Let's Have Rants

If there were ever a "rant contest" Keith Olbermann would win every time. His expert writing and rapid fire delivery are tops.  And, in order to deliver the best rant, you have to have a cranky soul. It's that soul that gives him the fearless "scorched earth" approach. He leaves nothing standing, including himself.  Are we surprised that he has been fired so many times? Or, that he always lands another gig?

When I heard him bash the NFL,  or Derek Jeter's too-adoring retirement tour, I longed for the time when he gave that same treatment to "W" on MSNBC.  Now that I'm tired of Rachael Maddow over-explaining everything and I've reached the point where Chris Hayes is too peppy for me, couldn't we have Keith on again?  At least for the fairly short time it will take before he explodes?

Hester is Bester

A few weeks ago I went to a dinner party where the guest of honor showed up radiant with her handsome new husband.  The last time I saw her she was pale and quiet as she suffered through a humiliating divorce.  This time, there were cheers all around.

I thought of her this morning as I read that Devin Hester broke the NFL record for touchdown returns. Alas, Hestor danced his way into the history books for the Atlanta Falcons, not the Bears.  As a "dummy" fan who relies on the big play to keep me interested, Devin was my guy.

So, BOO on the Bears for letting him go.  And, cheers for him.

Powerful Stuff

It's not too often that we get to watch the powerful squirm.  The powerful operate out of the limelight.  Not in elevators.  Not where there are cameras.  And certainly, not where they are held to account by the rest of us.

Doesn't this whole Ray Rice/Roger Goodell, NFL thing remind you of Watergate?  The months of being able to sweep it aside.  The slow moving investigation?  Then finally, the smoking gun!  In Watergate it was the tapes.  This time it is the tape.

The reaction is typical of the response that the powerful mount.  An "independent" investigation.  (The ex-FBI guy hired to conduct the investigation is the NFL's lawyer.) Tsk. Tsk.  Now, every time there's a question about the scandal, the powerful can say: "It's under investigation."

I wonder if Roger Goodell, or any of the owners will eventually get on their helecopter and fly off to their affluent life.  In the meantime, I can't help but enjoy the moment.

To Another Joan

Joan is one of those names that has had its day.  My friends Phyllis and Barbara know what I mean. Joan Rivers and I fit into the same time frame.  I saw her once at Gulf Mill where there used to be a great theater in the round.  She was dirty (what went for dirty back then) and very funny.  Not lamenting the role of the housewife, or even being a woman.  She was doing the same kind of standup as the boys.

A few years back there was a biopic of Joan's life.  A few things in it remain vivid.  One was that her worst fear was to look at her calendar and see empty space.  She needed, desperately needed, to be working.  Why?  Later in the film she explains how many people she took care of.  Many relatives,  people who worked for her,  and their families.

She loved having big dinners at Thanksgiving.  There was a lot of thanks (and giving) in her heart.