• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Before Header

  • About Us
  • Lexicon
  • Contact Us
  • Our Store
  • ↑
  • ↓
  • ←
  • →

Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The republican caucus is already covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

This blog will pay for itself.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.

The GOP is a fucking disgrace.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

Come on, man.

I did not have this on my fuck 2022 bingo card.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

The willow is too close to the house.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

A democracy can’t function when people can’t distinguish facts from lies.

Republicans in disarray!

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

A last alliance of elves and men. also pet photos.

“And when the Committee says to “report your income,” that could mean anything!

“woke” is the new caravan.

Consistently wrong since 2002

Mobile Menu

  • Winnable House Races
  • Donate with Venmo, Zelle & PayPal
  • Site Feedback
  • War in Ukraine
  • Submit Photos to On the Road
  • Politics
  • On The Road
  • Open Threads
  • Topics
  • Balloon Juice 2023 Pet Calendar (coming soon)
  • COVID-19 Coronavirus
  • Authors
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Lexicon
  • Our Store
  • Politics
  • Open Threads
  • War in Ukraine
  • Garden Chats
  • On The Road
  • 2021-22 Fundraising!
You are here: Home / Open Threads / Friday Afternoon Open Thread (Plus NFL Draft-Related Rant)

Friday Afternoon Open Thread (Plus NFL Draft-Related Rant)

by Betty Cracker|  May 1, 20154:35 pm| 126 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Sports, Assholes, General Stupidity

FacebookTweetEmail

Here are two lizards as seen through a frosted glass window at night:

lizards

Must be a great bug-catching spot since the light will attract prey. It looks like one of the lizards is missing part of its tail. But it will grow back.

Open thread! And football rant below the fold, for those who are so inclined.

There’s a lot of fallout in the Tampa Bay area resulting from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ picking Jameis Winston #1 in the NFL draft yesterday. It’s a controversial pick because as an FSU star, Winston had a fuckton of off-field issues, including a rape allegation.

Winston was also busted for stealing crab legs from Publix, a local supermarket chain — and major sponsor of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. So what did Winston do on draft night, right after expressing profound gratitude for the opportunity and imploring people to give him a chance to prove what an awesome citizen he is?

He Instagrammed a picture of himself in a Bucs jersey and hat chowing down on crab legs. Someone advised him that might not go over so well, so he took it down.

Ah well. It’s the Bucs. Of course they were going to fuck up their #1 pick. Winston’s defenders (i.e., FSU fans) are all over the message boards making excuses for the photo, saying it was an innocent shout-out to the crab boat captain who supplied the crab legs.

But Winston isn’t stupid. He got into Stanford before he chose a full-ride scholarship to FSU. He’s not dumb, but he is a gridiron princeling who has been told all his life that he’s more important than anyone else and entitled to anything he wants because he’s good at tossing a ball.

He’s not alone either. Given the way elite players are coddled, it’s a wonder ALL of them aren’t felonious pricks instead of only a third or so.

It’s tough to be a liberal AND a football fan sometimes. There are the very real concerns about the long-term health effects of the game for players. That’s horrifying, though it’s true other sports ask players to take hideous risks too. What level of risk is too much?

Then there’s the absurd financial shenanigans, player exploitation and grade-fixing schemes at the college level. And the ridiculous billionaire-benefiting shakedowns of the public at the pro level, plus the obscene salaries, etc. The league enables heinous behavior on a regular basis, and their policy enforcement is a joke.

Despite all of this, I’ve been a fan all my life, as were my parents and grandparents. When summer eases toward fall, I’m sure I’ll feel that old excitement again — which of the shitty QB prospects will the Gators’ new coach start? Which blue-chip recruits will pan out?

But this Winston pick, for some reason, despite all the other awful shit I’ve seen as a fan over the years and kept on watching, this feels like one straw too many. Maybe it’s time to find something else to do with my fall and winter Sunday afternoons.

FacebookTweetEmail
Previous Post: « #BaltimoreUprising: What We’ve Seen On The Ground
Next Post: Friday Night Open Thread: Moar Lizard! »

Reader Interactions

126Comments

  1. 1.

    askew

    May 1, 2015 at 4:40 pm

    Today’s media – http://twitter.com/lachlan/status/594137524332732416/photo/1

    Bridget Kelly’s press conference is interesting. Christie made a mistake attacking her with sexist terms and it is going to come back to bite him.

  2. 2.

    Jerzy Russian

    May 1, 2015 at 4:41 pm

    So what did Winston do on draft night, right after expressing profound gratitude for the opportunity and imploring people to give him a chance to prove what an awesome citizen he is?

    He Instagrammed a picture of himself in a Bucs jersey and hat chowing down on crab legs.

    Does Mr. Winston have an agent? If so, that agent should give him some shut-the-fuck-up lessons.

  3. 3.

    Jerzy Russian

    May 1, 2015 at 4:43 pm

    @askew: That can’t be real. Please tell me you were bored out of your mind and you spent the last day with photoshop and fake Twitter accounts.

  4. 4.

    gogol's wife

    May 1, 2015 at 4:48 pm

    @askew:

    Is that real? Hilarious! Christie ally –> Kirstie Alley

    And somebody says, “He really did lose weight!”

  5. 5.

    kindness

    May 1, 2015 at 4:48 pm

    That pic needs another of the same with a kitty on this side of the glass trying to figure out how to get the lizard.

  6. 6.

    gogol's wife

    May 1, 2015 at 4:49 pm

    This is no doubt an out-of-synch comment, since most people watched Wolf Hall on Sunday, but I just caught the last half of the “Devil’s Spit” episode last night, and it made me cry multiple times. I am just in awe at the acting talent on display, especially from Rylance and Lesser, but Claire Foy is also really good.

  7. 7.

    catclub

    May 1, 2015 at 4:52 pm

    @kindness: Yes. Ours bat at the window. Kind of sad, but lucky for the lizards.

  8. 8.

    Tree With Water

    May 1, 2015 at 4:52 pm

    Tom Cotton, congressional ally and facilitator of democratic party foreign policy goals? To hear Jim Newell at Salon.com tell it today, the answer is- amazingly- yes.

  9. 9.

    askew

    May 1, 2015 at 4:53 pm

    @Jerzy Russian:

    I found it on twitter. I certainly don’t have the skill to do that. Sadly enough I can’t tell if that is real or if someone just did a perfect parody of our imbecilic media.

  10. 10.

    Germy Shoemangler

    May 1, 2015 at 4:55 pm

    Winston was also busted for stealing crab legs from Publix, a local supermarket chain — and major sponsor of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

    It would have been cool if he’d walked sideways out of Publix.

  11. 11.

    BGinCHI

    May 1, 2015 at 4:57 pm

    After the Revolution, football will not be televised.

  12. 12.

    Jerzy Russian

    May 1, 2015 at 5:01 pm

    @askew: Either way it is sad: the media is full of morons or someone has enough free time to pull pranks like that.

  13. 13.

    Goblue72

    May 1, 2015 at 5:04 pm

    Meanwhile Bill Belichick continues to play chess while everyone else plays checkers. NE had the 32nd pick in the first round and still walked away with the best value pick:

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2015/05/01/2015-nfl-draft-grades-patriots-seahawks-jets-ace-round-1/

    http://nesn.com/2015/05/patriots-make-best-value-pick-in-nfl-draft-day-1-giants-lions-reach/

  14. 14.

    JPL

    May 1, 2015 at 5:10 pm

    @Goblue72: I really wanted to see him on the stand during the Hernandez trial. Kraft was okay but Bill would have been great.

  15. 15.

    Betty Cracker

    May 1, 2015 at 5:10 pm

    @kindness: We have no cats, but if the window were lower down, I’m sure our dogs would go ape shit over the lizard silhouettes. As it is, the window is high above their heads and in a room they rarely visit, so they don’t notice it.

  16. 16.

    Southern Beale

    May 1, 2015 at 5:11 pm

    A child visiting the U.S. Capitol found a loaded gun that had been left in John Boehner’s bathroom. And apparently it wasn’t the first loaded gun left behind when security personnel used the toilet.

    Honestly, how hard is it to remember your gun when you’re on duty?

  17. 17.

    jl

    May 1, 2015 at 5:14 pm

    I heard the top college prospective draft picks at the shindig walked out on a gold carpet, and were supposed to talk about the fancy clothes they wore.

    Is The Onion putting on the NFL draft TV show this year?

    Come to think of it, is The Onion running everything right now? Seems like it from what I read in the news.

    Edit: Two newest stories at TPM
    Child Finds A Loaded Gun In John Boehner’s Capitol Bathroom
    Christie Speaks: Chris Christie: This is excellent news for Chris Christie.

    See?

    Edit2, Now up at TPM: Christie: Charges Prove I Had Nothing To Do With BridgeGate

    See? The Onion’s taken over everything.

  18. 18.

    Betty Cracker

    May 1, 2015 at 5:15 pm

    @JPL: Maybe he’ll be called to testify at the next Hernandez trial. Or did the other two murders take place in the off season?

    Hernandez is another example of what’s wrong with elite-level sports. If he were in any other profession, would he have gotten away with being a stone-cold psychopath for as long as he did?

    Eh, maybe if he was a talented hedge fund manager or real estate tycoon like that idiot who was recently busted for inadvertently confessing to murder while in the can with a hot mike.

  19. 19.

    shell

    May 1, 2015 at 5:16 pm

    Cute lizards. But I wonder, do you bang a couple of pots together before you go out your door at night?

  20. 20.

    Tree With Water

    May 1, 2015 at 5:16 pm

    @Goblue72: Belichick’s career as a chess master began the first Sunday Tom Brady started at QB, and it will end the day Tom Brady retires.

  21. 21.

    boatboy_srq

    May 1, 2015 at 5:19 pm

    @Jerzy Russian: BINGO.

  22. 22.

    Iowa Old Lady

    May 1, 2015 at 5:23 pm

    @gogol’s wife: We record and watch Wolf Hall later too, and as we watched this one, Mr IOL kept saying how glad he was not to be living in that situation.

  23. 23.

    Patricia Kayden

    May 1, 2015 at 5:24 pm

    This is an excellent idea from the ACLU for anyone who shoots video of cops abusing their power. Could remove the fear of retaliation out of the equation.

    http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-aclu-app-police-video-20150430-story.html

  24. 24.

    boatboy_srq

    May 1, 2015 at 5:24 pm

    @Southern Beale: You’re assuming security didn’t want the sidearm found – and used – in their jurisdiction. Facts not in evidence and all that. I could certainly see someone on that detail being unhappy enough with one or more Congresscritters to pull something like that in the hope that a) there’d be one or more fewer annoying obstructionists lawmakers on Capitol Hill or b) there’d be an opportunity to play hero, get some good press and get promoted away from said Congresscritters, or c) both at once.

  25. 25.

    JPL

    May 1, 2015 at 5:24 pm

    This made me laugh
    Christie was on a diet and said “close the fridge.” But someone misunderstood, and the rest, as they say, is history.
    copied from a comment on the ny times

  26. 26.

    mdblanche

    May 1, 2015 at 5:26 pm

    You know your party’s a bust when even the creepy kid doesn’t want to be seen with you.

    Meanwhile, a shocked, shocked Angie receives her winnings.

  27. 27.

    The Dangerman

    May 1, 2015 at 5:26 pm

    Both Winston and Mariota have bust written all over them (or, in the case of Winston, repeated busts for whatever crime he’ll be committing along the way).

    If rumors were true, these teams could have traded down for a boatload of picks; they will rue the day they picked the way they did.

  28. 28.

    trollhattan

    May 1, 2015 at 5:26 pm

    R.I.P. Mr. “Stand by Me.”

  29. 29.

    JPL

    May 1, 2015 at 5:26 pm

    @Betty Cracker: Hernandez appeared to play with guns while in college, so there was a big red flag. I hope Winston is smarter than that.

  30. 30.

    Mandalay

    May 1, 2015 at 5:27 pm

    Go Bernie!………

    Bernie Sanders’ nascent presidential campaign announced Friday that it raised more than $1.5 million in its first 24 hours, a number that far outpaces what Republican presidential hopefuls posted in their first day…

    …more than 100,000 people signed up for the campaign and 35,000 people donated money, according to a campaign press release.

    The average donation was $43.54.

    His web site needs (a lot of) work, but you can donate now.

  31. 31.

    Corner Stone

    May 1, 2015 at 5:27 pm

    Still have no freakin’ clue how STL takes Gurley at 10.

  32. 32.

    Corner Stone

    May 1, 2015 at 5:28 pm

    @JPL:

    I hope Winston is smarter than that.

    Absolutely *no* facts in evidence to presume that, at any point so far.

  33. 33.

    boatboy_srq

    May 1, 2015 at 5:29 pm

    FYI: FiveThirtyEight has some interesting NFL arrest statistics.

  34. 34.

    Mike J

    May 1, 2015 at 5:29 pm

    @Tree With Water: Pete Carroll would still be the head coach for the Patriots and Boston would have yearly Pete Carroll Day parades if Brady had come up one year earlier.

  35. 35.

    Betty Cracker

    May 1, 2015 at 5:30 pm

    @The Dangerman: I think you’re right. It wasn’t an exceptional QB class. The Bucs should have traded down and plugged the many holes they have on both sides of the line. When Winston flops (either on the field by continuing to be an interception machine or by doing something spectacularly stupid off the field), it’ll take down the coach and the GM, and they’ll deserve it too.

  36. 36.

    Nethead Jay

    May 1, 2015 at 5:31 pm

    Well, as a Saints fan I’ve never felt any particular animosity towards Tampa beyond the usual wanna-win thing. But with this Winston stuff, I’d really like to see them beat his ass into the ground. Sorry Betty…

  37. 37.

    Corner Stone

    May 1, 2015 at 5:31 pm

    @The Dangerman:

    Both Winston and Mariota have bust written all over them (or, in the case of Winston, repeated busts for whatever crime he’ll be committing along the way).

    Winston will follow recent Bucs tradition, by getting sacked 70+ times and throwing 25+ INTs while losing 12+ games.
    Mariota might as well have a loudly bright neon green sign saying, “I’m so busty, I make Dolly Parton jealous!”
    The only thing that would have been more sweet is if the Browns actually did pull off the trade and draft another pure fucking bust at QB.

  38. 38.

    Mandalay

    May 1, 2015 at 5:41 pm

    Since this is an assholes thread….

    Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said Friday that he trusts the legal process that resulted in charges against six Baltimore officers in the death of a man from injuries sustained while in police custody.

    But a president, said the likely 2016 Republican candidate, could do more to address rising anger toward police in poor neighborhoods. “I think we need, as a nation, to have a conversation about why is it that we’re creating these big pockets of poverty,” he said.

    Of course he could have said that yesterday, or last week, or last month. But the profile in cowardice had to wait to see which side was winning before he formed an opinion. What a spineless, worthless slimebag.

  39. 39.

    raven

    May 1, 2015 at 5:43 pm

    @Corner Stone: As long as you ignore the facts I post you will continue to be confused.

  40. 40.

    boatboy_srq

    May 1, 2015 at 5:43 pm

    From the TBO article:

    In the days leading up the draft, Winston said on an ESPN program that the seafood was a freebie and he was “hooked up” by an employee at the Publix. If so, that could be an NCAA violation, and FSU was looking into that version of the incident.

    You’re dumb enough to walk out of a supermarket with “free” food and think that’s appropriate in any way? And you’re dumb[er] enough to think that some NFL-sponsoring business is going to throw goodies your way out of the generosity of their hearts, and then say nothing when you sign with their home team? If Winston’s story has any truth, somebody at Publix is about to get fired and the NCAA is going to have a field day with this. Winston may not need to fumble his way to the unemployment line: there’ll likely be a nice quiet call from an office in Lakeland to the Bucs, and shortly after he’ll be “released” from his contract.

  41. 41.

    BGinCHI

    May 1, 2015 at 5:44 pm

    @Mandalay: He doesn’t need a conversation; he needs to look in the mirror.

  42. 42.

    Betty Cracker

    May 1, 2015 at 5:46 pm

    @Mandalay: He is a craven piece of shit and always was. It’s somewhat amusing to see him languishing behind the other lunatics and lightweights in the GOP pack, but I expect he’ll collect his nomination prize in the end. Most of the money people are behind him, and that’s really all that matters.

  43. 43.

    Corner Stone

    May 1, 2015 at 5:50 pm

    @raven: It’s not that he isn’t an awesome RB. He is. But given recent history, and the way the NFL actually plays the game now, who gives a 10 pick to any RB?

  44. 44.

    schrodinger's cat

    May 1, 2015 at 5:51 pm

    Not too fond of lizards, give me the creeps.

  45. 45.

    Betty Cracker

    May 1, 2015 at 5:52 pm

    @boatboy_srq: Not gonna happen. The crab legs incident was dealt with while Winston was still at FSU (I believe he paid a fine, served a suspension and did community service), and while it was unbelievably stupid for Winston to change the story, that happened before the draft. I’m sure the front office smoothed that shit over with the sponsor before giving the keys to Winston — even the Bucs front office isn’t THAT stupid.

  46. 46.

    the Conster

    May 1, 2015 at 5:52 pm

    Marilyn Mosby went to the same high school as my daughters – my older one graduated two years after her. She was a METCO student – one of three bussed in. The school is small, public and very white, but rated number one in the state. The white privilege at the school is beyond beyond, and the METCO kids who make it through are the best of the best, because to get there, they have to get on a bus by 5:30 in the morning, and probably don’t get home until 5:30 at night or later. She’s special, and I hope she’s going to be safe.

  47. 47.

    boatboy_srq

    May 1, 2015 at 5:54 pm

    @Betty Cracker: I wasn’t thinking of the Bucs being that stupid, but of Publix being that negative-publicity-averse.

  48. 48.

    Iowa Old Lady

    May 1, 2015 at 5:58 pm

    @Mandalay: I’m sick of “conversations.” How about some positions and actions?

  49. 49.

    boatboy_srq

    May 1, 2015 at 6:02 pm

    @Mandalay:

    I think we need, as a nation, to have a conversation about why is it that we’re creating these big pockets of poverty

    Translation: we need to figure out what kind of kick in the a## incentive Blahs Poors Other people need to stop mooching of hardworking Real Muricans obtain gainful employment so they can stay out of sight in their barrios achieve pride in their communities.

  50. 50.

    Corner Stone

    May 1, 2015 at 6:02 pm

    Oh, Coach Charlie Strong. You poor dear.

  51. 51.

    trollhattan

    May 1, 2015 at 6:02 pm

    @Betty Cracker:
    IIUC, under the CBA rookie salaries are pretty much dialed in, so Winston gets his payday no matter what. (I don’t know if signing bonuses and such fall under the CBA.) But, and this is the biggie, product endorsements are where the Big Money is and for him to rake in an amount commensurate with a #1 draft pick who’s also a QB–basically the bestest, most marketable combination that the NFL can dish up–he needs to gather his merde, pronto. Literally tens of millions of dollars are in play if he can.

    He sure sounds like a tool from my far-away perch, and I do believe he skated from a rape charge solely by the good graces of an obfuscatory university and inept local law enforcement, but even a tool gets a chance at redemption (especially if he drags the team above .500).

  52. 52.

    Southern Beale

    May 1, 2015 at 6:04 pm

    @boatboy_srq:

    That sounds a little Alex Jones-y to me.

  53. 53.

    Keith

    May 1, 2015 at 6:06 pm

    @Germy Shoemangler: I think Winston would need more practice on his footwork to slide out of the Publix pocket that cleanly.

  54. 54.

    jl

    May 1, 2015 at 6:08 pm

    @Mandalay:

    Something wrong with Sanders’ internet pages. I get ‘account suspended’ and error messages when I try to connect to any of his 2016 presidential sites.

    I contributed through the Act Blue page for Sanders

    Bernie Sanders- 2016
    https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/bernie2016

  55. 55.

    boatboy_srq

    May 1, 2015 at 6:12 pm

    @Southern Beale: Capital cops aren’t “dumb” so much as undervalued and underpaid, and tasked with protecting scum who are where they are because they persuaded enough of their constituents to send them to Washington (FSM knows we gripe about them enough and we don’t see them every day Congress is in session). That’s got to wear you down. I don’t remember where I saw the stats, but the number on that force who are also on some kind of public assistance is considerable. And unlike the Secret Service, which at least has the glamour of “protecting the President” to fall back on, the only time they get noticed is at moments like this. Most likely the guns did get dropped; but you can see how getting to play hero – or getting to watch a Congress too interested in buying F-35s to pay them a living wage get scared into valuing them – would have appeal.

  56. 56.

    Original Lee

    May 1, 2015 at 6:15 pm

    Completely OT, but I think I’ve been reading too many tabloids. When I see Secretary Clinton referred to as HRC, I keep mentally translating it to Her Royal Clintoness.

  57. 57.

    lahru

    May 1, 2015 at 6:17 pm

    I have lived in and around Burlington, VT for 30 years and have watched Bernie’s rise.

    He’s as good at politics as Ben or Jerry are at ice cream.

  58. 58.

    bemused

    May 1, 2015 at 6:18 pm

    @Betty Cracker:

    We will occasionally have a lime green tree frog clinging to screen outside. Lovely color.

  59. 59.

    Howard Beale IV

    May 1, 2015 at 6:20 pm

    @Original Lee: Could’ve been worse.

  60. 60.

    Peale

    May 1, 2015 at 6:20 pm

    @Mandalay: As he knows full well, Trayvon Martin had nothing to do with “big pockets of poverty”. Nor actually did Fergusson. Not everywhere black people are is a big urban ghetto or sharecropper central.

  61. 61.

    The Dangerman

    May 1, 2015 at 6:21 pm

    The shocking thing about Winston (yes, I’m piling on here) is we’ve seen his act recently; he’s Jay Cutler. Million Dollar arm and nothing between the ears. That someone can have that much talent and be that dumb (thus, worthless) is almost shocking.

  62. 62.

    Mnemosyne (iPhone)

    May 1, 2015 at 6:21 pm

    @Original Lee:

    All of the Royal Baby coverage is probably getting to you. It seems like the media is more excited about this one than they were about George. That poor kid is chopped liver now as far as the tabloids are concerned, and he’s under three years old.

  63. 63.

    Howard Beale IV

    May 1, 2015 at 6:27 pm

    The MDA Labor Day Telethon is no more.

  64. 64.

    The Pale Scot

    May 1, 2015 at 6:30 pm

    @Betty Cracker: Over at my sister’s in NJ she has a menagerie of critters that come up to her sliding door. When we use to visit with Himself he’d sit at the door getting so agitated I could see the heat rising off his head. SO many mammals and birds, not like FL at all. And Oh God the squirrels, he’d spend the week stomping up and down the street looking up in the trees.

  65. 65.

    srv

    May 1, 2015 at 6:34 pm

    LAS VEGAS (AP) — Blues legend B.B. King is telling fans he’s in hospice care at home in Las Vegas.

    The 89-year-old musician posted thanks to fans on his official website Friday for well-wishes and prayers.

    Las Vegas police Officer Jesse Roybal says an ambulance was summoned Thursday to King’s address and a person was hospitalized following what was characterized as a dispute over medical care.

  66. 66.

    JPL

    May 1, 2015 at 6:36 pm

    @The Dangerman: In her post Betty mentioned
    But Winston isn’t stupid. He got into Stanford before he chose a full-ride scholarship to FSU. He’s not dumb, but he is a gridiron princeling who has been told all his life that he’s more important than anyone else and entitled to anything he wants because he’s good at tossing a ball.

  67. 67.

    kindness

    May 1, 2015 at 6:40 pm

    @Tree With Water: Speaking of Tom Cotton….Go over to Wonkette and read the thread about Sen. Tom Cotton Picks Twitter Fight With Iranian Foreign Minister, Gets BURNT! Very funny.

  68. 68.

    skerry

    May 1, 2015 at 6:40 pm

    B. B. King is in hospice care in Las Vegas. Sad news.

  69. 69.

    trollhattan

    May 1, 2015 at 6:41 pm

    This week in presidentin’.

    Never ran across the “West Wing Week” videos before. Good reminder of how lucky we are to have Mr. Obama as our president. Hope Hill’s up for the challenge.

  70. 70.

    trollhattan

    May 1, 2015 at 6:44 pm

    @skerry:
    He’s one entertainer I love unreservedly and have never known a world without BB. Good journeys, Riley King.

  71. 71.

    FlipYrWhig

    May 1, 2015 at 6:47 pm

    I feel like Winston’s issue is going to be that he gets too fat to play QB well. He doesn’t seem dim like Manziel or, really, particularly cocky (like Cutler?). He just seems mushy-bodied.

  72. 72.

    boatboy_srq

    May 1, 2015 at 6:52 pm

    @kindness: Funny if Cotton were still a private citizen. He’s a Senator (FSM help us). That makes it something far darker.

  73. 73.

    scuffletuffle

    May 1, 2015 at 7:00 pm

    @The Pale Scot: ZOMG…such a handsome devil!

  74. 74.

    Tree With Water

    May 1, 2015 at 7:01 pm

    The next trial of the century?

    “While the statute of limitations has expired for most Cosby accusers, Bernard was allegedly assaulted in New Jersey, which has no statute of limitations for rape. Yesterday, Bernard and Allred reported the crime at a police station in Atlantic city, with hopes that Cosby will finally be prosecuted. “Unlike most other states, New Jersey has no statue of limitations for rape,” said Allred. “Which means that law enforcement is not prevented from prosecuting a case because of an arbitrary time period set by law.”

    Gloria Allred, hardee har har.. still, it sounds like it might spell trouble for Cosby. And that would be fine with me.

  75. 75.

    princess leia

    May 1, 2015 at 7:02 pm

    All 6 cops now in custody for Freddie Gray death. All have bail set lower than teen who smashed police car with cone http://gu.com/p/48xmc/stw

  76. 76.

    Betty Cracker

    May 1, 2015 at 7:04 pm

    @JPL: Yeah, I think he’s a smart guy — he can read a defense, etc. He’s just an entitled asshole, so he does dumb things.

    @FlipYrWhig: People have been saying that based on his draft day photos, but he looked fit as hell during combines.

  77. 77.

    Howard Beale IV

    May 1, 2015 at 7:10 pm

    @kindness: That’s gonna leave a mark.

  78. 78.

    Jared Plotkin

    May 1, 2015 at 7:10 pm

    Jeb Bush gave a shout-out to a White Nationalist!

  79. 79.

    shell

    May 1, 2015 at 7:22 pm

    @Mnemosyne (iPhone): People Magazine has never recovered over the loss of Princess Di

  80. 80.

    sharl

    May 1, 2015 at 7:24 pm

    @bemused:

    We will occasionally have a lime green tree frog clinging to screen outside.

    I hope those frogs are nothing like Cuban tree frogs, which are Betty’s nemeses. In fact, I think she’s made a pretty convincing case for them being out to get her.

  81. 81.

    MazeDancer

    May 1, 2015 at 7:24 pm

    Maybe it’s time to find something else to do with my fall and winter Sunday afternoons.

    You are a wonderful writer and a joy to read, Ms. Cracker. But it’s possible, in a few years, the brain damage evidence of football’s toll will make you consider other afternoon activities. Which I will look forward to hearing in your stylish words.

    Little bitty boys take their tiny brains out and risk them every season because it’s fun and cool and part of their town’s culture and people cheer their risking their little growing heads and spines.

    Goodness knows, as a child, I did plenty of crazy and dim stuff to try and be the coolest, with my parents driving me on to “be a winner” instead of “listen to your heart” or “find out who you are”.

    People love football. It’s their lives, it’s their whole town’s lives, it’s their joy and their social life. But this wonderful blog continues to confuse me. Because climate change deniers are considered crazy. But ignoring the evidence about what football does to young men is considered the sane thing to do. Because football.

    And anyone who brings up any kind of Ta-Nehisi Coates POV gets pummeled. Because football. And football threads get posted often. But the raft of NY Times – or any publication – articles outlining exactly how football is destroying brains are not a parallel communal experience. A NY Times article about some political something is considered a big deal. But ignore that brain jello stuff. Because football.

    All I could think about during the draft was – young men getting millions to destroy their bodies, their brains, their health, their future.

    You should spend your time exactly how you feel good about it, Betty Cracker – football, lizards, backyard tiki huts – whatever you please. And keep using your excellent skills to tell us all about that.

  82. 82.

    Mike J

    May 1, 2015 at 7:27 pm

    @sharl: Maybe with the normalization of relations things will calm down on that front.

  83. 83.

    Major Major Major Major

    May 1, 2015 at 7:30 pm

    Krav Maga time!

  84. 84.

    bemused

    May 1, 2015 at 7:32 pm

    @sharl:

    Naw, these are cute little northern MN tree frogs.

  85. 85.

    bemused

    May 1, 2015 at 7:33 pm

    Steve Kornacki is filling in for Chris Matthews and he is going to discuss Bridgegate coming up.

  86. 86.

    Howard Beale IV

    May 1, 2015 at 7:33 pm

    I see Alan Dershowitz crawled out from wherever bog he hides in and now proclaims the Baltimore cops can’t get a fair trial.

    Hey Alan-go defend them if you believe that. Otherwise, STFU and keep praising how smart Ted Cruz was.

  87. 87.

    Germy Shoemangler

    May 1, 2015 at 7:39 pm

    Open thread gripe:

    About a half hour ago we were looking out our front window and saw a gray-haired gentleman standing on the sidewalk in front of our house. We watched as he bent over and started pulling flowers out of our property. I went outside, and I guess the sound of my door closing made him take off. By the time I was outside he was down the street.

    Just last week we saw a gray-haired lady doing the same thing. I’m guessing they’re husband and wife.

    Is there any decency left? I feel like a sucker for all the money we spent at the garden center. Why not just pull them out of my neighbors’ yards?

    My wife’s mother had a similar experience a few years ago. Someone dug up a flower bush in front of her house. She knows who did it, because it magically appeared in front a house a few doors away from her.

    WTF?

  88. 88.

    Germy Shoemangler

    May 1, 2015 at 7:40 pm

    I’m pissed. Why are people such assholes?

  89. 89.

    Mike E

    May 1, 2015 at 7:46 pm

    @Germy Shoemangler: People walk around with no concept of boundaries, or think they have plausible deniability…I know, I work in security.

  90. 90.

    SiubhanDuinne

    May 1, 2015 at 7:46 pm

    @Tree With Water:

    Cosby is performing in metro Atlanta tomorrow night.

    Protests are planned, and Allred is likely to attend.

    I wish I could like her better: she often (not always!) represents women who deserve her bulldog tenacity, but I have always found her such an attention whore* that it can put me off her message.

    *Yes, I do realize “whore” is itself an unseemly, sexist term, and by using it I have jeopardized, if not negated, all my feminist bona fides. Tough titties, I’m not dealing with that tonight.

  91. 91.

    Germy Shoemangler

    May 1, 2015 at 7:47 pm

    @Mike E: I feel like it’s a “manifest destiny” sort of mentality.

    “Oh, I like that.” [yoink] “It’s mine now.”

  92. 92.

    Howard Beale IV

    May 1, 2015 at 7:53 pm

    @MazeDancer:

    But it’s possible, in a few years, the brain damage evidence of football’s toll will make you consider other afternoon activities. Which I will look forward to hearing in your stylish words.

    Something’s changed in the NFL between the 1970’s and today. We’re seeing more deaths of NFL’ers from brain damages in the later years than from the 1970’s thru the late 1980’s.

  93. 93.

    FortGeek

    May 1, 2015 at 7:53 pm

    @Betty Cracker: I saw over at LGF that Jebbie loves him some Charles “The Bell Curve” Murray, the so-called “scientific racist.”

    Jebbie thinks of himself as a “nerd” for reading so much of Murray’s stuff.

  94. 94.

    JPL

    May 1, 2015 at 7:54 pm

    @Germy Shoemangler: When I was quite young, I had to say a bunch of Hail Mary’s for picking flowers in front of Miss Foster’s house.

  95. 95.

    Mike E

    May 1, 2015 at 7:55 pm

    @Germy Shoemangler: “But, the door was open.”

  96. 96.

    Germy Shoemangler

    May 1, 2015 at 7:56 pm

    @JPL: These were people in their late ’60s/early ’70s. They should know better.

  97. 97.

    The Pale Scot

    May 1, 2015 at 8:00 pm

    @scuffletuffle: Such a Ham you mean, the camera loved the guy, I’ll give him that.

  98. 98.

    Howard Beale IV

    May 1, 2015 at 8:04 pm

    @The Pale Scot: OK, I’ll bite-is that a Westie or a light coloured Scottie? Looks like a White Scottie to me, based on the long-ass muzzle.

  99. 99.

    Tree With Water

    May 1, 2015 at 8:08 pm

    @Howard Beale IV: I believe that something you can’t quite put a finger on is often referred to as “the magic of medicine”. That, and with each passing decade since the 1970’s, the NFL has steadily culled ever speedier, larger, and all-round better athletes on draft day. It’s a lethal combination.

  100. 100.

    Peale

    May 1, 2015 at 8:12 pm

    @Germy Shoemangler: lol. Not to pick on the elders too much, but I’ve noticed these past few years that the people who talk during movies and need to be told to stay off their phones in the theater are the olds. I think it’s that culture of “I don’t have time left to not babble to my wife.” I think it’s the lead paint they ate as kids. Keeps em impulsive through their golden years.

  101. 101.

    Mandalay

    May 1, 2015 at 8:15 pm

    @jl:

    Something wrong with Sanders’ internet pages.

    I donated with no problem. His site has been updated since my original post.

    ***** SANDERS 2016!!! *****
    ***** SANDERS 2016!!! *****
    ***** SANDERS 2016!!! *****
    ***** SANDERS 2016!!! *****
    ***** SANDERS 2016!!! *****

  102. 102.

    Howard Beale IV

    May 1, 2015 at 8:16 pm

    @Tree With Water: I’m not quite buying into that, for the reason that I think what happened is that over the years the materials science guys made significant breakthroughs in equipment, gear, et. al, which reduced the number of career-ending injuries on-field but was unable to mitigate injuries to the brain as we understood them at the time.

  103. 103.

    Mandalay

    May 1, 2015 at 8:23 pm

    Juan Williams just now on fair and balanced FoxNews:

    Just how big a role has the breakdown in black families played in Baltimore?

    Talk about blaming the victim. If you made this up nobody would believe it.

    Of all the odious shitslime on that channel, he is the absolute worst for me. Even worse than Krauthammer and Hannity. Just a despicable human being who has sold his soul and self-respect for the mighty dollar.

  104. 104.

    lamh36

    May 1, 2015 at 8:23 pm

    Images of 6 officers charged: 3 Black officers, 3 white officers…how will the racist police officer apologist supporters chose who to support?

    Baltimore reacts after officers charged | Maryland News – WBAL Home http://www.wbaltv.com/news/32705712 via @wbaltv11e 3

    https://twitter.com/psddluva4evah/status/594292820569108480

  105. 105.

    lamh36

    May 1, 2015 at 8:33 pm

    uh…huh…yeah right.

    The Freddie Gray Case Should Be A Warning To Reporters Who Print Unfounded Police Leaks http://thkpr.gs/3653821 via @thinkprogress

  106. 106.

    schrodinger's cat

    May 1, 2015 at 8:37 pm

    @Mandalay: He is not the only one, David Brooks was at it in his column this morning,

  107. 107.

    Corner Stone

    May 1, 2015 at 8:40 pm

    Personally, I think it is completely plausible that Freddie self-injured himself. Not so much as a troubled youth but more as an aficionado of old school rap.
    Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check

    “Woo-Hah
    got you all in check
    I got that head nod shit
    make you break your neck
    Woo-Hah”

  108. 108.

    scuffletuffle

    May 1, 2015 at 8:42 pm

    @The Pale Scot: Well, he was the George Clooney of dogs…

  109. 109.

    Peale

    May 1, 2015 at 8:43 pm

    @Mandalay: considering how long the African American family has been broken and babies having babies for t-Bone bucks and whatnot, Williams should ask why riots aren’t more frequent and don’t seem to last that long.

  110. 110.

    Tenar Darell

    May 1, 2015 at 8:48 pm

    @Germy Shoemangler: Next time you could go for the camera phone, maybe you can shame them at their place or at the next neighborhood meeting?

  111. 111.

    Howard Beale IV

    May 1, 2015 at 8:55 pm

    @Peale: Since you seem connected to Far East cinema: any word if/when Attack On Titan will make it stateside? I see I see they got AU/NZ dates planned.

  112. 112.

    Mandalay

    May 1, 2015 at 8:56 pm

    @schrodinger’s cat: Even if you accept that Brooks believes all that stuff, and his heart is in the right place, how can he lack the self-awareness to realize that this is simply not the appropriate time to vocalize his one-eyed pearl clutching? The tone deafness is deafening.

    But while his column sucked, some of the reader comments were awesome…

    What a fantastic column. Your ability to ignore the impact of systemic racism and systemic inequality is truly outstanding.

  113. 113.

    Shana

    May 1, 2015 at 9:05 pm

    @Peale: I’ve noticed the same thing recently. When did it stop being those damn kids?

  114. 114.

    The Pale Scot

    May 1, 2015 at 9:07 pm

    @Howard Beale IV: He was long eared, extended body wheaten Scottish Terrier. Ergo, A Pale Scot. Weighed in at 27 lbs no fat. about 5 lbs over spec.

    Edit: Ya Scotties have a bigger head and are more muscular.

  115. 115.

    Germy Shoemangler

    May 1, 2015 at 9:12 pm

    @Peale:

    Not to pick on the elders too much, but I’ve noticed these past few years that the people who talk during movies and need to be told to stay off their phones in the theater are the olds. I think it’s that culture of “I don’t have time left to not babble to my wife.” I think it’s the lead paint they ate as kids. Keeps em impulsive through their golden years.

    Now that you mention it, I’ve noticed that from the oldsters! The talking in the movie theater, the impulsivity, the bad behavior. It’s like a science fiction movie: spoiled teenaged aliens from Ganymede are invading the bodies of senior citizens…

  116. 116.

    Howard Beale IV

    May 1, 2015 at 9:14 pm

    @The Pale Scot: My mother was fortunate to have run across at the local humane society a just-under 1-year old Scotty who had gone from the east coast to the west coast and landed in the midwest when she adopted her.

    One of the best dogs she’s ever had. She’s all muscle and has a serious set of choppers on her. And boy can she let out a howl when she wants in. Next time when I go up to visit I’ll have to record her when I come in the door-she lets out a rather undescribable sound that I interpret as “where have you been?”

  117. 117.

    The Pale Scot

    May 1, 2015 at 9:21 pm

    @Howard Beale IV: The little girl I grew up with could pop a tennis ball in under a minute. They do have a sense of fair play that I don’t always see in other breeds. They give you a blank “Really? why the fuck did you do that?” look.

  118. 118.

    The Pale Scot

    May 1, 2015 at 9:25 pm

    @The Pale Scot: This is the look.

  119. 119.

    janeform

    May 1, 2015 at 9:28 pm

    @scuffletuffle: Indeed. Our vet’s assistant called our dog the Cary Grant of dogs. He still had it at age 16 and a half!

  120. 120.

    Peale

    May 1, 2015 at 9:44 pm

    @Howard Beale IV: I’m not sure. Don’t know why it’s taking so long to find a date. but then I never understand the international release process. if not August then who knows?

  121. 121.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    May 1, 2015 at 10:21 pm

    @The Pale Scot:

    A miniature woolly mammoth! How cute. I presume you had him detusked to avoid furniture damage.

  122. 122.

    Howard Beale IV

    May 1, 2015 at 10:50 pm

    @efgoldman: It’s not the people’s minds are being bent; it’s that people aren’t aware that they are being conditioned-worse still, they aren’t aware of their own stupidity.

  123. 123.

    Peale

    May 2, 2015 at 12:32 am

    @Howard Beale IV: and? There’s lots of people who are accused of notorious crimes who have to stand trial who don’t have the police union’s access to a press willing to print their side of the story.

  124. 124.

    gian

    May 2, 2015 at 12:41 am

    @Peale:
    If they can get the same jury who walked the Fullerton cops who beat Kelly Thomas to death they’ll walk.
    The good news is those jurors are in California.

  125. 125.

    Paul in KY

    May 4, 2015 at 8:51 am

    @FlipYrWhig: He seems a little like Jamarcus Russell.

  126. 126.

    Paul in KY

    May 4, 2015 at 8:52 am

    @Howard Beale IV: Much bigger people, hitting harder.

Comments are closed.

Primary Sidebar

Recent Comments

  • Manyakitty on Friday Night Klown Fights Open Thread: ‘Misguided Patriots’ for the L (Jun 3, 2023 @ 12:36am)
  • Manyakitty on War for Ukraine Day 464: (Some of) You Have Questions, I (May) Have Answers (Jun 3, 2023 @ 12:34am)
  • Rebel’s Dad on Friday Night Klown Fights Open Thread: ‘Misguided Patriots’ for the L (Jun 3, 2023 @ 12:33am)
  • TheMightyTrowel on War for Ukraine Day 464: (Some of) You Have Questions, I (May) Have Answers (Jun 3, 2023 @ 12:33am)
  • Rebel’s Dad on Friday Night Klown Fights Open Thread: ‘Misguided Patriots’ for the L (Jun 3, 2023 @ 12:32am)

Balloon Juice Meetups!

All Meetups
Seattle Meetup on Sat 5/13 at 5pm!

🎈Keep Balloon Juice Ad Free

Become a Balloon Juice Patreon
Donate with Venmo, Zelle or PayPal

Fundraising 2023-24

Wis*Dems Supreme Court + SD-8

Balloon Juice Posts

View by Topic
View by Author
View by Month & Year
View by Past Author

Featuring

Medium Cool
Artists in Our Midst
Authors in Our Midst
We All Need A Little Kindness
Classified Documents: A Primer
State & Local Elections Discussion

Calling All Jackals

Site Feedback
Nominate a Rotating Tag
Submit Photos to On the Road
Balloon Juice Mailing List Signup
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Links)
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Posts)

Twitter / Spoutible

Balloon Juice (Spoutible)
WaterGirl (Spoutible)
TaMara (Spoutible)
John Cole
DougJ (aka NYT Pitchbot)
Betty Cracker
Tom Levenson
TaMara
David Anderson
Major Major Major Major
ActualCitizensUnited

Join the Fight!

Join the Fight Signup Form
All Join the Fight Posts

Balloon Juice Events

5/14  The Apocalypse
5/20  Home Away from Home
5/29  We’re Back, Baby
7/21  Merging!

Balloon Juice for Ukraine

Donate

Site Footer

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Comment Policy
  • Our Authors
  • Blogroll
  • Our Artists
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 Dev Balloon Juice · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc

Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!