The SEVEN
by Mack Williams
3 July 2015
I. Champ
If this week were a baseball game, Bree Newsome and spotter James Tyson would be the co-MVP’s for climbing up the South Carolina foul pole to remove the confederate flag.
II. Trump or Chump?
Some time ago I was walking through Times Square when I noticed a big commotion across the street. Being naturally curious, I headed over to see what was going on and found that Muhammad Ali was there, engaging the growing crowd with his playful banter. Upon being called “champ” by one man, Ali turned to him and asked, “Did you say champ, or chump?”
In light of NBC, Univision, Macy’s and others cutting business ties with the Donald as a result of his unbelievable remarks about Mexicans, it might be apropos to ask if he should be called Trump, or Chump? Then again, it doesn’t seem to be hurting his standings in the GOP presidential polls…may even, in fact, be helping. What does that say about the chumps that are responding to these pollsters?
(When the man told Ali that he had said champ and would never call him chump, adding that Ali was bigger than he was, Ali asked one more question: “Did you say bigger, or n____r?” Due to Ali’s masterful delivery, we were all rolling over in laughter…but the fired and non-repentant Mr. Trump should see that his comments were no laughing matter.)
III. Time For Some Traffic Problems
It really would have been fitting for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to kick off his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination in Fort Lee, the site of the “Bridgegate” traffic tie-up which may turn out to be the incident that dooms – or has doomed – his fledgling campaign.
IV. The Worst?
Another Republican candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, told FOX host Sean Hannity that the day when the recent Supreme Court decisions on gay marriage and Obamacare were announced was “some of the darkest 24 hours in our nation’s history.” I understand and get the fact that they were upset with these rulings with which they disagree, but the next time the subject comes up, here are a few days and incidents that Cruz and Hannity can reference as being worse:
Slavery – any day up to 1865
Lynchings – from reconstruction until ?
9/11
April 4th, 1968 – the assassination of Dr. King
November 22nd, 1963 – the assassination of President Kennedy
December 7th, 1941 – Pearl Harbor
WWII Japanese Internment camps
Hurricane Katrina
Gulf oil spill
…and so on.
V. I Now Pronounce You…
Some may agree with the Court’s ruling on gay marriage, while others disagree…but no current marriages were invalidated as a result and, therefore, all marriages remain intact despite the ruling. Furthermore, should my wife divorce me and subsequently a gay person asks me to marry him, I can still legally and respectfully decline, as the ruling does not declare that everyone must marry someone of the same sex. So for virtually all straight people, there is little or no effect.
VI. Wade County
Dwyane Wade has re-signed with the Miami Heat – and I, for one, am glad. I am totally in favor of athletes earning any and everything they can, and free agency has been the engine which has enabled salaries to rise. In fact, free agency got D-Wade a four million dollar raise.
That being the case, I’ve always admired when all-time great players – such as Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, David Robinson, Stockton & Malone, Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, to name a few – have played an entire career with one organization and are completely associated with that team. Wade has a chance to become one of those guys, and I hope he does.
VII. Free Agent Frenzy
Even with DeAndre Jordan signing with the Dallas Mavericks, I’m still waiting for the game-changing free-agent signing. Jordan to the Mavs may just bring them back to where they were, given that they have lost Monta Ellis and Tyson Chandler. That game-changer may have to wait until next year, when the salary cap money will probably rise big-time as a result of new network television contracts.
This might be a good time for all team sport professional athletes to say a posthumous word of thanks to the late Curt Flood, whose challenge of baseball’s reserve clause paved the way for free agency in all sports and brought all salaries out of an exploitative era. For that alone, he merits enshrinement in the Hall of Fame.
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