Hi everyone,

Welcome back!  We hope you all had a great weekend.  It's considerably warmer in here this morning than it has been for the last week.  Looks like summer isn't over just yet.  We're still hoping to have a few late arrivals to the garden, so maybe this weather will help.  Gardening season got off to a late start this year because of the extended winter, so it's only fair we get a little extra time on the back end, right?  Right.  In any case, BDH and Little Buddha just said the coffee is ready, so help yourself to a nice medium DD, and let's clear out some Monday Clutter.

Awful news out of  Jacksonville, Florida, as yet another mass shooting left two dead and 11 injured at a Madden 19 video game competition.  We're waiting to hear more details, but this country's gun problem continues to rage out of control, while our "leaders" just shrug, take their NRA payoffs, and whistle past all of the graveyards.

America's gun violence crisis remains out of control.  (pic via ndtv.com)

Speculation is growing over who will fill John McCain's seat in the U.S. Senate.  Arizona Governor Doug Ducey (R) has the power to appoint someone to hold the job until a special election is called in 2020, at which point, the winner of that race would serve the remaining two years of McCain's term.

Has the White House lowered its flags in memory of John McCain?  We'll let you take a wild guess.

The New York Times has a piece on why Donald Trump sounds like a John Gotti wannabe every time he talks about his many legal problems.

Lisa Brennan-Jobs, daughter of Apple founder Steve Jobs, wrote a book about her relationship with her father that doesn't sound like it's going to be a pleasant read for Apple fans.  "Small Fry" comes out on September 4.  We'll have to find out more about the book once it's released, but we generally tend to think people are well-served by learning about the flaws of public figures.  It's not to bring these people down, but society tends to turn leaders into mythical individuals, and we're better off understanding and appreciating their accomplishments when they're presented in a fuller context. 

The Boston Red Sox lost 9-1 to the Tampa Bay Rays yesterday, which was the first time that the Sox have been swept all year.  Nathan Eovaldi gave up six runs (five earned) and eight hits over just four innings, whereas Tampa Bay's Blake Snell and their bullpen kept the Sox limited to one run and three hits.  It also didn't help that J.D. Martinez and Andrew Benintendi both had the day off, but manager Alex Cora has no hesitation about sticking with his plans to give players rest days. There's no shame in losing to Snell, who is now 16-5 with an ERA of 2.05, but the Sox are definitely happy to have today off, because they looked out of gas all weekend against the Rays.  Boston will be back in action tomorrow when they start a two-game homestand against the lowly Florida Marlins.  Brian Johnson will take mound on Tuesday when the Sox try to get back on track.

It looks like Eric Decker won't be helping the New England Patriots this year, since the wide receiver just announced he's retiring from football.  Despite any rumors that may still be out there, BDH and Little Buddha will not be trying out for the team, even though they'd be just as good as any of the other current options.

We're sorry to hear that Neil Simon died from complications from pneumonia yesterday.  The legendary playwright was known for a number of productions, including, "The Odd Couple," and "Brighton Beach Memoirs," among many others.  Our condolences go out to his family, friends, and fans.  Neil Simon was 91 years old.

Apparently Aretha Franklin never made a will.  Friends, we encourage you not to make the same mistake.  No one wants to think about dying, but you can help make things so much easier for the loved ones you'll leave behind if you put your wishes in writing. 

HBO released the first trailer for season 3 of True Detective.  Fans seemed to universally love season 1 and despise season 2.  How do we feel about this clip?  The fact that it stars Academy Award Winner Mahershala Ali seems like a good start:

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Let's have Alice in Chains close things out with a track off their new album.  Here's, "The One You Know," for today's, "Song of the Day."

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  We couldn't ask for a better start to the week than hanging out with you.  Enjoy the rest of your day, stay cool, and we'll meet back here again for more fun soon.  Until next time, that's today's Clearing out the Clutter, and we are outta here.