SPORTS: AR, DEVONTE SHARP AS PACKERS REPEL VIKES IN OPENER — Robust Offense Dominates In 43-34 Win!

Aaron Rodgers
Photo by: original: Mike Morbeck
derivative: Diddykong1130
Public realm

SPORTS: AR, DEVONTE SHARP AS PACKERS REPEL VIKES IN OPENER — Robust Offense Dominates In 43-34 Win!

By Paul Wickham Schmidt

September 14, 2020

Exclusive for Courtside

Pundits picked the Green Bay Packers as the team most likely to regress from last year’s surprising 14-4 season that took them within a game of the Super Bowl. Drafting QB Jordan Love rather than another wide receiver to pair with veteran Devonte Adams was widely viewed as one of the dumbest moves of the offseason. Many speculated that it would hasten the end of the “Aaron Rodgers Era” in Green Bay. Most picked the Minnesota Vikings as the upswing team to capture the NFL North title from the defending champ Pack.

At least on opening day, Rodgers, Adams, Coach Matt LaFleur, and the entire Packer team, particularly the offense, made the pundits look stupid. Rodgers had one of the better days of his stellar career, throwing for 32-44-364 and four TDs with no picks. Adams caught two TD passes on the way to a 14-156-2 day that tied Don Hutson’s 78-yer-old franchise record for receptions (amazing, when you think about all the great QBs and receivers on the Pack since 1942).

Wide receivers Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Allen Lazard also caught TDs from AR. Six rushers chipped in a highly effective 158 yards on 32 carries, with Aaron Jones leading the way with 66 yards on 16 carries and one TD. The Pack amassed an impressive 522 yards of total offense, allowing them to dominate time of possession with more than 41 minutes.

On defense, cornerback Jaire Alexander stood out. His second quarter sack of Kirk Cousins in the end zone was a safety, leading to a field goal on the ensuing drive. Then, his interception of Cousins later in that quarter led to a Packer TD. Thus, Alexander helped set up 12 Packer points. Despite having to rely on some backups, the Packer offensive line kept Rodgers sack free and opened up some large holes for the runners.

What I liked most about this performance was the Pack’s aggressive, yet balanced downfield offense. Even in the Rodgers Era, past Packer teams have had a tendency to go into “offensive stalls” after getting a lead. Sunday the Pack punted only once. More important, they scored TDs on each of their three second-half possessions (not counting the “victory formation kneel down” at the end), putting together three drives of over 60 yards that wore down the Vikes defense and kept their offense on the bench.

As he often does, Kirk Cousins put up some big passing numbers while vainly trying to bring his team back from three-score deficits that he had helped cause by giving up a safety and an interception. That tendency to run up big stats without producing big wins is what probably has given Cousins some of the flashiest QB stats in the league without ever breaking into the “elite QB club.”

The game wasn’t actually as close as the score might indicate. Down 22-10 at the half, the Vikes punted on their first second half drive. Thereafter, thanks to the Pack’s aggressive offense, the Vikes never possessed the ball down fewer than three scores. Most of their scoring offense was generated against a fairly soft Packer “prevent defense.” I’m not a fan of the “prevent.” But, with the offense moving the ball and not trading TDs for field goals or empty possessions, it worked out this time. And, the margin should have been greater, because in the first half both Valdes-Scantling and Adams dropped sure TD passes from Rodgers.

Who knows whether this will be the start of something good for the Pack or just a high point in the disappointing season predicted by most pundits. But, so far, so good.

This coming Sunday, the Pack takes on Matt Stafford and the Detroit Lions, who blew a fourth quarter lead against the Chicago Bears. It will be an unusual “home opener” in a Lambeau devoid of fans.

🇺🇸🏆👏🏽⭐️👨🏾‍🎓🏀R.I.P. JOHN THOMPSON: Legendary Georgetown Coach, Mentor, Civil Rights Advocate, Broadcaster Dies At 78 — First African-American Coach To Lead Team To Men’s March Madness Championship

Legendary Georgetown coach John Thompson Jr. dies

John Thompson Jr., who led Georgetown to the 1984 national championship and three Final Fours, has died at the age of 78.

Read Now

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Coach Thompson’s influence extended far beyond the basketball court. One of his most interesting “stats” is that 74 of 77 of his 4-year players graduated from one of the most academically rigorous universities in the nation! That’s a rate virtually unheard of today! Coach Thompson always preached to his players what was “really important” in life, particularly life beyond sports,

I join the Georgetown Community and the rest of the nation in mourning the death of this great American leader, educator, and role model.

PWS

08-31-20

🏴‍☠️THE TRUTH ABOUT THE “TRUMP ECONOMY” — Good For Trump Family & Other “Fat Cats” — Not So Much For Most Working Folks — Contempt For Workers Runs Deep In Today’s Elitist GOP & The Trump Kakistocracy! — PLUS BONUS COVERAGE: IMMIGRANTS & THEIR ADVOCATES NEED TO MAKE THEIR VOICES HEARD, NOW! (A “PWS Mini-Essay”)

Tara Golshan
Politics Reporter
HuffPost
UW- Madison Grad

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-american-dream-economy-pandemic_n_5f494aebc5b64f17e13d6e4d

Unemployment is in double-digits, renters are scared of eviction notices, aid is stuck, and economic recovery seems to have slowed.

By Tara Golshan

For HuffPost

Republicans want Americans to believe that Joe Biden would “demolish” the American dream.

“This election will decide whether we save the American dream,” Trump said while accepting the Republican nomination for president on the final night of the Republican National Convention. “Or whether we allow a socialist agenda to demolish our cherished destiny.”

Speaker after speaker repeated the same message: Trump is the only candidate who can save the American dream, Democrats’ insistence on expanding the social safety net will stymie individuals’ opportunities, and Republicans are the party of dreaming big.

“Let me assure you, socialism doesn’t offer opportunity. Socialism deprives,” Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez said on the second night of the convention. “We can go down a dark road of chaos and government control, or we can choose the path of freedom and opportunity that was paved by those who sacrificed everything to preserve the American dream for future generations.”

But for many working Americans, policies under the Trump administration and Trump’s response to the pandemic have put the American dream further out of reach.

Trump’s message that he’s the savior of the American dream comes as the nation is in the middle of a widespread coronavirus outbreak, which public health experts and a vast majority of Americans say was worsened by Trump’s slow response. Unemployment sits at 10 percent, and the economy’s recovery has slowed over the summer months. Federal aid, which economists say kept upwards of 10 million people out of poverty, has been slashed or cut completely, as Republicans remain reluctant to continue unemployment benefits at the same levels.

Even before the pandemic hit and the economy appeared to be doing fine, Americans were dubious that there was an equality of opportunity afforded to everyone under Trump’s leadership.

In a January Pew Research Center survey, 70% of Americans said the economy was rigged in favor of the wealthy. There are partisan divides in the poll, with Republicans generally seeing the economy under Trump as fairer than Democrats do. But notably, 79% of lower-income Republicans said the wealthy had too much power today, and Democrats and Republicans agreed that small businesses were being overtaken by major corporations.

. . . .

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

Thanks, Tara! Read Tara’s complete article at the link. Tara is a UW-Madison grad!

IMMIGRANTS & THEIR ADVOCATES NEED TO MAKE THEIR VOICES HEARD, NOW!

By Paul Wickham Schmidt

Courtside Exclusive

Aug. 29, 2020

Truth is, Trump has no plan for reviving the American economy and is firmly opposed to equality. He hopes that the virus will go away or that he can shift the blame for his abject failure to deal with it to someone else (a false narrative already well underway). He has no clue on how to deal with businesses that will never reopen, jobs that no longer exist, industries (e.g., travel, hospitality, education) whose “traditional models” no longer will be economically viable, and workers whose ability to return to former jobs is limited by the long-term effects of COVID.

What’s the regime’s plan to deal with mental health issues arising from unemployment or loss of loved ones? Beyond berating them for being sick or out of work, Trump and the GOP have no plan! Cut their unemployment, take away their health insurance, promote unsafe and exploitative working conditions, and immunize careless or negligent employers from liability — that’s the Trump/Moscow Mitch plan.

While I’m not a labor economist, I see evidence that the Trump regime’s gross mishandling of the pandemic, it’s glorification of myth over science, its open disdain for workers and their health and safety, and its nativist immigration restrictions will eventually cause a long term shortage of healthcare workers and teachers — essential workers whose lives and expertise are almost daily demeaned and devalued by the Trump regime and the GOP.

What’s Trump’s plan for African-American, Latino, and low-income communities that have been disproportionately affected by COVID and its collateral effects? More police brutality? Terrorism by DHS agents? Forced labor? Starvation? Disenfranchisement? Public assistance cuts? Lousy education? Slash Social Security? Tax cuts for the rich? Dirty air? Polluted water? How will folks living “paycheck to paycheck” (at best) save for retirement? Work till they drop dead to support the Trumps and McConnells of the world and finance more tax breaks for the rich and powerful?

Biden and Harris have an established record of concern for all workers and all communities. They are certainly American worker’s best chance for a better life and a better future!

My observation is that the immigrant and particularly refugee and asylee communities have a disproportionate number of entrepreneurs, businesspeople, innovators, risk takers, and practical problem solvers who have been able to reinvent and often retrain themselves under the most difficult circumstances imaginable with minimal outside assistance. This community, their colleagues, and immigration and human rights advocates need to be working at the highest levels with the Biden/Harris campaign on a plan to reestablish legal immigration (including refugee and asylum programs) as an essential part of the overall plan to create jobs, develop new or improved industries and businesses, and get all Americans back to work in jobs that will be both satisfying and economically viable.

This plan that would include rebuilding, strengthening, and creating new opportunities within our healthcare, safety net, educational, and vocational programs rather than destroying and looting them as Trump and his cronies have done. It’s called “teamwork, innovation, and best practices,” and it’s an anathema to Trump and the GOP — the party that promotes systemic economic inequality and despises and ridicules expertise and cooperative efforts.

Immigrants of all types and statuses have helped all of us get through the pandemic, notwithstanding the racist abuse heaped on them by Trump, Miller, Wolf, and the GOP. Robust legal immigration is, as it always has been, part of the solution, not (as the Trump/Miller false narrative would have it) part of the problem.

And, to state the obvious, most of the so-called “undocumented population” in the US, residing (many with families including U.S. citizens or green card holders) working, paying taxes, and otherwise contributing to our society, mindlessly targeted by Trump and GOP nativists, could and should long ago have been integrated into our legal immigration system at some level.

But, it’s up to the immigration and human rights experts to get into the “inner circles” of the Biden/Harris campaign now, and to place immigration in its rightful place as one of the keys to American equality and prosperity, rather than that being “left on the sidelines” as happened with Obama.

In many ways, Trump and his fundamentally anti-America policies, as masterminded by neo-Nazi Stephen Miller, are the price we have paid for the Obama Administration’s negligent failure to harness the positive power of immigration and of the notable absence of true immigration/human rights policy experts and advocates from the key positions in his Administration.

Immigrants and their advocates can’t let history repeat itself! Policy, legislation, administration, and indeed judging are just variants of “advocacy.” In this case “advocacy” of due process, fundamental fairness, human rights, practical problem-solving, and human dignity. That’s something that the GOP right wrecking crew “gets” but to which Dems and liberals sometimes seem willfully oblivious!

We can’t afford to get it wrong again. And, neither can the Biden/Harris campaign or the American people! The stakes are simply too high!

This November, vote like your life depends on it! Because it does!

Also, immigration and human rights advocates need to make their voices heard by Biden/Harris campaign! Now!

PWS

08-29-20

🇺🇸GEORGE PACKER @ THE ATLANTIC ON WHY JOE BIDEN SHOULD GO TO KENOSHA TO LISTEN & DELIVER A NEEDED MESSAGE OF PEACE, HOPE, & UNITY!

https://apple.news/AY0ybevmoTUe6tKe-0t8z3Q

Packer writes:

. . . .

Nothing will harm a campaign like the wishful thinking, fearful hesitation, or sheer complacency that fails to address what voters can plainly see. Kenosha gives Biden a chance to help himself and the country. Ordinarily it’s the incumbent president’s job to show up at the scene of a national tragedy and give a unifying speech. But Trump is temperamentally incapable of doing so and, in fact, has a political interest in America’s open wounds and burning cities.

Biden, then, should go immediately to Wisconsin, the crucial state that Hillary Clinton infamously ignored. He should meet the Blake family and give them his support and comfort. He should also meet Kenoshans like the small-business owners quoted in the Times piece, who doubt that Democrats care about the wreckage of their dreams. Then, on the burned-out streets, without a script, from the heart, Biden should speak to the city and the country. He should speak for justice and for safety, for reform and against riots, for the crying need to bring the country together. If he says these things half as well as Julia Jackson did, we might not have to live with four more years of Trump.

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Read the rest of Packer’s article at the link.

Seems like a sound plan. Joe probably should take Kamala with him to Kenosha. Get the input of the residents and public officials living with this horrible situation every day and see what common ground they might suggest for both repairing the damage that has been done (to the extent it can be repaired — obviously, there is no restoring Mr. Blake to his pre-shooting condition) and moving forward as a united community and as a country. Assuming, as I do, that the vast majority of Americans favor both justice for all and peaceful, prosperous communities, what are some specifics about how we might get there by working together and across racial and party lines.

Threats and more force won’t solve the problem. We know that. But just that knowledge isn’t enough to solve the problem.

I think it also would be a good idea for Joe and Kamala to seek the views of individuals like LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Steph & Ayesha Curry, George Hill, Kenny Smith, Colin Kaepernick (who was born in Milwaukee and spent the first four yers of his life in Fond du Lac, WI)and others in the African-American community. How would they solve the problem of racial injustice while building community harmony. How could they use their influence to help. Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, AOC, and Sen. Doug Jones (to name just a few) might also have some good ideas to contribute.

Donald Trump is not, and never will be, a thoughtful, unifying problem solver. It’s just not in his makeup or “skill set.” He has no coherent plan for anything.

By contrast, Joe Biden has shown himself to be thoughtful, willing to admit and move by past mistakes, and able to build on his experience and past views to address the present. Now, he needs to put it all together in “real time” and show America what a competent, caring, and listening Government could do for the common good. Without necessarily “becoming Elizabeth Warren,” he and Kamala “need a plan for that.” And listening to the “real people of Kenosha” seems like the place to start.

PWS

08-28-20

PACKERS: R.I.P. WILLIE DAVIS (1934-2020) — Hall of Fame Defender From Lombardi Era Went On To Successful Business Career!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/willie-davis-hall-of-fame-defensive-end-for-green-bay-packers-of-the-1960s-dies-at-85/2020/04/15/0ab063d0-7f41-11ea-8013-1b6da0e4a2b7_story.html

From the WashPost:

By Matt Schudel

April 15 at 10:43 PM ET

Willie Davis, a Hall of Fame defensive end and a team captain for Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers in the 1960s, when he helped lead his team to the first two Super Bowl championships, died April 15 at a hospital in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 85.

The Packers announced his death, noting that his wife said he had been treated for kidney failure.

Mr. Davis played 10 years for the Packers, joining the team in 1960 and becoming a stalwart defensive performer at left end. He was one of the leading disciples of Lombardi, an intense taskmaster and perfectionist who is considered one of football’s greatest coaches.

“Perfection is not attainable,” Lombardi said, in one of many maxims attributed to him. “But if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.”

Throughout most of the 1960s, the Packers reached a level of excellence that few teams in any sport have equaled, winning five National Football League championships in seven years. In January 1967, the Packers met the Kansas City Chiefs of the rival American Football League in the inaugural Super Bowl, winning 35-10. The next year, in Super Bowl II, the Packers beat the Oakland Raiders, 33-14. The Super Bowl trophy is named for Lombardi.

The 6-foot-3, 245-pound Mr. Davis led Green Bay’s pass rush in both games, and as the team’s defensive captain he was, in effect, Lombardi’s alter ego on the field.

“He told us this was a way of life, a game of survival, a test of manhood,” Mr. Davis told author David Maraniss for his 1999 biography of Lombardi, “When Pride Still Mattered.”

Steady, smart and seemingly indestructible, Mr. Davis did not miss a game during his 12-year NFL career. He never gave up on a play and often chased down runners on the opposite side of the field.

Before his Super Bowl heroics, Mr. Davis forced what Green Bay fans call the “million-dollar fumble” during a game against the Baltimore Colts late in the 1966 season. With the Colts driving for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, Hall of Fame quarterback Johnny Unitas dropped back to pass, then tucked the ball under his arm and ran toward the goal line.

Mr. Davis caught him from behind on a muddy field and jarred the ball loose. Linebacker Dave Robinson recovered the fumble, and the Packers held on for a 14-10 victory. They then beat the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL championship game before going on to the first Super Bowl.

“As a pass rusher, he was so quick off the ball,” Robinson said of Mr. Davis in an interview with Packers.com. “He was a good run player, too. He was so strong in the chest, he could hit the tackle and control them. Throw them or drive them.”

Mr. Davis played his first two NFL seasons with the Cleveland Browns, doubling as an offensive tackle and defensive end. Admiring his ability, Lombardi acquired him in a trade before the 1960 season, making him a full-time defensive player.

“In Willie Davis we got a great one,” Lombardi said in 1962.

During the team’s grueling preseason drills, Lombardi was known for loudly criticizing some players and quietly encouraging others, depending on what he thought was the best motivational tool in the moment. One year, after ripping another player, he unexpectedly turned on Mr. Davis, who was never unprepared for practice or a game.

The next morning, Mr. Davis asked Lombardi for an explanation.

“He said, ‘I’ve got to prove nobody’s beyond chewing out,’ ” Mr. Davis recalled to sportswriter W.C. Heinz for the book “Once They Heard the Cheers.” “I said, ‘Yeah, coach, but give me some warning.’”

Mr. Davis was a five-time all-pro and still holds the Packers record for recovered fumbles, with 21. Sacks of opposing quarterbacks were not an official statistic when he played, but historians have credited him with more than 100 during his career. He brought a tenacity to the game that made him, according to NFL Films, one of 100 greatest players in pro football history.

He was the leader of a defensive unit filled with Hall of Fame players, including defensive tackle Henry Jordan, linebackers Robinson and Ray Nitschke and defensive backs Herb Adderley and Willie Wood, who died in February.

Former Packers center Bill Curry called Mr. Davis, in an NFL Films documentary, “the finest combination of leader and player that I ever saw.”

[[Willie Wood, Hall of Fame defensive back for Vince Lombardi’s Packers, dies at 83]]

Beyond the field, Mr. Davis served as a leader for other African American players in the NFL and, as Lombardi instilled, a force for team unity on the Packers. As a white player from Georgia, Curry had not been on an integrated team until he joined the Packers in 1965.

Mr. Davis “didn’t just help me to play in the NFL for 10 years,” Curry said, “he changed my life because I was never able to look at another human being in the same way I had.”

William Delford Davis was born July 24, 1934, in Lisbon, La. He was 8 when his parents separated, and he moved with his mother and two younger siblings to Texarkana, Ark. His mother was a cook at a country club.

Mr. Davis earned a scholarship to the historically black Grambling State University in Louisiana, where his coach was Eddie Robinson, who prepared dozens of players for pro careers and was the first college football coach to win 400 games.

After graduating in 1956, Mr. Davis served two years in the Army before joining the Browns in 1958. While playing in the NFL, he also received a master of business administration degree in 1968 from the University of Chicago. He retired from the Packers at the end of the 1969 season and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1981.

Mr. Davis was a football broadcaster for NBC in the 1970s and turned down several coaching offers. He operated a prosperous beer distributorship in Los Angeles before selling the business in 1989.

He was a key figure in planning the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and was reportedly recruited to run for mayor of the city. He later owned several radio stations and was on the boards of the Packers and several companies and founded a charitable foundation in Lombardi’s name.

His marriages to Ann McCullom and Andrea Erickson ended in divorce; survivors include his wife, the former Carol Dyrek; and two children from his first marriage.

In his business office, Mr. Davis kept pictures of his Packers championship teams and a framed portrait of Lombardi.

“There are days when I wake up and I don’t feel like getting up and crawling into the office,” he told Heinz in the 1970s. “I say to myself that I own the Willie Davis Distributing Company, and today I’m going to exercise my prerogative and not go in. Then I think, ‘What would Lombardi do?’ I get up and out of bed.”

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

Willie’s spectacular defense was a treat to watch during the years of Packers’ dominance of the NFL. Seemed like he was always there with the clutch tackle or big fumble recovery when it was most needed. And, like many on Lombardi’s Packers, he went on to success in other fields after retiring from football.

PWS

04-17-20

SPORTS: BADGER HOOPSTERS FINISH IMPROBABLE RUN TO SHARE OF BIG-10 TITLE! Badgers 60 — Hoosiers 56

Wisconsin guard Brad Davison backs into Indiana guard Rob Phinisee during the first half of the Badgers’ 60-56 win over the Hoosiers on Saturday at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind.
AJ MAST, ASSOCIATED PRESS

SPORTS: BADGER HOOPSTERS FINISH IMPROBABLE RUN TO SHARE OF BIG-10 TITLE! Badgers 60 — Hoosiers 56

By Paul Wickham Schmidt

Courtside Exclusive

March 7, 2020. Left for dead at mid-season, the # 24 Wisconsin Badgers (21-10, 14-6) came back from a 9-point second half deficit to beat the Indiana Hoosiers (19-12, 9-11) in Bloomington, IN on Saturday afternoon. It was Bucky’s eighth straight victory in the tough Big-10. But, it wasn’t easy.

Badger “bigs” Nate Reuvers (17 pts, 7 reb) and Micah Potter (14 & 11) paced the way. Brad Davison (11 & 1) made a key three to give the Badgers the lead for good and calmly sunk two charity tosses to seal the deal. Senior Devonte Green led the Hoosiers with 16, all in the first half.

At one point this season, the Badgers were 13-10, 6-6 and viewed as out of March Madness, particularly after leading scorer Kobe King left the team. But, coach Greg Gard weathered the criticism and held the team together. Better play from Potter, a transfer from Ohio State who only gained eligibility at mid season, junior guard D’Mtrik Trice, and sharp-shooting fifth-year senior Brevin Pritzel enhanced the effectiveness of Reuvers, Davison, and junior Arleem Ford. The Badgers also began knocking down threes that had been clunking off the rim earlier in the season.

The Badgers could win the Big-10 regular season outright if both Michigan State and Maryland lose tomorrow. In any event, they will get a “double bye” into the quarterfinals of the Big-10 Tournament on Friday @ 2:25 EDT. They will play the winner of Thursday’s Rutgers-Michigan matchup.

The Badgers are a lock for the NCAA Tournament, although their seed — probably a 5 or 6, perhaps as high as 4 — will probably depend on how they perform in the Big-10 Tourney. In any event, they are likely to be a “tough out” in the Big Dance.

WHAT DOESN’T HE UNDERSTAND ABOUT “ILLEGAL?” —“Cooch Cooch” Found To Have “Illegally Entered” USCIS Position! — Some Illegal White Nationalist, Anti-Asylum Directives Cancelled!

Judge Randy Moss — Hon. Randy Moss
U.S. District Judge
Washington, DC

Randy Moss
NFL Hall of Fame Wide Receiver (Todd Buchanan / Pioneer Press)

"Cooch Cooch" — “Cooch Cooch” Rewrites America’s Welcoming Message for White Nationalist Nation

L.L.-M. V. Cuccinelli, D. D.C. (Judge Moss), 03-01-20

U.S. District Judge Randy Moss (not to be confused with the NFL hall of fame receiver, one-time “bad boy,” and now commentator of the same name) ruled that Cooch Cooch was illegally appointed to his position of Acting Director of USCIS, thereby invalidating some of his written anti-asylum directives aimed at denying fair processing during the credible fear process and perhaps killing brown-skinned asylum seekers.

KEY QUOTE FROM JUDGE MOSS’S OPINION:

The Court concludes that it has jurisdiction over Plaintiffs’ challenges to the reduced-time-to-consult and prohibition-on- extensions directives and that it lacks jurisdiction over Plaintiffs’ challenge relating to the in- person-orientation directive. The Court also concludes that Cuccinelli was not lawfully appointed to serve as the acting Director of USCIS and that, accordingly, the reduced-time-to- consult and prohibition-on-extensions directives must be set aside as ultra vires under both the FVRA, 5 U.S.C. § 3348(d)(1), and the APA, 5 U.S.C. §706(2)(A). Finally, the Court sets aside the individual Plaintiffs’ negative credible-fear determinations and expedited removal orders and remands to USCIS for further proceedings consistent with this decision.

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

Although only tangental to the actual result reached by Judge Moss, his detailed description of how the regime has unconstitutionally and immorally skewed the credible fear process to screw asylum seekers, largely based on their race, as opposed to acting in good faith to insure that needed protection is granted under U.S. law without regard to political pandering or racial bias, should outrage every American. It also points out how, even though this has been going on since June 2019, and thousands of individuals’ lives have been endangered by this illegal and immoral action, Federal Courts are only now beginning to “scratch the surface” of the regime’s invidious assault on asylum seekers from south of our border.

Indeed, in a move likely to warm the hearts (if, in fact, they have such organs) of Trumpist Judges like Gorsuch and Thomas, Judge Moss limited his order to the five individual named plaintiffs rather than entering the highly controversial, yet totally justified in cases like this, “nationwide injunction.” That means that thousands of similarly situated individuals who were screwed by Cooch Cooch’s scofflaw behavior will have to sue individually to get the law properly applied to them. That assumes that they are still alive and able to sue.

While the decision correctly points to numerous serious defects in the regime’s operation of USCIS, the practical effects might remain small. The regime can always seek to have it undone by the D.C. Circuit or the compliant “J.R. Five” on the Supremes. They also should be able to find some Senate-confirmed politico who was on duty on June 1, 2019 and simply have Trump appoint him or her “acting” and order them to re-issue Cooch’s “Miller-approved” White Nationalist directives on pain of dismissal. Surely, there is never a shortage of toadies among Trump’s gang of sycophants.

Clearly, the only real way to save our democracy and save the lives we should be saving is to vote for regime change, at all levels, this November. Otherwise, we might all find ourselves “Cooched” at some point in the future!

For now, maybe “Cooch Cooch” should be required to join his fellow “illegals” fighting for their existence in squalor and cruel and inhumane conditions under bridges and on street corners on the Mexican side of the border! Or, perhaps he should be “orbited” to Guatemala, El Salvador, or Honduras to pursue his claims from there! One truly scary thing: “Cooch Cooch” was actually once the top “legal” officer of the Commonwealth of Virginia, serving a purely awful term as Attorney General. Thankfully, we Virginia voters had the good sense to send him packing when he ran for Governor!

PWS

03-01-20

SPORTS: WILLIE WOOD (1936-2020): Packer Great, NFL Hall of Famer, DC Native Helped Break The “Color Barrier!”

https://www.packersnews.com/story/sports/nfl/packers/2020/02/03/green-bay-packers-hall-fame-safety-willie-wood-dies-83/1650921002/

Michael Cohen in the Green Bay Press Gazette:

Willie Wood was a fiercely athletic safety for the Green Bay Packers whose interception in Super Bowl I remains a cherished highlight for the organization.

Wood died Monday at an assisted living facility in his hometown of Washington, D.C., the Packers announced. He was 83.

Wood had been suffering from advanced dementia for years.

“The Green Bay Packers Family lost a legend today with the passing of Willie Wood,” Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy said. “Willie’s success story, rising from an undrafted rookie free agent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, is an inspiration to generations of football fans. While his health challenges kept him from returning to Lambeau Field in recent years, his alumni weekend visits were cherished by both Willie and our fans. We extend our deepest condolences to Willie’s family and friends.”

The dynamic Wood was regarded as one of the best defensive backs in NFL history, a player whose vicious hits and plentiful interceptions dominated an entire decade in the 1960s. He played 12 seasons from 1960-71 — all with the Packers — and ranks second in franchise history with 48 career interceptions (trailing only Bobby Dillon’s 52). Wood is the Packers’ career leader in punt-return yardage with 1,391.

Wood was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989.

“The game has lost a true legend with the passing of Willie Wood,” Hall of Fame President & CEO David Baker said. “He had an unbelievable football career which helped transform Green Bay, Wisconsin into Titletown U.S.A. Willie was a rare player who always fought to be a great teammate and achieve success. He entered the league as an undrafted free agent and became one of the greatest to ever play the game. The Hall of Fame will forever keep his legacy alive to serve as inspiration to future generations.”

Wood’s streak of 166 consecutive games played ranks fourth behind quarterback Brett Favre (255), offensive lineman Forrest Gregg (167) and long snapper Rob Davis (167), a testament to the durability and attitude Wood hoped would define his game.

“Determination probably was my trademark,” Wood said. “I was talented but so were a lot of people. I’d like people to tell you I was the toughest guy they ever played against.”

Green Bay Packers safety Willie Wood almost intercepts a long pass by the Giants in the fourth quarter of the Bishop’s Charity game at Green Bay in 1969. Woods fell backward as he kept the ball away from Aaron Thomas on a pass from quarterback Y. A. Tittle. (Photo: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel files)

Wood, who began his career as a quarterback, followed a circuitous route to Green Bay. A year of junior college in California gave way to a three-year career at Southern California with modest numbers and little national buzz. Wood went undrafted as an undersized black quarterback and relied instead on Bill Butler, his coach at the Washington, D.C., Boys Club, to write letters to pro teams campaigning on his behalf.

“Mr. Lombardi, if you could see this kid unshackled you would really agree with me,” Butler said in a letter to coach Vince Lombardi in December of 1959. “If you hadn’t contemplated giving him a chance, just try him one time and I’ll guarantee you’ll be glad you did.”

Wood switched to defense and went through training camp with the Packers in 1960. He made the team as a rookie free agent and contributed immediately as a punt returner on special teams.

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One year later, however, the legend of Wood was born. He replaced injured starter Jess Whittenton at safety late in the 1961 season and entrenched himself as one of the premier defensive backs in the league.

Wood made the Pro Bowl eight times in the next 11 seasons and led the Packers in interceptions five times. He earned AP All-Pro honors six times and was a unanimous selection in 1965 and 1966.

Wood retired after the 1971 season and took a job as an assistant coach for the San Diego Chargers. He went on to become the first black head coach in professional football by taking over the Philadelphia Bell of the World Football League in 1975. Five years later he became the first black head coach of the Canadian Football League as well.

“The thing is, my dad never wanted to leave football,” Andre Wood, a son of Willie’s, told The New York Times in an article published in 2016. “He needed a stable way to make a living. But I know he would have stayed in the NFL coaching track had he been asked to. But he wasn’t.”

DOUGHERTY: Willie Wood took safety road to Hall of Fame

Perhaps his finest moment came in Super Bowl I when the Packers played the Kansas City Chiefs. Wood undercut an ugly throw by Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson for an easy interception that, after a 50-yard return, set up a touchdown in what finished as a blowout win for the Packers.

“My dad was so proud of his Super Bowl moment, but I used to tease him about being tackled from behind on the play,” Willie Wood Jr. told the Times.

“And his response would be, ‘Yes, but I was there.’”

Wood, however, had no recollection of that play and hardly remembered his playing career at all. As detailed by the Times, the aging Wood spent the last decade in an assisted living facility in Washington. While he originally entered for chronic pain in his neck, hip and knee, Wood eventually developed dementia that sapped his memory and limited his cognitive functions.

He sometimes went days without speaking, according to the article.

“It’s difficult to not be able to talk to him,” Willie Wood Jr. told the Times. “He was a great father. As good an athlete as he was, he was 10 times that as a father.”

Wood often wore a Packers hat during his time at the assisted living facility, even though he could not describe the exact connection between himself and the organization. But Wood knew he loved football, and when a reporter from the Times asked if he would play the sport again if given the chance, Wood’s answer was simple.

“Without waiting even a beat,” the article said, “Wood firmly nodded.”

“You liked it that much?”

“He nodded again.”

Wood is survived by his two sons and a daughter. Funeral arrangements are pending.

The Willie Wood file: Facts and figures

Born: Dec. 23, 1936, in Washington, D.C.

School: Southern California. Wood spent one year at Coalinga Junior College in the San Joaquin Valley before transferring to USC. He played quarterback all three years for the Trojans with modest success, finishing his collegiate career with 772 passing yards, seven passing touchdowns and eight interceptions. Wood had 330 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns as well. He made the Packers’ roster as an undrafted free agent in 1960.

Hall of Fame: Packers Hall of Fame, Class of 1977; Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1989.

Packers playing career: An undrafted rookie, Wood battled 24 defensive backs for a spot on the roster. He played mostly on special teams as a punt returner during his first season. Filled in for the injured Jess Whittenton in 1961 and made five interceptions in the second half of the year. Also led the league in punt return average (16.2 yards) and returned two punts for touchdowns. Wood took off from there and had a career-high nine interceptions in 1962 to earn the first of eight Pro Bowl selections (1962, 1964-70). He earned AP All-Pro honors six times and was a unanimous selection twice, in 1965 and 1966. Best known for his vicious hitting and iconic interception in Super Bowl I that set up a touchdown in a game the Packers won, 35-10. Played 166 consecutive games over the course of his career. Finished with 48 interceptions, two defensive touchdowns and two punt return touchdowns. Tackling statistics were unavailable during Wood’s era. He wore jersey number 24.

Post playing career: Wood retired after the 1971 season and took an assistant coaching position with the San Diego Chargers. Four years later he became the first black head coach in professional football when he ran the Philadelphia Bell of the World Football League. In 1980, Wood became the first black head coach in the Canadian Football League as well. He was in charge of the Toronto Argonauts for two seasons. Wood spent the last decade in an assisted living facility in his hometown of Washington. He suffered from dementia and, according to an article in The New York Times, remembered almost nothing of his football career. He sometimes went days without speaking.

Quote: “Determination probably was my trademark. I was talented but so were a lot of people. I’d like people to tell you I was the toughest guy they ever played against.” — Willie Wood

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

I was fortunate enough to see Willie Wood play in person several times when the Packers played some games at the old Milwaukee Country Stadium. Although small by NFL standards even for those days, he was known for his athleticism, toughness, and jumping ability. He could touch the crossbar with his elbow from a standing start!

PWS

02-04-20

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
Quarterback
Kansas City Chiefs
Super Bowl 54 MVP

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

NATION, WORLD MOURN KOBE BRYANT (1978-2020) — Retired NBA Legend Dies Tragically With Daughter Gianna and 7 Others In Helicopter Crash — Tributes Pour In!

Kobe was one of the best ever to play the NBA game and an inspiration to many around the world. He certainly was dedicated to his daughter and had plans for improving lives that exceeded his prowess on the court.

His career and legend, however, were not without controversy. In 2003, he was charged with sexual assault. Bryant admitted the extramarital relationship, but denied that the sex was non-consensual. The criminal case against him was dropped, and the civil suit was settled out of court. Bryant issued an apology, without admitting any wrongdoing. Thereafter, Bryant appears to have redeemed and rehabilitated himself as a father and family-oriented person. He was known as a booster and supporter of women’s athletics.

Of the many tributes to Bryant, here is one of the best from Bill Plashke of the LA Times:

https://www.latimes.com/people/bill-plaschke

LAKERS

Column: How can Kobe Bryant be gone? His legend wasn’t supposed to end this way

Lakers legend Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas on Sunday. He was 41.(Los Angeles Times)

By BILL PLASCHKE COLUMNIST

JAN. 26, 2020 2:36 PM

Kobe Bryant is gone.

I’m screaming right now, cursing into the sky, crying into my keyboard, and I don’t care who knows it.

Kobe Bryant is gone, and those are the hardest words I’ve ever had to write for this newspaper, and I still don’t believe them as I’m writing them. I’m still crying, and go ahead, let it out. Don’t be embarrassed, cry with me, weep and wail and shout into the streets, fill a suddenly empty Los Angeles with your pain.

No. No. No, damn it, no!

The Times is offering coverage of Kobe Bryant’s death for free today. Please consider a subscription to support our journalism.

Bryant, 41, and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, were among nine people who died in a helicopter crash Sunday in Calabasas and how does that happen? Kobe is stronger than any helicopter. He didn’t even need a helicopter. For 20 years he flew into greatness while carrying a breathless city with him.

This can’t be true.

Kobe does not die. Not now. Kobe lives into his golden years, lives long enough to see his statues erected outside Staples Center and his jerseys inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. He lives long enough to sit courtside at Staples when he’s stooped and gray, keeping alive the memories of two decades of greatness with a wink, maybe even fooling everyone one last time by retiring in a community next to Shaq.

CALIFORNIA

Kobe Bryant, daughter Gianna among 9 dead in helicopter crash; L.A. in mourning

1 hour ago

How can Mamba be dead? Mambas don’t die. Why this, why now, why him, why them? Kobe and Gianna leave behind an incredibly strong wife and mother, Vanessa, and daughters Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and Capri, who was born last summer. The horror of this is unspeakable. The tragedy of this is immeasurable.

Go ahead and keep crying, you won’t be alone. A huge hole has been cut out of Los Angeles’ heart, and the wound is breathtaking.

Kobe was your childhood hero. He was your adult icon. For 20 years he was on posters in your bedroom, on the television in your living room, in the lunch talk in your school cafeteria, in the smack talk at your office water cooler, and ultimately riding on a truck down Figueroa Street while you cheered and bragged and bathed in his greatness.

You watched him grow up, and this city’s relentless approach to sports grew with him, and soon, even with all of his off-court failings, many people felt they carried a little piece of him.

LAKERS

Sports world and beyond mourn Lakers legend Kobe Bryant’s death in Calabasas helicopter crash

Jan. 26, 2020

On your best days, the days you landed a big account or aced a big test or just survived a battle with traffic, you felt like Kobe. You were Kobe. And in the end, as he retired into a life of movies and books and coaching Gianna’s basketball team, he was us.

For me, he not only dominated my professional life, he consumed it. He arrived in Los Angeles two months before I began writing this column. We used to joke that we started our journeys together. But then he would pat me on the back and shake his head at that notion because, well, he always followed his own path.

He was the one Laker who never had an entourage, and many nights after games we would chat as I walked with him to his car. Except when he would get mad at me for what he considered unfair criticism, and then we wouldn’t talk for weeks, because when he was playing, he was that rare fighter who never dropped his fists.

I covered his first game. I covered his last game. I wrote about everything in between, the titles and the sexual assault charge and the trade demands and the titles again and then finally that 60-point career-ending game against Utah.

I screamed from press row that night, just as I’m screaming now, still shaking, still not believing.

Kobe Bryant is gone.

We talked just last week.

I emailed Kobe with a request to speak to him about being passed on the all-time scoring list by LeBron James.

He emailed me back immediately. He always did.

He cleared his calendar and made time to chat on the phone because, as he always said, “You’ve been there for everything with me.”

But then, in our 20-minute conversation, he showed a side of Kobe that I had not seen before.

The edge was gone. The arms were open. He urged acceptance of LeBron. He preached calm for Lakers fans. He said greatness wasn’t worth anything if you couldn’t share it.

After about five minutes the message of this call was clear, the steely-eyed Mamba was purposely moving into a role of a wise, embracing and grateful leader of a community that had shown him so much patience and love.

“It’s crazy, watching this city and growing with it,” he said before hanging up. “I feel such an appreciation, I can never pay the city back for what it’s given me.”

And now he’s gone. Kobe is gone. Kobe is gone.

I’ll say it 81 times and it still won’t make any sense.

Kobe Bryant is gone and, so, too, is a little bit of all of us.

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

R.I.P., Kobe.

PWS

01-26-20

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!

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

COURTSIDE SPORTS: Badger Women’s Volleyball Team Dominates #1 Baylor To Advance To National Championship Match!

After losing the first game 27-25 to #1 Baylor, the #4 seed Wisconsin Badgers Women’s Volleyballers dominated the Lady Bears in three straight games 25-21, 25-17, 25-19 Thursday night in Pittsburgh to advance to the NCAA National Championship for the third time in history. The Badgers have never won the big one. They will play the winner of #2 seed Stanford and #3 seed Minnesota on Saturday.

The Badgers were led by overpowering performances from 6’8” Junior Dana Rettke and Redshirt Junior Molly Haggerty. Rettke, who led the Badgers with 17 kills, attributes much of her on-court success to her parallel career as a dancer. Haggerty, the third of three sisters to star in NCAA volleyball, added 14 kills.

Go Bucky!

PWS

12-19-19

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? — NATS COME FROM BEHIND TO BEAT ASTROS 6-2 & WIN FIRST WORLD SERIES AS HOWIE KENDRICK STRIKES BIG BLOW AGAIN!

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? — NATS COME FROM BEHIND TO BEAT ASTROS 6-2 & WIN FIRST WORLD SERIES AS HOWIE KENDRICK STRIKES BIG BLOW AGAIN!

By Paul Wickham Schmidt

Exclusive for Immigrationcourtside.com

Oct. 30, 2010. For more than seven innings, Astros starter Zack Greinke had baffled the Washington Nationals, shutting them out on one hit while nursing a 2-0 lead. He outdueled Nats starter Max Scherzer, who despite giving up seven hits and two runs in five innings kept his team in the game.

With one out in the top of the seventh, Nats third baseman Anthony Rendon hit a home run to cut the margin in half. Following a walk to young superstar Juan Soto, Astros manager A.J. Hinch pulled Greinke and went to reliever Will Harris to face the Nats designated hitter Howie Kendrick.

Kendrick was the hero of Divisional Series win over the L.A. Dodgers and the MVP of the League Championship Series win over the St. Louis Cardinals. But, his World Series had been less than stellar. As he came to the plate, he was sporting an average of just over .200. It didn’t matter. The 36-year-old part-time starter, who was the Nats leading hitter for average during the regular season, drove a Harris pitch down the right field line where it hit the screen just inside the foul pole for a two-run homer that put the Nats ahead to stay 3-2.

With help from Adam Eaton and Juan Soto, the Nats added three big insurance runs in the eighth and ninth innings. Patrick Corbin, normally a starter, but also pitching out of the bullpen in the postseason, threw three scoreless innings in relief for the win. Daniel Hudson closed it out with a thee-up, three-down ninth inning. Then pandemonium broke loose.

So, the Nats completed an amazing resurrection from a 19-31 start to World Series Champs, beating the heavily favored Astros. Lots of credit to Manager Davey Martinez for righting the ship after many were screaming for his head back in May.

Among the interesting facts generated by this Series: Nats became first team in postseason history to win five “elimination games” (they trailed in each one); Nats are the first team to win four Series games on the road; this is the only major sports championship in which the visiting team won every game.

Nats pitcher Stephen Strasburg, who was 2-0 in the World Series and 5-0 in postseason was named the MVP.

Congrats again to the Nats and their organization, particularly the Lerner family which owns the team and brought baseball back to Washington. They join the Caps and the Mystics in bringing recent championships to D.C., and showing that good things can come out of Washington.

WORLD SERIES: RENDON DRIVES IN FIVE, EATON, SOTO HOMER, & STRASBURG SHUTS DOWN ‘STROS AS NATS WIN 7-2 IN HOUSTON TO FORCE GAME 7 TONIGHT!

Game seven from Houston tonight at 8 pm on Fox. This is the first time in major sports playoff history that the visitors (in this case, the Nats) have won six games. By going 5-0 in the postseason, Nats’ ace Stephen Strasburg ties a major league record!

Tonight, Max Scherzer (hopefully) goes for the Nats after missing game five in DC with severe back spasms. The Nats’ Davey Martinez became the first manager ejected from the Series since 2015 for arguing a questionable interference call on Trea Turner at first base that looked like it had killed a Nats’ rally in the seventh inning. However, two batters later, Anthony Rendon saved the day by blasting a majestic two-out, two-run homer to give the Nats some breathing room. Nats’ 21-year-old superstar Juan Soto continued to impress with a “moon shot” home run to give the Nats a 3-2 lead they would not surrender, thanks to Strasburg and Rendon.

Go Nats! Bring the World Series Championship home to DC!

PWS

10-30-19

SPORTS: AR, DEVONTE SHARP AS PACKERS REPEL VIKES IN OPENER — Robust Offense Dominates In 43-34 Win!

By Paul Wickham Schmidt

September 14, 2020

Exclusive for Courtside

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IMMIGRANTS & THEIR ADVOCATES NEED TO MAKE THEIR VOICES HEARD, NOW!

By Paul Wickham Schmidt

Courtside Exclusive

Aug. 29, 2020

This November, vote like your life depends on it! Because it does!

Also, immigration and human rights advocates need to make their voices heard by Biden/Harris campaign! Now!

PWS

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

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Exclusive For Courtside Sports

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“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!

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