Kyler Knows, Tigers and Rock'n Roll! (Rant #2)

                                              (I love this picture of Bo so young, so Bo!)

Bo Knows--Let Kyler Play!

Kyler Murray. Heisman Trophy Winner, 9th overall pick in the 2018 Major League Draft by your Oakland A's. (Love the pick by the way, loved it. One of the most special athletes on the planet!)This young man possesses wondrous athletic skills rarely possessed by the highest 1% of the 1%. Just let him play--both sports!

Come on Billy and Dave, let's work your collective magic. Let's start with the South Bay 49ers. If Kyler is playing in Single-A Stockton this season, what's wrong with a world-class athlete having a hobby?! Instead of playing video games with his mates, he can be perusing through the Niner Way Playbook. Jimmy G is the 49ers man, so Kyler can learn and grow in the position so to speak. The 49ers and the Athletics could share--and bask in the glow--of this PR goldmine. It wouldn't hurt either organization to hit the jackpot, and working together might just be their golden ticket. (The Chargers would be the second choice--a young QB to mentor behind gritty vet Phillip Rivers. We will put the Rams next in line, out of respect. LA would love-love-love Kyler! ) 

Speaking of a team who could use a major shot of positive attention, could the We-Don't-Have-A-Home-Yet-Soon-To-Be Las Vegas Raiders take a flyer on Kyler (I can rhyme now!)!?  Kyler behind Carr....just saying, could be worse hey Raider Nation? The Bay Area's most (un)popular bachelor, Mr. Mark Davis could replicate the bold of his legendary father, who brought us "Bo Knows"--the larger than life 1990's megastar Bo Jackson first suiting up as a Kansas City Royal, then later as a Los Angeles Raider! Chico State grads are typically uber-personal, and what better way for Mark to make a mark than by drafting Murray!?!

Okay I can hear the case already, Bo's career ended due to a football injury. True. (ESPN's 30-For-30 on Bo fantastic. The part with his injury's a little hard to watch--he was just so strong. Like the Titantic, just how could Bo go down for the count?) Athlete's are going to be athlete's. I mean, across the globe, no professional athletes take in pick-up basketball games? Tennis Matches? Boogie Boards? Sand Volleyball? Ski Slopes? Back in the day, my college intramural basketball teams were owned and ran out of the gyms by football players. Athletes are going to play sports and be active--they are competitive, fast-paced and highly-skilled humans after all. The San Francisco Giants know full well that ace Madison Bumgarner enjoys an occasional exhilarating ride on a motorcycle (so did old-timer Jeff Kent--look up that story). Injuries can happen just about anywhere, anytime. Just let Kyler play!

Random Question:  Kyler's tremendous success as Oklahoma's QB came as some surprise. In 2017 Murray backed up Baker Mayfield. You know Baker, now the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, and oh by the way, the winner of college football's most prestigious award, the Heisman Trophy in 2017!  So my question:  with a 5 million dollar contract in his pocket from the A's, was Kyler able to perform with additional swag and confidence, that quite frankly I simply cannot imagine? How many athlete's have guaranteed money in their pocket--from a different profession sport? I tend to believe the confidence Kyler played with the past season, may have been assisted by, as shall we say, "follow the money"(from the movie the Godfather).

What a treasure gazing at  mega-talented Murray competing in both football and baseball would be. I would love to see it with my own eyes, in Oakland during spring and summer, and ideally some other West Coast NFL team later in the fall and winter. Who knows if Kyler can replicate Bo--yet isn't the idea simply tantalizing? His numbers from a year ago on the diamond were off the charts, near .300 batting average and near .400 on base percentage. Watching him, glide, dodge and launch "strikes" versus Alabama was simply awe-inspiring. Let him play, let him play!

Bo Jackson captivated the mind and imagination with his arsenal of athletic power and flair. Kyler Murray, time to audible, you're up!

Finally, a tip of the cap to the Clemson Tigers. Loveable coach, and what a mighty, mighty, collection of football players!!! They rolled though Bama and Notre Dame, rolled two teams with a combined 26-0 record. Wow, wow and wow! (My only question after watching the semi-final and championship game: what exactly is pass interference?).  Just as old school breakfast cereal icon Tony the Tiger would say, "They're great."

Another, nod goes to the movie Bohemian Rhapsody for capturing two Golden Globe awards. If you have ever stomped out to the song "We Will Rock You" or bellowed out to "We Are the Champions", you are going to dig this film. There are some dark moments in the film, however the film tastefully gives a depiction of Freddy Mercury and his Queen bandmates. Perhaps the filmakers glossed over some of the hard core issues of a rock-and-roll band and Mercury's dynamic life in particular, yet this film is old school hollywood--2 plus hours that leave you smiling at the end, humming Queen tunes. Rami Malek's performance as Mercury, absolutely rocked!