Your “Catch Your Dreams Before They Slip Away” Tuesday Evening Open Thread

NFL News:

• The Giants have ended Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie’s suspension after one game.
  • With the Seahawks coming to town, that makes sense, given the differences between Trevor Siemian & Russell Wilson.

• Roger Goodell & the Seahawks Doug Baldwin sent a joint letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee in support of the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2017.
  • the Act “seeks reforms and targets enhanced mandatory minimums for prior drug felons, increases judicial discretion for sentencing, and reforms enhanced mandatory minimums and sentences”.
  • The letter highlights player & team initiatives to work with law enforcement over the last two years, and emphasizes that “football and community are the twin pillars of the NFL”.

• In an act sure to anger most Jets fans, the League stated it chose not to review the game-ending touchdown by Derrick Henry last night.
  • “According to a league spokesman, it was determined that a closer look wasn’t necessary.” Discretion exists where the play “will have no significant impact” on the outcome of the game.
    • I’m sure Vegas loved that explanation, as the TD helped beat the +7.5 spread.

• NaVorro Bowman has signed with the Raiders, days after being cut by the 49ers.
  • One-year, $3 million; given the Raiders injuries, he’s expected to start their next game.

• The sniping continues between the Packers & Vikings over the legality of the hit that ended Aaron Rodgers’ season.
  • Mike McCarthy: quite angry.
  • Mike Zimmer: talk to Mr. Winkles.

I tried to break down the Colin Kaepernick collusion case for discussion, but it flummoxes me.

Not the argument itself. I understand the allegation – that the owners have colluded together to prevent his employment. I’m old enough to remember the famous baseball collusion case back in the 80s – it eventually resulted in a $102 million payout for the wronged players. And I get the circumstantial evidence – that everyone but Danny Wuerffel has been signed to a backup contract this year; that’s owners have stated they fear public backlash; that Ray Lewis will sell a brother out. I giggled at tying the president into the whole thing, what with his tweets about influencing owners on things like the anthem and “sons of bitches” who kneel.

But, at this point, I’m just bored by all the noise. I hope he gets all his money, and I look forward to seeing him in an Alouettes uniform in the near future. But I’m giving the NFL the win here, because I just can’t be bothered to keep interest in a topic with complex legal intricacies, racial overtones and armchair patriots on Twitter who really enjoy using the N-word. I get enough of that with “Hope Clicks”.

Am I exercising “white privilege” because I can afford to choose to ignore this? Maybe. Am I a bad person because I’m lazy and/or refuse to be “woke”? No. I’m a bad person because I’m just a bad person; that I can live with.

I couldn’t think of anything else to include today after all that reading & self-loathing, so here’s a Tuesday kind of song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUKz2fvb6jY

Tonight’s sports:

• MLB:
  • Game 3: Dodgers at Cubs – 9:00PM | TBS / Sportsnet
• NHL:
  • Lightning at Devils – 7:30PM | NBCSN
  • Buffalo at Vegas – 10:00PM | Sportsnet360
• NBA:
  • Celtics at Cavaliers – 8:00PM | TNT / TSN
  • Rockets at Warriors – 10:30PM | TNT / TSN

NBA season opens tonight. No word on if league officials agree with Charles Barkley about “faking it” for seven months until the inevitable Cavs-Warriors finals. It’s better than buying into the fallacy that the Patriots might not  win the AFC East. PROVE ME WRONG, JAY CUTLER!