know what these (bleepers) know. We don’t have a lot of time — OK? And right now we’re telling these (bleeping) guys what to do at every position on every play. And if they don’t know what to do, then that’s part of the evaluation. Then we cut their (bleeping) ass. … Let ‘em play and let’s see what the (bleep) they know.”
“Hard Knocks” does have touching moments as it attempts to humanize and soften our gladiators. Defensive players Johnathan Joseph and Kareem Jackson are filmed shopping for clothes for Jackson’s infant daughter. The message, one that Coach O’Brien could follow, is that Jackson wants to set the right example for his baby girl in the future.
Anti-Semitic thugs have tagged synagogues in San Antonio, getting the result they didn’t want: an outpouring of support from the community. Meanwhile, in another vile example of hate speech — this one from an elected official — Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller posted an image on his Facebook page suggesting the Muslim World should be nuked. Instead of apologizing, Miller’s spokesman blamed the incident on a staffer. The spokesman said if an apology was due, it should come from Islamic terrorists, Iranian leaders or President Obama, the Austin AmericanStatesman reported.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year for the Thumbs family — except for the alarm clock buzzing an hour earlier. Most schools start back Monday. And, by the way, the pressure isn’t just on the kids. It’s also on teachers and parents. Remember, if you take care of them now, they’ll be in a better position to take care of you later.