A few random thoughts on Current Events

A few random thoughts I want to share:

I was saddened by the news of Junior Seau's suicide. I remember him being one of the premier linebackers in the NFL; he essentially filled the void left by Lawrence Taylor's retirement and Brian Bosworth's ineffectiveness as the Next Big Thing. I remember the criticism of Seau's "freelancing" or "peeking in the backfield" and how they said it put him out of position so much he had to make the athletic pursuit. Well, if the ability to recover from a bad read and still make the play isn't an indicator of greatness I don't know what IS. The way his teammates and those he helped in the community described his personality just underscores how much of a shame it was he couldn't reach out and get the help he clearly needed.

The Mariano Rivera injury is jaw-dropping simply because it was such an innocuous way to be hurt so badly. He has shagged fly balls for most of his career, so to see him injured doing just that is just a shame. While I'm from the Eckersly/Gossage closer mentality where the closer should get more than three outs, I can't remember a time when I wasn't amazed by Mo's longevity and almost absurd ability. I doubt seriously he will be back to play again, which means in three days two legendary players from my sports-watching era are gone.

The Kansas Senate passed a piece of legislation designed for KPERS (Kansas Public Employee's Retirement System) reform because the system is currently underfunded to the tune of $8.3 BILLION. It will be bankrupt by 2033 if nothing changes. What will happen is new employees will pay an increased rate into the program and will not be guaranteed a benefit of any kind for when they retire. Additionally, the pay-ins will be invested, and the employees will get a guaranteed percentage return. Anything above that goes into the general fund to pay down the underfunded benefit. If the rate of return is below the percentage, well, you lose out. So, you get no benefit if you exceed your contributed percentage, but you lose if the return is deficient. At the same time, our prestigious state senators saw fit to change their benefit calculation that shortened their service year, which allows them to claim an INCREASED benefit! Here, ladies and gentlemen, is where the corruption of the system is clearly illustrated for all to see.

I agree with Kurt Warner's concerns about letting his sons play football in the NFL, and I don't care that he is a paid NFL analyst. He wasn't speaking as one, he was speaking as a father and by rights SHOULD be concerned. See the Seau story above for why. The fact is we do not know the what long-term effects are from the constant, repeated head trauma. Please don't kid yourselves, EVERY player receives head trauma in every game, not to mention the other trauma (broken fingers, dislocations, sprains, etc. that contribute to arthritis and constant pain) that hampers them for the rest of their lives. I suffer from arthritis and back pain, my brother-in-law Russ suffers from severe back pain also, and I know we both have days where we would do almost ANYTHING to make it go away for just a little while. I can't imagine what these former players go through on a daily basis. I know this: I don't want my son to go through that if it can be helped.