Author: thependulumswings staff

Abby Picks, Week Eight, Year Five

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

What kennel cough?  That was now two weeks ago!  And, Abby is got a little pep in her step and a little bite in her bark after following up week six winners with a fine week seven.

She won five games while losing four.  Importantly, she put the right bones on the right games including hitting a parlay.  She gathered ten bones while only giving away five!

Week Eight looks tricky.  She’s taking a road less traveled.

         UAB +1 1/2 at Western Kentucky– Take the road dog if you need a little Friday Night Lights action.  UAB is the better team.  One bone.

         Texas A&M -3 at South Carolina- Everyone is writing off the Aggies at 3-3.  Maybe so for the national picture, but they still have plenty of talent to handle a pesky Gamecock.  One bone.

         Houston -3 at Navy – This line almost seems like a steal for the Cougars.  Abby will bite, well not in real life.  Two bones.

         UCLA +6 at Oregon -6 –  This is where it all started for Chip Kelly.  And this is where the Bruins’ 7-0 start is left in last-minute ruins by a FG.  But, nonetheless, they cover.  Two bones.

         Ole Miss + 2 1/2 and under 67 1/2 at LSU –  Abby is making this road trip this AM.  LSU has trouble with mobile QBs as well as stopping the run.  Ole Miss does both well.  One bone to win three bones.

         Memphis +7 at Tulane –  Tulane is ranked for the first time since 1998.  Memphis has lost two straight heartbreaking buzzer-beaters.  A straight-up win would not shock Abby.  One bone.

         Purdue +3 at Wisconsin-  Purdue is pretty good this year for Purdue.  Wisconsin is pretty bad this year for Wisconsin.  A straight-up win would not shock Abby.  Two bones.

Abby is feeling frisky enough to drop a hunch bet as well.  Bama is a big 20 1/2 point favorite over Mississippi St.  It won’t be enough.  Saban is rabid after the Vols scored 52 a week ago.

Holy Schmolly seven roadies.  Five dogs, two chalks, one under, and a hunch.

Woof!

 

 

 

How Bout Dem Boys?

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

A known serial womanizer/assaulter squared off against a known massage parlor frequenter yesterday and the result was not a happy ending.

The NFL fall meetings took place in New York Tuesday.  And the fireworks were glorious.

The owner of the highest valued franchise, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, exchanged a few heated words with the owner of the most historically successful franchise, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

The catalyst was a motion to permit the owner’s compensation committee to begin negotiations on a new deal with commissioner Roger Goodell.

Jerry Jones was the one dissenter in the 31-1 vote in favor of beginning.  He wants Goodell’s next contract to be more performance incentive-based and less salary guaranteed.

If Jones, as President and GM of the Cowboys, was compensated that way he would be far less wealthy than he is, but we digress.

Jones told Kraft, “don’t f… with me.”  Kraft uttered, “excuse me?”  And Jones countered with “don’t mess with me.”  What started this?  Does it matter?

Boys.  Boys!  BOYS!  How bout dem boys?

Billionaires arguing about a two-three hundred million dollar compensation package is unseemly.

But wait, there’s more.

Colts owner Jim Irsay contended out loud that he believes there’s “merit” to consider the removal of Dan Snyder from the Washington Commanders’ ownership.  In an effort to oust Snyder over a series of serious internal missteps that there is now an investigation into whether Snyder was actually privately investigating the other owners so that the dirty ones would have dirt on the other dirty ones.

What’s Snyder getting the most heat for?  The heat stems from a steamy boy’s club front office that serially harassed female employees when the Commanders were the Redskins.  He should get heat for running a once proud franchise straight into the Fed Ex Field dirt, but we digress again.

It seems that DeShaun Watson’s off-of-the-field dalliances should immediately qualify him for ownership once his playing days end.  Of course, the NFL will allow none of his bad behavior to go unpunished.  It tarnishes the image of the game.

We ask once more, “how bout dem boys?”

 

Boom Boom’s Life Lessons #7.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

By request from not one, but two readers, we share the previously published article again for your perusal.  It must be sales meeting time for some.  We hope you’ll enjoy it.

 

One of the many gifts that Boom Boom gave us was the torrent of quips about how one leads one’s life.   He could say so much by saying so little.   A statement at just the right moment resonated in my young, eager eardrums.  How I interpreted or applied it was up to me.  No more words were spoken because no more words were needed.

Boom Boom bought a new car when, and only when, the need arose.  He bought American.  And, he bought Oldsmobiles.  Mom would get the new car and hand Boom Boom the keys to the old one.   He included me in the conversations with the car salesmen and management from a very young age.

In the mid-sixties an on and off again negotiation with the local dealership involved us walking out twice and resuming the deal-making the next day and then the day after.  Finally, exhaustively, the terms were agreed to on a new Jetstar 88.  “We’ll clean it up for you and you can pick it up tomorrow Mr. Johnston,” said the exasperated car salesman.

After his work and our dinner the next evening we drove in the old trade-in Olds to pick up the new Olds.  After the final paperwork was signed we joyfully opened the doors to get into the new shiny ride.  One problem.  There were no floor mats.  “Where are the floor mats,” Boom Boom inquired.  “Mr. Johnston, there were none in the car as it was offered to you.  Floor mats will be an extra $36, said the soon-to-be more exasperated car salesman.”  “Keep the car,”  Boom Boom evenly retorted.   “Let’s go,” he said to mom and I.   Silence abounded.  And, off we drove in the old Jetstar 88 back home.  The silence was still plentiful well into the evening.

The next evening our phone rang.  Boom Boom answered.  Boom Boom listened.  Then, Boom Boom spoke.   We could only hear his side of the conversation.   “So, now you want to include the floor mats?”  Pause.  “Ok, well, tell your manager that I now need another $150 off of the car for my inconvenience in addition to the floor mats.”  Long pause.  “Tell him thank you.”

“Let’s get the car,” he said.  Mom decided to drop him and me off and head back home.  She may have had a wee bit of buyer’s fatigue.  As dad and I waited for them to bring the car around to the front he looked at me(all of six or seven years old) and said, “Never be afraid to walk away from a negotiation.  Never.”

The new car smell filled my nostrils on the ride home.  The lesson learned fills my mind to this day.

 

Abby Picks, Year Five, Week Seven

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Abby rebounded nicely after a two-week skid likely brought on by kennel cough-19.  She had no vaccines nor boosters, which by the day sounds like the better way to go.

Last week she got five games right and four wrong.  She won six bones and lost five.  Either you pay the man, or the man pays you.  The latter beats the former.

She paws forward to week seven.

Alabama at Tennessee under 66 and 1/2 –  Yes these are two fine offenses, but doggy has a hunch that Nick Saban wants to run the ball and play D.  Two bones.

Alabama at Tennessee ML–  Abby thinks Alabama wins the game, but cannot pass up a 2 to 1 money line when the ole blue tick hound runs across the checkerboard end zone.  One bone to win two bones.

Mississippi St at Kentucky +4 – This looks like two teams going in opposite directions.  Until this Saturday, that is.   Give Abby the home dog v the Bulldogs. One bone.

LSU at Florida -2 and 1/2 –  Abby says, “LSU is not a good football team, convince me otherwise.”  Two bones.

Clemson at FSU + 3 and 1/2–  The ML is tempting, but Abby wants the points if Clemson kicks a late FG to win it.  One bone.

USC at Utah -3– The Utes are make or break here.  Abby still thinks USC is overrated but a win in Utah will convince her otherwise.  One bone.

Kansas at Oklahoma -8 – How can the Sooners be favored over anyone by eight if you watched them the last three weeks.  Abby likes to zig when others zag as you know by now.  One bone.

Iowa St +16 at Texas- The Longhorns have a Qb and are moving in the right direction.  But 16 points is 16 points.  Two bones.

Washington St at Oregon St – 3 1/2 and under 52 1/2– It’s a Beaver parlay.  Build the dam.  One bone to win three bones.

Eight home, one road, one money line, one parlay, and two under.

One baseball note.  Yordon Alvarez is pretty good.

Woof!

 

 

 

 

 

From Demo to Dino

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

There is the old adage, “the only thing constant is change.”  There is the new adage, “change is coming at you faster than ever.”

The old adage is proven correct daily.  The new adage remains debatable.

Tulsi Gabbard changed, at least she changed officially.  She formally announced Monday that given the mad shift to the far left in her party, she would no longer be a part of the Democratic Party.   Her beliefs aren’t contained in a neat box, but her core values seem mostly right of center.

She didn’t declare herself a Republican though. She did not yet, and maybe not ever.  For now, she’s independent.

This has been brewing for some time.  The announcement only formalized it.   The United States Army Reserve officer and political commentator served as the U.S. representative for Hawaii’s 2nd congressional district from 2013 to 2021.  She attempted to gain the Democratic nomination for President in 2020.

Why is she still news?  It says here that she would make one fine VP candidate to go along with Ron DeSantis in 2024.  Imagine a conservative Republican picking an Independent as his running mate.  Now that would be a vote for the new adage ringing true.

Hawaii is a vote for the old adage.  It’s been brewing for some time as well.

Approximately 40 to 70 million years ago, the 137 islands of Hawaii began to form. Every island originated from multiple underwater volcanic eruptions. Magma burst from underneath the seafloor until it reached the ocean’s surface.

And, guess what.  It’s still forming as active volcanos still shape and reshape some of the newer islands in the chain.

Around the same time, give or take a mere 10 million years, about 66 million years ago a massive solar system body now known as the Chicxulub asteroid collided with Earth, excavating a massive 110-mile-wide impact crater in what would later become the Yucatan Peninsula.

This collision triggered a chain of cataclysmic events which, when combined with the devastation caused by the initial strike, wiped out 75 percent of all life on Earth.

Research that analyzed geological records from this traumatic period in our planet’s history, has revealed that the devastating impact may have triggered a “mega-earthquake” that lasted for weeks, or even months before subsiding.

That’s what you would call real climate change.  If you don’t believe us ask the next dinosaur you see walking around the face of the earth.

The Republican party actually reminds us of the fossils a bit.  Merriam-Webster’s first synonym explanation of the word is “one that has passed the peak of effectiveness or popularity.”

Take off Mitch McConnell’s glasses and what do you see?  Maybe you see words related to dinosaurs?  Dodo, fogy, old-timer, fuddy-duddy, mossback, stick in the mud, and stodge comes to mind.

Maybe change needs to come to the Republican Party faster than ever.  A return to conservative principles is in order and the presentation needs a makeover.

Gabbard as a running mate would not be a mega earthquake nor a MAGA earthquake, but it would be a fine start.

 

 

Ten Piece Nuggets

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

You’ve waited far too long.  Nuggets, all ten, are spiced just right for your consumption below.

  1. During a portion of an interview with CBS News aired on Monday’s edition of “Red and Blue,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) warned that while abortion is an important issue, Democrats “have got to do more” on the economy.  How much more?  Haven’t they done enough?  That Inflation Reduction Act should have done the trick by now.
  2. In a quickly-reversed policy move, the web’s leading payments processor, PayPal, announced it would NOT deduct $2,500 from users who violate its acceptable use policy, which includes bans on spreading “misinformation,” “hate,” or anything else the company deemed “unfit for publication.”  Wall St. and Main St. took notice of the nonsense.   Apparently, free speech would have cost $2500 until smarter people got involved.
  3. Electric truck and SUV maker Rivian Automotive said on Friday that it is recalling nearly all of its vehicles because the company had improperly installed fasteners, which could cause the loss of steering control.  It is their third recall since launching in 2020.  Wall St and Main St took notice of the incompetence.  The start-up’s stock is off 67% year to date after soaring in 2021.
  4.  The Chicks who used to be called The Dixie Chicks endorsed Beto O’Rourke Saturday night at a concert north of Houston.  It didn’t go over too well.  O’Rourke. who trails incumbent Greg Abbott by nearly double digits. was audibly booed louder than a smattering of claps.  Isn’t “The Chicks” an offensive name as well?
  5. During an appearance on FNC’s “Fox News Sunday,” Georgia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams said she opposed restrictions on abortion.  She stated that “arbitrary standards of timelines ignore the medical reality that it is a fallacy we know exactly when a pregnancy starts.”  If she fails again at running for office, maybe she can enter the field of medical research as she has a bit to learn.
  6. Sixty-two percent of voters say President Joe Biden’s economy is deteriorating just 29 days from the midterm elections, a Civiqs poll found Monday.  People, we are told over and over, vote with their wallets first and foremost.  Maybe Bernie is right.  But, he’s too far left to do what is right by the government to help the economy.  What is that?  Stay the hell out and stop printing money would be a great start.
  7. JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon agrees. He stated that he believes that the U.S. is “likely” to enter a recession “six, nine months from now” in a Monday CNBC interview.  Was the Fed too late getting started and will they be too late slowing down?  BBR has no economists on staff, but we’re guessing that the answers are yes and yes.
  8. Twitter didn’t want to be outdone by PayPal.  It took down a tweet posted by the Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo, “Today, we released an analysis on COVID-19 mRNA vaccines the public needs to be aware of. This analysis showed an increased risk of cardiac-related death among men 18-39. FL will not be silent on the truth.”  Twitter wanted the good doc to be silent.  But, then it reversed its course and reposted it later Monday.  Maybe Stacey Adams could go to work for Twitter if her medical research career doesn’t work out.
  9. Across the pond, The Telegraph, the country’s best-selling broadsheet(the largest newspaper format and is characterized by long vertical pages), published an article by Associate Editor Camilla Tominey suggesting that “Biden’s qualities for the Oval Office are almost non-existent.”  They called old Joe “useless and nasty.”  Ouch.  Deceased Rep. Jackie Walorski would have objected to such harsh words.  Where’s Jackie? Two words.
  10. Five years after women’s stories about him made the #MeToo movement explode, sexy Harvey Weinstein, the bad actor, is going on trial in the city where he once was a fixture at the Oscars.  Already serving a 23-year sentence for rape and sexual assault in New York, the 70-year-old former movie mogul faces four counts of rape and seven other sexual assault counts involving five women.  What a low-life guy he was, and always will be.

 

Abby Picks, Year Five, Week Six

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Forgive Abby for last week’s poor picking.  She coughed up seven more bones than she won.   Hopefully, her bout with kennel cough has subsided this week.  She got a lot of rest, socially distanced herself, and wore a mask to help ensure a better outcome for her loyal betting patrons.

Week six features a lot of lines(pass) that could provide back door covers, so conservative is a word to the wise.

  1.  Nebraska -3 at Rutgers and Houston + 3 at Memphis –  Friday night lights usually favor the home team on a short week.  Road team Indy beating Denver last night in a real dog nap of a game gives us confidence in this parlay.  The Cornhuskers have pride and the Cougars are angry.   One bone to win three bones.
  2. Purdue +3 at Maryland and Louisville -3 at Virginia-  Two more roadies paired for multiple a multiple-bone payout.  Purdue is pretty good.  Virginia is bad. One bone to win three bones.
  3. South Carolina at Kentucky -6 – Kentucky played very well in Oxford but lost to a very good Rebel team.  South Carolina is on the road after hammering an instate directional school.  Abby likes the spot as much as the name Spot for a dog.  Two bones.
  4.  Florida St at NC State under 51 –  FSU and NC St both score plenty of points against lower-level competition.  When the going gets tough both tighten a bit.  One bone.
  5. Washington St + 13 1/2 at USC-  Can we pump the brakes on how great Lincoln Riley is?  The Oregon State game v USC is your tell for this one.  Expect USC to win but not cover.  One bone.
  6. Tennessee – 2 1/2 at LSU-  This is the surprise line of the week.  This is a lot of credit to LSU’s home stadium Death Valley and not near enough to Hendon Hooker.  Two bones.
  7. Arkansas +9 at Mississippi St- The Bulldogs bit the Aggies last week at home.  We expect another win but a close, perhaps overtime win vs. an angry Hog team.  One bone.

That’s seven out of eight road teams, nine bones wagered to win 13, and one under a total on the line this bounce-back weekend.

Woof!

 

Dems Sell Well

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

“This is a direct threat to our very democracy.”

Have you heard that before and again and again?  How could you have not heard that over-hyperventilated accusation?

Our civil servant friends from the left have perfected its delivery with the tone, tenor, and repetitiveness that they are very skilled at doing in marketing their message.

Have you ever wondered aloud what exactly this vague and veiled threat to our democracy is?  Maybe it comes down to what your definition of “is” is.

Is it avowed socialists like Bernie Sanders wanting control? Is it three or five avowed socialists running for office this midterm? Is it China or Ukraine or both compromising the Biden family?  Is it America turning away from oil and gas to make us weaker and weaker before it’s time to do so?  Is it an open border that welcomes good people and bad people and fentanyl?  Is it spending trillions that we don’t have which turned into wicked inflation?

Is it none of the above?  Maybe it’s none of the above when it comes to the November 8th midterms.

For now, it’s the constant war on Trump, trumped-up charges or not(in our best Kamala voice).  After all, he would not allow for a peaceful transfer of power.  And it’s voting rights whether you’re a citizen or not and have a voter ID or not.

And, heaven forbid we forget, it’s also climate change which also doubles as the greatest existential threat as well.

It’s MAGA.  It’s more Trump.  Trump.  TRUMP.

Why is it the above?  It’s because the Dems said it so and the media trumpets (we had to) it over and again.  Dems sell, sell, sell.

But, don’t take our word for it.  The American Association of Retired People (AARP) just released the results of its new poll of America’s 50+ crowd.  And they honed it down further to 50 years and older women.

What’s on their minds?  The top three concerns for them with five weeks to decide who to vote for are 1) voting rights, 2) threats to democracy, and 3) inflation.

Voting rights?  This group has been voting freely for 32 years or more.

And, “threats to democracy” finished ahead of the worst “inflation” in 40 years.  Perception is reality.

They were also asked what would benefit them the most.  The number one answer, you ask.  They are looking for protection from Social Security cuts.  Social Security has been borrowed and stolen from repeatedly.  But, it hasn’t been cut, ever.  Ever.  This year’s cost of living increase to SS checks will be the biggest percentage-wise since 1978.  Worry not, or worry a lot apparently.

The AARP “She’s the Difference” poll finds that 51 percent of likely women voters age 50 and older have not made up their minds for whom they will cast their ballots in November.

How many voters is that altogether?  Americans over 50 represented 1/3rd of voters in 2018 and 2020.  Half or more are women.  So, it’s about 1/6th of all voters or 17% of the nation’s total.  That is Yuge as one used to say.

So, if you’re expecting a red wave this November, maybe not.  If you’re expecting to hold on to the House as Nancy Pelosi droned on about Sunday, maybe not.

But, if you’re over 50 and identify as a female one party sent you an invitation.

The other is a bunch of old fuddy-duddies.

 

 

That Little Clown Car is Full

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

The November midterm elections are barreling down on us faster than Ian went through Florida (too soon?).  And the circus has all three rings full of actions.

Send in the clowns.  Where are the clowns?  They’re all piling out of the little car at once.

In the hotly contested Georgia Senate race that has major national implications, Herschel Walker hopped out with a big red fake nose on.

He’s running as an anti-abortion candidate and he ran to Hannity for cover.  Asked if he indeed suggested that a woman whose unborn child he may have been a part of creating received money from him for an abortion he said no.

Asked if he sent her money he said he gives money away all of the time.  There is also the allegation that he sent her a signed get well soon card.  Coincidence?

He also recently admitted to having four children.  For a long time, he acknowledged but one.  It’s easy to forget about the other three with the way kids act these days.

The Dems fresh off of a 1/2 a trillion student loan debt forgiveness giveaway to buy the 20 to 30-year-old vote selectively struck again.

Kamala Harris told a reporter over the weekend when discussing the hurricanes that hit Puerto Rico and Florida, and we exactly quote, “On the point that you made about disparities: You know back when I was District Attorney of San Francisco  I started one of the first environmental justice units of any DA’s office in the country focused on this issue. And in particular on the disparities, as you have described rightly, which is that it is our lowest income communities and our communities of color that are most impacted by these extreme conditions and impacted by issues that are not of their own making.”

The word windbag comes to mind.  May we recommend a little environmental justice to top off your word salad?

Boil it down and she is saying we need to give more money to climate change needs and direct that money to the minority communities.  Those are daily double Dem talking points.

It was a busy week for the VP.  Earlier standing 50 yards from and looking through binoculars at North Korea from South Korea she took to the podium.  And, she exclaimed that the U.S. shares an alliance with North Korea that is strong and enduring.”

Does the border czar know the difference between North and South Korea?  She was looking down at her notes while talking.  It’s hard to read “north” when seeing the written word “south,” isn’t it?  Or, is it vice versa?

Does Joe Biden know that the late Rep. Jackie Walorski is dead?  Where’s Jackie?  Is she here?

Does a bear……….?

Maybe Czar Kamala was hoping for a few Koreans to cross a border, any border, and gain the right to vote this November via absentee ballot.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Monday that she believes Democrats will keep control of the House after the November midterm elections as polls show the nation is relatively split on which political party it wants in the majority.  Or, maybe America wants neither party?

If she is right, the most experienced clowns of all, Pelosi, Schumer, McConnell, and McCarthy can keep driving the little funny car right over the cliff.

Send in the clowns.

 

 

 

 

 

Abby Picks, Year Five, Week Five

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Abby watched Scott Van Pelt’s “Bad Beats” ESPN segment last Monday night with great disinterest.  She dropped two games in the final seconds v the spread to fall just below .500 for the week.  Stuff happens.

This was after a great week 3, so all is well for the hound.  Pound for pound she likes a lot of what she sees this week.

  1. Tulane at Houston -2 1/2 – Friday Night Lights in Texas.  Dana Holgersen ripped the Cougars up one side and down the other after their mistake-filled lethargic effort v Rice last week.  Expect Houston to come out like their hair is on fire.  One bone.
  2. Michigan St +7 1/2 at Maryland and Purdue + 12 1/2 at Minnesota- The Big 10 Parlay of the Day.  Michigan St cannot be as bad as they looked last week, can they?  Minnesota cannot be as good as they looked last week, can they?  One bone to win three bones.
  3.  Iowa St -3 at Kansas – Dorothy Special – Head Coach Lance Leipold is a wizard and might find the yellow brick road filled with gold later this year.  But, don’t mistake Matt Campbell for the Tin Man.  He’s turned down more offers than you can count on one hand. Two bones.
  4. Kentucky at Ole Miss -7 –  This line looks like Vegas is screaming for you to take Kentucky.  Abby likes to zig when others zag.  One bone.
  5. Texas A&M ML +155 at Mississippi St –  The Aggies stumbled to another victory last week after Arkansas fumbled away what would have been a 21-0 lead.  Abby expects more of the same out of the Aggies this week with Reveille’s help.  Two bones to win three bones.
  6. Oklahoma -6 at TCU-  Abby has licked her chops for this game all week.  She expects the Sooners to win comfortably to erase the bad memory of last Saturday.  Two bones.
  7. LSU at Auburn +8 1/2 –  This yearly rivalry game always brings the unexpected.  Always.  Who would have thought LSU would be a road favorite by nearly 9 after they shot themselves in the foot 9 times v FSU a month ago?  LSU is minus four starters and Auburn has a dead man walking for a head coach.  Always. One bone.
  8. Georgia -14 (first half) at Missouri- Kirby Smart was smarting after his Dawgs slept through their win over Kent St. last week.  Georgia won’t be held back by a leash this week, especially in the first two quarters.  One bone.

Woof!!