Will's Good Idea for the Week of 9/1/24

And so September has arrived. One morning soon we'll wake up and the air will be crisp and cool. But for now, it's still summertime here in New Jersey. 

This morning the Stroock household is pleased as Mrs. Stroock's Penn State Nittany Lions made short work of the West Virginia Mountaineers. Also, the Phillies won a big game against the rival Braves 3-0. We saw some great pitching last night. 

The NFL opens this week. We are so not ready and not in the mood. And we're really not ready for the deluge of gambling adverts at the top and bottom of every hour. Legalized sports betting is one of the signs of American decline. It's obscene. [Oh look, your annual 'I hate football' rant. In a few weeks you'll be taking great comfort in televised night games-Ed]. The great Phil Mushnick notes that broadcast legend Bob Costas refuses to read gambling copy, and for good reason. We take great pride in the fact we've no idea what all that gambling gobbledygook on screen means. Game props, totals, money line, +325 - we've no clue.  

A dark day in Israel, as the IDF found the bodies of six hostages (including an American), murdered apparently 48-72 hours ago. The hostage protestors are really worked up today, understandably so. One thing, Netanyahu didn't murder the hostages. Hamas murdered the hostages. Three policeman were killed near Hebron. A teacher's strike is underway. As we said, a dark day in Israel. 

Will's Good Idea for the Week of 9/1/24...In War Night, the French president is urged to attack the Soviet Union, but refuses. What good can come from bouncing rubble and killing a few million people? Also, we'll consider doing some short, thousand-word vignettes. Maybe the Irish Taoiseach chapter has three or four such scenes describing Ireland the night of the war. Not bad, actually.