Chances Of Chris Christie Ever Becoming President: None

At the Little League World Series over the weekend.

GIF Of The Day: Tiger Down!!

Randomly Disturbing

pic.twitter.com/14sJRzomFP
— Lana Berry (@Lana) August 25, 2013

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• Of all the concepts in this world, the Butterfly Effect may be the most true. Today someone deciding whether to stop for 10 seconds for any reason will change peoples' lives years from now in a major way. Life. Death. Love. Marriage. 
• Ran into a gal this weekend who is having the most Wheels Off life. I was torn between feeling so very bad for her versus realizing how listening to her story made me realize how blessed I am.
• Miley Cyrus apparently went nuts at the VMAs last night. Girl ain't right.
• Cowboys thoughts: (1) Everyone is making a big deal out of the benching of RB DeMarco Murray by Jason Garrett on Saturday night. Really? You bench a guy in a preseason game that has a 100% chance of starting when the regular season starts and that's a story?
• It's back to school week where every kid, regardless of age, walks towards a building full of judgment. (2) There was a play where the opposing running back had a twenty yard or so gain and then fumbled. Jason Garrett was cheering like a school kid as the Cowboys recovered it.  I don't understand that. I'd be livid over a breakdown that allowed a twenty yard run and not happy about a lucky fumble recovery.
• Odd moment of the weekend: Asking Mrs. LL if she wanted to clean the kitchen together or "wanted me to do it passively aggressively." We cleaned it together which was bizarrely fun to do. (Reflecting back, how she didn't kill me for asking that question is another matter.) 
• Drives me nuts that people confuse the the worst Lake Bridgeport levels ever without considering the changes made in 1972.
• Mansfield motorcycle death.
• I lost an appeal in the Fort Worth Court of Appeals on Friday by a 2-1 vote. That's a professional heart breaker (but I loved the passion of the dissent). I'll probably appeal it to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and they just might consider it. 
• The Sophomore In The House bought "his and her" bracelets and then the boyfriend broke up with her before the gift arrived.  Not sure I liked that guy anyway. 
• My favorite thing to do with the kids before they leave the house is to do the Meet the Parents  "I'm watching you" move. 
• Death notices in the Update today are for people 36, 49, 41 and 53. Good grief. 

What a great Decatur photo

From this week's Messenger. 

(Hoping Mr. Eaton doesn't sue me.)

Above The Fold

This Guy Taking You Into The Weekend

Friday Afternoon Dancing To Take Our Minds Off Race Relations

So many questions.

Is that a bar or a run down K-Bobs?  Daytime? People dance in the daytime? And what's that dance Mr. Sleeveless is doing there? Some modified line dance? And then there's the the wannabe Vanilla Ice guy. It looks like a karaoke screen in the background but he doesn't even glance at it. Man knows those lyrics like he does that every day.  And what's up with Miss Boom Boom who comes dancing in? Is she with the guy?

The world is a mysterious place.

Black Kids Kill World War II Vet

Delbert Belton, a World War II veteran, was beaten to death by two teenagers in Spokane, Washington, it was reported.

KXLY-TV reported that Belton, 89, died Thursday morning in Sacred Heart Medical Center after he was beaten in the Eagles Lodge parking lot near the Eagles Ice-A-Rena.

The teens, who have not been caught, have been described as African-American between the ages of 16 and 19. They were wearing black clothing and one of them was wearing a “do-rag,” police said.

The two attacked Belton on Wednesday night, but police have not given motive for the crime.

Police say they received a call about an assault at 8:15 p.m. and later found the victim sitting in his car with serious head injuries, reported The Associated Press.

Belton’s friends said that he survived the Battle of Okinawa during World War II and was wounded. He later worked at an aluminum plant for 30 years.

Friends and family of Belton said that he was “full of life” and enjoyed working on cars and helping others, reported KHQ-TV. (Story.)

A memorial was set up at the crime scene for Belton.

I got called out for not posting this earlier. Honestly, I hadn't seen it. So here ya go.

Not real sure what can be said other than those who did it need to be caught and prosecuted. Pretty simple.

Rockies First Base Coach Gives Life Advice

But I promise you if I had been that kid, I'd of turned to my buddy and said, "What was that guy's deal?"

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• I finally saw the images of the multiple bodies of dead children thought to have been killed by chemical weapons in Syria. And there's really not much we can do other than to intervene militarily -- and that's not going to happen.
• After much urging, I watched the latest episode of The Bridge.  That was some late night Cinemax like stuff going on. Oh, my. 
• Lots of outpouring on Facebook about the death of Brian Mooney of Decatur yesterday. [Edit: Corrected. Major screw-up earlier.]
• A week ago there was a big hit in the Chicago/San Diego NFL game and the NFL.com site posted a clip of it within seconds referring to it as a "spectacular tackle." Earlier this week the NFL fined the tackler $21,000 saying the hit was illegal. Source. The NFL promoteth violence and also taketh away thy money.
• ESPN's Outside the Line and PBS's Frontline had been working for over a year on a joint project about concussions in the NFL. ESPN, which is cozy with the NFL by paying the $1 billion a year for the rights to Monday Night Football, abruptly pulled out of the project yesterday. NFL pressure? You bet. ESPN is awash in conflicts of interest when it comes to sports news.
• The Texas Parks and Wildlife folks will be doing a detailed analysis of the fish in Lake Bridgeport this fall. (Assuming the lake is still there.)
• What a run by David Dewhurst: (1) The anti-Ted Cruz Chinese ads, (2) The Wendy Davis filibuster debacle, and (3) the phone call to Allen PD.  Things were a lot easier for him when all he had to do was get on a horse once every four years to film a corny campaign ad and rely upon his name to dupe an uninformed public. I've said this before, but I've been calling Dewhurst out since 2001. 
• And he was a little tipsy on that phone call, wasn't he?
• Looking back in time, I discovered that I had once been given a Dallas Stars regular season game ticket in 2001 that had a face value of $135. I thought that was insane then. I think it's insane now. Do they still have tickets that cost that much? 
• OK, the jury in the Hasan case is taking it's time. I think there are about 35 charges so maybe they are actually talking about each one instead of just checking the "guilty" line. 
• Ben Affleck will be the new Batman (in a movie I won't see.)
• If you're into payrolls in Major League Baseball, you will absolutely love this interactive graphic.
• Greg "The Hammer" Williams hadn't updated his blog in weeks but tweeted this morning that he's "back" and his absence was not due to drugs or drinking. He also says he will tell his side of the story about the breakup of The Fan's RAGE show which will be different than the version from Richie Whitt. There are divorced couples who hate each other who don't have as much animosity between them as those two.
• Update warning: The first item concerns "Taste Of Wise" at the Decatur Civic Center. No news today. 

OK, Boys, Cue The Bald Eagle. Wait! Don't Cue The Bald Eagle!!!

Video. (Including some obviously communist chick laughing when the great flying symbol of 'Merica meets the immovable object.)

Coptic Christians Protesting In Dallas Right Now Against Muslim Brotherhood

Not sure the Muslim Brotherhood will care, but I can see why the protesters are angry with the attacks in Egypt.

(Yep, I had to look up "Coptic Christians")

More On The TCU Trippin' Girls

There's got to a metaphor in there somewhere about girls so excited to join a an exclusive society while one of their members stumbles in the midst of the glee.

Photo source.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• Loved (in a "you got to be kidding me" sort of way) Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst's call to Allen PD to try and get his step-sister's son's wife out of jail after being arrested for shoplifting. He was fishing for a Personal Recognizance Bond but wouldn't come out and say it. But, man, that guy can ramble on. And he showed his true colors when he dropped the head of DPS's name and asked for the county judge's cell phone number. 
• Oh, and during the call he referred to himself as the "No. 1 pick of all the law enforcement agencies within Texas." Now that's funny. I think I missed that contest. 
• Mark Davis said this morning that "anyone in Dewhurst's position" would have made that call. I think that comment is insane. And Davis said he has dropped his station's "Call Letters" in the past to try and get something done. What does that mean? He's threatening to call someone out on his radio show if he doesn't get what he wants? 
• And Dewhurst's crazy Republican opponent, Dan Patrick, immediately fired off a press release saying, "The fact that David Dewhurst believes he and his family are above the law is the height of arrogance and recklessness." Republicans are at their best when they attack each other. Edit: The "and recklessness" has now been properly placed.
• Baylor Bust: Offensive lineman Jason Smith was cut yesterday. He was the second overall pick in the 2009 draft and signed a contract with $33 million guaranteed. (I could have sworn he was on Hard Knocks during the initial holdout, but now I'm not sure.) 
• Three separate shootings in Fort Worth last night left three dead. 
• The Sophomore In The House dropped her phone yesterday and shattered the screen. And I do mean shattered.  She was so heartbroken that I think she's entered the Five Stages of Grief.  And considering we'll probably have to get her another one, I'll be right there with her -- lingering in stage four. 
• Wouldn't it probably be a good idea for Kenneth Copeland just to cancel church for a couple of weeks because of the measles outbreak?
• I had a bad habit of insisting Mrs. LL watch something on TV just because I thought it was interesting. And I'd become a little frustrated if she didn't appreciate that as much as I did. I completely abandoned the "Hey, you have to watch this with me" mindset about two months ago. It's better. (Although I did catch myself asking the Fourth Grader In The House the other day, "Hey, you want to see a pitcher get thrown out of a game for throwing three wild pitches?")
• Someone called me out the other day when I said Duck Dynasty was basically scripted saying, "It's not scripted! Don't you realize it's a reality show!!"  Really, dude?
• We had to get our home router replaced the other day which meant getting a new Key Number.  I was beyond stunned to learn the number of devices we had hooked up to wifi. You would be, too. 
• I found a home grown tomato stand. No way I'm telling you where it is. 
• The Nidal Hasan case goes to the military jury today. No way the jury doesn't get back there and say, "Let's wait at least an hour so they will think we at least deliberated." 

I Reference Radio Host Mark Davis From Time To Time

.@MarkDavis: Gay conversion therapy should not be banned http://t.co/KfHC1g0GDY
— Dallas Morning News (@dallasnews) August 21, 2013

I also mention from time to time that he's losing it.

"Business Insider" New Poll Asks Americans What They Think About The States

And several more.

Random Play From Last Night's Ranger Game

A lot happens there.

The pitcher overthrows Kinsler at second but Elvis Andrus snags the ball in the backup position.

The runner, for some odd reason, just walks off the base and gets tagged.

My first impression was that the runner thought Kinsler caught the ball and he was forced out. He looks at the umpire before walking off the base (but the ump certainly didn't signal him out -- but the runner didn't see him signal safe either.)

The runner, Max Stassu had this explanation: "I slid in and lost track of the ball. I thought [Andrus] was on second, and the ball went past him. That's totally on me, and it's something that'll never happen again in my career. It just so happened on my debut."

Yep, it was his first game.

Edit Got Kinsler and Andrus reversed there. That the way blog writin' go.