📖 BOOKS: BLITZING ⚡️ BORDER MYTHS & SACKING 🏈 SELECTIVE HISTORICAL AMNESIA — Jonathan Blitzer Takes On Generations Of Official Misconduct, Human Misery At The Border — PLUS: Here’s Your Chance To Hear From Those Migrants Whose Voices Are Ignored By U.S. Politicos & Media, Courtesy Of Immigration Law & Justice Network & The Hope Border Institute!

Jonathan Blitzer
Jonathan Blitzer
American Author & Staff Writer, The New Yorker
PHGOTO: Linkedin

Read Manuel Roig-Franzia’s WashPost review of Jonathan Blitzer’s book “Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here:”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2024/02/05/everyone-gone-here-blitzer-review/

Blitzer’s villains include “[n]umerous U.S. institutions, bureaucrats, and presidents” who supported and enabled “savage governments responsible for vast numbers of people killed — many of them poor and Indigenous.” 

Blitzer has particular contempt for “one of the most ineptly titled American officials ever — the State Department’s assistant secretary for human rights, Elliott Abrams — [who] tried to suppress information about the massacre of 978 people, including 477 children, in the Salvadoran village of Mozote.” Abrams, later was convicted of misdemeanors for withholding information from Congress in connection with the Iran-Contra scandal, but was pardoned by Bush I. 

Our political bureaucracy continues to have infinite capacity for inventing intentionally misleading, mocking titles that directly contravene truth, particularly when it comes to abusing human rights. For example, the so-called “Migrant Protection Protocols” (a/k/a “Remain in Mexico”) were quite specifically intended to unlawfully reject migrants who had established a “credible fear” of persecution! The MPP resulted in numerous “publicly documented cases of rape, kidnapping, assault, and other crimes committed against individuals sent back under MPP.” See https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjq1pmw_qWEAxUwL1kFHUbSDMIQFnoECBAQAw&url=https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/migrant-protection-protocols#:~:text=According%20to%20Human%20Rights%20First,individuals%20sent%20back%20under%20MPP.&usg=AOvVaw2ehZRBR_jXYoI41NZZN2DK&opi=8997844.

According to U.S. District Judge Jesus Bernal, the MPP “trapped [] asylum seekers in Mexico in dangerous conditions that impeded their ability to access the U.S. asylum system or obtain legal representation.” See https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjLgaLW_6WEAxUqFmIAHb5MDlEQFnoECCYQAQ&url=https://immigrationimpact.com/2023/03/24/where-the-migrant-protection-protocols-stand-four-years/&usg=AOvVaw18vgP5kU86mgTigCBEFLNY&opi=89978449%0A%0A.

Among Blitzer’s unsung heroes are “relentless US. immigration advocates,” the late Rep. Joe Moakley (D-MA) who “grasped all the nuances of U.S.-manufactured border crises,” and of course, an “array of migrants” who bravely persevered in the face of treacherous, dishonest, ill-informed, and often deadly U.S. immigration policies intended to “break them” and destroy their humanity. That disgraceful process continues today — on steroids!

The review ends on a perhaps unexpectedly optimistic note:

And yet, after reading Blitzer’s book, one can’t help but think that the impossible might be possible — that maybe, just maybe, this could be fixed. He’s not trying to lay out a set of policy solutions. He’s making a more nuanced plea, a rejection of the “selective amnesia” of politics in favor of a deeper understanding of how we — as a nation and as a region — got here.

It is a book with a “mission,” he writes, a nudge for U.S. decision-makers and a platform for voices on the other side of the border, a “kind of go-between: to tell each side’s story to the other; to find a way to bring the Homeland Security officials into the housing-complex basement; and to allow the migrants in the basement to participate, for once, in the privileged backroom conversations that decide their fate.”

Hopefully, those with the power to change things will listen.

Manuel Roig-Franzia is a Washington Post features writer and formerly served as The Post’s bureau chief in Miami and Mexico.

*************************

Following up on the last point — the “seldom-heard and never-heeded by our politicos and media” voices of those whose lives and humanity are threatened by our failed policies, this Thursday, Feb. 15, @ 3 PM EST, Immigration Law & Justice Network & The Hope Border Institute will present a free webinar, “Stop The War On The Border: Migrants Speak: 

pastedGraphic.png

Stop the War on the Border: Migrants Speak – Detengan la Guerra en la Frontera: Migrantes Hablan

Date & Time

Feb 15, 2024 03:00 PM in

Description

ILJ Network and our partners invite you to participate in this webinar and hear directly from migrants in the northern Mexican border and the U.S. interior on how restrictions to asylum and humanitarian parole impact their lives.

ILJ Network y compañeros de coaliciones los invita a participar en este evento virtual para escuchar directamente de migrantes, ubicados entre la parte Norte de México y el interior de los Estados Unidos, acerca de cómo dichas restricciones al derecho de asilo y de parole humanitario impactan sus vidas.

Webinar Registration

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_efx1ZeUqTCmSOVCBNTRxrg#/registration?os=ipad

Information you provide when registering will be shared with the account owner and host and can be used and shared by them in accordance with their Terms and Privacy Policy.

This is very timely! Rarely do we hear from those whose lives, dignity, and safety are being bargained away and devalued as if they were “commodities” at the disposal of disingenuous politicos and interests who have turned their misery and desperation into “profit centers” and political rallying cries.

🏈🏆Finally, on another topic, congrats to Coach Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, the rest of the Kansas City Chiefs, and “Chiefs’ Superfan” Taylor Swift on their second consecutive Lombardi Trophy and third in five seasons.  As almost everyone in sleep-deprived America knows by now, KC outlasted the SF 49ers in yesterday’s Super Bowl ending with a thrilling overtime finish 25-22!

For everyone else, including my Green Bay Packers, it’s “wait till next season!”😎

🇺🇸 Due Process Forever!

PWS

02-12-24

☹️🏈 THUD! — Cold, Snowy 13-10 Loss To 49ers Ends Pack’s Super Bowl Quest, Possibly Closing “Rodgers’ Era” In GB!

☹️🏈 THUD! — Cold, Snowy 13-10 Loss To 49ers Ends Pack’s Super Bowl Quest, Possibly Closing “Rodgers’ Era” In GB!

By Paul Wickham Schmidt

Courtside Exclusive

Jan. 23, 2022

The #1 seed Green Bay Packers (13-5) laid another playoff egg before stunned fans at frigid, snowy (0 degree wind chill) Lambeau Field Saturday night. The Pack lost to the underdog San Francisco 49ers (11-7) and their much maligned quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, 13-10 on a “walk off” 45 yard field goal by Robbie Gould, who remained perfect in playoffs. 

This deflating loss comes in a post-season where the Pack was one of the odds-on favorites to win the Super Bowl. It could be the “swan song” in green and gold for future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers and his sidekick, superstar wide receiver Devonte Adams.

The Packers got the opening kickoff and went on an impressive 69 yard drive, ending with running back A.J. Dillon plowing six yards into the end zone taking more than five minutes off the clock. Sadly, however, for Packer fans, their team was unable to repeat that success.

Basically, Rodgers and the offense took the rest of the night off, mustering only three more points on a field goal. Another field goal try was blocked at the end of the first half.

That left the Pack’s fate in the hands of a defense that was somewhat inconsistent over the regular season. This time, they showed up and almost pulled it off, holding Garopollo and his offense out of the end zone.

Unfortunately, however, the Green Bay “D” fell victim to the offense’s anemia, compounded by more chronically lousy special teams play, an Achilles heel for the team during the season. After the offense failed to move, deep in Packer territory, a blocked punt was scooped up by SF and run into the end zone for a then-tying touchdown.

On the ensuing possession, needing a sustained drive resulting in points to clinch a trip to the Conference finals for the second straight season, Rodgers and the “O” fired a blank — big time! Following a quick and inept three and out, consisting of poorly conceived plays without realistic probability of success, they punted the ball back to the 9ers, thus giving them a shot at winning a game in which they had never led.

Everybody in the stadium knew that SF was likely to lean primarily on its running game, rather than put the game solely in Garopollo’s hands, particularly since he had already thrown one ridiculously bad interception to kill a drive in the red zone.

This time, the worn-down Packer defense could not get the 49ers off the field. The killer came on third and seven on the Green Bay 38, about a minute left in the game, and the Pack out of time outs. SF faced a possible dilemma. If the Pack could hold them to no gain, Gould would have had to attempt a 55 yard field goal in the freezing cold and swirling snow. A miss would have given Rodgers the ball near midfield with about half a minute on the clock. Even a make would have given Rodgers two or three plays after the kickoff to get into field goal position.

But, that moment of truth never came. The Packers let SF all-purpose star Deebo Samuel run for nine yards and a first down at the GB 29. The 49ers then ran the clock down and called on the reliable Gould for the 45 yard game-winner as time expired and the Lambeau faithful looked on in shock.

So, despite a league-best 39 wins over Coach Matt LaFleur’s first three seasons, most in Packer history, the Pack again find themselves as Super Bowl spectators for the 11th consecutive year since winning it all in 2011.

It’s also quite likely the end of the road for the Pack and Rodgers, who almost refused to play this season. And, if Rodgers goes, his friend and All-Pro wide receiver Davonte Adams, who will be a free agent, is likely going with him. 

If AR does reach his second Super Bowl, it will probably be in a different uniform. Tennessee, Indianapolis, and Cleveland seem like logical possibilities. All have strong running games and basically are “a quarterback away” from championship contention. 

Another intriguing possibility is the Washington Football Team. Rodgers, Adams, paired with existing receiver Terry McLaurin, healthy tight end Logan Thomas, and a revived defense with Chase Young back would be a formidable combination.

The Pack is likely to go into “modified rebuild mode” behind quarterback Jordan Love who will be entering his third season. Love seems like a nice young man with some arm strength. But, frankly, I don’t see him making fans forget Rodgers or getting very deep into the playoffs.

Case in point, Rodgers threw 531 passes this year with 4 interceptions and 0 lost fumbles. Love threw 62 passes with 3 interceptions and 1 fumble lost.

Indeed, Packer fans might well find themselves spared the suspense and disappointment of season-ending playoff losses for some years to come in the “Post-Rodgers Era.” I’m among those “die-hards” to remember the very gloomy quarter-century hiatus between the “glory days” of Lombardi and Starr and the arrival of Holmgren and Farve and a long-awaited return to relevance for the NFL’s oldest franchise.

Perhaps, the strongest factor favoring the Packers’ future playoff chances is that they play in the NFC North. Their divisional competition, Chicago, Minnesota, and Detroit are among the most inept franchises in football these days, with all of one Super Bowl victory among them (Chicago — 1986 ) in the “modern age” of the NFL.

With the Packers off the field until next fall, the “action” is likely to shift to the “off-season drama” between Rodgers and the Green Bay front office.

“Who is Aaron Rodgers?” Maybe, the “answer” will be: “Former Packer quarterback who was both a contestant and a guest host of Jeopardy.”

🏈G.O.A.T.-BUTTED AGAIN — Pack Season Dissolves In NFC Championship Again As Tom Brady Takes Them Apart For The Second Time!

😢

By Paul Wickham Schmidt

Courtside Sports Exclusive

Jan. 24, 2021. Last year it was the SF 49ers. This year it was Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Bucs. Either way it was a big disappointment. Both times, the Pack relaid their “regular season egg” at the worst possible time — in the NFC Championship game. 

After an MVP-worthy season, Aaron Rodgers and the Pack lost again to Tom Brady and the Bucs 31-26. To make it worse, it was at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. The Pack never led in the game.

The “duel” between AR and Brady was really all about the latter. Brady was better! He simply “fried” the Green Bay defense in the first half. The “back breaker” actually came near the end of the first half when Brady threw a TD pass to Scotty Miller on an inexcusable (almost absurd) defensive breakdown by the Pack with one second left on the clock.

The Pack made a game of it in the second half. But, Brady was just better. Although he threw three interceptions, he outplayed Rodgers when it counted.

Indeed, Rodgers and the Pack “O” managed only a paltry 6 points off the three Brady turnovers. By contrast, the Bucs turned two Pack turnovers (one on a rare Rodgers interception) into 14 points. That essentially was the ballgame. 

The previously stout Packer offensive line wilted under relentless pressure from the Bucs pass rush, just as they had in the regular season meeting. That left Rodgers clearly uncomfortable and running for his life for most off the game. However, he failed to show his usual “escapability.” 

Meanwhile, for the most part, the Pack pass rush failed to put much pressure on Brady, allowing him to operate in his “comfort zone.” That was true particularly in the first half when he simply made the Pack defense look foolish on the way to a 21-10 halftime lead that proved insurmountable. 

It didn’t help that on the first Pack possession of the second half, an Aaron Jones fumble (forcing him to leave the game with an injury) turned into a virtually uncontested TD. A Brady TD pass to a wide-open receiver put the Pack in a three-score hole from which there was no recovery.

Rodgers probably left at least one TD on the table when he threw an ill-advised incomplete pass inside the ten rather than running for yardage and a possible TD. Matt LaFleur was out-coached by Bruce Arians, going to his first Super Bowl. LaFleur made a bizarre choice to kick a FG rather than going for a tying TD on what proved to be the Pack’s last possession. 

But, in the end it was all about Tom Brady, the greatest of all time! He showed that those who said that it was the Patriots’ “system” had it all wrong. He took a team noted for its hapless failures to the Super Bowl in his first season!

AR Is one of the best ever QBs, the likely MVP for the third time, and a “first ballot” Hall of Famer. But, nobody can deny that Brady is the GOAT!

For the Pack, another great season! Didn’t quite get it done. But, next year is a new beginning, and another chance to reach the Super Bowl with a great coach, spectacular QB, and a great supporting cast. Thanks for a great and entertaining season!

Go Pack Go!

Wait till next year!

And, of course, congrats to Tom Brady 🌟 and the Bucs🏴‍☠️!

PWS

01-24-21

COURTSIDE SPORTS: HAIL TO THE CHIEFS:  BEHIND MAHOMES, KC STORMS BACK TO BEAT 9ERS 31-20 FOR FIRST SUPER BOWL WIN SINCE 1970 — Coach Andy Reid Finally Wins The “Big One!”

Patrick Mahomes
Patrick Mahomes
Quarterback
Kansas City Chiefs
Super Bowl 54 MVP
Andy Reid
Andy Reid
Head Coach
Kansas City Chiefs

By Paul Wickham Schmidt

Exclusive for Courtside Sports

Feb. 3, 2020.  Largely as Courtside had predicted (Chiefs by 13, actual 11), Kansas City Chiefs’ all-world quarterback Patrick Mahomes eventually proved too much for even the San Francisco 49ers talented defense that had absolutely stuffed Aaron Rodgers and the Pack in the NFC Championship Game. Down 10 points midway through the fourth quarter, Mahomes led his team to three straight touchdowns in less than seven minutes to win going away.

Until then, it actually wasn’t a “vintage Mahomes” performance. The nimble star slinger threw consecutive picks and missed a number of wide open receivers to kill promising drives. 

Indeed, with the ball, a double-digit lead, and under twelve minutes to go in the game, SF quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and his offense were about one time-consuming, bone-crushing drive away from putting this one on ice as they had against the Packers. But, the KC run defense bore no resemblance to the hapless Pack defenders. The 9ers came up woefully short on each of their four remaining possessions, while Mahomes and the Chiefs scored three straight TDs before it was “kneel-down time.”

The win, Chiefs’ Coach Andy Ried’s 222nd, ended his dubious distinction of being the “winningest NFL Coach without a Vince Lombardi Trophy” on his resume. It was also a big moment for several generations of Chiefs’ fans whose home town heroes last such triumph was in 1970. 

Also fulfilling Courtside’s prediction: The next run of State Farm commercials will have off-field buddies Aaron Rodgers and Mahomes both sporting rings, and both with Super Bowl MVP trophies. As a die-hard Pack fan, here’s hoping that they get to square off against each other in next year’s Super Bowl. And, may the best pitchman win!

And, b/t/w Trumpy, the Chiefs are actually from Missouri, not Kansas. It’s hard to apply “alternative facts” to geographic realities.

PWS

03-03-20

49ERS ARE SUPER, PACK NOT SO MUCH: Green & Gold’s “Magic Season” Ends With Resounding Thud!

49ERS ARE SUPER, PACK NOT SO MUCH: Green & Gold’s “Magic Season” Ends With Resounding Thud!

By Paul Wickham Schmidt

Exclusive For Courtside Sports

Alexandria, VA, Jan. 20, 2020.  All week, Aaron Rodgers and Matt LaFleur promised that Sunday’s NFC Championship game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium “would not be a repeat” of the Niners 37-8 blowout of the Pack in week 12.  They were right. It wasn’t a repeat; it was much worse!

With a ferocious defense and an unstoppable running game, San Fran turned this into a “yawner” with just under a minute to go in the first half by jumping to a 27-0 lead, thus topping their 24-0 halftime margin in November. They toyed with the Pack in a largely meaningless second half, coasting to a 37-20 victory that wasn’t nearly that close. The Pack won the opening coin toss, but that was the last moment that it looked like they might belong on the same field with the boys from the Bay.

49er running back Raheem Mostert, a fine and obviously underrated player, but by no means an NFL “household name,” raced to 220 yards and four touchdown as his team out-gained the inept Pack attack on the ground 285-62. So complete was the domination that quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, thought to be the “potential weak link” in the Niners’ armor, only had to throw eight passes, completing six of them for 77 yard and zero touchdowns. It didn’t matter. 

Meanwhile, the Packer offense under Aaron Rodgers showed little resemblance to the relatively efficient machine that beat the Seattle Seahawks the week before. Fumble, interceptions, sacks, “three and outs,” inability to run, it all came undone.

Indeed, prior to the three largely meaningless touchdowns in the second half against a “relaxed” San Francisco defense that knew they had the game in the bag, the Pack offense looked eerily similar, if not even worse, than their week 12 debacle at Levi’s. But, even a better offensive showing by the Packers would have made little difference against a 49er attack that ran at will against the bewildered and outmanned Packer “D.” Indeed, the only reason that Mostert didn’t run for 300 yards and six touchdowns was because he didn’t have to.

So, for the fifth time in six tries in his otherwise storied career, Rodgers and the Pack came up short in the Conference Championship Game. That inevitably will lead to more criticism of the Packers’ signal caller as being unable to win the “big one,” notwithstanding his triumph in the 2011 Super Bowl. And, unquestionably first year Packer Coach LaFleur was outsmarted at every turn by his friend and former colleague Kyle Shanahan.

However, all is not lost for the Pack. Their 14-4 season, ending one game short of the Super Bowl, is nothing to be ashamed of. Indeed, it far exceeded expectations following last year’s 6-9-1 mark. 

While many say that the “talent gap” between Green Bay and Super Bowlers San Francisco and Kansas City is so great that this could have been Rodgers’s “last shot” at his second ring, it’s not necessarily so. There is no better example of that than San Francisco, which last year won only four game and was picked by most to finish behind the Rams, Seahawks, and even the pathetic Cardinals in the NFC West. 

The Pack needs to beef up the run defense and add a little speed to the offense during the offseason. But Packers General Manager Brian Gutekunst has shown that he is perfectly willing and able to break from the often limiting “build from the inside” tradition by going into the marketplace and getting the players necessary to fill gaps and improve the team. The addition of the “Smith boys” on defense and their instant impact, as well as the hiring of Lafleur, were great examples of “immediate return on investment.” 

Sure, Aaron Rodgers is now in the “autumn” of his great career and probably can no longer legitimately be classified as among the “elite” who have ever played the game. But, he was no slouch this year, and is still very very good. Almost any team not named the Chiefs or the Ravens would drool at the chance to have him at the helm next season.

As for my Super Bowl predictions:  It’s hard to pick against the Niners with their powerful running game and overpowering defense. But, after watching the Kansas City offense the last two weeks, it’s difficult to see anyone catching up with quarterback Patrick Mahomes over an entire 60 minutes. So, I’m betting that the next batch of State Farm commercials will feature Mahomes sporting a ring like that worn by his buddy, Aaron Rodgers. Chiefs by 13.

PWS

01-20-20

  

“OLD MAN” A.R. SHOWS HE’S STILL GOT IT WHEN IT COUNTS, AS PACK REACHES NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME WITH 28-23 VICTORY OVER SEATTLE!

Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers
Quarterback
Green Bay Packers
Devante Adams
Devante Adams
Wide Receiver
Green Bay Packers

“OLD MAN” A.R. SHOWS HE’S STILL GOT IT WHEN IT COUNTS, AS PACK REACHES NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME WITH 28-23 VICTORY OVER SEATTLE!

By Paul Wickham Schmidt

Special to Courtside Sports

Jan. 13, 2020. January night darkness fell over historic frigid Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI. Late fourth quarter, third and long, from deep in Packer territory. Aaron Rodgers drops back and throws a strike to his favorite target, wide receiver Devante Adams for a first down in Seahawk territory.

 

Game over?  No way!  The Seattle defense stiffens and less than 20 seconds later, Rodgers and the Pack face another “moment of truth:” third and nine at the Seahawk 45 with two minutes left. Rodgers avoids the ferocious rush and shoots a pass to former Seahawk Jimmy Graham for exactly 9 yards and a game-ending first down. With Seattle out of timeouts, the Packers kneel down, run out the clock, and keep the dangerous Russell Wilson from getting another shot at late-game heroics.

 

Too old, too spoiled, overrated, lost his touch – Rodgers heard all the criticism during a 14-3 regular season where the Packers more often than not “won ugly.” They frequently relied on the running and catching of “the other Aaron” – Aaron Jones — and a “stout when it had to be” defense led by the newly acquired “Smith boys” at linebacker. With only a few exceptions, Rodgers and the passing offense were regularly accused of “underperforming” by the pundits and the media even as the Pack piled up wins en route to a NFC North Championship.

 

Another Pack veteran stalwart who “showed up” on Sunday night was Adams, who had been slowed by injuries during the regular season. He set a franchise playoff record with 160 receiving yards (including two touchdowns) on eight catches. Jones added two rushing touchdowns, bringing him within one of the season team record held by Ahman Green. He also added 62 hard-fought rushing yards on 21 carries to allow the “Pack attack” to remain “balanced” against a Seahawk defense keyed on stopping the run.

 

The heroics of Rodgers, Adams, Jones, Graham, and the Smiths overcame an amazing performance by Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson, who finished out his collegiate career as a Wisconsin Badger. The vastly underappreciated Wilson wasn’t just Seattle’s best player, he basically was the franchise Sunday night.

 

He single-handedly willed and played the Seahawks back into contention, with a chance to win, in a game where they twice trailed by 18. The Seahawks couldn’t run, didn’t block well, putting Wilson under extreme pressure on nearly every down, dropped some key passes, missed a field goal, and had no answer for Rodgers and Adams when it counted. Yet, with 21 completions and a team-high 64 yards rushing, Wilson bobbed, weaved, evaded, ran, threw, and led the Seahawks to three second half touchdowns to close the gap to a mere five points in the fourth quarter.

 

Amazingly on such a cold night under so much pressure, there were no turnovers by either team and very few penalties, a tribute to Packer Head Coach Matt LaFleur and Seahawk Head Coach Pete Carroll and their respective staffs. Speaking of LaFleur, seldom has a “rookie” coach of a 14-3 team gotten so little credit or “buzz” in the media or from the fans.

Most of the focus this season was on his relationship with Rodgers, the struggles of the offense, the failure of either the offense or defense to rank among the league’s best, an “easy” schedule, “lucky” wins, and some embarrassing defeats. All the guy did was take a team that won only six games and was and in shambles after missing the playoffs for the second consecutive season, and lead them to within a game of the Super Bowl with only a few major roster changes, almost none on offense.

 

But, the lack of accolades is probably of little moment to LaFleur and Rodgers right now as they prepare for San Francisco. It’s a huge chance to avenge one of their worst moments of 2019 – a 37-8 creaming at the hands of the 49ers at Levi’s field back in November. In that game, Rodgers was simply horrible, passing for just slightly over 100 yards. And, Lafleur was thoroughly out-coached by Kyle Shanahan, as the Niners literally and figuratively ran all over the hapless Pack that afternoon on both offense and defense.

 

LaFleur and Rodgers promise that things will be different this Sunday. From the standpoint of “Packer Nation,” let‘s hope they are right! But, the oddsmakers in Las Vegas are having none of the “Packer hype.” They quickly installed the Niners as solid seven point favorites!

 

PWS

01-13-20

 

 

 

 

SUPERBOWL SUNDAY: NFL HISTORY: PACKER GREAT RG JERRY KRAMER ENTERS PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME! — Threw Perhaps Most Famous Block In NFL History, Leading B. Starr’s “Sneak” Into End Zone For Victory In 1967 “Ice Bowl!” — Vince Didn’t Even Have That Play In The Book!

Kramer # 64 In Foreground Leads Way As Pack Vanquish Dallas Cowboys 21-17 on Dec. 31, 1967 For NFL Title — “Icebowl” Was Played In -13 Temperature In Green Bay!

Bottom right– Jerry Kramer, aged 82, as he looks today, 51 years after the Icebowl!

 

From Today’s Green Bay Press Gazette, Pete Dougherty reporting:

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/sports/nfl/packers/2018/02/03/long-wait-over-packers-jerry-kramer-voted-into-hall-fame/1089232001/

“MINNEAPOLIS – Jerry Kramer finally made it.

In his 11th time as a finalist, the former Green Bay Packers guard was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday.

Kramer needed 80 percent of the vote from the 47 voters who were in attendance, which meant that no more than nine could vote against him. The Hall doesn’t reveal the vote totals, but Kramer hit the requisite 80 percent.

According to Hall protocol, after the vote was completed Saturday afternoon, David Baker, the president of the Hall of Fame, visited the hotel where the nominees were staying and notified each individually whether he was in.

“I said that (knock on the door) is it,” Kramer said. “And the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen (Baker), the big hunk down here at the end was standing there with the cameras and stuff behind him. I was over the top. It was something I was afraid to believe in, I was afraid to hope for. So I kept trying to keep those emotions out there somewhere. But hey, I’m here and I’m part of the group. Thank you very much.”

The other members of the 2018 class were fellow senior finalist Robert Brazile, and contributors candidate Bobby Beathard, as well as five modern-era candidates: Ray Lewis, Brian Urlacher, Brian Dawkins, Randy Moss and Terrell Owens.

KRAMER: ‘Somebody helped me’ on legendary Ice Bowl block

DOUGHERTY: It’s now or never for Jerry Kramer’s Hall of Fame hopes

RELATED: The Ice Bowl, 50 years later: An oral history

Kramer, 82, becomes the 13th member of the Packers’ dynasty in the 1960s that won five NFL championships in seven years to be voted into the Hall. The others are coach Vince Lombardi, fullback Jim Taylor, tackle Forrest Gregg, quarterback Bart Starr, linebacker Ray Nitschke, cornerback Herb Adderley, defensive end Willie Davis, center Jim Ringo, running back Paul Hornung, safety Willie Wood, defensive tackle Henry Jordan and linebacker Dave Robinson.

Kramer said he had dinner with Robinson on Friday night, just as they had dinner the night before Robinson was voted into the Hall of Fame in 2013. And Taylor was with him Saturday.

“I miss ’em,” Kramer said of his other Hall of Fame teammates. “But I wish they were here, I wish we had an opportunity to be here together. Bart has been sensational in writing letters and doing all sorts of things, and Hornung has been sticking up for me for 20 years. So many of the guys, Willie D (Davis) is a great pal, and Robbie (i.e., Robinson) and Wood and Adderley and so many of the guys in, and (Nitschke) was such a great pal, Forrest Gregg … we’ve had a lot of guys, 10, 12 guys in the Hall. Jimmy is here and that’s about it, Jimmy Taylor. But I miss those guys. I’ve shared so much with them over the years and it would be nice to share this with them.”

Kramer also is the 25th Hall inductee who spent most of his career with the Packers. That’s second most in league  history, behind the Chicago Bears’ 27.

It has been a long road for Kramer to get to the Hall. He was a modern-era finalist (i.e., among the final 15 candidates) nine times in the 14-year period from 1974 through ’87 but never was voted in. Modern-era players and coaches have been retired anywhere from five to 25 years.

Then in 1997, he was the seniors committee nominee (for players who have been retired for more than 25 years) but failed to reach the 80 percent threshold among the selection committee for Hall induction.

But at long last, he’s in.

“I don’t think it can get sweeter,” Kramer said. “It’s the ultimate honor in the game, in our game. It’s the top of the heap. It’s the crown of the trail of this whole process, it’s here. If you make it here you’ve made it in professional football. So whenever you’ve made it here it’s a wonderful moment and a wonderful time and a wonderful event. … I told Mr. Baker that this is it, it doesn’t get any better than this. He goes, ‘Jerry, this is just the beginning.’ So I can’t wait to see how it turns out.”

Kramer is tied for fourth on the list of most times being a finalist before induction. Lynn Swann was a finalist 14 times before he was voted in, followed by Carl Eller (13) and Hornung (12).

Kramer joined the Packers as a fourth-round draft pick out of Idaho in 1958, the year before Lombardi took over as coach. He started all 12 games as a rookie and then when Lombardi took over became a key player as a pulling guard in the coach’s famed sweep.

Kramer achieved his greatest fame for his block on the Dallas Cowboys’ Jethro Pugh that helped open the way for Starr’s game-winning touchdown on a quarterback sneak in the Ice Bowl for the 1967 NFL championship. It’s perhaps the most famous block in NFL history.

Former Green Bay Packers guard Jerry Kramer shares memories from the Ice Bowl, which was played 50 years ago on Dec. 31, 1967. USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Kramer played all of his 11 seasons with the Packers. Along with being named to the league’s 50th anniversary team, he also was on the NFL’s all-decade team for the ‘60s. He was named first-team all-pro five times (1960, ’62, ’63, ’66 and ’67) and went to three Pro Bowls (’62, ’63 and ’67).

Besides playing right guard, Kramer doubled as the Packers’ kicker for parts or all of the 1962, ’63 and ’69 seasons.

In ’62 he made 81.8 percent of his field-goal attempts (9-for-11) and finished fourth in the league in scoring (91 points). Then in the Packers’ 16-7 win over the New York Giants in the NFL championship game that season, he scored 10 points (three field goals and an extra point).

This was almost surely the last time Kramer would get a shot at the Hall. Because he has been retired from the NFL for more than 25 years, he could become a nominee only through the seniors committee, and this year was his second time making it through as the senior candidate.

He was only the fourth nominee to twice come through the committee, and with many deserving seniors candidates in wait, there was no chance he’d get a third shot. So this essentially was his last opportunity to receive pro football’s highest individual honor.

Kramer and the rest of the Class of 2018 will be inducted Aug. 4 in Canton, Ohio.

Aaron Nagler of USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin contributed.”

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Man, I remember the “Icebowl” as if it were yesterday! I was home from college, following the first semester of my Sophomore year at Lawrence University in Appleton, WI. I was preparing to leave right after the New Year for a “Semester Abroad” program at the Lawrence Campus in Bonnigheim, Germany! A rather big deal since I had never before flown in an airplane, anywhere!

Our whole family was crowded around the 13″ GE color TV in our living-room on Revere Avenue in Wauwatosa, WI. Since there were only a few seconds left in the game, and the Pack had no timeouts left, I thought they would probably kick a field goal to send the game into overtime, or throw a short pass that if incomplete would have stopped the clock for a last second field goal (or course, a “sack” by the Cowboys would have ended the game.) I’ve watched lots of Packer games, but the Icebowl was probably the best victory ever!

Later in January, we listened on Armed Forces Radio in our dorm in Germany as the Packers beat the Raiders in the”Superbowl II.” Sort of anti-climactic after the “Icebowl!”

As noted in the article, Kramer is the 13th player from the “Lombardi Era” Packers to enter the Hall of Fame, and the 25th Packer overall!

Although, sadly, the Pack aren’t in this year’s Superbowl, there are still some Packer connections. Of course the “Lombardi Trophy,” awarded to the winner is named for legendary Green Bay Coach Vince Lombardi.

And, the Philadelphia Eagles’ Coach Doug Pederson, played a number of seasons as backup QB to recent Packer Hall of Fame QB Brett Farve. Of course, the backup job to Farve didn’t involve much “real game action,” since Farve was in the midst of a NFL record 297 consecutive starts as QB. However, Pederson appears to have been a “good learner” from a coaching and strategy standpoint. Apparently, those years of “holding the clipboard” behind Farve paid off. Big time!

PWS

02-04–18

Adweek: Controversial Super Bowl Ad From 84 Lumber Highlights Migration Theme

http://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/the-ending-of-84-lumbers-super-bowl-ad-is-a-beautiful-and-provocative-take-on-immigration/

“Maggie Hardy Magerko, owner and president of 84 Lumber, a little-known Pennsylvania-based building material supplier, has been called crazy for buying 90 seconds of airtime on the Super Bowl—a telecast that’s been commanding ad rates of over $5 million for 30 seconds.

Then she went and gave the ad a political theme. And not just any political theme. It’s about immigration, at a time when the issue couldn’t be more divisive.

Fox rejected its original script, so the company and its agency, Brunner in Pittsburgh, divided the piece into two parts. A 90-second section of the short film—a teaser, essentially—just aired on Super Bowl LI. The conclusion was posted to journey84.com.

And a remarkable conclusion it is. Watch it here:

The vision of the giant wall, which of course is not yet built; the American flag that the girl pieces together; the enormous doorway, which is what the workers were building; the onscreen line “The will to succeed will always be welcome here”—it all adds up to a very poetic pro-immigration statement of tolerance.

That message, of course, is one that will be embraced widely by many—and rejected angrily by others. And it will likely make Budweiser and Audi’s mild ad controversies over the past week pale in comparison.

In the run-up to the Super Bowl, Magerko said the ad shouldn’t be considered provocative at all. In fact, she says she voted for Donald Trump in the election, and the image of the door in the wall comes directly from Trump himself, who said he wanted a “big beautiful door” in his wall, for legal immigration. (See the video below.)”

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Go over to Adweek at the link to read the full story and watch the entire commercial.

PWS

02/05/17

 

immigrationcourtside Sports: Wisconsin Badger Men’s Buckets Mid-Season Report

The Badger hoopsters outlasted the Indiana Hoosiers today notching a hard-fought 65-60 victory at the Kohl Center in Madison. Redshirt sophomore center Ethan Happ led Bucky with 20 points, adding a key steal and slam dunk down the stretch, while senior forward Nigel Hayes chipped in 15. Neither team was able to shoot the ball in the first half, although the offense picked up some in the second half.

The #10 Badgers remained in first place in the Big Ten with a 9-1 conference record (20-3 overall). They should move up several slots in the rankings this week due to losses by several other top-ten teams over the weekend. Happ is having a stellar season on offense and defense, proving himself to be one of the premier “in the paint” players in the country. He leads the team in just about everything except selling hot dogs during halftime. If he could only make a basket from beyond four feet (he has canned exactly one jump shot this year) he would be virtually unstoppable.

The Badgers appear to be in a strong position for the Big Ten Tournament and will undoubtedly make their 19th consecutive appearance in March Madness, hoping to  improve on their Sweet Sixteen ending last year. With an experienced team and continued great coaching by second year (first full) Coach Greg Gard, the Badgers should be a threat to make an even deeper run toward the Final Four this year.

But, there are a few cautionary notes. Over the last three games, against horrible Rutgers and Illinois and an Indiana team missing key starters, the Badgers were unable to throw a knockout punch despite having a substantial talent advantage. And the Badgers have had problems shooting free throws and turning the ball over, two things that usually are the strength of Badger teams. Recently, the three-point shooting has also been sketchy. For example, the Badgers were only 4-17 from beyond the arc this afternoon. While those things might not kill you against the Illinois, Rutgers, and Penn States of the world, those teams won’t be around at tournament time.

The Badgers next will play at the Nebraska Conhuskers Thursday night.

Meanwhile, over on the gridiron, former Badger star running back James White played a key role in the Patriots exciting 34-28 comeback Super Bowl comeback victory, scoring the winning TD in overtime on a pitch from the amazing Tom Brady and some tough running.

PWS

02/05/17

immigrationcourtside Food: Vegan Superbowl Feast

PWS

02/05/17