Scrimmages

Lemonade

I'll be the first to admit that I have no clear sense yet of how the race for the Republican Party's presidential nomination is going to shake out. My party's track record has certainly not been exemplary the past couple of cycles, but at this point I am still hopeful that a genuine conservative standard-bearer will emerge from the pack of candidates. It will certainly be an interesting debate on Wednesday.

"I think you underestimate the intelligence of the voters, Mr. Trump."

In the meantime,
I have found much to admire in Carly Fiorina's reaction to asshat Donald Trump's ugly misogyny in a recent Rolling Stone interview.




This is the way you punch back in politics, Mr. Trump:

You can watch her entire speech here. Hard to believe anyone could listen to a speech of comparable length by Trump and prefer him over her...

Things That Make Me Happy: Kickoff Edition

We're back to actual NFL football games that count, now. My beloved Kansas City Chiefs drew a tough assignment this year, opening on the road against the Houston Texans and their All-World defensive lineman J.J. Watt. The Chiefs were in charge from the opening kickoff, though, leading 27-9 at halftime. The final score of 27-20 makes the game appear closer than it really was. The Texans actually pulled their starting QB midway through the second half.

Chiefs QB Alex Smith threw for 243 yards and 3 touchdown passes, no interceptions.

The Chiefs will only have three days to prepare for their next game, as the Denver Broncos will be visiting Arrowhead Stadium for Thursday Night Football this week.

"Maybe this will take your mind off of the Royals tanking."

You know me better than that, old friend...

When Opportunity Knocks

"It's HOT, man. You do what you gotta do, you know?"

Until Next Time...

In September of 1955, Richard Penniman was having a difficult morning at a New Orleans recording studio. His unusual and energetic approach to music was not translating well to recorded performances that day, so during a lunch break he took out his frustrations on a piano, banging out a ribald song that had been a part of his live act for some time. The recording session's producer, Robert "Bumps" Blackwell, knew a hit song when he heard one, and sixty years ago today he managed to finally capture in a studio recording the essence of Little Richard's genius.

The result of this little bit of serendipity was "Tutti Frutti," one of the handful of recordings that can truly be said to have changed the course of rock and roll.

Today's send-off is a performance of the legendary hit from the 1956 film Don't Knock the Rock. Even this sanitized version of Little Richard is a true pleasure. Enjoy...

[Note: Despite my best efforts, Blogger won't let me start the clip at the correct spot, so you won't see "Tutti Frutti" until after he has performed "Long Tall Sally." That's a good song, too, so I don't feel bad about asking you to watch them both.]