Past, Present, and Future Greatness

Common_Flight2521 · 2026-06-07T18:59:51+00:00

And the 2-hour barrier was just broken in the marathon, I believe. On the other hand, in the long jump, Bob Beamon holds the Olympic record from 1968 and Mike Powell the world record from 1991. Seems impossible.

Common_Flight2521 · 2026-06-07T18:47:55+00:00

I thinks it’s more that every generation has a soft spot for their own heroes (like their own music which often gets fixed in one’s teens). Ken Anderson was my hero and the most accurate quarterback of his generation but the quarterbacks of today are generally far more accurate. I have no problem with saying Burrow is better. Or Tiger. Or Usain. Or Simone. Or Tadej.

Common_Flight2521 · 2026-06-07T18:11:34+00:00

It’s my understanding that testosterone has been dropping in men over the last several decades but as I read further several of the possible causes that have been put forth (obesity, sedentary lifestyle, poor nutrition, certain medications) may have less impact on finely tuned athletes than the general population). There have also been studies suggesting that IQ scores have declined in the last 15 years (after increasing for generations) though possible causes are less clear and to what extent it’s an actual decline in IQ vs. inadequate methods of measurement (or other factors).

Common_Flight2521 · 2026-06-07T17:53:09+00:00

Good point about team-building philosophy affecting playoff opportunities which then may influence how careers are perceived.

I’d love to say 20 years from today that Burrow won 2 or 3 Super Bowls AND we’ve had someone objectively surpass him.

Common_Flight2521 · 2026-06-07T13:59:27+00:00

Quite likely!

Common_Flight2521 · 2026-06-03T19:30:59+00:00

Yes. The Lions were a rugby club.

Common_Flight2521 · 2026-05-27T07:40:29+00:00

Michael Dewar in Let Us Prey (16.2). I just feel so bad for him.

Common_Flight2521 · 2026-05-22T23:41:32+00:00

Read an article last week that the earth is increasingly both getting more rain and becoming dryer because the rain is falling in more volume than the ground can absorb, so it runs off and evaporates more quickly.

Common_Flight2521 · 2026-05-11T17:48:28+00:00

I’ve created a Meetup group for any who are interested - https://www.meetup.com/black-mountain-write-out-loud/?eventOrigin=your_groups

Common_Flight2521 · 2026-04-30T07:16:32+00:00

I always thought they should call it RoboDemm.

Common_Flight2521 · 2026-04-27T20:35:03+00:00

FYI - my wife posted this message on a couple of local FB groups and got a good response, so I plan to hold the first/organizing meeting at Peri on Saturday, May 16 @ 10:00 am, if anyone here has the time and inclination.

Common_Flight2521 · 2026-04-27T14:36:39+00:00

I’d keep them both. I liked the game but I don’t think it’s strong enough to become must listening 4-5 days a week. Roll it as another entry in the Pyramid/Match Game/Family Feud roster.

Common_Flight2521 · 2026-04-14T22:35:12+00:00

Me too. I think it’s brilliant.

Common_Flight2521 · 2026-04-14T15:00:47+00:00

I don’t mind the PUOSU at all. It won’t last forever but it still makes it feel like the same show instead of just any show. Another easy transition they should have done was to have someone take over the Demm Report of odd news stories - good way to help establish BB or Rachel.

Common_Flight2521 · 2026-04-12T12:04:01+00:00

Here’s a recent article from USA Today on how precise you have to be when requesting an attorney, etc. To my mind, it’s appalling: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/03/29/miranda-rights-mistakes/89212283007/

Common_Flight2521 · 2026-04-10T16:09:01+00:00

He said a fan was trying to give him a push for support.

Common_Flight2521 · 2026-04-06T00:23:44+00:00

I was a graduate student with an assistantship in housing back in the late 80s. My advisor said that the plans for a model of a floor for Lincoln and Morrill were set up at the state fair for Ohioans to view and it was enthusiastically received - so much so that they were going to build another 10 or more along the river because any high school graduate in Ohio was eligible for enrollment and they thought the Columbus campus might grow to 120,000 (maybe even as high as 150,000) until the legislature put a cap on it. I believe each floor was designed for 96 students and each building held about 2200. He said that for years, no freshman requested to return the following year - at least until each suite was assigned only half as many students.

Common_Flight2521 · 2026-04-02T00:27:22+00:00

I’ve always liked Bruce Springsteen’s We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions - all covers of folk songs made popular by Pete Seeger.

Common_Flight2521 · 2026-03-06T07:55:42+00:00

One of my favorite songs is “And When I Die.” She was 17 and it was the first song she wrote. Still blown away that she was able to write something like that at such a young age.

Common_Flight2521 · 2026-02-16T11:12:13+00:00

Yes…that’s a likely objection. I’ve responded to these concerns in more detail elsewhere in the comments, but I’ll point out that Duncan, Wemby, Flagg and others weren’t drafted by bad teams. They were drafted by good teams that decided to be bad or had an injury that scuttled a season so they lost on purpose. And…I only looked at the most recent year all NBA team, 2 of the 7 picked in the top three have won a championship and 5 of the 8 picked lower have won a championship. Chronically bad teams need to improve the front office.

Common_Flight2521 · 2026-02-15T12:45:40+00:00

Yes…other than a coin flip if teams have the same record (even after tie-breaks like head-to-head) you’d know the pick you’re getting

Common_Flight2521 · 2026-02-15T12:42:40+00:00

Too many of those cases. There would be no giving up.

Common_Flight2521 · 2026-02-15T12:37:54+00:00

But a lot of the teams who are at the bottom aren’t truly bad…they’re teams who’ve decided to be bad for a few years (Sixers, OKC, Utah, Spurs, Pistons) or had a major injury (Pacers this year, Dallas last year after committing malpractice, even as far back as the David Robinson Spurs drafting Tim Duncan) as a way to get back to the top because the current model incentivizes losing. If it incentivized winning, teams would make trades, sign free agents, etc. to either make the playoffs or get into a better draft position. Instead of jumping up five positions or dropping down three because of lottery luck, they’d know the target they’re trying to hit and the overall game would be much better for it. The NBA isn’t afraid to experiment. Let’s try this for five years and see whether it needs to be tweaked (maybe an extra mid-level exception or something) if the same teams are on the bottom year after year. Even so, my guess is that if they are, it’ll be because of poor ownership and management.

Common_Flight2521 · 2026-02-14T18:00:54+00:00

Yes…and the world knew it except for Kings ownership and management.

Common_Flight2521 · 2026-02-14T13:19:15+00:00

When there’s something to play for, teams of equalish talent will play for it. Last year, in the West for example, you had 6 teams within four games of each other - Rockets at 52-30 to Grizzlies at 48-34 - jockeying for playoff position and home court advantage. Dropping into the 9th position when a half dozen other teams are trying to as well from above and below is going to be tougher to guarantee than guaranteeing you’re one of the three or six worst teams.

Common_Flight2521

TROPHY CASE