Musing of the Moment: The Summer Transfer Window for Tottenham Hotspur--Outgoings

Tottenham finished fifth in the Premier League, which is probably a fair result considering Ange has installed a totally different system, and we lost the club's best player of all time two days prior to the start of the season. And all the injuries...

Here's my take on possible outgoings from the club. 

I'm an avid watcher of the We Are Tottenham TV videos along with Chris Cowlin and Barnaby Slater's videos on YouTube. I highly recommend them if you're a Spurs fan. Slater's videos, however, are just about transfer rumors around the Premier League. 

Most Definitely Out of the Door

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg

He's been a solid squad member for many years, but Spurs can garner some good money for the midfielder, and there are a number of clubs interested. He's wants to play regularly, which is understandable because he's Denmark's captain. He deserves a move away for consistent playing time. 

Giovanni Lo Celso

I've always liked Lo Celso because has a bit of shithousery to his game. But he can never stay healthy, and he's got a year left on his contract. I see him ending up somewhere in La Liga. 

Sergio Reguilon

He's played admirably for Brentford, but he didn't seem to impress Ange. I could see him ending somewhere in La Liga, but he's on high wages, so moving him to a smaller club in the Premier League would be difficult. 

Bryan Gil

It's a shame he hasn't gotten more playing time, but the staff has gone elsewhere for wingers when needed. He's going back to La Liga I suspect. This signing has not worked out at all. 

Joe Rodon

Leeds are staying down in the Championship since they couldn't muster any goals against Southhampton, so I don't know what will shake out here. Leeds fans rate him highly, so I would think he's going there although there may be some competition for acquiring him because he had a solid season in the Championship. 

Japhet Tanganga

I've always liked Tanganga, but he seems to have found a home a Millwall. We have Romero and Dragusin able to play at right center-back along with youngsters Alfie Dorrington and Ashley Phillips as hopeful possibilities. 

Tanguy Ndombele

Acquiring him has been a disaster. And all the loans have been disasters. We need to just cut him. 

Probably Out the Door

Djed Spence

It sounds like he's done well on loan this season. I was excited when Spurs signed him. To me, I think he would be a solid back-up for Porro or even Udogie. However, for whatever reason, Ange isn't impressed by him. There are rumors of attitude issues, but those are just rumors. 

Emerson Royal

He's worked well when he plays although he's limited from an offensive perspective. There are a number of clubs interested in him, so I suspect Tottenham will cash in. 

Troy Parrott

He really hasn't gotten a look from Ange since he was hurt during pre-season. He's a striker who has done well on loan in the Dutch league, so it'll be interesting what happens with him, Scarlett, and Veliz. 

Check the Magic 8-Ball

Manor Solomon

I thought he did well when he played on the left wing in the early part of the season. We got him on a free transfer, but he's rarely seen the pitch because of a number of injuries. I don't know what Tottenham would even get for him in a transfer. 

Timo Werner

The price is right for this guy for a transfer, but I think he's on high wages, which might be a stumbling block. 

Ben Davies

Every manager has liked this guy, and he always works hard for the club. Are he and Son the only guys remaining for the Pochettino era? This season he filled in at center-back admirably, but he does not have the attacking quality of Udogie that Ange's system demands. 

Musing of the Moment: Life after Kane

It finally happened. Harry Kane is departing Tottenham Hotspur for Bayern. 

It was iffy whether this move was actually going to happen, but at least Daniel Levy got the fee the club needed to depart with its greatest player in its history. 

I've watched the videos from the various YouTube pundits bemoaning the loss of Kane. 

It's a brutal loss, but I'd rather get money for him leaving now rather than him moving to Manchester United or, for God's sake, Chelsea after the season is over. I could not stomach seeing Kane in a Chelsea kit. That would be a major kick in the short and curlies. 

Not all is lost though. 

Richarlison will move to the position that he's actually best at playing--as a number 9. While he had an underwhelming campaign last season, I'm confident he'll be a positive force without now being under the shadow of Kane.

He's Brazil's no. 9. His performance last season was shite for the most part, but he didn't get regular playing time at all under Conte due to injuries and Conte being Conte. He was not able to establish any kind of rhythm as a player. 

The money from the sale of Kane to Bayern could help Spurs sign another center-back, which is sorely needed. I like Micky van de Ven, but we need another swift and strong center-back although I still have hope for Tanganga. 

In addition, part of the funds could go toward acquiring someone like Gift Orban and/or Brennan Johnson. 

If Spurs decide to sell Hojbjerg, they could also go shopping for another midfielder. 

It appears Tottenham is going through the rebuild that Pochettino called for years ago--just this time without Kane. 

Time to move on and trust the fun system that Ange has created. 

We aren't going to be a football club that relies so heavily on one player to score. I suspect the goals will be spread around. 

Stay Positive: Postecoglou to Tottenham

After seventy-some days after Conte and Spurs parted ways, we finally have a new manager. It's the Australian Ange Postecoglou. 

I was intrigued by both Nagelsman and Slot, but Slot just used the Tottenham's interest to fatten his wallet with a new deal with his Dutch club. For whatever reason, Spurs didn't pursue Nagelsman. 

With Postecoglou, he's won everywhere he's been, and he's often taken over clubs that were absolute messes. 

It's safe to say that Tottenham is a mess. With no European football, they have a bloated roster in need of cleaning out. 

In addition, the recent signings of Spence, Udogie, and Porro were for the previous manager who employed wing-backs. 

The new gaffer is likely not to use wing-backs extensively since he usually plays a 4-3-3. 

So it'll be interesting to see which players move on after he takes the helm and evaluates the current players in the squad whether they played this season with Spurs or on loan to some other club. 

As much as I found Mourinho and Conte to be intriguing managers for the team at time (and I wish Levy would have at least let Jose try to win some silverware), I tired easily of their brand of football. Their sides, for the most part, play a boring type of football. 

I'm a pragmatist by nature, but not when it comes to world football. 

At least with Postecoglou we know he'll employ a high-energy, offensive brand of offense. 

At first, it was reported that the deal with the new manager was for two years with an option in the third year. However, those reports were wrong. He has a four-year contract. 

My hope is that "Big Ange" clears out players who need to move on, reintegrates loanees who will help the team, and implements the system that he's used at various coaching stops. 

I'm sure there will be some rocky patches early on, but at least I'll be interested to see some offensive football from Spurs. 

It's going to be a summer of change at Tottenham, and I see that prospect as a very good step in the right direction. 

Musing of the Moment: Tottenham Hotspur, Conte, and the Future

When I started watching Premier League football, I had no idea that the team I would pick, Tottenham Hotspur, would provide so much drama over the past few years. 

I guess I should have done more research into the squad. I simply saw them as a consistently good club that had a good chance to improve and contend. That was during the middle of the Pochettino era. 

One of the best journalists who covers the Spurs beat, Alasdair Gold, has a good article up on Football London that gives a fair history of the current situation with Antonio Conte: "The Inside Story as Daniel Levy Faces Major Decision To Call Time on the Antonio Conte Tottenham Era." 

The pundits have covered Conte's explosive press conference after the terrible draw against Southhampton at great length - much writing and speculation and tongue wagging has been had. 

It appears to be a foregone conclusion that Conte is out. It's just a whether a question of when: soon or later like after the season. 

But I cannot see him sticking around. I don't know how he goes back into the dressing room after calling players "selfish." That's a statement to make to people face to face, not in a press conference, especially a press conference before the international break in which he has no contact with them. That move seems very calculated to me no matter how he is described and passionate and emotional. 

I like Conte to a degree. He obviously has a strong track record. But here are reasons why his regime has not worked out (even though, if you think about it, Tottenham are still current in the top four): 

• For someone who fancies himself a defense-first coach, the team this season has given away an astonishing amount of goals. They've scored a lot, but still, they have given away too many goals. A lot. 
• He's too rigid with his tactics. He almost always plays a 3-4-3, which I like as a system. However, when Spurs have played teams with a lot of midfielders, it seemed obvious to me that we should have switched to a 3-5-2 in matches, for example, against Arsenal.
• He doesn't give young players or newly acquired players enough playing time. A prime example is Djed Spence, the England international who is starting regularly for Rennes. Another example is Richarlison. He's had injury problems for sure, but when he's been available, he needed to be used more often. Oh, and Danjuma. 
• As much as I like his passion, he spins out of control too often in public. The obvious example is the last press conference, but over a year ago think about the press conference after the loss to Burnley. This dust-ups are good for journalists but not for the club. 
• As much as his criticism of players rings true for some I think, he has to have lost the dressing room. And even if he stays around, consistently not addressing his contract and future at Tottenham has made his players, I would speculate, think he won't be around next season. 
• He doesn't seem to care much or be concerned much with developing academy players. 

So let me speculate about the future.

Tottenham needs someone who plays attractive football. They need someone to develop the academy and see his job as a long-term project. 

I know there are reports out there that some people on the Tottenham board are not as sanguine about this prospect as many of the club's fans, but I think we need to go back to Pochettino. 

He's a solid coach who wants to be at Tottenham. 

He directs a squad that usually plays attractive football. 

He will be involved with developing academy players. 

Also, the club he returns to is significantly different than when he left since they have a much larger scouting staff and a strong Managing Director of Football. And they seem more liable to spend money. 

The main issue I see is that the players who have been acquired over the past windows under Conte were acquired for Conte's system. 

However, I think players like Gil, Spence, Bissouma, Sarr, Scarlett, Udogie, Richarlison, Kulusevski, and Skipp, et al. would flourish in his system. And probably some others in the army of loan players, someone like Reguillon, might do quite well. 

Hire Pochettino. 

Musing of the Moment: Adopting British Terms

Since I watch Premier League football (we Americans just need to stop calling it soccer) and watch YouTube programs devoted to matters related to Tottenham Hotspur, I've been picking up a number of British slang terms and commonly used words as I watch the videos. 

I'm interested in expanding my vocabulary by adding certain words and vulgarities/insults from the Brits.

Here's a list of them I'm targeting to add to my lexicon:

• Fancy: I like the word as an option for "like" or having a desire, such as "I fancy how you look today."
• Rubbish: It's a word for trash, but I like how it also means nonsense. 
• Gutted: The term means that someone is extremely upset. 
• Bollocks: This word refers to one's balls, but I guess it also is a general term for expressing anger
• Daft: It's a term for being a bit stupid or silly.
• Dodgy: The word mean something akin to "sketchy." 
• Whinge: This odd term means to whine. 
• Shambalic: Football pundits often use this word when a team's performance is terrible or in shambles, such as "their defense was shambalic." 
• Knackered: It means exhausted. Alasdair Gold uses this quite often in his videos. 
• Shag: Nooky. To make the "beast with two backs." To fuck.
• Box clever: This term means to do something smartly.
• Gaffer: This word means manager, coach, or director. In football, it means the head coach. 
• Wanker: It's an insult meaning jerk or asshole. This is one of my favorites, you wankers.
• Mental: The word means someone has gone crazy, such as "He's absolutely mental." 
• Muppet: The term indicates a stupid person, not one of Jim Henson's creations. 

Random Notes from a Crank

Here's some interesting factoids from the two most recent Harper's Indexes:

• Percentage by which women are more likely than men to be interrupted in Senate committee hearings: 10
• By which such interruptions are more likely when they are discussing women's issues: 15
• Percentage change since 2010 in the average cost of an electric vehicle battery: -89
• In the average price of an electric vehicle: +80
• Average salary U.S. college students expect to make in their first job after graduation: $103,880
• Average starting salary for a U.S. college graduate: $55,260
• Percentage by which Americans drink alcohol less often than the average person worldwide: 18
• By which they get drunk more often: 58
• Percentage of Democrat-voting college students who would not go on a date with a Trump voter: 71
• Of Trump-voting college students who would not go on a date with a Democrat: 31
• Portion of U.S. pools that will be closed at some point this summer due to a lifeguard shortages: 1/3

I know if I were single I would screen potential dates on whether they support Moscow Don or not. That issue shows one's character. And if someone supports that criminal clown, they probably have all kinds of other issues, like mental illness and STIs. 

As much as I'm happy that the recent bill that was passed will give all kinds of incentives for people to buy electric vehicles, I'm worried that it is going to make crooked car dealers jack up the prices of EVs. 

One of the survey questions for a recent YouGov survey was this one: "Would you support or oppose a ban on single-use plastic water bottles?" I'm solidly in the support category in response to that question. Plastic water bottles are a menace, and bottled water is stupid. What a monumental scam that is destroying the environment with its terrible plastic waste. 

Christian Pulisic needs the get the hell out of Chelsea. I'm sure Spurs or Leeds United would take him off Chelsea's hands.

Random Notes from a Crank

My optimism for Spring was met with a dusting of snow before our spring break. 

I planted two rows of spinach and a row each of different varieties of lettuce. The snow won't bother it much. Those plants love the cold. I'm just hoping I can get back in the garden to plant more. 

The freezing of assets of Roman Abramovich has put Chelsea is some financial turmoil. It'll be interesting to see who takes over ownership of the football club. Another oligarch will take it over I presume, but it remains to be seen whether the new owner/s will shell out the kind of money Putin's buddy put out during his time owning the club. 

The owners of Newcastle United and Man City don't exactly have squeaky clean reputations and/or human rights records either. They have money like Chelsea used to have. 

The Crimson Tide got bounced out of the SEC basketball tournament early. I'm hoping they do something quite different during March Madness. 

Musing of the Moment: Start of the Premier League Season & "Sold"

The Premier League season got off to a crackin' start yesterday with Brentford, who haven't been in the top flight level of English football for 74 years, beating dreaded Arsenal 2-0. 

Here are the highlights. 

Meanwhile my beloved Spurs take on Man City tomorrow as the Harry Kane saga drags on. I doubt Levy sells him to Man City. It's too late in the transfer window, and Tottenham have not added a striker to their squad yet. They would surely have to add two strikers if they were to get rid of Kane. 

Rumors abound about which striker/s Tottenham could add, but it's mid-August, and the window closes at the end of the month. 

Two ¶s above I used the word "sells," which is a term that always has not sat well with me. In international football, when teams get rid of a player to another team for a substantial fee, the going term is that player gets "sold." 

The term sold has always sounded a bit slave tradery to me. Ick.

Perhaps we can replace with traded or transfer? For example, one could say that Tottenham transferred Harry Kane to Man City for a fee of 150 million?

Semantics, sure. But I like transfer better than sell. 

Random Notes from a Crank

If you're someone like me who gives a damn about our planet, read Ben Ehrenreich's "We're Hurtling Toward Global Suicide" in The New Republic. It a solid, sober article about the climate crisis and how one underlying assumption is highly problematic.

Most climate models and climate change purveyors still assume unlimited growth in relation to finite resources works. It doesn't. 

I've been watching the European Championship 2021 so far this summer, and it's been fun. Ronaldo's Portugal won the last one.

Here are the teams I'm rooting for. I like England's squad because they have mainly Premier League players, but I also Denmark since I'm part Dane and Wales because I like Gareth Bale and Joe Rodon because of their affiliation with Tottenham Hotspur. Denmark, unfortunately, had a massive scare with what happened to Christian Eriksen. 

If I'm a betting man, I'd put my money on France. They are the front runner in the competition. 

Musing of the Moment: Harry Kane & Tottenham

As various reports have indicated, Harry Kane apparently wants to move on to a different club.

As it normally does, The Athletic is doing some fine work on this story with all kinds of reasoned speculation where he might go if he indeed does get traded/sold to another club. 

Apparently he wants to stay in the Premier League. 

As reports indicated, Chelsea and Manchester City seem like the most logical landing spots for Kane. However, I don't Daniel Levy striking a deal with Chelsea, a North London rival of epic proportions. 

If he were to go to either of those clubs, the Spurs better get one hell of a haul in return either in players and/or lucre. 

In either case, it would be the rich getting richer as both clubs are incredibly wealthy because of their owners. 

Manchester City would be the club I would bet on him going since Aguero is no longer going to be on the squad. 

A recent reporter in The Athletic stated that he thinks the most likely scenario is that Levy doesn't move Kane at all this transfer window and instead waits until next summer's transfer window once various clubs have recovered from pandemic-induced financial straits.  

Regardless, I'd hate to see Kane playing for another club. 

However, when they picked Mourinho, they picked a gaffer who did not let the team have any kind of coherent offensive philosophy. 

For me, I don't think Levy will give in to Kane's demands, especially in such a depressed market for transfers. If he does, I suspect it will be Man City. Which pisses me off. 

Musing of the Moment: Super League Dead & Spurs' Next Coach

The botched rollout of and communication about the European Super League is one of the more intriguing sports stories in recent times. They announced it on Sunday, and by Tuesday the league was effectively dead.

I look forward to watching a documentary about how this disaster went down. I might say it could be a great 30 for 30 doc, but ESPN rarely covers soccer football topics unless it's a great goal for their top plays on Sportscenter. 

The foreign owners of the Premier League clubs, some of whom are Americans, obviously don't understand the culture of British football. There were protests outside of Chelsea's grounds, and Klopp had a spicy interview related to how Liverpool was treated when they visited Elland Road. And then Leeds tied the Reds in the game. 

Perhaps this failed attempt will make some changes to qualification criteria for the Champions League since the "big six" of the Premier League were obviously interested in generating more revenue. But some of that plotting might have come from the American owners of Liverpool, Arsenal, and ManU, who might have MLB or the NFL as their template for making money. 

The articles about the Super League on The Athletic have been fantastic. 

In other matters with the team I support, Jose Mourinho got sacked. 

It's highly doubtful the interim coach can get the Spurs to qualify for Champions League, but I hope to see a more progressive style of play in their games. They have way too many offensive weapons to park the bus and continue looking lethargic offensively. I'd like to see plans of what they want to do in regard to attacking. 

As much as I liked Mourinho because of his old school, sometimes caustic mentality, I suspect he lost the dressing room by blaming players. 

There is all kinds of speculation about who Tottenham will hire for its next manager. Just hire someone who puts the joy back into the play of Spurs.

Random Notes from a Crank

 There is one clear way to get the Congressional Medal of Freedom: aid and abet the criminal who is the 45th president. 

There's an article on Bleacher Report that Coach Saban is apparently considering Adam Gase and Bill O'Brien, both ex-NFL head coaches, to be the next offensive coordinator of the Crimson Tide. 

Both candidates don't enthuse me. But Saban knows what he's doing I guess. With Sarkisian going to Texas as their new head coach, why not consider Tom Herman? 

The NFL game of Washington vs. Philadelphia was ridiculous. The head coach put in the back-up when the Eagles were within striking distance of winning the game. Jalen Hurts deserves better. 

One league that is doing this social justice thang right is the English Premier League. Before every game the players and coaches take a knee for the league's "no room for racism" campaign. 

Random Notes from a Crank

Here's some factoids from the September "Harper's Index":

• Minimum number of police killings since 2010 in which restrained victims told officers they couldn't breathe: 32
• Number of those incidents that resulted in criminal charges against the officers: 5
• Number of those cases in which charges were not eventually dropped: 2
• Average number of times per day that Donald Trump tweeted in 2017: 7
• In 2020: 32
• Percentage of Americans who want Trump to tweet more frequently: 3

And here's some tidbits from Harper's "Findings" from that same issue:

• "The depression-prone are less attracted to the political right."
• "The presence of a professional sports team increases a city's seasonal flu deaths."
• "Recent toilet-paper hoarding was more prevalent among Americans than Europeans and more prevalent among the old than the young."

The Premier League had a trio of upsets on Sunday. One was mild. The other two were surprising. My Spurs whipped Manchester United 6 to 1 at Son and Kane both had a couple of goals, and the Frenchmen Aurier and Ndombele had a goal each. West Ham beat Leicester City early on Sunday, and Aston Villa demolished Liverpool 7 to 2 later in the day.

I know it's early in the season, but Everton sits atop the table, and Aston Villa is second. 

Stay Positive: The Tottenham Hotspur Documentary's First Three Episodes

Monday finally got here and revealed the first three episodes of All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur. I binged it on Monday evening and thoroughly enjoyed the episodes. 

While I've enjoyed Jose Mourinho's press conferences after matches, I appreciate him even more after seeing how he took over what looked like a broken Spurs squad partway through last season. 

Episode 3 leaves the season when the team is close the top four on the table, so it'll be interesting to see how the documentary depicts the run of bad luck in regard to injuries the Spurs suffered at certain parts of the season. Losing Kane for an extended period time was a blow even though the pandemic softened it somewhat because it upset the regular flow of the season. 

What I'm hoping to see more of is that tactical aspects of his coaching because The Athletic a while back had a great article on how Mourinho used the water breaks in certain games to change formations and tactics according to what the other team was trying to do. 

The next trio of episodes will undoubtedly recount the advent of the pandemic and how the team coped with the lockdown in Britain. 

I also suspect the documentary might also fixate on the disappointing year from Ndombele. 

Aurier and Dele Alli feature prominently in the first few episodes, and we know what happened with Eriksen. The odd deal is that Eriksen seems to be on the outs at Inter Milan currently. And I like how Mourinho busted Delli Alli's chops about being a crap player at practice and was blunt about how he could be a great player. In addition, the point when The Special One calls out Aurier on being a crappy defender in front of everyone was uncomfortable. 

I will say that I'm drawn to Mourinho even though he has a [justified] big ego. He's obviously a devout Catholic, but he swears like a sailor. I like how he says the team needs to stop being nice guys and needs to play with "balls." 

It'll also be interesting to see how the Amazon doc depicts how Mourinho shifts gears to focusing on qualifying for the Europa League when the lucrative Champions League is out of reach. 

Regardless, COYS. 

Random Notes from a Crank

After doing some reading and some research, I'm moving to using avocado oil as my high-smoke-point and relatively flavor-neutral cooking oil. 

Mash the title if you want to know about "9 Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Avocado Oil." 

It's been a rough week for the Premier League. Manchester City got humbled by Lyon in the Champions League, which means there are no EPL teams in the quarterfinals. And on Sunday Manchester United lost to Sevilla. 

Speaking of football, I discovered a Netflix series about the eight national teams that have won the World Cup. The opening episode about Uruguay was fascinating. 

Because I planted pickling cucumbers, I've been making pickles. In addition, I pickled some hard-boiled eggs. A bar I used to frequent during my college days always had pickled eggs on hand, and I was one of those guys who acquired a taste for that odd foodstuff. 

Stay Positive: Rebooted Premier League Season

The pandemic has been horrible in myriad ways. That's for sure. 

However, I am enjoying the rebooted Premier League season because football is on TV almost every day instead of mainly just Saturdays and Sundays. 

As weird as this may sound, I find watching football/soccer comforting. For fans, it's usually a roller coaster of emotions, which I get because I have certain teams I root heartily for. 

This afternoon I took in the Brighton-Manchester United match that did not have a good outcome from my point of view since MU is similar to the Yankees in the Premier League and I root for teams below them in the table. 

I want the Spurs to qualify for the Champions League, but they have a difficult schedule and a few teams ahead of them. But they have Kane, Son, Sissoko back, so they have a fighting chance. Also, Bergwijn has been an inspiration in recent games.

The other team I like a lot, the Wolves, is doing well and might have a stronger shot for qualifying if one looks at it objectively by points at this juncture. 

We'll see. 

I'm also rooting for Leeds United to come back into the Premier League because I like that area of Britain, and I got seduced by the Amazon series Take Us Home: Leeds United. 

Random Notes from a Crank

With so many people out of work, it clearly makes sense that the US should have universal health care for all citizens. Since health insurance is typically tied to employers, if you have no employer, you're out of health insurance. Having health insurance is crucial during a pandemic. 

This week I watched season 2 of Sunderland 'Til I Die, which is a great documentary series on Netflix. I feel for the fans of Sunderland. I can relate because I'm a Cubs fan. 

Based on the frozen standings of EFL League One right now, Sunderland is in seventh, which is not good. I'm hoping they make it back up to the Championship League in the near future. 

In Premier League news, there's a rumor out there about Wolves striker Raul Jimenez possibly wanting to transfer to one of the big six clubs. I'd hate to see Kane go somewhere else, but Jimenez would be a good replacement. 

And as this report from football.london relates, Mourinho is supposed to have plenty of money to spend on new players this summer. 

Random Notes from a Crank

A recent column in The Washington Post has an interesting take on why Biden will win the Democratic nomination: he's more likable. The columnist Max Boot applies Occam's razor to Biden's candidacy in "The No. 1 Reason Biden Is Likely to Beat Trump." 

Knock on wood...

I recently got a subscription to The Athletic. I'm enjoying it because they have people doing some strong long-form sports journalism. In fact, the articles about the Premier League teams I like ~ Tottenham Hotspur and the Wolves ~ are excellent. 

I recently reminded myself of Todd Snider's book: I Never Met A Story I Didn't Like. I may have some people read essays from that book this summer. And probably from Amy Schumer's book too. 

With coronavirus now being rightly called a pandemic, The Washington Post also has a good article on how the virus seems to be sparing kids: "Coronavirus Is Mysteriously Sparing Kids and Killing the Elderly. Understanding Why May Help Defeat the Virus." 

Random Notes from a Crank

Eating establishments putting up campaign signs for candidates makes it easy to not frequent them. 

For example, a couple of eating establishments in our town have signs up for Mary Miller for our representative in the House. Based on her TV commercials that are all over the local channels, she appears to be bat-shit crazy. 

During the commercials she talks about the spectre of "Godless socialism," how she supports Moscow Don "draining the swamp," and how she's a "Christian." 

The somewhat humorous aspect of the ads is that she has this weird Marge-Simpson-like voice that's a bit disconcerting. 

As I've written about somewhat, I've been watching Premier League soccer this year because I enjoy it. I watched an MLS game today, and it's clear MLS is the AA or AAA of soccer leagues in terms of quality. 

Regardless, I hope the St. Louis soccer club is a strong one. 

Watching the XFL has been interesting. I think the NFL should adopt how they do kickoffs because the way they do it is much safer. 

The three different levels of point/s after touchdown are interesting. 

Let's go Battle Hawks. 

Music Friday: "Wonderwall"

I'm currently watching the Wolves vs. Manchester City match. After City got awarded a penalty kick for an obvious, shameless flop, the camera cut to part of the Wolverhampton crowd, and one bloke in the stands yelled at the referees who awarded the kick. 

I'm not usually that great at reading lips, but I'm pretty certain the fan screamed "fucking wanker," which is stupendously British. 

I felt the same way since I like the Wolves. 

So in dishonor of the all the fucking wankers out there, here's an Oasis tune.