HAPPY BIRTHDAY Jeremy & KC!!!!!!

We at I’m just sayin... would like to start today by wishing our good friends (and longtime readers) Jeremy and KC a very happy birthday. I won’t get in to how old they are except to say I can only hope to live to be as old as they are. To be fair (to Jeremy) KC is the older one between the two of them (by a few [11] years). I hope they both have a great day.

Ok, if you really want to know how old they are… Larry Bird wore Jeremy’s age on his back when he was playing for the Celtics. Hank Aaron wore KC’s age on his back when he was playing for the Braves. Levon Kirkland also wore KC’s age on his back when he was playing football for Clemson.

Let me tell you why I love the 1972 Olympic Basketball Team. Because after they got cheated, they pretty much said screw you Olympics… we aren’t taking the crappy silver medal. These guys know how to hold a grudge. Listen, I think the silver is fine, if you earn it. I know everyone wants the Gold, but I think if you earn silver then that’s something you should be proud of. But these guys didn’t earn the silver… they earned the gold but got cheated out of it by a bunch of commies. So they said “No” to the silver… and they’ve said “No” every year since. And I hope they keep saying “No”. I think that some have started to change their minds… but it has to be a team decision… and I hope guys like Kenny Davis (who put a clause in his will forbidding his wife, children or descendants from accepting the silver after his death) keep saying no. If USA Basketball had any guts, they would make/buy their own gold medals and give them to the team.

This leads me to a story I heard on the TKS about Doug Collins (who was a player on that team). For those who don’t know, Doug Collins is probably the name Phil Jackson brings up when people say any coach could win a NBA championship with Michael Jordan (because Doug coached MJ and didn’t win the big one). Still, I think he’s a good “basketball guy” who knows his stuff. His son, Chris, played at Duke in the mid ‘90s and, to be honest, I wasn’t really a fan of his. And this was back when I was a Duke fan. I won’t go so far as to say I hated him… I just didn’t like him. Now he’s on the Duke staff and, if he’s even close to the kind of coach his dad is, I’m sure he’ll have a good career. Anyway, to keep this story from getting too long… Chris got a gold medal for work he did with the 2008 US Olympic team (he wasn’t one of coaches or players… but he was on the staff and everyone got a gold medal). When Doug was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, Chris gave him his gold medal. I now like Chris Collins more than I did before, because that was a cool thing to do. So now we just need to find gold medals for the rest of the 1972 team.

So how about Greg Anderson? He has to be leading in the “Friend of the Year(s)” category. This guy has done jail time because he won’t testify against Barry Bonds. Even though just about everyone knows Bonds did steroids, Anderson still won’t testify against him. This is the kind of friend you want (if you’ve done things you don’t want to tell a Grand Jury about).

Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

Major Gregory Boyington (US Marine Corps) received his Medal of Honor for his actions from September 12 1943 – January 3, 1944 in the Central Solomons area. His citation reads:

For extraordinary heroism and valiant devotion to duty as commanding officer of Marine Fighting Squadron 214 in action against enemy Japanese forces in the Central Solomons area from 12 September 1943 to 3 January 1944. Consistently outnumbered throughout successive hazardous flights over heavily defended hostile territory, Maj. Boyington struck at the enemy with daring and courageous persistence, leading his squadron into combat with devastating results to Japanese shipping, shore installations, and aerial forces. Resolute in his efforts to inflict crippling damage on the enemy, Maj. Boyington led a formation of 24 fighters over Kahili on 17 October and, persistently circling the airdrome where 60 hostile aircraft were grounded, boldly challenged the Japanese to send up planes. Under his brilliant command, our fighters shot down 20 enemy craft in the ensuing action without the loss of a single ship. A superb airman and determined fighter against overwhelming odds, Maj. Boyington personally destroyed 26 of the many Japanese planes shot down by his squadron and, by his forceful leadership, developed the combat readiness in his command which was a distinctive factor in the Allied aerial achievements in this vitally strategic area.

Sergeant Thomas Boyne (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on May 29, 1879 at Mimbres Mountains, New Mexico. His citation reads:

Bravery in action.

Lieutenant Colonel Henry V. Boynton (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on November 25, 1863 at Missionary Ridge, Tennessee. His citation reads:

Led his regiment in the face of a severe fire of the enemy; was severely wounded.