Alas, Poor King James...

Today is the day...when all the planets align, Draymond returns to the starting line-up, and the best possible gift to celebrate the one year anniversary of the Warriors winning their first NBA title in forty years, on the floor of the Cleveland Cavaliers; the boys in blue will repeat the feat! There was so much unnecessary bitching and whining about the horribly wrong and incredibly unjust, suspect suspension of the Dub wing man. Everything happens for a reason, and had NBA hierarchy not wanted to prolong the Finals one more game to grab onto a little more ad/ticket/swag revenue, the series would already be over. But thanks to the greed of the suits sitting up in the deluxe suites high above the hardwood, the Cavs get to take yet another series-ending butt whoopin' on their home floor, from the guys they said last year, were a fluke. Savor the moment folks. It may not happen again for another year...

Thinking back...Depsite the constant, growing irritation to many, myself included, of the societal-interuptus internet platform Facebook, it turns out that is does have a worthwhile purpose. Quite by accident, I am certain, I have been reminded over the past few days of the following...

The last time the Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series, Ronald Reagan was President, and the Windows platform, the cell phone, smart phone, iPod, iPad, Facebook, MySpace, Hip-hop, contemporary country music, Direct TV and the Marvel movie series has yet to be conceived, much less created. Only one of the top ten offensive players in Major League Baseball had been born, and twenty three of MLB stadiums in operation at the time are no longer existing structures. Donald Trump has only filed for bankruptcy once.

I am also reminded, there are still many intelligent questions that need to be answered...

MANY questions...

and sometimes it's not a question, but simply a sad shakingof the head and wondering when will the stupid end?..

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Five days left...of Spring, and all told, it's been a great one. The G-men lead the West, have the third best record in the Majors (most of that time without a starting pitcher and two of their starting day outfielders), the Dubs will close out their second consecutive NBA title tonight, the kids finished up another fab year at CMP (thanks, as always, to the amazing (and to all) teachers there, and a sad but eternally grateful farewell to the stellar ones who are moving on to other opportunities. Never has there been a more accurate example of the fish stinking from the head down, and never will the heart and soul of this particular big fish, be so deeply missed. Looking forward to a busy, exciting summer...

Four!...years ago today, the 2012 US Open at Olympic in San Francisco began. It was five days (one day of practice rounds) inside the ropes at the history-making course with the world's best golfers,and those soon to be, that I will never forget. Truly gave me a reinvigorated appreciation for the game, the way these men play it. Bobby Jones once said, after watching Jack Nicklaus win the '65 Open, "He plays a game with which I am not familiar". As I drove home after the first day of play, four years ago this day, I knew exactly how he felt. I spent the following day tracking Jordan Speith, a young kid just out of U of Texas at the time, he was kind and engaging and stopped to talk a few times during the round and a couple years later, I look up and he's the best player in the world. Who knew? So here's wishing good rounds and a few magical shots from the linksters, and some great watching from those of you watching from home. Tee 'em high and let 'em fly...Oh, I still have a few images from that Open up in the Retail Prints section of my website. Pop in and take a look. http://www.dennisjonesphotography.com/#!blank-4/w233f  USGA Executive Director and golf course guru Mike Davis really did a wonderful job with the course that year. The old gal had never looked more beautiful...

  

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And just when you think...you've heard enough from any politician, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy pulls a fast one and does the right, or at least a good, thing. Going old-school when no one was looking, he stands up, is recognized to speak on the floor of the Senate, and begins an old fashioned filibuster. The reason...he wants an up or down vote on a bill making it illegal for anyone on the FBI's "No fly" terrorist watch list, from buying a weapon of any kind, in these United States. Yes, this is the same bill the House voted down just weeks ago, in a straight party vote. I don't need to tell you which party voted to allow suspected terrorists to keep buying more guns. Do I?  The filibuster ended after fourteen hours and there will be a vote on the bill, today, and not a few up-for-re-election Republicans are now all being very vocal in their support for the bill...that they unanimously rejected just weeks ago. It's all about motivation. Hang in there folks, there is hope...And on a related note: For those of you who truly, honestly, and respectfully believe that having a gun in your home, or on your person will make you a "good guy with a gun" keep you safe from "the bad guys with a gun", remember this...on the day Ronald Reagan was shot, by a first-time gun user with absolutely zero training or experience owning, handling, or shooting his revolver that he bought at a gun show not long before the incident, he (the President) was completely surrounded by 28 of the most heavily armed, well trained security professionals --- on the planet...

'Till next time...

Cheers!
Dennis