This, That and The Other

Photo courtesy of Richard Wheater Sr.

Lions and Tigers and Scammers and Shoes

By Ken DeLaat

 “The very existence of flamethrowers proves that sometime, somewhere, someone said to themselves, 'You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I’m just not close enough to get the job done.”-George Carlin

L&T-While it has been beyond disappointing to be a Tiger fan once again this season (currently immersed in an impassioned race with the A’s to achieve the worst record in the American League) there was always football season to look forward to.
Sure it’s the perennial hapless  Lions, but there were signs things had turned around under Coach Campbell. I tuned in Sunday filled with positive thoughts that only became enhanced after that splendid opening drive for a TD.
Then came the second quarter when turnovers, penalties and big plays  helped Philly slap on 24 points, 14 of them in less than a minute.
The Blue & Silver came back and made a bit of a game of it and look to be a much improved team but 2 things tell me different. 
First is the propensity of this team to shoot themselves in the foot time and time again. This seems to be ingrained in the Lion culture. Not the current culture, the ancestral influence that looms over each version of this team over the past too many decades. A curse that has loomed  since they traded enigmatic quarterback Bobby Layne in 1958.
The second thing  also has to do with a quarterback. 
Goff isn’t terrible but I recently watched Josh Allen dismantle a good Ram defense and it was easy to see who was the superior playcaller on the field when they faced the Eagles.
But hey, chances are they won’t finish an eternity out of contention while playing in the absolute worst division in the sport because not a single player on their team knows how to hit and every trade and free agent they pursued flamed out, and, and…
Sorry.  Just needed to get that off my chest.
Go Lions.

Scammers-While the whole student loan forgiveness thing is steaming along social media with the usual polarized opinions we have all come to know and despise,  this is an issue I am certain that most of us can agree on.
A mutual abhorrence for those who prey on others.
With the ink not even dry on the initiative I received not one, but two calls informing me of the upcoming forgiveness of my student loan and the necessity of contacting the callers to ensure I would get what was coming to me.
And I am certain they would make good on that promise to give me what was coming to me.
If what coming to me was a hosing, fleecing and all around flimflamming.
What's more, my student loan history consisted of the 10 bucks I once borrowed from a frat brother for gas to drive home for Christmas. I did indeed pay it back  with  the interest consisting of ponying up for a pitcher of beer we split at the Bird in Mt Pleasant.
In 1971.
And for those who share my generational grouping? Yes, American Pie was played on the jukebox at least 17 times that afternoon.

Shoes- Suddenly there has been an absolute plethora of orphaned footwear found alongside area roads. TI Editor Wheater sent a shot of a substantially solid Sorel that was apparently not content to lurk on the shoulder. It had been discovered gaining a higher perspective perched on a pole. I advised him to exercise caution since the movement seems to have gotten more daring.
The blue sneaker on I-96 near the 131 interchange, the brown loafer type sitting a bit too innocently on M-72 near Linden and don’t even get me started on sandals. Suddenly they’re everywhere.
While I generally try to remain a tad skeptical of conspiracy theories and consider myself to be adequately rational, this burgeoning burst of suspicious soles seems to beg the question…
What does it mean?