Rhubarb Report 058

Flip flops. You see a lot of them in Austin in the summer time. The perfect summer time footwear.

You also frequently see a different kind of "flip flop" in the world of politics, when legislators suddenly change their stance on an issue to fall in line, gain political leverage, or improve their likability. But these "flip flops" are no longer limited to politics. The world of sport is rampant with them now. Sadly, the "flip flop" appears to have become the norm these days.

With that in mind, episode 058 of the Rhubarb Report deals with just a few flip flops, fiascos, and some words from FDR.

1. There may be nothing worse in the sports world. The coach that will look the athletic director straight in the eyes and say "I interviewed elsewhere, and I am not taking the job" – then, within moments of uttering the phrase, put pen to paper and sign their John Hancock on the dotted line of a contract. The latest flip-flopping fiasco is Chip Kelly. As recently as January 6, he adamantly noted that he wasn't going to leave the University of Oregon. Sounds good, right? Give it a few days, and lo and behold, on January 16, he was announced as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. Seriously?

I realize that the world of coaching is big business. I get that. But does a man's word mean that little nowadays?

Oh, and note to quarterback Nick Foles - one word: trade. Fortunately, you will have a great future - elsewhere.

2. Even before this happened with Kelly, we have the drama that surrounded Tommy Tuberville, the former football coach at Texas Tech. One minute, he was at a dinner with recruits; the next minute, he was looking at Lubbock in his rear view mirror. Within hours, he was the next football coach at Cincinnati.

Tuberville leaves the Big 12 – one of the premier football conferences in the country – for the the Big East, a self-destructing and virtually non-existent football conference. Have fun with that choice, Tommy.

3. Speaking of a man's word, we have the strange and baffling story of Manti Te'o. The girlfriend that we all thought he had - the one that tragically died of leukemia - well, she never really existed. The debate rages on whether he was the victim of a mean prank, or if he was an active participant in the deception. Did he? Didn’t he? Does anyone really care? Hoax or no hoax, this has to be one of the most bizarre story lines of the past few months.

A final thought – a quote from Franklin Delano Roosevelt that really sums up one of the most significant problems in our political world today:

“We had to struggle with the old enemies of peace – business and financial monopoly, speculation, reckless banking, class antagonism, sectionalism, war profiteering. They had begun to consider the Government of the United States as a mere appendage to their own affairs. We know now that Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob”

Not much has changed, FDR.

Photo credits: Wikipedia