Author: thependulumswings staff

So Have Those Who Served Us.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

It’s the start of a long weekend.  It’s time to take some time off.  You’ve earned it.  Enjoy.

But, first take a moment to really, really remember why we “celebrate” this weekend.  It’s to honor those who have served this country and died.  They protect our rights for us to have weekends like this one.  And, they protect us so that we may live a life that is filled with freedom.

If you’ve never been to a Veteran’s Administration Hospital(VA), consider yourself lucky.  That likely means that you have never had a loved one from your group of friends nor family spend time healing from one of the many, many maladies that war causes.

If you’ve never been to a VA Hospital consider yourself unlucky.  That likely means that you have never had a chance to see how many, many veterans who gave it their all now have to hope the doctors and nurses give it their all every day to care for them.  It is quite moving.  Quite moving.

Take that moment to remember.  And, we suggest that the next time you can recognize someone who is currently serving or did serve, go out of your way to say thank you for that service.  You ‘ll be glad you did.  And, they’ll be glad you did.

Get the work done today.  Then enjoy the good life.  You’ve earned it.  So have those who served us.

Happy Memorial Day weekend.

(Don’t)Take the High Ground!

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Recently this writer took a one hour guided tour of the Battle of Franklin (Tn.) that took place in the very late stages of the American Civil War on November 30,1864.  When asked who won, the tour guide responded, “it is always said that the side that stands on the ground the next morning won. So it was the Confederates who won.”

Last evening and well into this morning the Mississippi St. Bulldogs and LSU’s Fighting Tiger baseball teams fought for 17 innings before the (damn) Dogs prevailed 6-5.  The teams combined for over 600 thrown pitches,35 strikeouts, 30 hits, and 40 men left on base in the 6 hour and 43 minute “war.”  Afterwards, the Bulldogs ran off into the night with victory while LSU stood silently on the “battlefield” wondering what hit them.  It was the Tigers who stood on the ground, but it sure wasn’t victory.

The Confederates lost over 6,000 brave men while the Union lost over 2,000 in the five hour battle that at times was savagely reduced to hand to hand combat.  The Union’s main goal was to build a bridge to allow them to cross the Harpeth River to get to Nashville where warm food and warmer beds awaited. And, in the day before and day of the conflict, build it they did.  The Confederates stood on the high ground on December 1st, but it sure wasn’t victory.  The Union (damn Yankees) was in Nashville by then.

When real wars, or bombings, or tragedies hit we are correctly reminded to not compare sports contests to the actual. “It was a war out there.”  “We fought and fought.”  “It was just going to be the last man standing.”  We ugly Americans cannot help ourselves though.  We marvel at the intestinal fortitude, authentic passion, and unyielding desire of our teams and their opponents.  Along the way, we drink cold beer and eat warm food.  Then we go to sleep in warm beds (sometimes at 3:15) wondering in amazement how our battalion won or lost.  Make no mistake though, we always feel better when we are on the winning side and hold the high ground.

Which brings us to General Pelosi and General Schumer and Commander in Chief Trump.  Yesterday, minutes before they were scheduled to meet to further discuss a big spending bill on American infrastructure, General Pelosi threw a very public, verbal, hand grenade at the Commander.  “We believe that no one is above the law, including the president of the United States. And we believe that the president of the United States is engaged in a cover-up,” she said.

President Trump, enraged, countered by “blowing up” the planned peaceful meeting saying that when they wanted to end the phony investigations and work with him they could go about repairing the nations highways, airports, and bridges.  And so the war for power in DC had quite the battle yesterday.

Somehow LSU has to pick themselves up by the boot straps just 10 hours after they lost, and play an elimination game at 1 PM today.  Elimination?  That sounds permanent.  There is that war/sport comparison again.

Permanent too was the loss of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers from the north and south who fought and died like the 8,000 did in the Battle of Franklin over 150 years ago.

Washington DC could learn a lot by watching young adults play baseball into the morning hours.  Washington DC could learn a lot taking a one hour Battle of Franklin tour as well.

It isn’t always about the high ground.  Sometimes its better to lose the battle and win the war.  Washington DC continues to lose the war trying to win the battle.

 

 

 

Roger, Roger, Roger

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

This week NFL teams hold their “voluntary” Organized Team Activities(OTA’s).  The NFLPA’s bargaining agreement with the NFL insisted that the three day non cntact camps be voluntary.   Don’t miss one though like Antonio Brown is choosing to do in Oakland where his new team hoped his controversial self wouldn’t follow him from the right to the left coast.  If you do, you’re big news for at least 48 hours being labeled anything from a disruption to a malcontent.

At least you wouldn’t be labeled as a convicted spousal abuser, convicted and imprisoned aggravated robber, and acquitted as a suspect in a double homicide.  That honor belongs to Orenthal James Simpson, aka OJ, aka The Juice.

There were no OTA’s the last time OJ wore number 32 on his Buffalo Bills jersey way back in 1977.  Then again, there has been no one to wear number 32 in Buffalo since 1977 either.  That is until yesterday when Senorise Perry, one of seven running backs attempting to make the roster, wore it at the Bills’ day one OTA.

The Bills decided to retire number 34 in honor of running back Thurman Thomas and did so last October.  Number 32?  They decided to put it into moth balls from 1977 to 2019.  OJ’s name remains on their office walls as inducted into the Bills’ Hall of Fame.  His jersey number was never retired.  And now,  42 years after it was last worn, it’s being worn again.

Why now?  Why not?  It’s anyone’s guess we suppose.  It’s really a no win for Buffalo.  Or is it a loss?

With the very image conscious NFL taking hits left and right for stumbling through the mishandling of domestic abuse and outright assault, subsequenst penalties, suspensions, or bans why now?  Why ever?

In the early nineties OJ was arrested, tried, and acquitted of double murder.  In the early nineties the Bills went to four straight Super Bowls and lost all four.  The only time either OJ or the Bills have been in the news since, the news has been about a bad actor or a bad team.

There is no upside to bringing back number 32.  No one on the field wearing 32 will ever be as good as Juice on the field.  No one off of the field will ever be as bad.  The number should have been retired, without being retired, forever.

Can you picture a pink 32 Bills jersey in October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month?

Roger, if your officials couldn’t throw a pass interference flag on the Rams in the NFC Championship game, maybe at least your public relations team could have thrown one on the stupidity of the Bills’ front office.

 

 

Crazy Names All

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

If you’ve been an avid BBR reader from way back in fall of 2018, you might recall a virtual trip that we took around the US discovering some unique names given to towns all across the U.S. of A.  Today we take a look at five more.

Waterproof, Louisiana 

Waterproof long ago was the one place in the immediate region that managed to avoid devastating floodwaters from the Mississippi River.   Tired of the annual Spring floods, residents move to the spot and named it Waterproof.  Unfortunately for farming community of Waterproof the 2008 crops were lost due to an unprecedented drought.   Maybe a flood every once in a while is a good thing.

Bald Head, Maine

Bald Head is named for the cliff of the same name. Does Bald Head Cliff look like a bald head? Nope. Sometimes town names don’t have a unique meaning to match the unique name.   The neighboring town’s name is just as odd.  Ogunquit (which sounds like “a-gun-quit”) is it’s strange handle.  Bald Head Maine is a personal favorite of this writer.

Accident, Maryland

Legend that dates back to the 1700’s has it that two surveyors, Brooke Beall and William Deakins, Jr., both claimed the same piece of land in the then-colony of Maryland. Friends they were as well.  The dual claim occurred by accident.  Deakins let Beall keep the land as he actually filed first.  No word on the safety of attempting to drive though the town.  Can you imagine explaining to the Geico lizard that you “had an accident in Accident?”

Frankenstein, Missouri

In 1890, Gottfried Franken donated land for the community to build a church.  The town then named itself after the donor.  Sorta.   Franken was not a mad scientist either.   Weird.

Worms, Nebraska

Worms was not named for the wildlife.   The name’s origin might follow from the city of Worms, Germany.  That one would be pronounced “vorms” and comes from a nickname for a Roman emperor.   Why did Germany give a name to a town after a Roman by the way?  We have no clue.  It might be a better story if it was just named after the earthworm after all.

Waterproof, Bald Head, Accident, Frankenstein, and Worms.  That’s five odd names for five odd reasons.

 

 

Ten Piece Nuggets-Sports

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Back in the day, Monday was known as “wash day” in New Orleans.  It became popular to slow cook red beans, lots of seasonings, and rice that day while moms cleaned the house and washed the clothes.  Yum.   Monday on BBR is becoming known as Ten Piece Nuggets day as multiple sports in the late Spring season gives us plenty to season ourselves.  Help yourself below.

  1.  Brooks Koepka owned the largest 54 hole lead in PGA history after three rounds.  After four consecutive back nine bogeys, and a three under (at the time) round going for Dustin Johnson, the lead shriveled to two.   Was Koepka on the verge of a Greg Norman 1996 Master’s meltdown?  Perhaps.  But the brutal Bethpage Black course and gusts to 35 mph late in the afternoon didn’t discriminate.  It  handed out bogeys to all from punishing places the course over.  Koepka held on, as DJ faltered, to win his fourth major in his last eight starts.
  2.  Koepka boldly spoke before the PGA about winning ten or more majors.  He has openly told coaches and players that he’s better than Tiger was and he might win 18 or more.  Koepka doesn’t rhyme with confidence, but it may be a synonym for it.  At the current pace of winning every other one he’ll have ten down in early 2022.  “Not so fast my friend,” Lee Corso just said.  Regardless, with the win Koepka moved to the number one ranking in the world.  He becomes the first golfer ever to hold two back to back major titles simultaneously.
  3.  Koepka’s former coach at Florida St. weighs in like a heavyweight.   Doug Malloy, now the head coach at his alma mater, Ole Miss, believes Koepka is upset nobody is taking him seriously as a threat to Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major titles.  “It pisses him off that he isn’t asked that question,” said Malloy. “That will make him feel great if you ask him about Jack. I promise you he absolutely thinks of both Tiger’s 15 majors and Jack’s as targets. That’s not 99 percent, it’s 100 percent. Guaranteed.”  We need to order some of whatever supplements he is taking.  The US Open starts 6/15 at Pebble Beach.
  4.  From good golf we turn to good baseball.  Good baseball is exactly what the Yankees have been playing for the past month. Since April 19, they are 20-7, earning the best record in the big leagues across that span.  The Yankees have notched that record while a bevy of key players have spent time on the injured list. In all, 17 Yankees have landed on the IL this season.  They took two of three from the AL East’s division leader Tampa Bay over the weekend and also took over the division lead.
  5.  More good baseball was on tap this weekend as the Houston Astros took two of three from the once slumping, suddenly hot, defending 2018 World Series champs, the Boston Red Sox.  Until yesterday’s loss the Stros had won ten in a row for the second time this season.  Houston’s month of May to date, winning 13 of 14 starts, is the best record in the big leagues across that span.  The Astros own the best record in the AL at 31-16.
  6. Good baseball wasn’t limited to the East either. Hyun-Jin Ryu, pitcher extraordinaire for the LA Dodgers, pitched seven shutout innings to lower his season ERA to 1.52, or half of his career ERA of 3.03. In his nine 2019 starts spanning 59 innings he has given up a stingy ten earned runs.  They have scored game by game as follows, 1,2,2,2,2,1,0,0, and 0.  He extended his scoreless streak to 31 innings.  Hyun-Jin Ryu doesn’t rhyme with Cy Young Award, but it may be a synonym for it.  The Dodgers own the best record in the NL at 31-17.
  7. The Dodgers lead the NL West by 5.5 games over the Arizona Diamondbacks.  It’s early, way early, but will they even look back at the division want to be’s?  The Astros lead the AL West by 8.5 games over the Angels of LA.   It’s early, way early, but will they even look back at the division want to be’s?
  8.  We think that run differential in MLB is a telling stat.  It’s simply how many total runs have you scored season to date minus how many runs have you given up.  If the difference is in the black, you likely have a winning record.  If it’s in the red, you likely have a losing record.  The MLB leader at plus 92 is Houston.  The surprisingly good, and in first in the AL Central, Minnesota Twins are second at plus 74.  The LA Dodgers are third at plus 65.  Somehow Pittsburgh has a 24-20 record with a minus 39 runs scored.  We guess they win close games and lose blowouts.  That doesn’t sound too good for the long summer nights ahead.
  9. A week ago we liked Golden St. in six or less over Portland in the NBA West Conference Championship.  A week ago we liked Milwaukee in six or less over Toronto in the East Conference Championship.  A week later we like what we liked.  Golden St. is going to close out Portland in four tonight.  Milwaukee will take Toronto in five, or six at the max, by week’s end.
  10. We don’t follow boxing.  We think fewer and fewer do.  Therefore we wouldn’t recognize Deontay Wilder or Dominic Breazeale if they were walking down the street next to us.  That said Deontay introduced himself to Dominic in their bout in round one Saturday night in Brooklyn.  It’s as vicious of a one punch TKO as you’ll ever see.  Want to see it?  Click here.  Be forewarned.  It’s brutal.  Want to see it in slow motion?  You can in that same link.  Be forewarned.  It’s even more brutal in slow mo.

That was a lot to chew on.  Be sure to brush regularly.

 

The Final Table

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

With all due respect to Sumo wrestling, does the competition, strategy, and drama get any bigger than when the World Series of Poker’s final table gets down to the last two players?  The chips are stacked high for both contestants and the stakes are higher.  For the winner the financial reward is great.  For the runner up the financial reward is good.  For the ego, winning trumps everything.

So at the final table in the World Series of Trade Negotiations (aka tariffs) we have President Donald Trump from the United States and President Xi Jinping from China (you know the country with the name that Trump pronounces “Chiii Nna”) going heads up.

The final table has been down to these two for several months now.  The hold (pocket) cards were dealt decades ago.   The US, in a sense, holds the advantage as the Chinese imports to the U.S. far outweigh the U.S. exports to China.  Plus, the U.S. economy is larger than China’s, hence its chip stack is bigger.  The Donald knows this.

Onto the board came the flop (the first three of five community cards).  And for months verbal threats about raises were bantered about.  But each player checked. And checked. Manufacturers eyes began to have that “I’ve been in Vegas too long” look about them.  Then, Trump check raised.  Last weekend, tired of the slow play, he threw down a 25% pot sweetener on about 200 billion worth of imports.  Xi Jinping didn’t blink.  He quickly called that with an import penalty on $60 billion in U.S. goods.

Now the turn (community card number four) card is exposed.  Trump immediately, showing strength, pushed further.  His administration on Wednesday slapped a major Chinese firm with an extreme penalty by adding Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. to the Commerce Department’s “entity list.”   This is effectively a death penalty for a foreign company to survive as it blocks its attempt to do business in the U.S.  You can get off of the list, but the cost is more painful than mucking a winning hand.

The department said that it reached this decision because Huawei “is engaged in activities that are contrary to national security or foreign policy interest.”  Perhaps and probably, but why now?  Why not?   Who cares as who is Huawei you ask?  Well, they are only the world’s largest telecommunications equipment maker located in, you guessed right, “Chiii Nna.”   The ramifications to Google, chip makers, the 5G platform itself, and many other global entities is huge (or yuge if you will).

Evidently, Trump isn’t bluffing.  He sits confidently sipping his favorite beverage ( “just for the taste of it, Diet Coke”) staring at his opponent.  He knows that his political base is standing right behind him yelling words of encouragement and even holding up signs in support.  “Go President Go.”  Meanwhile, Xi Jinping considers calling in a back masseuse while he ponders just how strong his hand might be compared to The Donald’s.

Next month the river (the final community card) presents itself.  The two leaders plan to meet in Japan.  President Trump often speaks to the great relationship that he has with Xi Jinping.  Hold your friends close and your enemies closer and your cards closest of all.  By then some economic damage will have been done as the world’s two biggest economic powers are under the gun but seem content to hold em for now.  The stock market has side bets pending galore.

The buy-in for the tournament was steep.  The pot has grown considerably steeper.  Both men and the countries that they represent are now pot committed.

Will we see more raises?  It sure looks likely as we see no fold from either in sight.

 

Boom Boom’s Life Lessons #15

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.

Out of nowhere (out of wood actually) my friend and neighbor across the street had a great two story fort built in his backyard by his dad.  It was cool!  Everyone wanted to play with Timmy and at Timmy’s house.  I needed a fort too, then.  I wanted everyone to want to play at my house.  One Saturday after work Boom Boom, with reservations, built just that for me.  I proudly announced as much to all of my friends late that afternoon.  Boom Boom went back to his weekend chores usually within earshot of my new play area.

Soon many wanted to play in my fort.  I was the king of my castle.  I was the commander in chief of our neighborhood army. Even Timmy came over.

However, daily, less soldiers followed my commands.  And, then less friends were in my army.  I had to get the remaining ones in line.  Soon my fort was all but abandoned.  Everyone went back to Timmy’s fort.

I sulked.  Boom Boom asked me why I thought everyone had deserted my army despite my commands.  “I don’t know,” I whined.  “I do,” he said.  “Why?”  “Because bosses aren’t bossy, son.”  What do you mean?”  “Leaders ask, they don’t demand.  They show the way.  They don’t force the way.”  I sulked.

“What do I do now, Daddy?”  “Go be a good soldier at Timmy’s fort.  You’ll get another chance another day.”

 

 

Oxygen, It’s What’s for Dinner.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Oxygen, as you know, is most essential to living.  So, when last Friday’s monsoon passed by and brought fresh air to Saturday morning, this BBR staff member decided more was better.  After a week of incessant buffoonery in the political arena a short but brisk run would be the(non political) ticket to even more fresh air to clear the head and pump the lungs.  But, the favored outdoor trail was still swamped.  Plan B took us to the treadmill in the gym.

Many others had the same idea.  The one we quickly took had, you guessed it, MSNBC on the monitor ten feet in front of us.  Evidently, there is no rest, nor exercise, for the weary.   And there they were, all of them.  It was five guests and the very partial host Joy Reid.  A split screen of six in total had each of them screaming about AG Barr’s refusal to appear again before Congress, a “Constitutional Crisis,” Trump’s tax returns, etc.  We couldn’t hear it, but the closed captioning told all.  There isn’t enough oxygen on a show to support six “experts.”  We wondered, how many people across the US would be watching at 9AM Central Time on a Saturday?  We wondered, did the six “experts” out number their entire audience?

After a commercial break, the panel shrunk to a mere four.  Those four discussed the merits and opportunities for the crowded field of 21 Democratic presidential nominee hopefuls.  There isn’t near enough oxygen for all in a race of 21 is there?  The four discussed how Senator and announced candidate Amy Klobuchar had performed on rival Fox News’ town hall last week.  Would you know Senator Amy if she was on a treadmill next to you?  Qunnipac polling shows Amy trailing nearly everyone except Michael Dukakis.  Oops, he’s not running is he?  We think he tanked in his race a while back.  She’s polling at 1.3%.  One point three percent.  And four panelists wondered how she did.  You need a lot of O2 to keep a 24/7 newsroom humming all day when CO2 fills the air.

When Joe Biden entered the race a lot of “want to be’s” started gasping for air, too.  Biden’s playing ping pong.  How far to the left will he need to serve to gather all of the minions necessary to give The Donald a good go?  Well, last week he decided to tell America that Trump was making a mistake in this trade war dance with China.  This came just a week after he seemed to express the opposite.

“China is going to eat our lunch? Come on, man!” Biden exclaimed at the time. “The fact that they have this great division between the China Sea and the mountains in the East — I mean in the West. They can’t figure out how they’re going to deal with the corruption that exists within the system. They’re not bad folks, folks. But guess what, they’re not competition for us.”  East, west?  Tomatoe, tomato?  Next thing you know the Germans will be blamed for bombing Pearl Harbor.

The campaign trail is long and the job is tough.  Ask Hillary.   “Sleepy” Joe, as at least one has called him, might need some O2 along the way himself.

Meanwhile it seems like President Trump feels the fresh air.  With one huge post Russian Collusion exhale he seems invigorated.  In his ping pong match he just took five serves from every angle the Democrats could slap at him.  Now, it’s his turn to serve.  We think that he thinks that  Biden is his only competition worth worrying about.  Trump also knows that China is good at ping pong too.  Actually they are very good at it.  Yesterday, they volleyed back with a few tariffs of their own.  The stock market was watching the match from Wall St.  They don’t like long unpredictable matches.  Trump doesn’t like what Wall St. doesn’t like.

The farmers and others in the mid west are watching too.  They played a huge (yuge) roll in Trump’s 2016 election.  China’s tariffs are aimed strategically right at them.  Trump quickly announced yesterday that some of the tariffs that the US is collecting from China will go directly to the farmers in these tough times.   It’s never to early to pump some oxygen into the rust belt.

It seemed like a good time to take a deep breath and go for a run.

2020 is so far away, yet so near.

 

 

Ten Piece Nuggets-Sports

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Happy Mother’s Day a day late to all of the moms out there.  Did you go to the local buffet yesterday to celebrate?  If so, it’s time to get back to a healthier lifestyle.  The Ten Piece Nuggets below will get you your Monday start of the week nutritional balance you are searching for.

  1. When Kawhi Leonard’s heave from the corner sent Toronto to Milwaukee and Philadelphia home for the summer it was, believe it or not, the first ever game winning shot at the buzzer in NBA history in a game seven regulation win.  None other than Michael Jordan with “the shot” sunk the Cleveland Cavaliers in the last second of their winner take all game in 1989.  But.  Air Jordan’s shot ended a then five game first round playoff series. Kawhi poured in 41 points in all.
  2. There should be no shame in the land of cheese steak sammies, but there are questions.  Philadelphia’s starting five is very talented. But they actually  only started 21 games together this season.  That said, three of the five starters including Jimmy Butler, Tobias Harris and JJ Redick are headed toward free agency. The Sixers’ coach, Brett Brown will have to answer to the high expectations laid out by Sixers co-owner Josh Harris in March.
  3. For the first time since 2000, the Portland Trailblazers are heading to the Western Conference finals.  They got there by completing the largest comeback in a Game 7 in the past 20 years.  The Blazers overcame a 39-22 deficit with 7:26 remaining in the second quarter.  It was the largest deficit erased in a Game 7 since the Los Angeles Lakers, led by Shaquille O’Neal, came back from 16 down against the Trailblazers, of all teams, in the 2000 conference finals. C.J. McCollum poured in 37 points and had an epic run down from behind block down the stretch.  Too bad for Denver as we love their nickname-Nuggets, of course.
  4.  So the conference finals are set.  And, the NBA hopes that you will turn on your TV set.  It’s the seventh largest TV market (SF/Oak) hosting the 22nd (Portland) in the west.  In the east it’s the 38th (Milwaukee) biggest market hosting a team (Toronto) from north of the border.  Eh!  If the two series are as entertaining as the two that finished yesterday in seven games perhaps the ratings will be ok.
  5. Ratings that should not be ok are the ones that measure the ESPN NBA show.  The five headed monster lead by Michelle Beadle on ESPN is a real downer after enjoying the insight and antics of Ernie, Shaq, Kenny, and the Chuckster on TNT.  Do you know what the ESPN broadcast has in common with the TNT one?  Absolutely nothing.
  6.  Paul Pierce predicted on ESPN, after Boston battered Milwaukee in game one, that the Celtics would sweep the Bucks out of the playoffs 4-0.  He got the 4-0 right as Milwaukee won the next four in a row to win the series 4-1.  Yesterday prognosticator Paul Pierce predicted that the Trailblazers would win game seven v. Denver.   They did.  This proves that you can guess a coin flip right 1/2 of the time.
  7.  Portland is an early eight point underdog in game one v. Golden St. and almost a 4 to 1 underdog to win the west.  Meanwhile Toronto is a 6.5 point underdog in game one v. Milwaukee and about a 2 1/2 to 1 underdog to win the east.  Give us Golden St. in six or less and Milwaukee in six or less.
  8. Did you know that the PGA Tour stopped in Dallas this week for the Byron Nelson Classic?  Did you know that Sung Kang won his first PGA tournament?  Do you even know who he is?  We understand.  It’s likely that the PGA has sung the ratings blues since Tiger took Augusta by storm.    Sung sang like a birdie or ten on Friday though as he shot a low low 61 (par there is 71) to get to the lofty perch.
  9. Don’t look now, but the suddenly red hot Houston Astros have jumped to a 6.5 games lead in the MLB AL West.  Two weeks in they trailed the Seattle Mariners by 5 games.  Seattle has put it in reverse since then. In winning eight of their last nine games, the Astros are averaging 8.2 runs per game.  This includes a strong 2.9 home runs per game. They reached double-digit hits six times in those nine games. In the four game just completed sweep of the Texas Rangers they won by a combined score of 33-11.  Baseball is only near the first quarter pole, but in a weak AL West the Stros might not look back.
  10.  The answer is $1,691,008 and 22.  What is  “James Holtzhauer’s winnings to date on Jeopardy and how many shows in a row has he won.”  “Correct, Alex says.  “Select again.”   He’s chasing 2.5 million and 74 wins in a row to unseat the best ever, Ken Jennings.   He’ll get past the money way before the win total given how much he bets on every daily double.  He’s rewritten the strategy for the game.   Several MLB teams have taken note of him given the surge towards analytics and risk analysis in the strategy of the game as it is played today.   And, no, we aren’t kidding.

It’s Monday.  It’s just five working days till the weekend.  You’ll get through it.  You got your day off to a good start with a healthy crunch above.

 

Gambling With Silver Risks No Coin.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

One day after the Boston Celtics received an Academy Award nomination for best portrayal of another team (the Washington Generals) in a five game NBA semifinal playoff series, the executive director of this long running reality TV show took to the microphone.  Adam Silver, NBA Commissioner, answered questions at the Economic Club of Washington DC.

When asked about the current referees, the future of refereeing, and women in the sport he bellowed, “ … the goal is, going forward, it should be roughly 50-50 of new officials entering in the league, same for coaches by the way.  There’s no reason why women shouldn’t be coaching men’s basketball.”

Liz Roscher, Yahoo Sports writer, who we assumed covered the event, then wrote this, “Of course, words will only take Silver and the NBA so far. He can say he wants there to be a 50-50 gender split among coaches and referees, but it won’t happen by itself. Silver will have to work to make this happen with every team in the NBA. The sentiment is admirable, but it only matters if he backs it up with action.”

And she wrote this about San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon’s May 2018 interview for the then vacant Milwaukee Bucks head coaching job, “Even though she didn’t end up getting the job, it was progress.”

We have to wonder.  Is Silver, who has been at the forefront of embracing gambling getting cozy with the NBA, taking a no downside, calculated gamble with this position?  And if he “backs it up with action” against his goal as Roscher puts, is it really “progress” as she describes it?

After all, where would you stop the need for gender equity?   And is it progress, with progress defined as a better officiated league?  Or is it only different?  Or, is it only what sounds good in today’s environment?

All be it a bit dated, a search for WNBA referees discovered that only 12 of 34 were female as of 2017.  Silver told the group assembled at the Economic Club that he’s not sure why NBA officiating remained male-dominated for so long, since “certainly there’s no benefit to being a man, as opposed to a woman when it comes to refereeing.”  Hmmm.

Could it be that women have less interest than men in refereeing? Could it be that there are far less women refereeing, officiating, or umpiring from pee wee ball to the pros in every sport?

With the boys now able to join the girl scouts and the girls now able to join to the boy scouts, should there even be a WNBA and a NBA Mr. Commissioner?  Ah, perhaps that is where he would draw the line.

You see the WNBA total revenue for 2018 was estimated at 60 million.  The average salary for the 137 players in the High Post Hoops WNBA salary database was $77,878 this past season. Given this average, all the players in the WNBA were paid an estimated $12.3 million this past season, or roughly half of what Chris Paul is earning yearly to mail it in nightly for the Houston Rockets in the annual futile chase of the Golden State Warriors.  Forbes estimates that the 2017-2018 NBA season league revenue was 7.4 billion.  That’s billion, with a “B,” as opposed to the WNBA, with 60 million, with an “M.”

So, could it be that women (and men) have far less interest in watching women play basketball?  So, could it be that women have far less interest in refereeing  men’s basketball too?  And, finally, could it be that women have far less interest in coaching men’s basketball as well?

BBR has nothing whatsoever against women achieving the highest levels in any boardroom, profession, or sport.  We just want anyone of any gender to earn it.  But in certain areas, maybe they are perfectly happy with the old school phrase “that’s a man’s job.”

Adam Silver, are you are trying too hard on this one?  We’d bet that you are.