May 16, 2020
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Swords and Plowshares… & Phyllis George
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It has been 13 days since my last Insightful Commentary. In an ideal world there would be a new commentary posted about every 5-6 days like it “usta be”.
If my original intent with BobLeeSays back in 1999 was “to change the world” then, I have succeeded because… The World HAS certainly changed over these 21 years. If Bill Gates, Steve Jobs or Bill Belichek want a share of the credit, I am willing to share.
BLSays’ objectives have always been to Entertain … to cause you to consider What If?… or ask How Come? … and, of course, to mutter “BobLee is right AGAIN”.
How big is “big enough” for a Jumbotron? … … How many charging stations does a locker room really need? … … Was Chancellor Chihuahua a midget or a dwarf? … … and …
If all the $$$ poured into Indoor Practice Facilities had been directed into medical research would “the itching and burning of Psoriasis” still be a problem?. … sigh.
Could a BLSays commentary cause a shift of a degree in the Evolution of America? A shift in direction that slowed down “America'” inevitably joining Rome, Babylon, Angkor Wat, The Incas and Cahokia in The Registry of Civilizations that Aren’t Around Any More …
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The Founding Fathers’ Dream of What Might Have Been reduced to a page in a dusty registry with a faded picture of the Tea Cup Ride at Disney World representing 250 years of America Before It Self-destructed … along with a mis-quote from either Peahead Walker or Yogi Berra.
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For my tombstone epitaph. given the choice of: Here Lies BobLee: He Hastened the Decline and Fall of America – versus – Here Lies BobLee: The Irreverent Sumbitch Who Saved America From Itself … I would opt for the latter… despite its obvious Quixotic overtones.
In These Troubling Times I prefer to use my bully pulpit to enhance your enjoyment of Internet browsing outside of the rampant sturm & drang. Doing so is becoming more difficult with each passing day.
As Jimmy Stewart discovered in the movie Shenandoah and Mel Gibson discovered in The Patriot –
It becomes impossible to ignore the barbarians when they have kicked in your front door and are standing in the middle of your living room.
Neither Jimmy Stewart’s nor Mel Gibson’s characters expressed it quite that way … but, you get my drift.
After Pearl Harbor, Ford Motor Company converted its assembly lines from automobiles to tanks in a matter of a few weeks. As “Battleground America” intensifies – and it most definitely will – I am prepared to convert BLSays from a Plowshare into a Sword. …Until then I will “contribute to the war effort” in other ways.
Extended periods between new BLSays commentaries is my respecting Your Right to fool yourself that These Troubling Times are nothing more than “politics as usual”.
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Phyllis George died last week at 70…. a longtime battle with a rare blood disorder. Phyllis George was very pretty and apparently also a very nice person too.
For a half-century based on timeline photos… Phyllis George maintained her classic Miss America wholesome beauty – and what all that image personified to “our” generation.
Being remembered for maintaining her timeless beauty is probably not what Phyllis George would have preferred; but I have no other frame of reference..
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WARNING: The following comments will be misinterpreted and might offend some people.
Phyllis George is being memorialized as – a Pioneer for Women In TV Sports Journalism. … This combines two of my Favorite Cynicisms – (1) “Journalism” in general … and (2) Insinuation that “Sports actually matters” as anything other than entertainment.
If someone decides to sculpt a Mount Rushmore of Women in TV Sports Journalism (?), they have my permission to include Phyllis George on it. If they mistakenly use a picture of Mary Hart for Phyllis George, I bet no one will notice.
Phyllis George was hired for CBS’ NFL Today in 1975 for the same reasons that very attractive women like Erin Andrews – Lauren Shehadi – Kelly Nash – Charissa Thompson etc. are hired in similar roles 45 years later. … The same reason The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders et al have been an NFL staple since 1960.
Men like to look (1) at very attractive women… and (2) at sports. It’s the TV viewing equivalent of a Reese’s Cup – Combine chocolate with peanut butter = A winning combination for sure.
Did anyone ever say… “Hey bartender, switch that TV channel over to NFL Today so we can see what Irv Cross has to say …”? No. No one ever said that.
NOTE: “Irv” is still alive at 80. When he passes away it will not be nearly as newsworthy as Phyllis George’s passing is.
I think Phyllis George deserved to be paid as much or more than Brent, Irv or “The Greek”. She was excellent at what she was hired to do. Having Phyllis George on NFL Today was a terrific idea. Employing attractive women in a visual medium is always a terrific idea.
I intend it as a very sincere compliment that – Phyllis George’s Life – as we know it – personified Miss America Wholesomeness. That is a “good thing”.
The several accounts I have read of her passing confirm a grim reality that – at the age of 70 – no one is saying “… but she was so young”. … sigh.
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Another BINGE Opportunity… Line Of Duty
Line of Duty is a BBC production available for streaming on either ACORN TV or Amazon Prime or HULU. Not on Netflix. There are five seasons of six episodes each available with a 6th season in production.
I recommend using CC – Closed Captioning as British colloquialisms and idioms are confusing.
Line of Duty has won numerous awards including the #3 Best All-Time Police Crime drama in BBC history. I think the acclaim is justified without knowing what #1 or #2 are.
The fictional series concerns the Internal Affairs Dept of a British Metropolitan Police Dept. “Internal Affairs Dept” is referred to as “Anti-Corruption Dept” in England. They investigate corruption and evil doers within the police ranks.
Each season involves a different case but they all link to a Mysterious Puppetmaster within the Dept. The series regulars are each flawed but likable. There is violence. “Sexual content” is implied, not on-screen.
Episode One of each season begins with a crime being committed. “Who done it’s” identity is apparent. The last 30 minutes of each season’s final episode – WHOA! – turns everything you thought you knew upside down. 50% of each episode involves procedures within The Interrogation Room. That sounds boring. It isn’t. The cliff-hangars at the end of each episode are compelling so be prepared to “binge-watch”.
I give Line of Duty a solid 5-Stars. It WILL be on your final exam.
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Perusing Google images of Phyllis George caused me to ask – Whatever Happened to Tami Hansbrough? A beauty queen of a by-gone era but not nearly (!!) as “wholesome” a reputation as Phyllis George.
I have attended three games in The Dean Dome in this millennium. In one I sat literally across the aisle from the Notorious John “Rielle Who” Edwards. In one I was on the same row in an adjoining section to Tami Hansbrough. Gee… imagine if I attended more often ??
Of the assorted scandals and overt goofiness that we have chronicled on this website over 21 years THAT ONE has to rank right up there on the Yeee HAA scale.
Along with – of course – UNC Trustee Barbara Rosser-Hyde’s immortal “Coach Davis, is this effecting recruiting?”. A couple of real doozies for sure.
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