More Link Links

More stuff  found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Retirement ages around the world. Seems like 65 is the norm.

-  Jonathan Turley on the logistics of impeaching Joe Biden.

- Signal to leave UK if forced to provide backdoor to the government. (HT Borepatch)

- New England Patriots on the passing of Russ Francis. Statement from Robert Kraft.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

-Retired couple spends almost 500 days at sea doing 51 cruises because it was cheaper than a retirement home. 

- Interesting video from podcaster Allison Morrow. Hope she sues the State of Washington for everything she can.

- England set to ban cell phones in schools. Wonder if this will also decrease the overall grade point average as cheating is made harder or increases homeschooling as option as it is made more attractive to students.

- Russ Francis has passed away aged 70. Very sad news.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Surprised more comparisons between former Patriots All-Pro tight ends Russ Francis and Rob Gronkowski haven't been made. Francis was deemed "All-World" by Howard Cosell and "retired" abruptly in 1981. He took a year off (just like Gronk) and then returned to the NFL with another team (just like Gronk). Francis played 7 more seasons after un-retiring but he came back in 1982 aged 29-years old. Gronk will be 31-years old this season... Have to wonder if Bill Belichick had dog friendly videos playing on that middle laptop to keep his dog Nike sitting there like that... Did not know this - Dr. Anthony Fauci received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2008 for his work in combating the AIDS epidemic... Bowling alleys reopen in Georgia... Remember back when "experts" were convinced that Segways were going to be the next big thing? When's the last time you saw anyone on a Segway?... On Thursday night as the Detroit Lions were about to make the 3rd pick of the draft I found myself wondering about how Matt Millen is doing. Millen had a rare disease that made a heart transplant necessary. He had the heart transplant surgery in 2018 but there's been little update on his health since...

Rob Gronkowski - An Appreciation

Rob Gronkowski has decided to retire. He was the best tight end in NFL history and he will be greatly missed. Gronk's decision to retire was not unexpected by Pats fans - in fact an announcement that he was coming back for one more year would have actually been the bigger surprise.

Gronk's playoff stat line alone is insane! He played 16 total playoff games (the equivalent of a full NFL regular season) and he caught 81 passed for a total of 1,163 yards and 12 TD's. No TE is ever going to approach his numbers in the playoffs. Pats fans always knew that if the team went into a playoff game with a healthy Gronk then there was a very good chance of victory. And winning playoff games is what its all about in New England.

Pats fans know the abuse Gronk's body has absorbed over the years. Nobody took bigger shots or had his legs targeted like Gronk. Some have some faint hope that this isn't truly the end though. We remember All-World tight end Russ Francis "retiring" after the 1980 season only to come back to play several more seasons (but for another team). I don't think that's in store for Gronk though because he has two things Francis never had - championship rings and close to $60 million in career earnings. People with those things in hand don't need to return to prove anything.

Gronk will be remembered both as the greatest TE to ever play the game but also as a great person. The amount of charity work Gronk quietly did over the years (especially for children) would be almost impossible to properly document.

The playful teammate will also be greatly missed. My guess is you'll see many "Gronk spikes" after TD's next season in tribute. I for one can't wait to see what outfit he picks out for this year's Kentucky Derby. 

Robert Kraft's and Bill Belichick statements on Gronk's decision to retire

Tom E. Curran has a nice appreciation of Gronk's decision to retire.

The Boston Herald's Kevin Duffy has a nice appreciation of Gronk's decision to retire

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I can understand Tim Tebow having a dream of playing pro baseball but can you imagine how much Social Media would have melted down if Tebow announced he was trying out for the WWE instead?... Jay Cutler ladies and gentlemen... Next challenge for Michael Phelps - cage match vs ManBearPig...  It makes me sad that so many NFL fans today associate the Patriots uniform number 81 with Aaron Hernandez and not All-World tight end Russ Francis... So true... So wasn't Mike Lombardi supposed to have signed with Bill Simmons and The Ringer by now? There must be more to the story of why he wasn't retained by Bill Belichick and the Patriots... Speaking of Michael Phelps - how Americans watch men's swimming...