JR Spox Daily Briefing - The Virtual 2020 Mock Presidential Debate

Most people don’t know it but the presidential candidates always meet and do a mock debate before the real thing. I was fortunate to be able to listen to the debate, thanks to my friend in LA. Let me set the scene. It was a virtual debate. 

President Trump was speaking from Kenosha, Wisconsin, at a hotel downtown. You could hear noises in the background. To start with, he was asked to turn his sound up. 

Vice President Biden was broadcasting from his home in Wilmington, Delaware. You could hear his dog in the background. One of his assistants took care of that problem.

The debate was being controlled by television station KRAP in Los Angeles. Clarke Kent, the legendary reporter, was the moderator.

Here is what I heard.

They skipped the opening statements which was okay by me.

Kent came flying out of the gate with no holds barred.

“You’re up first Mr. Trump. We’ll start with a very important question. What are your plans on stopping the riots and unrest in our major cities?” the moderator started.

“I’m ready to help. Of course, the cities and states are the first line of defense. But we are there to back them up. So far, they don’t want us around. We did show up but was asked to leave.”

“Same basic question for you Mr. Biden. What is your favorite color and how would you use that to stop the unrest in some of the cities?” Kent asked.

“I’m glad you asked that. It’s blue, of course. Our party has the right approach to this problem. There is social injustice.” 

“We need to get out there with these people. You know, get involved. Like the Mayor of New York City who sat down with his folks and came up with a plan. They painted Black Lives Matter letters in yellow paint on Fifth Avenue. That’s working together.”

“Heck, the New York Governor even reached out to his supporters. ‘You got to come back! We’ll go to dinner! I’ll buy you a drink! Come over, I’ll cook!’ We need more of that.”

“President Trump, let’s move to the economy.  We are in the worst situation we have been in years. How did you let that happen? Will we ever recover?”

“A year ago, we had the greatest economy in the world. You know the best the world has ever seen. But the pandemic hit and the whole thing went to hell. The stock market is recovering now, and people are going back to work because of my leadership.”

“Vice President Biden, what’s your take on the economy?”

“Our group has some very good ideas. I like the potential of the Green New Deal. We must get rid of fracking, or what ever you call it, and at the same time get energy independent. We need to solve the high cost of medical. Obamacare is great but maybe we need to put everything in one basket. You know, Medicare for All. Bernie is the right guy for that.”

“President Trump, you are being criticized for picking Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court. Did you ever consider waiting until after the election to do the nomination?”

“Never once. I was elected to nominate someone if there was vacancy. And I did that.”

“Vice President, should the President have waited? Do you have someone in mind if Ms. Barrett is not confirmed?

“You know Clarke, he should have waited and gave me a crack at it. My list of who I would have picked is confidential

“President Trump, you’re being criticized for the way you handled the virus. Where did you fail the country?”

“I didn’t fail anybody. I fought for our people. We got people together and they quickly decided that each part of the country would be different. You know, one size doesn’t fit all. We gave them guidelines to go by.”

“So, we moved the monitoring and medical response to the individual states. That was a mistake. They have no clue. For the most part, they didn’t use our guidelines.”

“Vice President Biden, how would you have handled the virus?”

“I would have had more tests for folks. I would have mandated everyone wear masks. You know, like being required. Oh, also, I would have made sure everyone had the equipment they needed.”

“Let’s move to taxes. That seems to be a marked difference between the two of you. President Trump, what is your stance on taxes?”

“I think the general taxes are in a good place. I would like to eliminate payroll taxes until the economy recovers. Besides that, we are good to go.”

“Same question to you Mr. Biden.”

“Would you repeat the question?”

“What is your stance on taxes?”, Kent asked.

“Here’s the deal. The wealthy must pay more taxes. I would raise the tax rate back to the level that Barack and I had it before Trump took over.” 

“Okay, immigration is a hot topic. President Trump, what is your view on this and where is this going?”

“Illegal immigration has been a major objective of my administration. We need to reduce crime by stopping criminals from crossing the border. Also, we need to stop drugs from pouring in and, of course, stop human trafficking. Also, Clarke, our people are losing jobs to these people.”

“Vice President Biden, how would be handle immigration?”

“C’mon man! These are people. I think they deserve to be granted citizenship. Yeah, I know there’s a lot of them, but we have the resources to help them get a start on reaching their dream.”

“Also, this wall we have down there. On my first day in office, we will start cutting holes in the fence, every half mile or so. You know, big enough to drive a truck through.”

“Let’s go to administrations. There seems to be a lot of questions here. President Trump, you have had a large turnover. If you’re re-elected, what changes can we expect?”

“My people are incredible men and women. They give everything they have for the people of this country. They are amazing. They do a tremendous job. There may be some turnover but for the most part, those people just need a change.”

“Of course, I have a great backup, VP Mike Pence. He is a great guy. He could easily run this country. You know, keep our progress going.”

 “Mr. Biden, what would your administration look like? Who will you lean on for advice? Also, will your son be a part of your management team?”

“You leave my son out of this.” Biden hesitated a couple of seconds. “I will have a great team behind me. You know when you have Nancy in your corner, you’re in the right place. Next to her, I have Bernie and Alexandria advising me. Oh, and of course, Harris will be my right-hand person.”

“If something would happen to me, VP Harris would be able to take over the reins. She would make some changes, for sure. But they all would be in the direction our country is moving.”

The debate continued for a while. Kent asked various other questions regarding law enforcement and other things. I think I detected some prerecorded answers by Mr. Biden, but it could have been the feed I had.

“Okay, one more question. Do you have a closing statement? You first, President Trump.”

“My first two tasks are to stop this pandemic and get our economy going. You know, back to what it was. The greatest in the world.”

“And you, Vice President Biden.”

“I want to thank you Clarke for having me. I could go on and on like this. I must admit, you wore me out.” Biden laughed. “And you made me miss my afternoon nap.”

Finally, Clarke Kent was off the air. 

JR Spox’s Daily Briefing – Major League Baseball – Back in the Day

The other day I turned on my TV to watch my favorite ball team. I sat there for a couple innings watching them striking out and throwing the ball all over the place when the announcer threw me a curve. “We are Broadcasting from the studio.” The game sounded normal with fan noise except for no booing. 

Of course, the real fans had been replaced by fan image cutouts. That was okay. Our fans had been board for a few years now anyway. And I could live with the Naval officer singing ‘God Bless America’ at a remote location near a little league field. 

But this had brought back memories from back in the day. That is before we had a TV to yell at. Back then we had sound affects but the announcer was using a telegraph tape to do the play by play. He would read the plays and pass them on to the listener, along with the sound of the ball hitting the bat. They used a mallet back then. 

After that we had live radio, with actually ‘at the park’ coverage. Then black and white TV followed by living color. We have gone a long way with the coverage and fan involvement. Starting with a Saturday National TV Game of the Week to the coverage of every game every day. A fan’s dream. 

I remember when the announcers would have small nets on a pole to try to catch foul balls. Now they are so far away they must use a monitor most of the time. Maybe the studio is not that farfetched. 

Now we are stuck with no fans in the stands and missing announcers. 

The Yesterdays 

Along the way we had a bunch of milestones and a variety of announcers. Some boring. Some entertaining. I had a flash back to the characters we had doing the games. 

Jack Brickhouse 

It started for me with Jack Brickhouse on radio doing the play-by-play coverage of Chicago Cubs games. Later he moved to TV. He was from my hometown so we listened to him. 

Dizzy Dean 

Then there was Dizzy Dean. As a radio announcer, Dean earned a devoted following. He was not noted for his command of the English language as he once described a base runner play: "He slud into third". Then he dropped his radio broadcasting to concentrate on the nationally televised "Game of the Week." 

Red Barber 

Announcer Red Barber did the first televised Major League baseball game. He called the game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. The 1955 World Series was the first televised in color. 

Harry Carey 

My favorite was Harry Carey. He broadcasted the Cardinals for a long time. He was expert at selling the sponsor's beer. Then he moved to the Cubs and things were never the same. In the middle of the seventh inning, he would sing ‘Take me out to the ball game’ to fans, while waving his microphone at them. 

One Cub fan asked me a trivia question one time: “What is Harry’s favorite inning?” The picture of him singing to the crowd flashed through my mind. But before I could say the seventh, the fan responded: “The bottom of the Fifth.” Harry had moved on from Bud. Holy Cow! 

Bob Uecker 

Bob is still going strong. Bob is a current sportscaster, comedian, and actor. Facetiously dubbed "Mr. Baseball" by TV talk show host Johnny Carson, Uecker has served as a play-by-play announcer for Milwaukee Brewers radio broadcasts since 1971. Sometimes he broadcasts from the last row in the bleachers. 

Mr. Uecker has a statue at Milwaukee’s Miller Park behind the last row in the upper deck. He had made the location famous in Miller Lite ads in the 70’s and 80’s. 

He is always good for a flashback to his playing days. “The way to catch a knuckleball is to wait until it stops rolling and then pick it up.” 

Vin Scully 

Last there is the legend, Vin Scully. He announced the first regular-season baseball game ever played on the West Coast, a Los Angeles Dodgers-San Francisco Giants game. In its first year airing Major League Baseball, the station aired only the Dodgers' road games. He was one of a kind. He did the complete game by himself. 

Well, baseball is having a flashback to the good old days. Maybe the umpires will start working from home. It could improve the accuracy. 

A big salute to our doctors and medical workers and our first responders.

JR Spox’s Daily Briefing – Pro Sports Teams are Changing their Names

Special interest groups are on the offense during these challenging times. Once they saw leaders were not going to take control, they took advantage. “Let’s come up with a reason to change the name of Pro Sports teams and other things.”

Some names are offending. Some changes are a reach.

(I’ve tried to include the date the original name appeared.)

Pro FOOTBALL is at the head of the list with offensive names and logos.

Washington Redskins 1932

This round of social correctness starts in our nation’s capital. For years, Native Americans have been trying to get the football team to change their name and logo. This time the push seems to be gaining momentum. Of course, the protest is well-founded. The name is offensive and racist.

The Native Americans wanted the team name to be ‘Code Talkers’. That didn’t fly for some reason.

After a quick survey, the popular choice for a new name was ‘The Pigskins’. Just a little photoshop on the logo and you’re ready to play ball.

But the team has another problem. The name of the city, Washington. One suggestion was to change their name to the ‘DC Sharks’. That was quickly vetoed by the lobbyist in town.

‘Go Talkers’ just doesn’t sound right.

Kansas City Chiefs 1960

Their corporate position was too despite the claims by the Native American community. They said their name was not a reference to Native Americans. The Chiefs is in honor of a former Kansas City mayor who was the founder of a Boy Scouts honor camping society. He was known at the camp as "Chief" Lone Bear.

Also, some fan practices are under review including the tomahawk chop, the drum, Arrowhead Stadium, Warpaint, and the costumes worn by fans at the game. One suggestion was that they should replace the symbols with whistles.

One of my inside contacts suggested changing the name to the ‘Chefs’ which required a small change to the logo and the image. That idea didn’t go anywhere when the Culinary Union raised strong objections.

Seattle Seahawks 1976

The team is considering changing their name to ‘CHAZ’ in remembrance of the social demonstrations downtown. The leaders strongly considered the change until THE Utah Jazz complained about trademark infringement. This is still being reviewed.

Pro BASEBALL has their own problems with names and social rights.

Cleveland Indians 1901

We’ll let’s start with Cleveland. Their nickname says it all. Surprisingly, the organization has not had a lot of pressure to change anything. Maybe they have followed in the footsteps of the Florida State Seminoles. Their name and logo usage were officially sanctioned by the Seminole Tribe. The chief regards it as an "honor" to be associated with the university.

One suggestion that appeared in my survey was to change the name to just ‘Baseball’. That has a ring to it. ‘Go Bases’.

Seattle Mariners 1977

Seattle is under pressure to change their name to ‘the Choppers’ in memory of the organized protest downtown. With this new mandate, the fans can bring their own fireworks and signs. Also, no one will have to go through a metal detector or be searched in any way at the gate.

Atlanta Braves 1876

Atlanta is another team facing the problem with their nickname. The name is considered racist in concept. They have been exploring several options not used by other teams like the Hammers, the Firebirds, and the Georgia Appalachians.

I suggested just drop the ‘s’ off the name to designate the ‘Home of the Brave’. A quick change to the logo and inserting a picture of, let’s say a picture of a war veteran. That idea was quickly shot down by a group who had a problem with that idea.

St. Louis Cardinals 1892

And then there are my beloved Cards. The picture of a red bird hasn’t raised much attention although if the Cubs get ahold of this idea that might all change.

However, the name of the city is under attack. Recently a petition by an Israeli-American and a pair of Muslim activists was filed in district court.

The name’s origin is from King Louis IX from France who was a racist, according to them. A note: the KING died in 1270.

Simple. Let’s change the name to St. Louie. Small change. Easy to adjust too.

Other changes in the works.

Colonel Sanders

The colonel must go. He represents the plantation owners of the deep south during segregation, according to the opposition. He is the founder of the fast-food chicken restaurant chain Kentucky Fried Chicken. His name and image are still symbols of the company which must go. There goes my favorite sandwich, the Crispy Colonel Sandwich. Surely, they can make a quick name change.

Aunt Jemima Pancake Syrup

This has been my favorite since I was a child. But I agree with the change to the name and the symbol. It is a symbol of a racial stereotype. The brand is 130-year-old.

Quaker will come up with something acceptable. They have announced ‘The Aunt Jemima’ brand of syrup and pancake mix will get a new name and image.

Mount Rushmore

Located in the Black Hills in South Dakota, the monument depicts the images of four of our Presidents.

The Sioux have disputed the territory for years for being sacred. And the Presidents represent a negative symbolism, according to some.

The land was given to the Sioux tribe in 1868 and stayed under their control until gold was found. In the 1870s prospectors took control of the area. A side note: The sculptor behind the American landmark had some unseemly ties to white supremacy groups.

A hot rumor:

There is a movement to change the street names in major cities from President’s names to plain letters or numbers. Like in the past, the number 13 will not be used, as well as, the letter ‘F’.

We now play baseball at the corner of ‘A’ Avenue and Clark Street.

Our Real Players

Our condolences to those who have lost love ones and to the patients and their family members that continue to fight COVID-19.

A big salute to our doctors and medical workers and our first responders.

JR Spox’s Daily Briefing – Baseball is Coming, The Great American PAST

The great American sport of baseball is starting soon. But it is being changed, maybe forever. The things we expect will be a thing of the PAST. Players and fans will have to adjust to the new normal.

Listed below are some of the things that I predict will change the game as we know it. Let’s take a look at some of the possible changes.

Player’s environment will change

Player seating will be in the stands, right behind the dugout. The bullpen players will be in the stands, also.

All pine tar and rosin must contain disinfectant.

No chewing and spitting of flower seeds.

Players must wear masks except when playing. Chin masks are not a substitute.

Bat and ball boys are at risk. This is being worked on. Players may have to do the job.

The Game itself

Mound visits will be by cellphone only. Limit to two calls an inning.

No physical umpires. Some will be working from home, some will umpire from the stands. It may improve the accuracy.

Rosin bags are being replaced with hand sanitizer. Some pitches had been putting solution on their hands for years.

Three at the plate at one time is considered possible overcrowding because of social distancing rules. Masks will be attached to batting helmets to protect all.

Baseball is looking at how first basemen hold runners on base and how close they stand to each other.  Work in Progress: They may limit the size of a runner’s lead from first base to six feet or less with the player standing at least six feet behind the runner.

Fans and Crowd

To start with, a limited number of fans are allowed in the stands. If you want to watch your favorite team or player, your best bet is TV.

The crowd will have to practice social distancing. There should be plenty of empty seats. Some team’s fans have been social distancing for years now.

Beer sales will stop at end of fifth rather than the 7^th. This will reduce the congestion in rest rooms in later innings.

Stadium changes

They are considering getting rid of manual scoreboards. The Cubs and Red Soxs are objecting, of course. Reason:  To many workers close together and the handling of the metal numbers.

Beer sales during the game will change. The fan will have to go to end of row for pickup. No more passing down the aisle.

Cub’s men bathroom has a unique situation. Along one wall is a 50 foot metal trough for the men. They have installed plastic dividers.  Other teams are providing paper cups at the door for overflow fans.

They are still working on the dugout trash issue.

Our Real Players

Our condolences to those who have lost love ones and to the patients and their family members that continue to fight COVID-19.

A big salute to our doctors and medical workers and our first responders.

A salute to Calvin Munerlyn, 43, a father of eight and a black security guard who was murdered doing his job.

And to black federal law enforcement officer, Dave Patrick Underwood, 53, who was shot and killed while providing security at the U.S. Courthouse in Oakland during a protest. He died from gunshot wounds sustained after someone fired shots from an unidentified vehicle.

SPOX’s Daily Briefing – Bars, Casinos and Shoe Stores are Reopening

Silver Dollar Bar and Grill

Tenderloins and cold beer. What a great combination. For many years, a glass of beer at the Silver Dollar was a buck. Two years ago they changed it to a dollar and a half. For your information they didn’t change the name of the bar.

They had a pickup service during the shutdown. They had a full-service drive-up where you could get a burger and fries plus refreshments. You could even buy lottery tickets. They would bring them right to the car with a penny to scratch them with.

Casino Time

My favorite casino on the river in Laughlin, NV is reopening. You can sit there all day and drink their beer or whatever for free. That is as long as you’re playing the video poker. My biggest pay day there was the weekend I won eight tee shirts. Of course, with my luck, the logos were gone the first time I washed them. I did keep two on the side to polish my car with.

Shoe Stores

Boy, I was glad this happened when it did. About half-way through the shutdown, I blow a shoe jogging. The little nails in my right shoe popped up through the sole. Well, the malls were closed so I had to put thick paper in the bottom.

Finally, I got in a shoe store. I remember the good old days when you went in, sat on a stool and a salesclerk helped you measure your feet. They would made sure you got what you wanted, back then. As you know, it’s self-service now.

The store I went to was practicing social distancing and sanitation. Each aisle had a monitor to check what you had touched. And they had a cart to put the shoes in you had tried on.  As you left the monitor got his spray bottle and sanitized the leftover shoes and the seat you were sitting on. I have odd sized shoe, so I had filled up the cart. Job security.

Hair & Beauty Supply Stores and Beauty Parlors

They are beginning to open. My wife was going crazy. Finally, her favorite store was open for business.

They were doing a good job monitoring customers. They had a limit on the number of customers that could be in the store at one time. And all employees had gloves and masks on. Each customer was required to wear a mask while shopping. Unlike other opening stores, it looked like the customers wanted to wear masks. I think the main reason was not the flu but their identity.

Banks

The banks are starting to loosen their customer restrictions. They had been directing their customers through the drive-thru but they have dropped the limit of two people per car.

You could go inside the bank by appointment only. They required a mask and a customer account. They checked your temperature and your bank balance before letting you enter. I understand they are loosening the customer account requirement.

Our Real Heroes

Our condolences to those who have lost love ones and to the patients and their family members that continue to fight COVID-19.

A big salute to our doctors and medical workers and our first responders.

A salute to Calvin Munerlyn, 43, a father of eight and a black security guard who was murdered doing his job.

And to black federal law enforcement officer, Dave Patrick Underwood, 53, who was shot and killed while providing security at the U.S. courthouse in Oakland during a protest. He died from gunshot wounds sustained after someone fired shots from an unidentified vehicle.

SPOX’s Daily Briefing – Defunding of the Police and the New Normal

Now that the movement to defund Police Departments is underway, I thought I would do some research on the way the New Normal will look. I tried to get as many opinions from as many sources as I could.

911 Call

My study started with the dreaded 911 call. In my first attempt, I was put on hold for about a minute. Then I got a recording, “Due to the increased volume of calls, all our representatives are currently busy answering other calls. You’re estimated wait time is (pause) 12 minutes.”

Well that didn’t go well. So, I decided to wait this one out. The conversation went like this.

“How can I help?”

“I have an emergency. I think someone is trying to break into my house.”

“I am sorry to hear that. Let me look for availability in your area. Okay. I can schedule someone to come out tomorrow from noon to four. Also, you can report your event to a meter reader who is scheduled to be in the area next Monday. They have been trained to take incident reports.”

Communication Center

That wasn’t good. So, I thought I would check into the communication problem I just went through. I had a friend who knew one of the city councilmen, so I reached out to our elected official. This is how that went.

We discussed my call.

“We are working on the problem. I assure you we will be moving the communications back to the States. Because of the time delay, we are seeing the wait time is unacceptable,” he said.

“We are taking the money from the police budget and remodeling the former police station downtown. We are going to turn it into a state-of-the-art communication center. We will be hiring people from the area and creating new jobs. Also, one floor will be devoted only to personal videos from people’s cellphones that they send us.”

“As you know, there is a push to not allow any evidence except for the personal videos at trials. And because suspect’s past-records are not admissible, we have turned the evidence locker in the basement of the station into a workout center to help our new employees adjust.”

Crime is Up and Down

When I asked the councilman about the increase in crime, he responded positively.

“When we started, we didn’t know what would happen.  The murders and shootings increased almost immediately but it looks like their curve is flattening. Other crimes and assaults have increased. We are waiting for their curve to stop going up. You know we are doing all this with video from our cameras, personal videos and security sources. It will take time for everyone to adjust.” 

Annual Police Bake Sale and Auction

One thing I look forward to each year is the county fair. Well I had accepted the fact this was going to be different. Probably forever. The New Normal.

The Annual Police Bake Sale was always the big event at the fair. People looked forward to eating the cake and pastries and mingle with our first responders. The kids got to see policemen in person, turn on the siren, and flash the lights. A positive experience for them.

Well, that had changed dramatically. The food was catered in, clowns replaced the officers, and the kids had to ride a horse carousel.

One of the new things was the police equipment auction. Everything was on sale. They were selling used police cars and other equipment. Even guns from officers and the evidence locker were on display.

The police cars were a great deal, selling at a fraction of their value. The sirens, warning lights, and floodlights had been removed. The logos had been sprayed over although it was unclear if the department had done that or they had hired a tagger to do the work.

The cage wire between the front and back seats was optional.

Cop Shows

There is even a movement to ban Cop movies, TV shows and certain CARTOONS under certain conditions. I’m going to miss Harmon. I’m going to miss Snipes. I’m going to miss Dirty Harry.

BUY DIRTY HARRY TODAY while you still can.

Man on the Street

As I left the fair, a man was holding a sign that caught my eye.

The sign read, ‘Please don’t close the Police Station.’

I needed to talk to this guy. His sign was against the protester's point of view. He explained it to me.

“I usually spend the weekend in lockup. I live on the street and I get my best meals there. I know where the patrolmen hang out for donuts and I try to get in their way. The next thing I know, I’m sitting in a cell. It works every time.”

Our Real Heroes

Our condolences to those who have lost love ones and to the patients and their family members that continue to fight COVID-19.

A big salute to our doctors and medical workers and our first responders.

A salute to Calvin Munerlyn, 43, a father of eight and a black security guard who was murdered doing his job.

And to black federal law enforcement officer, Dave Patrick Underwood, 53, who was shot and killed while providing security at the U.S. courthouse in Oakland during a protest. He died from gunshot wounds sustained after someone fired shots from an unidentified vehicle.

SPOX’s Daily Briefing - Demand for TV Dinners has Soared

As we move closer to the New Normal, the demand for many things is increasing. We had to change our habits and routines. One of the winners is TV dinners and frozen food. I have to report the facts, as I see them.

Regular Demand

The normal things we need are really in constant demand like food and drink and toilet paper. With restaurants and bars closed, we have moved to eating at home. That’s why grocery stores were deemed essential. But our wives found out quickly, cooking every day got old fast.

So enter the TV dinner’s popularity. As my wife put it, “If it takes more than four and a half minutes, I’m not cooking it.”

The other thing that took a hit was personal appearance. The practice of hair coloring, toenail, and fingernail care became a home project. Let’s put it this way, there are more brunettes then I remember before the shutdown.

A Note: Look for the Spox’x Chicken Fried Steak TV dinner. Its demand has exploded. You can’t find the dinners anywhere.

Static Demand

These are things that we do frequently but are not life or death activities like eating out at restaurants. We have seen a spike in the usage of drive-thru restaurants.

On-line buying became very popular and maybe a big change to our new normal. Even the sale of cars online exploded. You just select it on the internet and they drop it off at your home. You have seven days to return the vehicle if you don’t like it. My neighbors are on their third car. Go figure.

The price of gas is down drastically. Of course, we aren’t driving anywhere anyway. I logged in forty miles last week down from a regular two hundred.

Our social distancing and wearing protective mask usage is starting to decline. One authority estimated that only about 15% of the people in the U.S. practiced preventive methods.

One thing that is changing this is the current demonstrations and riots over the death of a man in police custody.  While the social distancing is out the window, the wearing of masks has increased.

The job market is starting to improve. Many are starting to return to their day jobs. Others are starting the old job shuffle. They are changing jobs, hopefully with a bigger opportunity.

As broadcasted the other day, over 60% of the unemployed are making more money than they did when they were working. I interviewed a guy at a bar last week. “I’m not going back while I’m getting the extra money.” He finished the conversation by hoisting his mug of beer and saluting me.

               

Next, I talked with a chair salesman. I just had to spend part of my stimulus. He was forced to return to his job or lose his seniority. “I was making more on unemployment but I couldn’t go backward. Everyone is going to be looking for a job soon.”

Bars are coming back strong. At least, the new normal will still include my favorite pastime.

Our Heroes

Our condolences to those who have lost love ones and to the patients and their family members that continue to fight COVID-19. Salute to our doctors and medical workers and our first responders.

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SPOX's Daily Briefing –The Winners. The Losers. The Heroes.

The pandemic has changed our lives and created a new normal.  The economy has changed with some big winners and some people that suffered greatly. But from this, we created new opportunities for many people. As we go through Phase 1 of the recovery, we can deal with this up-side-down environment.

Essential Businesses and Activities

We declared upfront, that grocery stores, pharmacies, and hospitals are all essential and all should stay open.

But that is where things get fuzzy. The states are making their own lists of what’s essential for the people in their state. There is some sort of an agreement that hardware and home improvement stores, pet supplies (pets need pet food) and distribution centers followed by Churches and Houses of Worship are essential.

Here is a list of some questionable businesses that are open in some states. Gun shops, Marijuana Dispensaries, and Golf courses are open for business.

The Winners

Expanding Business

Many businesses expanded their operations and hired people to take care of the extra load. Some of these were for disinfect supplies, large food chains, meat producers, medical equipment including masks, video games, and on-line ordering all increased.

There were some problems with the meat packaging and a shortage of products but those are getting resolved. The only problem I had was availability of ice for my beverage at night. I solved this by buying a couple of ice trays and making my own.

Stock Market

The stock market fits into the Winner and Loser categories. On 2/12/2020 the market hit its all-time high (29,551). Then the shit hit the fan and the market crashed to the bottom (below 19,000). A month later it started its rally back.

Some people lost their life savings. Others, who had a heads up, dumped their stock before the crash. Now the big spenders are riding the waves of the market and making lots of cash. They start by buying at a low price and waiting for the regular buyers to get into the market which raises the price and then they sell, make a profit and wait for the next wave.

The Losers

Unemployment

Thank God the government stepped in and supported the people who lost their job. For many, it saved their homes, their family, and their sanity.

For others, it was a pay raise.  Some found out they got paid more for staying home and playing video games. Some workers are refusing to go back to work until the subsidy ends.

One unemployed worker said this in his defense, “I have two dogs to take care of. Why should I go back?”

The New Normal

Working at Home

This is definitely a New Normal candidate. It solves so many problems. Travel. Pollution. Social Distancing. Annoying co-workers. Availability of food and drinks.

Of course, so many jobs can’t be done this way. As previously reported, baseball is looking into umpires working from home. It could improve accuracy especially balls and strikes besides there is one less person gathered at the plate.

Personal Masks

Masks have become regular clothing for us socially concerned citizens. One whiskey company is carrying it to the next level. They are furnishing their masks with their logo printed on the front. What makes this unique is they have provided a hole in the middle of the mask to allow the customer to easily slip a straw through the mask. Enjoy.

Delivery Services

The delivery of food and other supplies to your door has become normal. My family regularly orders from our favorite restaurant. They have started a new service: Delivery by Drone.

Last week we ordered a three-course meal and sat on the porch and watched the delivery. Four drones came sweeping over the neighborhood. It looked like a Blue Angels flyover.

Restaurant and Bars

The reopening of these establishments has started with a bang. One owner said that her business did 30% more for the first two weeks than last year. The consumption of alcohol is up although the draft beer drinking curve is flat because of the shortage of CO2.

Our Heroes

Our condolences to those who have lost love ones and to the patients and their family members that continue to fight COVID-19. Salute to our doctors and medical workers and our first responders.

Conclusion

We may change jobs and buying habits but in the end, we will get back to normal. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

SPOX's Daily Briefing – Sports Changes and the New Normal

SPOX's Daily Briefing – Sports Changes and the New Normal

Through this terrible time we are finding new things to do and new ways to do them.

It gives us the opportunity to do some things differently. For example, sporting events will change, maybe forever.

To start with, No fans. If you want to watch your favorite team or player, your best bet is TV. Let’s take a look at some of the possible changes.

Baseball

Mound visits will be by cellphone only.

All pine tar and rosin must contain disinfectant.

No physical umpires. Some will be working from home. It may improve the accuracy.

Three at the plate is considered overcrowding because of social distancing.

They are still working on the dugout trash issue.

They are considering getting rid of manual scoreboards. The Cubs and Red Soxs are objecting, of course.

Football

Players must wear helmets at all times.

All Helmets must have plastic shields attached on the face bars.

No person shall be on the field or the side lines without a face mask except coaches who can remove theirs to yell at officials.

Surfing

Drones are being used to monitor surfers.

They must stay in the water and practice social distancing.

Once they are done with a wave they must leave the beach or stay in the water. No stopping to check out the chicks.

Some states are starting to spray beaches using drones to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This could help the surfers to get back to their normal routine. Now if we could get the drones to help with all the garbage left on the beach that would be great.

One female sunbather at a nude beach in Hawaii commented on the drones. “They are so cute. I didn’t know the little planes could fly so slow and that close to the ground.”

Bowling

We’ve had Wii Bowling for a while now. This is the internet game where people meet in small groups and simulate bowling using a large monitor and hand device.  The bowlers stand in front of the screen and make a motion toward the computer.

Some even have the sound of pins crashing together but I would miss the thud of my ball going into the gutter.

Golf is looking into a similar situation.

Just think no lost balls and an automated score card.

You could play on your favorite course whenever you wanted and have a beer sitting right next to you between shots.

NASCAR

Good news. Racing will begin with limited attendance. Again, social distancing will prevail. Masks must be worn along with other preventive gear during the whole event.

For those of you that are lucky enough to get a ticket, you must pass a temperature check coming into the event and exiting. I don’t know what that’s all about.

I am sure I’ll be watching this on TV. Networks realize how difficult it is to watch the streaming cars going by the camera, so they will add new features like a sound track of the race and the pit crew as well as a view of all accidents by time of race.

Tennis

One governor setup a set of rules for players as they come back to the court.

Singles only.

They must keep an empty court in between other matches.

Players must use their own ball.

I don’t know about this one. I would get tired chasing my ball to the other end of the court.

I will miss the vendors walking through the stands yelling “cold beer here, cold beer”.

SPOX's Daily Briefing – What does COVID-19, George Carlin, and Computer Modeling have in common?

Our condolences to those who have lost love ones and to their family members that continue to fight COVID-19.

My first experience with computer models was ‘Back in the Day’ as people tried to guess what the weather was going be for the next day or so. This was before satellites, so they just called people to the west of them, asked about the weather, and which way the wind was blowing.

I remember George Carlin, Hippy-Dippy Weather Man, over 50 years ago, had to admit to his audience that a lot of people were shoveling about two feet of “partly cloudy” off their driveways that morning. “Sorry about that.”

I don’t know about you but I’m getting tired of seeing the health models and graphs. These are all based on predictions and guesses.

For example, the first CDC prediction was over 147,000 deaths as health models started coming from everyone who wanted to get their name on the news. Then came the shutdown of the businesses and the economy. We stopped large groups from gathering including sporting events.

We came up with the idea of social distancing, wearing masks, and a stay-at-home order to limit the spread of the virus. This did help although many people ignored the advice.

We kicked off that order with Mardi Gras and it’s 1.4M attendance.

We follow that with the start of the blue crab season in D.C. Fish markets. Finally, someone stepped in to try to enforce the order, as hundreds crowded the markets, most without masks.

We topped that off by shutting down a funeral in Brooklyn where hundreds of mourners had gathered. One official called the gathering “absolutely unacceptable.”

Also, the police shut down a birthday party attended by nearly 60. The police also broke up a marijuana party and a demonstration in front of a state capital. The large crowd demanded ‘Free Toilet Paper for All’. One unmasked protester said, “No one can stop this movement.”

George had similar problems with his weather models.

“Now, I imagine some of you were a little surprised at the weather over the weekend. Especially if you watched my show on Friday. I’d like to personally apologize to the former residents of Rogers, Illinois. The tornado caught them cats nappin’, man!”

Phase 2 – Starting the recovery

Are we going back to a new normal or the same old stuff?

Of course, golf courses, marijuana stores, and big-box outlets were already open, all deemed essential.

As bars/restaurants opened last week in Arizona, a crowded Tempe college bar sparked concerns. Authorities said the crowded bar appeared to disregard social distancing guidelines. A source told me he did see one person eating a burger.

Testing seems to be a political football. If we had a vaccine, testing would be critical. With our current situation, a negative test means you don’t have the virus TODAY.

George’s Sure Thing prediction: "Weather forecast for tonight: dark. Turning partly light by morning."

Bottom line - here is a summary of death stats last year.

Flu related – 79,000 +

Drug related – 79,000+

Car Crashes – 39,000+

Murders – 17,000+

I’m like George, it’s going to be ‘Partly Cloudy’.

SPOX's Daily Briefing – Surfs UP in Huntington Beach

As we start to recover from the Pandemic, businesses are opening and we are getting back to our normal activities. However, Huntington Beach, my old stomping ground, is in the spotlight.

The Governor recently closed beaches in conservative Orange County after thousands of people enjoyed the beaches the weekend before but also compromised social distancing.

So we gathered at the Huntington Beach pier and protested. Some were saying the governor had singled out Orange County and overstepped his authority while allowing other beaches in California to remain open.

Meanwhile, Santa Monica Beach, Venice Beach, and San Diego beaches and piers remained open with time limits.

What politicians don’t understand we are a different bred. The beaches are everything to us.  

Except for the beaches being empty, everything seemed pretty normal. People were surfing, skating, walking, running, and biking all over the place. There were life guards in place watching the ocean. The garbage cans were overflowing and there was the usual amount of trash on the sand.

There was no Ladies Volleyball going on. That always draws a crowd. You know it’s more than the competition.

Also, Newport Beach was closed including my favorite place, Blackie’s by the Sea. They did keep the parking meters going. So, many people jumped in their boats and headed to the open sea to fish and party.

Us beach bums are a different lot. This is not how we roll.

Salute to our doctors and medical workers and our first responders. Join me at Blackie’s for the coldest beer in town. Let’s go catch a wave today.

 JR Spox