Pat Tillman

The Train Daddy is back with sports news, life lessons and politically incorrect talk. All aboard!

With one of my favorite holidays around the corner I am going to focus on America and stay positive. I could talk about how coronavirus sucks or I could talk about violent mobs destroying statues, attempting to erase history and even defacing Gandhi. GANDHI!

I could talk about how liberal cities across this country have done little to punish criminals as they brazenly commit crimes and put law-abiding citizens in danger. I could talk about how Seattle’s politicians have ruined a beautiful city. I could talk about all the businesses inside the CHAZ. Just imagine being a business owner in Seattle. The police have been told to basically stand down, and the politicians cater to the criminals while Seattle’s mayor jokingly calls it “The Summer of Love.” What a slap in the face to law-abiding citizens needlessly suffering during this time.

I could talk about how the upcoming November election comes down to two choices. You can vote for Joe Biden, who will not dare argue with this mob and will allow violence to spiral out of control while supporting the idea of defunding the police. Or, you can vote for President Trump, who will continue to support the police in this country and do whatever is in his power to punish people who break the law. Your choice come November: vote for lawlessness or law? All the other antics of these two men are irrelevant when we have lawlessness running rampant. It’s simple for me—please stop the violence!

I have been doing this article series for 10 years, so my readers know I do not walk on eggshells. I pray for this country, I pray for you. It does not matter what your race, gender or religion is because we all deserve respect and equal treatment. I also pray that we can get back to business. People want to work, eat, provide . . . not watch the mob and destruction on the media channels every night.

In celebration of Independence Day, I believe reminiscing on some of America’s greatest patriotic moments in sports history is a better way to finish this article rather than pursuing what I could talk about! Happy July 4th. Grill some burgers, some dogs, chug a beer, blow up some fireworks and take a moment to remember all the men and women who served so we can continue to live in a free country! Also take a moment and remember a great man, my bro Will Smith! One of America’s greatest heroes, he saved us all from the aliens. Yet we have one man more hero than even Will: Mr. Pat Tillman!

I have given love to Pat Tillman every year for the past decade in these articles. Tillman gave the ultimate sacrifice for us. Pat was an Arizona Cardinal, an NFL safety who turned down $4 million to join the Army after 9/11. Pat was killed in Afghanistan in 2004 and became the face of heroism for so many. God bless you, Pat!

Can we forgive Brett Favre? One of my favorite players of all-time seemingly equated Colin Kaepernick (who kneeled for his beliefs) to Pat Tillman (who died for his) as both heroes. Brett later clarified that he did not intend a comparison, and that Pat deserves the highest honor for giving the ultimate sacrifice. Damn right!

Do you believe in miracles? I wish I could have celebrated with America in 1980 but I was not conceived until 1984, so all I have are numerous movies, stories and documentaries on this event. Nobody believed a group of goofy college players from America had a chance against the beast that was Soviet hockey; those men were professionals and had played together for years. This game was played in the height of the Cold War and there were rumors that the U.S. would boycott the Moscow Olympics. Yet, somehow, they did it. Maybe the most iconic call of all time was when Al Michaels shouted “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!”

Many give President Reagan the credit for ending the Cold War, but it was really the 1980 USA hockey team that took down the USSR. Many forget this was only a semifinal game. The U.S. then had to come back and play Finland in the gold medal match. They were down 2–1 heading into the third period when Coach Brooks walked into the locker room and said “if you lose this game, you’ll take it to your grave . . . your [expletive] grave!” The Miracle continued and the U.S. came back to beat Finland 4–2, to win gold.

Remember the 1992 Dream Team? Complete domination—they beat teams by an average of 44 points to win a gold medal for USA Basketball. Names like Jordan, Bird, Magic, Barkley, Ewing, Malone. Those guys could suit up in 2020 and probably win another gold.

Let us also not forget the perfect pitch during game three of the 2001 World Series, 49 days after 9/11, as George W. Bush, wearing a bulletproof vest and holding his head high in Yankee stadium, stood alone on the mound. Many people say he looked like an unbreakable statue that night. Bush threw a perfect pitch from the mound, something not easy to do. The crowd went wild, and it was a feelgood moment for America at a time when we needed it.

Another iconic patriotic moment in sports dates to 1936. Jesse Owens, an African American, shamed Hitler in Berlin. Hitler had planned on showcasing the supremacy of the Aryan race in Berlin. Jesse had other ideas. Jesse, a sprinter, clocked times so fast they would have medaled for the next 30 years. Jesse Owens won a record four track golds. Owens opened many people’s eyes, and although some still shunned him, his achievements equaled progress. Owens’ success is one of the greatest moments in American sports history, even if some didn’t know it at the time.

This is my final patriotic moment. It was 1976 and Rick Monday stopped two protesters from burning a flag on field at Dodger Stadium. One unfurled the flag and the other took out a lighter, but Monday was faster and snatched the flag away before the act was accomplished. “What they were doing was wrong then, in 1976, and in my mind it’s wrong now, in 2006,” Monday said later. “It was also reinforced by a lot of friends who lost their lives protecting the rights and freedoms that flag represented.”

Alright, the Train Daddy is rolling into the station. Time to wrap this article up. I will not apologize for saying things most people think yet do not have the courage to say. Sorry if it does not fit in with the narrative being pushed on us. Last I checked, this is America, and free thinking used to be encouraged.

I find it baffling that saying “all lives matter” can trigger people into utter madness. If I said that many of you would break down. Some of the kinder comments would contend that I do not understand the struggle and that the struggle is real!

I believe black lives matter, white lives matter and all lives matter. A wonderful statement we all should embrace as a world has somehow turned into the wrong thing to say. If I am unknowingly ignorant about the situation, so be it. I love people and I do my best to treat everyone I encounter with the utmost respect. I think I was raised right and I typically succeed in doing that.

God bless America, and God bless you and your family. I pray this virus ends sooner than later and we can all get back to a semblance of normal. Most Americans just want to work and provide.

The Train is rolling into the station. Choo-choo!