Val Demings is the right person at the right time.
 
I’m not asking Joe Biden to pick the Florida congresswoman as his running mate; I’m begging him to do so.
 
Demings was a guest on the Late Late Show with James Corden Wednesday night. He asked her what she would ask Donald Trump if she was speaking to him directly.  
 
“I would ask, ‘Are you serious? You can’t be serious. You are the leader of the free world. You’ve been given tremendous responsibility. The American people are depending on you. The American people are desperate for leadership.
 
‘We’re facing civil unrest sparked by police misconduct. Have you noticed that America is on fire? Instead of giving hope and comforting and helping people to understand, instead of being the Uniter in Chief, you are playing the role of Divider in Chief.
 
‘Mr. President, what are you doing? You have a job to do. If you’re not willing to do it, please get the hell out of the way and allow somebody else to do the job.’ That’s what I would say.”
 
There are plenty of other outstanding choices on Biden’s short list - Kamala Harris, Stacy Abrams, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobucher or Gretchen Whitmer. And I’ll be happy if Biden selects any of those remarkable women as his Vice-Presidential nominee.
 
None of them, however, bring to the table all the things Demings brings. Allow me to list just a few:
 
* Demings served 27 years as an officer in the Orlando Police Department. She rose to become the first female Chief of Police, dropping violent crime by 40 percent during her four-year tenure.
 
* Demings represents a swing state, earning her seat in Congress in 2016. She received a degree in criminology from Florida State before earning her Master’s in Public Administration. 
  
* Her husband, Jerry Demings, was the first African American Chief of Police in Orlando (1998-2002). He also is the former Sheriff for Orange County, Florida and now is the Mayor of Orange County.
 
*  Demings made her mark nationally during the Trump Impeachment Hearings as part of the House Intelligence Committee. Nancy Pelosi appointed Demings as one of the Impeachment Managers that presented the case to the Senate.
 
 
Obviously, Demings’ background as a police officer would be an enormous asset to the Democratic ticket at this troubling moment in American history, but she offers so much more. Demings is the textbook example of the American Dream. Hell, she even rides a Harley.
 
“I’m the daughter of a maid and a janitor,’’ Demings said Wednesday night. “I grew up poor, black and female in the South, but I made it. I’m the youngest of seven children. I watched my dad go to work seven days a week to put a roof over our heads and food on the table.
 
“I was able to go to college and later work as a social worker, working with broken families and broken children. I had the honor of joining the Orlando Police Dept. and serving the Chief of Police.
 
“Now I’m a member of Congress and I feel a direct obligation to see that every boy and every girl, every man and every woman has an opportunity to succeed and have a fighting chance in this country, like I did.’’
 
And she makes no bones about wanting the job of Vice-President.
 
“If I received a call from Joe Biden, I would absolutely accept the challenge,’’ Demings said proudly.
 
Val Demings is the right person at the exact right moment in history.
 
Mr. Biden do not waste this moment. Val Demings needs to stand with you to heal the wounds of our nation.
 

​ 
With every passing day in this unprecedented crisis, Donald Trump shows us who he is. It’s not a pretty picture.
 
In the middle of the worst pandemic in history, with people dying by the minute, hospitals unable to get supplies, the stock market in free fall and people unable to buy necessities at the grocery store, Trump is a fraud and a failure.
 
He has consistently lied and misled the public when it needed truth and honesty. He deliberately downplayed the seriousness of the coronavirus:
 
Jan. 22: Are you worried about a pandemic?
Trump: “No, not at all.”
 
Jan. 31: “Well we pretty much shut it down.”
 
Feb. 26: “We’re at 15 cases and we’ll be down to close to zero soon.”
 
Mar. 13: “No, I don’t take responsibility at all.”
 
Mar. 15: “It’s something we have tremendous control over.”
 
On January 31st there were eight known cases in the U.S. On March 23rd there are more than 39,000.
 
On Sunday in his daily press briefing, which Trump uses as a political rally, he mocked a rival, bragged about his poll numbers and said this moment will be a great victory.
 
He doesn’t realize he already has lost - lost respect of decent Americans, lost credibility, lost his dignity.
 
I could list a hundred examples, but here are a few in recent days.
 
Journalists sometimes ask questions that we call “softballs.” It means a question that is easily answered and gives the person being interviewed a chance to feel at ease and respond in a positive manner.
 
Trump received one of these when NBC’s Peter Alexander asked this simple question:
 
“What do you say to Americans who are scared?”
Trump: “I say you’re a terrible reporter. That’s what I say. That’s a very nasty question.”
This was a perfectly legitimate question by a professional reporter, who just lost a colleague to Covid-19.
 
When told Sunday that Mitt Romney was one of five senators in isolation, Trump said sarcastically: “Romney’s in isolation?  Gee, that’s too bad.”
 
Romney is the one Republican who voted for impeachment, so Trump got in his petty little shot. 
 
Trump also continues to refer to Covid-19 as the “Chinese” virus, which endangers all Asian Americans.
 
He said he calls it Chinese because that’s where it originated. Well, I originated from my mother’s vagina, but people call me Terry.
 
ABC had a poll that stated 55 percent of American approved on Trump’s handling of the pandemic. I had a hard time believing the public was that stupid, so I ran my own poll on Twitter.
 
Here are the results of 232 voters:
 
Terrible – 39 percent
OK – 13 percent
Great – 8 percent
Clueless – 40 percent
 
So, 79 percent think Trump’s response sucks. I realize this is not a scientific poll in any way. However, considering the dramatic difference from the ABC poll, and the fact that Trump’s approval rating is between 43 and 46 percent, I
question that 55 percent result.
 
Medical supplies are running out. New York governor Andrew Cuomo says the state now pays $7 for a mask that used to cost 85 cents. Why? Because Trump has still not invoked the Defense Production Act, which is causing states to outbid each other for medical supplies.
 
The man has no empathy. This is a horrible human being. You Trump are the enemy. You are the problem. You are the only nasty person in the room. You Trump are a national disgrace.
 

​ 
Thursday was my birthday, so I thought it was as good a time as any to say I’m all in.
 
To be clear, I’m all in to fight the good fight against Donald Trump and everything he represents.
 
Anyone who follows me on Twitter won’t find this surprising. I often tweet my distaste for Trump and his cult followers, but I want to do more.
 
I understand that most people elect to remain silent, either for fear of alienating friends or suffering consequences at their job or just not wanting to get involved politically.
 
I get it, but I just can’t do it. I can’t remain on the sidelines while the country that I love goes down the drain from the despicable human being in the White House and the people that support him.
 
I also know I’ll lose friends over it. I already have. I accept that unfortunate truth. And I realize there could be a job out there that I might have gotten but didn’t because I’ve taken a political stand. I’m good with that, as well.
 
I started this website a couple of years ago to continue doing what I’ve done all my life as a career sports journalist. And I will continue to write about things that interest me in the sports world.
 
That’s not enough for me any longer. Some things in sports just seem trivial to me now with what’s happening in the country.
 
Virtually every day I get up and see something in the newspaper (yes, I still proudly read newspapers and maybe we wouldn’t be in this spot if  more people did the same) or see something on social media that Trump or one of his supporters said and I just shake my head and cringe.
 
I’m flabbergasted that so many people believe his bullshit, don’t realize he’s lying about almost everything or simply just don’t care.
 
I think it’s more of the latter. I watch the impeachment hearings and listen to witness after witness, most of whom are career public servants who have devoted their lives to this country, describe in detail Trump’s guilt.
 
Yet every Republican on the committee continues to ignore to and defend him. They know he’s guilty, but they just don’t care. They are going to ride the Trump train to the station and hope it doesn’t derail.
 
The same is true of FOX News, which is not a legitimate news organization and never has been. But it’s Trump TV now, a full-on  propaganda outlet of disinformation and falsehoods for Trump’s agenda.
 
Why, you ask? Because they believe it best fits their belief structure no matter how much of an embarrassment he is. He still fits their agenda.
 
He doesn’t fit mine, and I don’t believe he fits the agenda or belief structure of most decent Americans.
 
This website is titled Blount SportsTalk. Maybe I should change it to Blount Talk. We’ll see.
 
By the way, you never will hear me call Trump the president. He is beneath the dignity the office and what the title deserves.
 
So I’m all in to fight for the soul of this nation.
 

• I won’t support a man who puts children in cages.
• I won’t support a man who ignores gun violence.
• I won’t support a man who defames people of high character on a daily basis.
• I won’t support a man who apologizes for and sides with white supremacists 
• I won’t support a man who sides with Russia, North Korea and Turkey over our NATO allies.
• I won’t support a man who believes he is above the law.
• I won’t support a man who puts his personal gain above American security.

 
I could go on, but it’s a new disgrace every day. And I plan to call it out.


People often say to me, “Why talk about it. You can’t change anyone’s mind.”
 
I don’t believe that’s true. And if we take that attitude, we’ve already lost. Many people already have changed their mind about Trump.
 
So I’m all in. I hope you are as well.

Allow me to take a minute to say a few kind words about Epic Realty LLC. You can click on the website from my home page www.epicmauirealty.com, and I couldn’t be more proud to have this organization as a sponsor.
 
Honestly, I can’t say enough good things about the Maui vacations we’ve had through Eric Realty. My wife and I have used Epic Realty four times on trips to the island and it was a 5-star experience every time.
 
Each condo we’ve rented has been everything we hoped it would be _ spotlessly cleaned upon arrival, ocean-front breathtaking views, great in-room conveniences and easy access to other activities in Maui. It has become our home away from home.
 
Blount SportsTalk built a relationship with the company a couple of years ago because of the top-of-the-line service and the personal care we’ve always received with Epic Realty.
 
We have stayed in resort hotels in the past, but this is such a better value for your vacations dollars. It’s also incredibly easy to book a vacation spot with Epic Realty, directly through their website.
 
What you see is what you get, and that’s a lot. The web photos give a wonderful representation of each property. But the best part of the entire process is the friendly and caring attention everyone on Epic Realty’s team gives us each time we’re there.
 
I would highly recommend using Epic Realty on your next vacation to the stunningly beautiful island of Maui. And if you’re consider purchasing property in Maui, as we are, I can’t imagine a better person to help you find the perfect property than Cimi Morgan (Owner, Broker of Epic Realty LLC). She is one of the most respected realtors in Hawaii. She is truly the best in the business!
 
 

Golf is losing an outstanding TV analyst in Johnny Miller, who is retiring after this weekend's tournament in Phoenix.

In a sport with a hoity-toity and pretentious image, Miller was the first commentator to tell it like it is and not fear criticizing golfers in his commentary. It was a brave stance for a former competitor who knew and played against many of the men he was talking about on the broadcasts.

He angered some golfers who weren't used to broadcasters actually telling the truth, being candid and having an opinion instead of milquetoast and disingenuous butt-kissing.

Miller is what all TV sports analysts should be, but fewer and fewer are in today's coverage.