Author: thependulumswings staff

Rickey Being Rickey

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

One of the wonderful things about sports is that the perceived correct strategic formula to winning is ever evolving.  Sometimes the change is subtle, sometimes not so subtle.

No one would dispute that the 3 point line has changed how basketball is coached for better or worse.  But maybe the biggest change has taken place in the last 10 years in baseball.  Analytics, formerly known as sabermetrics, have taken hold.

When these changes go from fad to trend to expectations, records of past year’s accomplishments are increasingly harder to compare to current.  And records may also be easier to be broken (for example three point shots attempted/made in a season), or harder to be broken.

What follows is what we wrote in an article about Joe Dimaggio’s consecutive game hit steak a few weeks back.  It was titled “56” a few weeks back.

The record stands at 56 games, and has now stood that way for 78 years and counting.  We aren’t here to debate if its the greatest baseball record ever for it’s hard to compare pitching feats to hitting feats much less one game to one streak to one season to one career records.  But we are here to say that holding a record for any stat for 78 years is a long, long time and that makes it a great, great accomplishment.

So all of the above makes us wonder about another baseball record.  This one is a career accomplishment.  Analytics has made this one chosen far less as a tool to victory.  The math today says stealing a base is far less statistically appealing today than in years gone by.

The quirky and insanely talented Rickey Henderson was drafted in the 4th round in 1976 by the Oakland Athletics.  He played for them four separate times over an amazing 25 year career when he changed uniforms 13 times in all.  A first ballot Hall of Famer and 10 time All Star.  He leads the majors in career leadoff homeruns with 81.  Second place is not close at 53.  Amazing indeed.

But most amazing of all is how well, and how often he stole a base.  He stole 1406 in all.  Second place alltime is Lou Brock.  His total?  938.  Henderson’s total is exactly 50 % better than second all time.  50%!   Believe it or not, he even stole 66 bases when he was 39 years old.

Statistics can be shaped one way or the other to prove a point.  But, one way to look at this is to compare this feat to Pete Rose’s 44 game hit streak, second to Dimaggio’s 56.  Dimaggio’s record has stood for 78 years and counting.  But Dimaggio would have had to hit in 66 straight games to be 50% better than Rose.  How long would 66 games with at least one hit hold the record if 56 has held it for 78 years and counting?

Never ever say never.  But, given where the game is today, combined with Henderson’s exceptionally long career, put this record on a very short list of the very hardest to even be approached, much less broken.

 

Ten Piece Nuggets-Sports

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

We’re one short week away from NCAA college football.  Our hunger is at it’s peak.  The Ten Nuggets on various sports below will have to tide you over.  And, tide you over they will.  Yum.

  1.  Speaking of the tides, the Alabama crimson one remains the betting favorite for the NCAA Championship. One unnamed analyst that we trust told us that he believes that 9 of the expected 22 starters this year for Bama will eventually be first round NFL draft picks.  Combine that talent with Saban’s high work ethic, coaching staff, knowledge and experience and it’s an uphill climb for others.
  2. Their season win total bet is 11.  So Vegas is not willing to offer you a loss by them and let you collect. Well, at least you would push.  It’s a high bar, but see point one above.  We don’t like high overs, and this one is -160.  But would you really bet the other side?  Will Bama lose twice?  If they do, they won’t be in the playoffs for the first time since, well, ever.  “Ever” is all five years since the current playoff format began, and Bama is five for five in appearances.
  3. Maybe you like Clemson even more?  That bar is even higher.  Their season win total is set at 11 and 1/2.  One loss there and you lose. No pushes occur when lines are on halves.  This over bet is -125.  Steep!  Sheesh.  The smart bet here is under at -105.  But, it’s only smart if Clemson stumbles or someone rises up in the ACC.  Could Texas A and M out of conference and on the road beat them?  Doubtful.  But what a signature win it would be for Jimbo Fisher.
  4. Someone either named Ed Orgeron or Tom Herman will get a signature win of their own in week two.  LSU travels to play Texas in an early season matchup of two AP preseason top ten ranked teams.  LSU is ranked 6th while the resurgent Longhorns are 10th.  The winner gets a strong pelt on the resume wall for down the road playoff consideration.  Both teams have to run through their conference gauntlet as well of course.  Would a one loss to Alabama team named LSU get in?  Would a one loss to Oklahoma team named Texas get in?  It’s WAY too early to wonder?  But, why not wonder?  The NCAA football season is too short to begin with.  Let the party begin.
  5.  The SEC dominates the upper part of the first AP poll.  Alabama is 2, Georgia 3, LSU 6, Florida 8, A&M 12, and Auburn 16.  But the Big 10 actually has seven teams to the six in the SEC.  The Ohio St and Michigan are in the top ten while Penn St., Michigan St., Iowa, Wisconsin, and Nebraska are all in it starting at 15 and below.  Let they party begin we said.
  6. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo went just 1-for-6 for zero yards and an interception on Monday night in his first game since suffering a season-ending knee injury last September.  Garoppolo finished the night, which ended with a 24-15 victory over the Denver Broncos, with a 0.0 passer rating.  You probably can only go up from there.
  7.  Oakland Raiders GM Mike Mayock and Head Coach Jon Gruden beamed on while being interviewed during the NFL Draft last April.  They repeatedly told us that they drafted “football guys who had high character and wanted to play.”  Seems like they didn’t use the same template for their big trade in the offseason.  New Raiders wide receiver Antonio Brown has filed a new grievance against the NFL over his not having a full calendar year grace period to find a helmet that works for him.  It’s the third time since camp started that Brown has either left a practice or filed a grievance over what all other NFL payers have already moved forward from.  Mayock said Sunday that Brown had left camp over the helmet issue, and it was “time for him to be all-in or all-out.”  We think that it’s time for him to grow up.
  8. Meanwhile Los Angeles Chargers running back Melvin Gordon, who is nearly five weeks into a holdout over his contract, is training rigorously in California he says and is staying ready to play football while he waits to see if the Chargers will succumb to his new contract demands.  Gordon has told the Chargers through his representation that if he does not receive a new deal, he will sit out.
  9. What do Garrappolo, Brown, and Gordon have in common?  They all play for California based teams.  Garappolo is dreaming of better performances, Brown of better helmets, and Gordon of better money.  California dreaming.
  10. On to the MLB injury front we go.  Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa left after one inning against the Detroit Tigers on Monday because of back discomfort, the team said.  he is day to day.  Let’s hope he doesn’t call a masseuse to work out his issues again.  Meanwhile Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale will miss the remainder of the regular season with a left elbow injury but is expected to avoid Tommy John surgery after a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews confirmed a previous diagnosis of inflammation, sources familiar with the situation told ESPN.  Sale’s season ending injury to the wind out of any sails that the 2018 Champion Red Sox had for 2019.  They are now 16 games behind the eventual division winner NY Yankees and 6 games behind the second of two wild card teams.

Yes, now you can be excused from the table.

 

Welcome to Fantasy Island!

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

We have two questions for you.  One, do you believe that Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone gunman in the assassination of John F. Kennedy?  Two, do you believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the plot carried in the assassination of John F. Kennedy?  Those are two questions that sound alike but are actually very different.

We have two more questions.  One, do you believe that Jeffery Epstein lived his life as the luckiest pedophile and sex trafficker alone?  Two, or do you believe that Jeffery Epstein had significant help along the way to being one of the biggest scumbags to ever walk on two legs on planet earth?

How do you have a personally owned fantasy island for pedophilia? How do you have a staff and a “girlfriend” complicit in procuring underaged girls?  How do you have many, many “guests,” some high profile, that all are able to whistle past the long arm of the law?

How do you strike a deal with the long arm for non-prosecution that not only shielded Epstein from further prosecution, but protected his alleged co-conspirators back in 2007?  I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine and ten of my closest soon to be indicted friends who I might have video of and might be blackmailing.

But it goes on.  Rearrested on 7/9/19 for more charges of the same, but outside of his plea deal details, Epstein was locked up in the NY Metropolitan Correctional Center.  After what either was or not an attempted suicide on his own life three weeks ago, Epstein was placed on suicide watch.  Then he was taken off of same.  Why would he be judged safe from himself days after he attempted to hurt himself?  So, did someone attempt to hurt him, or did he decide to hurt himself?

But it goes on.  Now off of suicide watch, Epstein was locked down in an area where inmates are supposed to be checked on every 30 minutes.  But, on Saturday morning in a three hour window of no checks made, he allegedly committed suicide by hanging.  You can kill yourself by hanging in between 30 minute checks, but why the three hour window of supposed incompetence by his not one, but two guards?  The NY Times reports that the two guards fell asleep at the same time.  If one was going to sleep on the job, would they want the other to cover for them, and then vice versa?  Why both simultaneously?  Security tapes prove the lack of checks, but the range of the video does not span wide enough to include the actual event.  Why would Epstein have access to materials that could be used to hang himself?  Or did he?

But it goes on.   Epstein was arrested over a month ago.  Why was his St. Thomas area private island just served a warrant and searched on Monday?  Wouldn’t or shouldn’t have his arrest back in July opened the doors to all of his properties for search and seizure?

But it goes on.   The names tossed out by credible sources of who was on his private jet and his private island, or was his friends with possible massage benefits spans Silicon Valley, Wall St., The Capital, and a former White House resident-William Jefferson Clinton.  Would any of them, along the way, have had any influence on any of the above?

Some secrets, believed to be suppressed in 2007, are best if taken to the grave.  Some secrets cannot see the light of day from the grave.  It is believed that Epstein had extensive video recording abilities on the island and in his NY and Florida homes.

Our answers to the above four questions?  Lone gunman?  Yes.  Carry out the plot alone?  No.  Epstein acted alone?  Hell no.   Did said scumbag have help from other powerful scumbags in life?   Hell yes.

And, did he in his death?  Let’s find out.  The Justice Department has been sleeping on this rancid mess for a lot longer than those two guards.  May the truth be told.

 

 

 

 

Boom Boom’s Life Lessons #17

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

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.

Today U.S. Government Series EE Savings Bonds as an investment are about as popular as Donald J. Trump is in Portland, Oregon as a president.  But way back in the 1960’s and 1970’s they were backed (and still are) by the full faith and credit of the United States and paid about eight percent interest per year.

And way back in the 1960’s and 1970’s Boom Boom brought one home every other week in his briefcase.   I just didn’t know it.  I didn’t know it, that is, until one evening after supper.

In Lesson #4 we shared that on a couple of weeknights each week he finished dinner and headed to our spare bedroom that housed his desk, his adding machine, my mother’s exercise bike, and most of all an undersized pool table.  Yes, it was crowded.  He needed to do some “book work” he always said.  He struck the adding machine keys so quickly that it was not possible to follow.

His one and only son loved playing pool (competition and geometry combined is a tasty combo) and asked for him to”crack em” almost every night that his own homework didn’t get in the way and after his father’s “book work” was completed.

But this particular evening was different.  Boom Boom asked that I help him with his book work.  At the tender age of eight or nine I had no idea what that meant.  I had no idea until he took the bond out of his briefcase and pulled a short stack of them with a rubber band around them out of his top drawer.

“Son, these bonds are going to pay for your college.”  “College?” I stammered.  You see the dollar amount in the corner of each?”  “Yes.”  That will be how much each is worth when they mature.  And almost all mature seven years after you buy them.”  “Mature?” I asked.  “Yes.  I buy them for half of what their face value is.”  “Face value?”  “It’s the dollar amount in the corner.”

“Where do you get them?”  “Don’t worry about that.”  “Let’s add them up together to see how we are doing.”  “Ok, Dad.”

From then on every two weeks we would add another fifty or sometimes even a hundred dollar one to the growing stack and cross out the total to write down the new total.

“Save your money, Son.”  I heard that refrain every two weeks as the rubber band went “whack” around the stack.  “When you need it for something down the road you will be able to afford it without borrowing.  Save your money, Son.“

Win One for the Old Gaffer!

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

What a presidential race we would have if it were a racist v. a racist.   So far we have one contestant and reigning champion signed up for it.  Will we get another?

Donald Trump is a racist.  Numerous TV news shows, late night shows, radio shows, comics, and civic leaders tell us this every day.  He provided even more fodder for their cannons in the last two weeks.  First he called Baltimore rat infested.  It turns out that “infested” is a racist term.  Who knew?  Now we do.

Congressman Elijah Cummings in 1998 called his Baltimore district drug infested.  Maybe it wasn’t a racist term then.  Or, maybe what happened twenty years ago is too far back to really bring up about a person’s past.  Don’t tell now Supreme Court Judge Brett Kavanaugh that though.  You may recall that he all but stood trial in front of the Gentleman from Baltimore who proceeded over his House confirmation hearings.  Kavanaugh’s high school behavior of over 30 years ago was front and center for over a week of hearings.

And yesterday the Trump administration announced that it is implementing a new rule changing green card criteria to more closely examine immigrants’ financial resources. It makes it more difficult for immigrants who came to the country legally to stay as permanent residents if they’ve used or are likely to use public benefits like food stamps, Section 8 housing vouchers, or Medicaid.  “Racist,” said one CNN commentator this AM.  “White nationalist,” said another.  “He only wants people in this country that look like him,” the first commenter added on.  What is strange about those character assassinations though is that Trump didn’t target any race with the new rule proposal.  He targeted any and all that are most likely to “lay on the country’s leg” regardless of skin color.

Which brings us to the need for another racist to join the fray to get to the racist v. racist showdown.   So far Democratic front runner Joe Biden hasn’t been labeled a racist.  He has been the owner of a few, ok several, spoken gaffes.  Gaffes sounds so much nicer than racist doesn’t it?

He said late last week that “we believe in the truth, not facts!”  His audience actually cheered.   Well the truth of the matter is that the next day in another stump speech he also said “that poor kids are just as bright and talented as white kids during a campaign speech to Hispanic and Asian voters in Iowa.”  Is that a fact?  After an awkward pause (dare we call it a senior moment?) he added “we,wa, wealthy kids, black kids, Asian kids, but I’m serious.”  His audience actually cheered.  If you watched the link above you can hear the CNN crew agree that it was just another gaffe in a history of gaffes that Biden makes.  Gaffes still sounds so much nicer than racist doesn’t it?

Of course 30 years ago Joe Biden stood with congressmen labeled as segregationists and spoke out opposing federally mandated school bussing.  It was at least another gaffe don’t you think?  Was it racist?  Kamala Harris took him apart on stage about it but said she didn’t think he was a racist.  Whew.  It’s funny how that works.  And, thirty years ago, like with Cummings’ comments, is probably too far back to really bring up a person’s past.  But, she did.  Again, don’t tell that to now Supreme Court Judge Brett Kavanaugh though.

So, for now, if Biden holds on to his Democratic nomination lead we’ll only get to see the “Old Gaffer” v. the racist.  Biden says that his gaffes are just “Joe being Joe.”  But, with each gaffe the Democrats are more and more concerned if they can “just win one for the Old Gaffer.”

Ten Piece Nuggets-Sports

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

It’s a new week and the key to it’s success is getting it off to a good start.  The key to getting Monday off to a good start lies below.  A sports Ten Piece Nuggets is served.

  1. The Houston Astros beat the Baltimore Orioles 3-2 last Friday night and 23-2 on Saturday.  The “23” is no typo.  It is, though, the most runs ever scored by the 52 year old franchise.  Houston shortstop Carlos Correa, hit a 474 foot home run during the obliteration.  It’s the longest ever hit in the 27 year history of Camden Yards.
  2. So, Sunday, Las Vegas made the Astros a huge favorite to win the third and final game of the series and sweep the lowly 39-77 Orioles.  Cy Young former winner and possibly this year’s favorite, Justin Verlander, was on the bump for the 77-40 Astros.  A $100 bet on the lowly Orioles would pay you $420.  And a walk off, two out, two strike homerun by Rio Ruiz gave Baltimore the win.  It was the largest MLB single game upset v. the betting odds in 15 years.
  3. Despite the loss the Astros have a quite comfortable 10 game lead over the Oakland A’s in the AL West with about 44 regular season games left to play for most teams.   The NY Yankees have a quite comfortable 8.5 game lead over the second place Tampa Bay Rays in the East.  But the Central Division is shaping up as a “down to wire” two team horse race.  Cleveland and Minnesota are tied for first there with identical 71-47 records.  The playoffs only have room for three of Minnesota, Cleveland, Oakland, and Tampa Bay.  The Central winner sits home while the runner up falls to a one game wild card playoff situation as it stands today.   That’s huge for both teams.
  4.  Meanwhile in the NL the Los Angeles Dodgers can start printing home field advantage playoff tickets.  Their 79 wins are nine more than East Division leading Atlanta.  And, it’s a ridiculous 19 games over 59-59 Arizona, second in the West Division.  The Braves are clear of Washington by 6.5 games.  Like the AL, the NL horse race is in the Central where only 2.5 games separate the division leading Chicago Cubs over Saint Louis and Milwaukee.  And from the back of the pack comes the hard charging NY Mets.
  5. Do you know what happened on this August 12th date in MLB in 1994, 25 years ago today?  Nothing.   Players, under the threat of a salary cap, went on strike.  A month later Commissioner Bud Selig announced that the owners voted to cancel the season.  The dark ballparks were symbolic of some of the darkest days of “America’s Game” history.
  6. NCAA football stadiums won’t be dark for much longer.  It’s under two weeks and counting until teams the country over kickoff.  Twenty coaches enter year two with their teams.  It’s usually the year that programs under new coaches make the biggest leap if they are going to turn around the direction for which they were hired to begin with.  Turnover, transfers in and out, philosophy, culture, and two recruiting years take hold.  Or, they don’t.  Last year Ed Orgeron went from a too soon hot seat in year two to a ten win, top ten finish in year two.  Tom Herman guided Texas back into the final top ten standings for the first time in nine long(horn) years.
  7. Who might make that leap this year?  Let’s look west.  How about Herm Edwards at Arizona St?  BBR says meh.   Kevin Sumlin at Arizona perhaps?  No.  Chip Kelly is in year two at UCLA.  We doubt it.  But in Eugene, Oregon we like Mario Cristobal to get his Ducks in a top ten row.
  8. The SEC is brutal, but teams that go 8-4 or a tad better can get to the top ten with a an impressive bowl win to conclude 2019.  Five choices are available.  Joe Moorhead leads Miss St into year two.  We think they regress actually.  Chad Morris at Arkansas is rebuilding in his image from the ground up and has zero chance.  Jeremy Pruitt volunteered to engineer a turnaround at Tennessee.  They’ll be better, but Florida, Georgia, and Alabama and  one or two others will visit the orange and white checkerboard end zone too often still.  Dan Mullen is a rather underrated coach.  Florida could make that leap.  They return an improving Felipe Franks at QB as well.   But, we like Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M the most.  They return an improving Kellon Mond at QB, and Jimbo is a QB Whisperer.  The schedule is brutal.  They tangle with Alabama, LSU, and Auburn in the west and Georgia in the east.  Oh, and out of conference they have the Tigers from Clemson.  Brutal.  It says here that they will go 9-3 or better.
  9. Peyton Manning is doing 100 short feature stories for ESPN+ to celebrate the first 100 years of the NFL.  Peyton’s Place.  If you haven’t seen any, you must catch up.  They are a trip down memory lane, some obscure, all interesting, and quite humorous.  We think Peyton had a great past and we think Peyton has a great future wherever that takes him.  Meanwhile he has a great feature story run.
  10. Another great quarterback is on the move as well.  Tom Brady and his family listed their Brookline, Massachusetts home for a cool $39.5 million last week.  Keeping it under $40 million is quite the value pricing move.   Meanwhile, most of New England area went into full meltdown as to what this meant to his future and the future of the Patriots.  Brady’s restructured deal has team opt outs for 2020 and 2021.  Is this the final season of the longest running hit show in NFL history?  Calm down says Tom.  “You shouldn’t ready into anything.  My house is a little bit of an expensive one, so it doesn’t fly off of the shelf in a couple of weeks,” he advised.  Ya think?  “I love playing for the Patriots.  This is where I want to be.”  Sounds like he might become a commuter.

Hang in there, Tuesday is but a day away.

Take Out This Week’s Trash

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

To put a lid on the national discourse trash that this week was, we offer you an important Baltimore Sun op ed read below.  Was it just a week or so ago that President Trump lashed out at Baltimore based Congressman Elijah Cummings’ district after old Elijah lashed out at Trump for all of the “caged” children at the border?  Was it just a week ago that we learned that “infested” is a racially charged word?

A pro Trump supporter and over 170 volunteers descended on West Baltimore to take out the trash.   Whether it was a publicity stunt or not, time will tell.  But what is so telling is the plight of the people in the blight of the rat infested neighborhoods.  What is also so telling is a newspaper writing that the poor people cannot keep their own neighborhood clean.  Does income have anything to do with cleanliness and pride?  Do drug dealers really have anything to do with keeping the trash in place?

Maybe next week will be better.  The weekend is here, everyone should take a deep breath at 5:00 pm today, pop open a beer at 5:01 pm, and chill the hell out until 8:00 am Monday.

The link to the quick read and amazingly telling, in so many ways, opinion piece is here.

Why?

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Today we wonder why.

The head of the NRA warned the Trump administration yesterday that suggesting that more stringent and universal background checks for gun owners would not be “welcomed” by a great number of his supporters.  Why not have a thorough check?  If you want future citizens/immigrants thoroughly checked why not a future gun owner?

Donald Trump always says that he never attacks people until provoked.  He states that he only counter punches and does so twice as hard as when he is first attacked.  If that is entirely true, and we doubt it, why not put the jabs aside yesterday on his two city (Dayton and El Paso) tour?  Those that protested his arrival and talked about him after he departed the two cities couldn’t put their attacks aside which is shameful.  But,  President Trump could have and should have risen above the fray on the one day that rising above the polarization was warranted.  Two wrongs don’t make a right.

Meanwhile, about a dozen outspoken Democrats have called for Mitch McConnell to recall the Senate to either approve pending gun legislation or create new gun law.  Why wasn’t this urgent need an urgent need prior to the past two weekend’s shootings?  It’s as reactionary as the TSA making you take off you shoes after they figured out you could actually put explosives in your shoes and walk straight through those reactionary security screening machines designed to detect those explosives.

Why did they go home for six weeks in the first place? Isn’t there infrastructure, prescription costs, healthcare, and a ballooning deficit to attend to?  Why don’t they mandate six week vacations for all?  Think of how many tropical drinks you could suck down through ocean saving paper straws in 42 consecutive days off.

When the Democrats held the House and the Senate in the first two years of the Obama Administration why didn’t they pass stricter gun control measures?  When the Republicans held the House and the Senate in the first two years of the Trump Administration why didn’t they pass stricter gun control measures?

Why couldn’t New York Mayor Bill De Blasio, appearing on The Sean Hannity Show last evening, affirm that he supported gun ownership for citizens who passed background checks, were deemed mentally stable, and who had not been convicted of a felony?   He was asked every which way and declined each time.  Thankfully he is polling at less than one percent in his run for the Democratic Party’s 2020 presidential nomination.

It’s positions like his from the left that slow or stifle any real meaningful dialogue.  If you are from the right you have every right to worry about giving an inch and having people try to take a yard.  If you are a proponent of the Second Amendment why would you want to give an inch when someone in a big government (De Blasio) position, running for the biggest government position of all, is protected by guns doesn’t feel like you should have that same right?  Didn’t some of his running mates publicly state that they would go door to door confiscating guns?  Good luck with that.

Why does it feel like the national narrative has changed from Russia, Russia, Russia to racist, racist, racist?

Why don’t we impeach Trump? Isn’t being a racist, a white nationalist, a white supremacist, or having white privilege an impeachable offense?  Clearly those heinous beliefs combined with collusion and obstruction can get it done.

Then we can blame someone else the next time a mentally ill person decides to “go off” on a group of innocent people in any town in any moment for any reason.  Then, after a week of lip service we can go back to our daily routines until it happens yet again.  And, then we can look around the halls of Congress and find someone else to blame.  Well, we can if they are in session.

Happy (C)Hump Day!

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Happy Hump Day.  You’ve made it this far into the week, you might as well stick it out now and go the distance.  Joe Scarborough, MSNBC cohost of Mornings With Joe, made it far enough into his transformation to the Democratic Party that this AM he decided to stick it out and go all of the way over the cliff.

BBR, being fair and balanced, monitors all news outlets.  This AM we tuned in to hear Joe, his sidekick and wife Mika Brzezinski, and others interview Nebraska GOP State Senator John McCollister.  McCollister tweeted Sunday night, “The Republican Party is enabling white supremacy in our country. As a lifelong Republican, it pains me to say this, but it’s the truth.”

Ah, that’ll get you instant oxygen on MSNBC.   Through out the 5 minute or so interview MSNBC had the large font, all caps, double high banner on the bottom quarter of the screen stating “REPUBLICAN STATE SENATOR IN NEBRASKA SAYS GOP IS “COMPLICIT” WITH WHITE SUPREMACY.”  But, a funny thing happened in those five minutes.  No one asked him about the “complicit” claim.  No one.

But they did ask him why he was speaking out against his own party.  Mika, “So where do you stand with your party affiliation?  I guess the Republican Party kicked you out?”  McCollister, “No. they can’t. Only I can kick myself out.”  Nice try by Joe’s wife.

McCollister went on to say that “the GOP party under Trump has lost the values it used to stand for being free trade, legal immigration, and fiscal sanity.”  Joe called Trump a “long time Big Government Democrat who only changed parties so that he could run” then asked, looking for leaks in the dam  “if he had heard from or received any support from elected officials in Nebraska or around the country?”  “No, no elected officials have reached out.”  Nice try by Mika’s husband.

Willie Geist asked what his fallout could be for speaking out.  “I term out in three years and we have no caucus, so the political fallout for me is very little.”  BBR would have liked to have asked him, then, why it took all of this time to speak out.  We think we got that answer.  Nice try by Willie.

An unnamed commenter on the desk asked how “Nebraska farmers were holding up given the reckless and incompetent tariff and trade policies.”  McCollister expressed surprise that no backlash had occurred from the farming community.  He said “I guess that they are just hoping something will eventually get better.” Nice try by Mr. Unnamed.

Mika was thanking him for his time and said that she “really appreciated his voice” as the interview concluded, but Mika’s husband couldn’t help himself and jumped in.  “Thank you so much Senator for standing up and being counted, sounding like actually a member of the party of Lincoln,” Joe said.  “Yep!” Mika said.

So, to summarize Joe called they party he joined “big government democrats.” And, Mika and Joe yearn for the old days of the Republican Party when it stood for free trade, legal immigration, and fiscal sanity.   So, isn’t Trump attempting to balance the trade field with China, Mexico, Canada, and others to make it truly free or at least a level one as opposed to one sided tariffs?  So, isn’t Trump railing incessantly about his belief in immigration as long as it’s legal?  Now, on the fiscal sanity, BBR wholeheartedly agrees.  Trillion dollar deficits are no way to run a country.  We wonder if they felt they felt the same from 2009-2016.  However, Trump’s team insists that there is plenty of time to tighten the belt, just not now.  And, they claim that they will when (2020-2024) they want to “Keep America Great.”

Joe’s wife should be so, so proud.  Her transformation of Joe, former Republican Congressman, is complete.  It’s complete in the sense that they both cannot accept that Trump was elected in 2016, and both spend 24/7 speaking out against anything he does.  Russia, Russia, Russia.  Racist, racist, racist. It’s complete in how he identifies his Democratic party affiliation.

But, but ideologically they sound so, so confused.

Happy Chump(s) Day.

 

 

Ten Piece Nuggets-NFL

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

The cartoon character Wimpy would often offer to pay Popeye on Tuesday for a hamburger today.  Well, it’s Tuesday, time for Wimpy to pay up.  And, if it’s Tuesday, it’s time for us to cook up our Ten Piece Nuggets.  Except ours are free of charge and served below.

  1.  The New Orleans Saints said welcome back to the NFL to their prized WR Michael Thomas after a week one holdout late last week.  Thomas rejoined the team and joined the 100 million dollar club.  The contract is for five years and guarantees 61 million.  It’s the highest dollar contract for a WR ever.  Not bad money if you can get it.  He enters his fourth year after entering the league as a second round pick.
  2. Which WR’s went ahead of him in the 2016 draft? In round one it was 15. Corey Coleman, 21. Will Fuller, 22. Josh Doctson, and 23. Laquan Treadwell.  In round two at 40th overall Sterling Shepard was taken.  If you can even name which teams these five play on you play too much fantasy football.   Thomas was taken 47th overall.   In three years he has caught 321 passes, good for 3787 yards, and 23 TD’s.  Shepard, also a second rounder, has caught 190 balls which is good by far for second place in this underwhelming group.
  3. Atlanta wants to keep up with the Joneses though.  Soon, very soon, they will make Julio Jones the highest paid receiver in the NFL.  And, they should.  The now 30 year old is two catches shy of 700 and has over 10k yards receiving.  If Atlanta won more often, or if he played for a higher profile team he would be even more well respected for his abilities.  He is but a few strong seasons away from Hall of Fame type numbers.
  4. Drew Brees was on The Dan Patrick Show late last week.  He finished second on the NFL Network countdown of the 100 best players.  It’s the players who vote for these players making it one of the best lists of “best of” in BBR’s opinion.  Patrick asked Brees his opinion of who should be number one.  Without hesitation, Brees agreed with the voting that placed Aaron Donald, DT Rams, as the very best.  Brees said, in effect, that Donald was special, and really in a league of his own.  Patrick then asked who he thought should be second.  Without hesitation again he said, “Tom Brady.”  “Why?” asked Patrick.  “Six Super Bowl wins,” Brees responded.  “A quarterback is ultimately judged on wins,” he concluded.
  5. Speaking of winning, most every NFL year multiple teams (usually 3 or more) that went 6-10 or worse the year prior go 10-6 or better the next year and make the playoffs.  It’s the parity the NFL covets.  Easier schedules, health, luck, and higher draft picks help.  It’s just rather hard to predict who.
  6. So, who went 6-10 or worse last year?  The Giants, 49ers, Cardinals, Bucs, Lions, and Packers did so in the NFC.  In the AFC it was the Bills, Jets, Broncos, Raiders, Bengals and Jaguars with the dubious distinction.
  7.  The obvious choice from the above is the Green Bay Packers.  Reasons to like them are 1) a healthy Aaron Rodgers, 2) an easier schedule that last year, 3) a bevy of high draft choices, 4) a more aggressive D, and 5) the enthusiasm  and culture change a new head coach brings.
  8.  Guessing who else is just that, guessing.   BBR likes the  San Francisco 49ers as a possibility..  The 49ers D isn’t bad.  We are putting a lot of faith in  the Jimmy Garropolo that went 5-0 in his first five starts at the end of 2017.  And Nick Bosa is a beast coming off of the edge.
  9.  Who else?  Here is a long shot to do so  Da Raidas.  The Raiders bottomed out purposely last year.  They stocked up on some high character hard nose draft picks and are in the midst of changing their culture with Gruden and Mayock running the show that moves to Vegas in 15 months.  They might be more of a 2020 pick in year one in Sin City.
  10.  Watching the Cleveland Browns will be fascinating this year.  They haven’t had this much hype and hope in the Dawg Pound since the team was reborn in Cleveland after it’s prior one bolted to Baltimore.  Mayfield, Landry, OBJ, and a salty D from a year ago might just be the ticket to playoffs.  The division isn’t bad either.  Cincinnati is weak.  Baltimore is down.  Pittsburgh is Pittsburgh, but beatable.  Could the Browns win two v the Bengals and split home and away with the Ravens and Steelers?  Sure.  That’s 4-2.   If you split the other ten 5-5, you finish 9-7.  The Jets, Broncos, 49ers, Dolphins, and Cardinals are opponents that could be five victories.  Ten wins aren’t out of the question.  Or, will they find a way to be the same old Browns?

Wimpy never ate so well.