Saw that.....sad deal. RIP Dickey.

Bob Graham - Florida Governor and US Senator

Thanks for the notes, Dickey!

Roman Gabriel, 83 - former NFL QB

Richard Tandy, 76 - ELO (Electric Light Orchestra)

Dick Rutan, 85. He was a test pilot and aircraft designer. Most famous for his first ever non-stop, non-refueling around the world flight 1986 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutan_Voyager. I met him at Oshkosh a couple of years ago and had a root beer float with him. Nice guy with a bunch of fascinating stories.

I heard him speak at a Rotary Fly In meeting at Oshkosh about 20 years ago. Great speaker.

NBA legend Bill Walton, 71, from cancer...

Jerry West, NBA legend and "The Logo"--86

Josh Maravich, 42 - son of legendary basketball great Pete Maravich, and former LSU player himself.

Another sports hero Willie Mays 1931-2024

Donald Sutherland, actor - 88

Jon Bonsall - Oak Ridge Boys Tenor 76 died of complications from ALS

Dave Loggins--singer/songwriter, at 76

Richard Simmons - 76

James Sikking--actor known for his role as Lieutenant Howard Hunter on Hill Street Blues, 90

Bob Newhart - 94

golfer Chi Chi Rodriguez, 88

Noah Lyles dream of winning the 100 and 200 olympic gold

Sad to hear about Chi Chi....great showman.

On the Noah Lyles situation....i'm a huge track fan, and i've been loving the Olympics...but...i watched the 200 meter final last night....Noah came out and did his same pre-race show....jumping around like crazy.....then he runs 3rd and suddenly, he can't breathe and needs a wheelchair. Call me a cynic i guess and if this were FB, i would probably get jumped on (heck, i might get jumped on here about it)...but i found it odd.

I should clarify....i don't doubt that Lyles was under the weather....i've seen him race enough in the 200 (his best event) to believe that he normally wins that race. I just found the whole wheelchair thing odd.

i saw today that he was displaying covid symptoms for the 2 days before the race and post-race tested positive...the fact that he could still capture bronze shows his athletic prowess. i had covid and a mild case, never needed a wheelchair, but also didn't participate in the olympics while sick.

i'll take him at his word that he is sick and was exhausted following the race...he is a tremendous athlete, i'd hate to see how cocky i would be if i had that level of talent...

If i was that sick, i think i would have maybe held off on the pre-race jumping and gyrations. Just saying.

As for the cockiness....2 great examples on the women's side of women who are extremely talented (and in Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's case, inarguably the greatest female 400 hurdler of all time and one of the greatest female athletes of all time, period) ....Sydney, and Gabby Thomas....both of whom aren't cocky in the least, but instead--super-gracious and nice. I don't have a problem with Noah Lyles in general...he's cocky...ok.....but again, i thought the 200 meter finals from start (when he looked like his same old self in the pre-race shenanigans) to end (uh oh, i finished third....bring out the wheelchair) .....wasn't a great moment for him.

The WKRP Less Messman Cheye Cheye Rodrickwez scene come to mind.

I'm just gonna ask this sincere question:

If Lyles had won, would the wheelchair still have been necessary? Is that what we would have seen? He ran 19.70.....that's extremely fast...within a few tenths of his best time ever. Again, i guess i'm a cynic, but i'd have an easier time believing that he was struggling that badly if he had run 20.4.