2019 49ers Season Starts 5-0!!

EVERY year I say the same thing in August:  “There are only two valid tests for a successful San Francisco Forty-Niner season – Did we win the Super Bowl or did we beat the Rams twice?“
You see I grew up watching the Niners win one(1!!!) game against the Los Angeles Rams in ten years.  In the 1980s-90s, when we went on to win five Super Bowls in fourteen years, I still had the same question?  I don’t care about anything else if we don’t win the Super Bowl that year except:  “Did we beat the Rams twice?”  If the answer to either question is “yes”, then we had a good year.  Otherwise, I don’t want to hear about appearing in the Super Bowl, winning the NFC, winning the Western Division, having a winning record – or ANYTHING else.  Win the Super Bowl or beat the Rams twice…
Of course, anybody will tell you it’s also nice to beat the Dallas Cowboys and the Oakland Raiders in the same season as either of the two above, but they are DISTANT seconds to the two defining conditions mentioned above.
Anyway, my point is we (the Forty-Niners) are halfway there…  Today, we went down to LA and put a whipping on the Rams (27-7).  We are now halfway to a successful season without even having to play in the Super Bowl.  Traditionally, NFL teams which finish with 10 wins in a season, make the playoffs.  We now have 5 wins with 11 games to go.  In theory, we only have to play .500 ball to make the playoffs.  Bottom Line:  our next game against the Rams is on 22 December.  Go Niners!!!
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On This Day In:
2018	VOTE – We Need A Wave
2017	Soothe, Inspire And Recharge
2016	Aren’t We?
2015	Cold Embrace
2014	Delightful
2013	Apprenticeship
2012	Curtain Rods
2011	A Living Force
2010	BART Rides – A Tipping Point

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Will Any Republican Senator Vote For Impeachment?

You can preach a better sermon with your life than with your lips.
—  Oliver Goldsmith
[My best guess is there is not a single Republican Senator with the guts to stand up for the Constitution and against our “wanna-be tyrant”.   But that’s just MY best guess.  —  KMAB]
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On This Day In:
2018	VOTE – We Need A Wave
2017	Soothe, Inspire And Recharge
2016	Aren’t We?
2015	Cold Embrace
2014	Delightful
2013	Apprenticeship
2012	Curtain Rods
2011	A Living Force
2010	BART Rides – A Tipping Point

Running History, But I Don’t Expect Many To Match It…

It has taken 65 years for a human being to make history in sport after Roger Bannister.  I can tell people that no human is limited.  I expect more people all over the world to run under two hours after today.
—  Eliud Kipchoge
Eliud Kipchoge (the 34-year-old Olympic champion from Kenya) ran a marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes, 40.2 seconds, becoming the first person in history to break two hours for 26.2 miles in a special running / marathon event in Vienna (at Vienna’s Prater-Hauptallee (main avenue)) on Saturday (12 October 2019) morning.
Roger Bannister – mentioned in the quote – was the (British) runner who became the first man to break the 4 minutes for a mile record in 1954 (May 6, 1954, in 3:59.4).  Multiple individuals were close to the record before Bannister broke it and over a thousand runners have since broken 4 minutes in the 60+ years since.  Bannister’s “world record” lasted barely six weeks before it was broken and two months after the initial sub-4, two runners in the same race (Bannister was one of them), broke sub-4.  A sub-4 minute mile is now considered “routine” for world-class middle-distance runners.
Kipchoge’s run does not qualify for the world record nor will it be “officially” recognized because it was not an “open” competition and because Kipchoge was preceded by a pace car (which provided a laser path guide).  In my humble opinion, neither of these factors are significant and we have witnessed one of the greatest feats in human athleticism.
The quote was taken from the web and is available from many sources.  This image was “snipped” off the news video at: https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/more-sports/eliud-kipchoge-runs-1-59-marathon-first-to-break-2-hours/ar-AAIFQjT?ocid=spartandhp.  I make no claim to ownership or rights to the quote, image or video.
I AM simply astounded at the achievement.  It staggered me to wake up and read about (and watch) history in the making!  I had been hoping for it (the record) to happen, but never “really” expected to see it in my own lifetime.  As expected, it could “only” happen under ideal conditions: cool temperatures, flat course, little or no wind and only at (or near) sea level.  The course had an elevation difference of less than eight(8) feet over it’s lap distance and (I gather) the location for the course was between 500 – 600 feet in elevation.
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On This Day In:
2018	25 Days Until The November Election
	Old And Young
2017	Universal Soul Sounds
2016	Not Rivals
2015	Dead Sure
2014	Are You Educated?
2013	For Myself
2012	And When I’m Gone…
2011	Complete Conviction

It’s Probably Easier When You Live Alone

To be a philosopher is not merely to have subtle thoughts, nor even to found a school, but to so love wisdom as to live according to its dictates a life of simplicity, independence, magnanimity and trust.
—  Henry David Thoreau
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On This Day In:
2018	25 Days Until The November Election
	Old And Young
2017	Universal Soul Sounds
2016	Not Rivals
2015	Dead Sure
2014	Are You Educated?
2013	For Myself
2012	And When I’m Gone…
2011	Complete Conviction

Knocking On Impeachment’s Door

Perseverance is a great element of success.  If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody.
—  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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On This Day In:
2018	Do You Remember?
2017	Choose Life
	My Response To President Trump’s Threat To NBC
2016	We, Us, All
2015	No Less
2014	Life Advice (50)
	Orange October (IV) – Giants Win Game 1 Of NLCS!
2013	Running To
2012	Suddenly
2011	Liberal Washington
2010	Giants Advance To NLCS!!

Dodgers Choke AGAIN

Let’s just get it out there…  I am a Giants fan; ergo: I HATE the Dodgers!  I MAY have to grant a grudging respect to one or two of their players, but it always leaves a bad taste in my mouth.  Especially if it’s a current player…
There has been little sweeter for this Giants fan than watching the Dodgers lose the last two World Series at home, but this year’s playoff elimination is pretty close…  (Yes, I am a small enough person to gloat about this!)
The Dodgers won 13 more regular season games than the Washington Nationals (their opponents).
The Dodgers had a regular season run differential of +273 compared to +149 for the Nats!
Game 5 (the “deciding” game) was played in Dodger Stadium.
Clayton Kershaw has been one of – if not THE – most dominant pitcher of the last decade.  (Please recall:  I LOVE me some Madison Bumgarner!!)
The Dodgers were leading in game 5 by two(2) runs going into the 8th inning.
And, then, the collapse…  Kershaw surrenders two home runs and the game is tied.  Two innings later (in the 10th), the Nats get a grand-slam and go on to with the game 7-3.  The Dodgers are eliminated from the 2018 playoffs!
Now, Kershaw has always seemed to me to be a decent person: In victory, he shares the credit.  In defeat, he claims ownership and responsibility for the loss.  So, I have one request for the Dodgers:  PLEASE trade Kershaw to some other team so I can root for him to win a World Series before he ends his illustrious career.  I saw his post-game (series) interview and I really want to support him.   But, I can’t!!!   I can’t!!!!  If Kershaw gets enough post-season appearances, eventually he will win a World Series…  Please (Baseball Gods) let it be for anyone but the Dodgers!
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On This Day In:
2018	Thinking About My Hil
	Remember Your Duty In November
2017	Play Well With Others
2016	Surviving And Challenging
2015	On Destroying Historic / Archaeological Sites
2014	Magical Power
2013	How Awesome Would That Be
2012	Two Views
2011	Still Looking For Examples
2010	Giants Win Away 3 – 2!!

 

He Wasn’t “Just Kidding The Press”

Any excuse will serve a tyrant.
—  Aesop
In war, truth is the first casualty.
—  Aeschylus
[President Trump is at war with “the truth”, “the Press”, and with every decent “value” America has tried to “stand for” for almost 250 years.  He will do anything (legal or not) and say anything (lying or even a rare truth) to get re-elected.  Senator Mark Rubio (Florida) and Representative Jim Jordan (Ohio) are “defending” President Trump’s publicly asking China to “investigate” the Biden family as a “joke” and an attempt to “chide” and “outrage” the press and liberals.  Let’s make NO mistake about this…   #TrumpIsACriminal was not “just kidding” when he was dangling a favorable trade negotiation / tariff deal with China in exchange for an “investigation”.  The President was OPENLY soliciting aid for his own re-election from a foreign power —  which is against the law   —  because he did NOT want his offer to be misunderstood (by ANY foreign power)…  We have absolutely no reason to believe the President is lying when he says he is willing to commit a Federal crime – when it is in his personal interest to do so – and EVERY reason to believe he is being honest in his criminal offer.  ANY Republican who purports to be supporting / defending the President with this blatantly specious excuse (“he’s kidding”) is being equally treasonous in condoning this Federal crime.  I won’t say they are “accessories” to the crime, but they are getting very close to it (being an accessory).  Senator Rubio should be ashamed of himself for initiating this “defense” because he knows first-hand how unfit for office this President is.    —  KMAB]
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On This Day In:
2018	Thinking About My Hil
	Remember Your Duty In November
2017	Play Well With Others
2016	Surviving And Challenging
2015	On Destroying Historic / Archaeological Sites
2014	Magical Power
2013	How Awesome Would That Be
2012	Two Views
2011	Still Looking For Examples
2010	Giants Win Away 3 – 2!!