Pot Shots '17, Volume 3

Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This week in President Donald Trump's efforts to make athletes (and by extension the rest of us) stand to his favorite tune:

• The President wants to take away the NFL's tax-exempt status unless they order their players to stand and salute the flag during the national anthem.  Owners will soon decide whether or not to cave to Trump's demands.
• Vice President Mike Pence attended the San Francisco 49ers-Indianapolis Colts game, then departed after seeing some players kneeling during the "Star Spangled Banner".  Most wrote it off as a tacky political stunt that was dreamed up by Trump.  (By the way, wasn't Peyton Manning being honored that day?)  Remember folks, sooner or later Pence could be your next President.
• According to Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, no player of his will ever disrespect the flag if they want to remain on the team.  This violation of a player's First Amendment rights comes weeks after Jones linked arms with his team before a game at Arizona in the name of 'unity', thus co-opting the real message of protesting police attacks on African Americans.  They don't call it "America's Team" for nothing.  More like 'Murica's Team.
• ESPN suspends "Sportscenter" anchor Jemele Hill for two weeks because she urged her viewers to boycott the Cowboys' sponsors in the wake of Jones' comments.  Stick to sports?  Right.
• Meanwhile Colin Kaepernick, who started this whole thing in the first place and now says he'll stand for the anthem because he's made his point, is still unemployed nearly halfway into the NFL season.

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In the era of the Super Team, we're not going to bother with previewing the Minnesota Timberwolves or the 2017-18 NBA season,  Instead, let's just say that the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors will meet again next June in the NBA Finals and leave it at that.
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The U.S. Men's national soccer team's (or USMNT if you want to sound like an old Lucky Strike cigarette commercial) failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup has sent shock waves through the sport, from pundits to shoe companies to Fox, which had just spent billions for the TV rights.  This could also hurt the U.S.'s chances of co-hosting the 2026 World Cup with Canada and Mexico.  Bruce Arena, to whom many point to as one of the reasons why they didn't qualify besides lackadaisical play, has quit as coach.  All of this shouldn't have been a surprise, even in the years when they were in World Cup.  They'll have a hard time measuring up to the success of the women's team.
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After watching baseball games that took more than three or four hours to finish, here's one suggestion  to make them shorter and save pitcher's arms in the process:  Limit the number of foul balls hit after the count of three balls and two strikes.  After two or three consecutive foul balls, the umpire should call the batter out.  Isn't there a rule like this used in youth leagues?
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Austin Rogers, a bartender from New York, won $411,000 over a 12-show appearance on TV's "Jeopardy!".  Yes, his quirkiness could be as annoying to some viewers as host Alex Trebek's pomposity, or his dislike of The Eagles (a millennial thing, we suppose).  But he wasn't afraid to roll the dice and bet big on "Daily Doubles", and he's a worthy champion in spite of all that.