San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Deep thoughts, cheap shots & bon mots ...
Scientists and medical experts say masks are effective for slowing the spread of the coronavirus, but tinfoil hats are not. Still, many sports figures prefer the hats.
Are the Raiders’ Derek Carr and Darren Waller antimaskers, morally or politically opposed to masks? How else to explain their closequarters schmoozing with folks at a Waller fundraiser. Let’s hope it’s true what people say: The virus that infects Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas.
Memo to my pal Al Michaels, Carr, Jon Gruden, et al.: When influential, popular sports people wear masks, they legitimize the concept of maskwearing, thus saving lives.
Kevin Durant, glorious to watch on a basketball court, wanders the earth in his endless quest for a team of players who understand his temperament and moods and needs, backed by fans who shower him with unqualified love. As the Warriors can tell you, some people are incapable of happiness in anything but fleeting moments.
For an intriguing look inside Durant’s run with the Warriors,
check out “The Victory Machine,” by Ethan Sherwood Strauss. A wellwritten inside look at ( subtitle) “The Making & Unmaking of the Warriors Dynasty.” When Durant was injured two seasons ago, the Warriors presented to the world a bloc of support for their fallen brother, but: “Warriors players did not know what to make of Kevin Durant’s injury status because they did not know what to make of Kevin Durant.”
I wish I could get as excited about anything as the A’sAstros telecast announcers got about the TV camera inserted inside first base. Closeup shots of shoes. Wake me up when you put a camera inside a baseball.
How to make baseball 5% better, instantly: Abolish the check swing. Stupidest rule in sports. Did he go around or did he hold up? The catcher is appealing to the firstbase ump, who will perform a mental coin flip. Nobody knows if the hitter checked his swing, and nobody cares. New rule: If you swing around, it’s a swing. Otherwise, it’s a take.
You know what makes me nervous and angry? People who say “Relax,” or “Chill,” or “Chillax,” or “Mellow out,” or “Cool down,” or “Whoa,” or “Pump your brakes.” I’ll tell you what you can do with your thesaurus, pal.