Author: thependulumswings staff

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.

 

Send in the Clowns!

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Summer is usually when Hollywood releases their blockbuster movies.  You would not have known that yesterday.  The storylines spanned sports, life, and politics.  The drama was intense and the acting was on cue.   Lights, camera, and….. action!

In sports, the Boston Celtics portrayed the Washington Generals in scene one.  The Celtics acted like they were trying, but knew they were going to lose to the Harlem Globetrotters Milwaukee Bucks.  They did by a smooth 25 points.  The Washington DC based MLB Washington Nationals wanted in.  They did their best to mimic the Generals giving up six runs in the first two innings, never challenging, and losing 7-2 to the Milwaukee Brewers.  It was show time for both Milwaukee teams.

Washington DC itself then took the stage.  House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., declared a “constitutional crisis” on Wednesday after his committee voted to hold AG William Barr in contempt for defying a subpoena for Robert Mueller’s unredacted Russia report and documents.

“We’ve talked for a long time about approaching a constitutional crisis. We are now in it,” Nadler told the press on Wednesday. He indicated that the United States was at a critical time of testing whether it could stay a republic or transition into a tyrannical form government.  Dramatic indeed.  Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee stood stage left (appropriately) of Nadler as he spoke.  She nodded her head (appropriately) after each sentence.  The puppet strings from above were barely visible.  Later on MSNBC she reiterated that these contemptible White House acts were going to lead to a “Saturday Night Massacre.”  Perhaps Rep. SheJack can open for SNL soon.  “Live from New York, It’s Saturday Night Massacre!”

Just off Broadway the New York Times wanted in the play.  They mic dropped a story that showed Donald Trump lost millions of dollars in the late eighties and early nineties in the business world, and showed copies of his somehow acquired tax returns to prove it.  This really was a rerun of a remake.  But if it sells papers, so be it.  Extra, extra!

Fox News “from the left” contributor Juan Williams was live on camera to comment.  Fox casts Williams as their own Washington Generals player nightly. He helps keep it fair and balanced don’t you know?   But, this time he donned a big plastic red nose and white face clown paint (remember black face paint is very out of style these days) to opine that this proves that The Donald is unfit to lead us economically seeing as he didn’t know how to run a business. Evidently Juan missed the recent TV episodes on the network that feeds him as they reported the lowest unemployment in 49 years, a very healthy stock market, low inflation, and rising wages.

Juan’s clown outfit could come in handy to distract the raging bull when the riding cowboy gets tossed in the mud.  That bull, played by none other than President Trump himself, starred in his own road show in Panama City, FL last evening.  There he snorted and pawed the ground to the audience’s delight.  Trump is no apprentice on the big stage.  “You got some real beauties.  You have a choice between Sleepy Joe and Crazy Bernie,” he said.  The crowd roared.  “And Beto, he’s falling like a rock.”  “I’ll take any of them, let’s just pick somebody please and start this thing.”  The lead actor cares not who his cowboy rider is.  He’s ready to toss him or her.   Once the rider is on the ground send in Juan the clown to distract him.  But, when President Trump acts there are no cliffhanger endings.  Give him a chance and he will (Al) gore you.

We cannot wait for more hits this summer.  Meanwhile, Oscar nominations for all.  Bravo, bravo!

Sports-It’s a Numbers Game

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Sports and numbers are tied at the hip.  Except we hate ties.  That’s why we ask who won and how on a daily basis?  Last night three teams won in two different sports in very different fashion.   That allows us to dive into the NBA TV market numbers as well as some most unlikely MLB numbers all in one fell swoop.

Last night the Denver Nuggets blew out the Portland Trailblazers by 26 to take a three games to two lead in their conference semifinals best of seven.  This occurred right after the Toronto Raptors blew out the Philadelphia 76ers by 36 to take a three games to two lead in their conference semifinals best of seven.

Tonight the Milwaukee Bucks, with a three games to one lead attempt to close out the Boston Celtics.  Later tonight the Golden State Warriors tangle with the Houston Rockets in the only series that is currently even at two games a piece.

Let’s make some assumptions and look forward to what the NBA and it’s TV partners don’t want to look forward to.  What’s that?  Small TV markets in big games is what is that.

Assume Milwaukee closes out Boston.  Assume that Denver and Toronto can do the same (all be it on the road Thursday) to Portland and Philly.  And, lastly,  assume Houston finally puts a dagger in the Warriors from the Golden St.

Then what?  Then you would have four teams still standing that rank 8th (Houston), 17th (Denver), and 36th (Milwaukee) in the United States per Nielsen.  Oh, and you would have Toronto, Canada.  Oh, Canada!  Oh boy!

Toronto is actually the largest market in Canada and would rank in the top three in metro measured TV sets if it were in the US.  But.  But.  It’s doubtful that any Canadian team in any sport draws the interest of many from the US coast to coast.  If Portland (22nd largest market) were to come back the above only gets worse.

It’s too early to worry about this you say?  Then what’s that sweat pouring off of the brows of NBA league execs this morning all about?  How does no New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco/Oakland, Miami, San Antonio, or Cleveland look to you?  It looks rough.

Speaking of rough while still looking at numbers, how about what Mike Fiers did last evening in MLB?  Never heard of Mike Fiers?  Late last evening Mike Fiers threw a no hitter for the Oakland A’s.  It was baseball’s 300 career no hitter.  It was journeyman pitcher Fiers second no hitter.  This very improbable feat started in Oakland only after a 98 minute delay as 100 stadium lights would not function.  And, he threw it against the Cincinnati Reds who 24 hours earlier hit back to back to back homeruns on three total pitches.

Fiers threw a whopping 131 pitches to get it done.  It’s the most pitches thrown in a no hitter since 2015 when, well, Fiers threw 134 in his first no-no in 2015.  His ERA entering the game after 8 starts sat at a fat 6.81.  According to Elias Sports Bureau research, that’s the highest ERA for any player throwing a no-hitter with at least 25 innings entering the start.  His career 4.11 ERA is the third highest ever for a pitcher to throw two or more no hitters.

Sometimes numbers don’t tell the whole story.  Sometimes they do.

 

 

 

I Have Yet Another Story and A Moral Thereof!

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

The best way to bump into celebrities is to live in Los Angeles.  The second best way is to travel to and from there frequently.   It was on a return trip from there that this writer very nearly chest bumped an “A lister.”

Another early AM Friday flight from LA  to Houston had boarded.  The week was done for the most part.  Luckily, I was bumped up to first class as a bonus on the bon voyage.  Before taking my seat in 1D I quickly saw that the overhead storage space directly over the row didn’t exist due to the curvature of the fuselage.  Being a bit of an alpha, I seized the opportunity to put my roller bag over row 2 just behind me.  What about the needs of the folks in row 2 you ask?  What about them I ask?

I settled in with The Wall Street Journal in hand; actually in two hands.  This was back when newspapers actually still went to print.  The hubbub, yapping, inefficiency, and general incivility of 250 humans boarding a plane was all around me.  Immersed in the paper, it was all just white noise to me.  It’s far better that way to remain somewhat sane truth be told.

With that as the backdrop I barely heard, and it really didn’t register with me, that a pair of first class flight attendants were at work in the galley as one remarked to the other that “it sounds like we have a VIP on board.”  This could be most anyone including United brass or a dead head trip friend, etc.  I stayed buried in The Journal.

Wheels up, a movie on the tiny screen, a breakfast, some computer work, and wheels down three hours later summarizes my time in the cylindrical 550 mph tin can.  A luggage grab, a stroll to the parking garage, a drive home, and a conference call is all that stood between me and a big time weekend.

That luggage grab would be like threading a needle though as I needed to walk backwards to get it.  The alpha in me said that I should bull rush the oncoming traffic, stifle it, and grab the bag versus waiting for a slow moment in the mad exit dash from the row or rows behind me.

As I took the hard left turn to do just that the person seated directly behind me for the entire flight headed for the aisle in the obviously opposite direction that I was.  And, because of that we both came to a full stop.  Then we met eye to eye for that uncomfortable moment that I created.  Well, it was almost eye to eye.  The gentleman was about a half-foot shorter than I.  Immediately the mind raced.  Yes.  Yes.  I cannot be mistaken.  Yes it is.  It was none other than George Clooney.  Oh yes I did, I flat out stymied George.

It felt like I had a pair of eyes on my back through the Jetway.  Once in the terminal a fellow passenger strode by and asked if I knew that was George Clooney.  I decided to stay alpha and went the humorous route, or so I thought.  I asked him “more importantly do you think that George Clooney knew that it was me?”  It was an odd stare back for sure. It was a bit awkward all around all over again really.

Oh, what’s the moral of the story?  Keep your luggage close and your A List friends closer.  Or, vice versa.

 

Ten (Actually Eight) Piece Nuggets-Sports

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Judging by our inbox your hunger for Ten Piece Nuggets is insatiable.  We aim to please.  Your Monday AM serving of facts and opinions over multiple sporting profession are waiting below.

  1.  We stated last week that the NBA semifinals of Toronto v. Philadelphia  and Denver v. Portland, then both tied at 1-1, smelled like seven game throwdowns.  With road wins yesterday Denver and Toronto evened up each series at two games apiece.  Game sevens feel even more likely.  It effectively makes these two matchups a best two of three from here.
  2.  We stated last week that game two for Milwaukee was critical already as Boston owned them in game one.  Milwaukee responded resoundingly and now lead that series 2-1.  Game four is tonight.  A week later t’s a must win now for Boston.  It says here that this is done in six and quite possibly five games.  Milwaukee has too many weapons.   We’ll bet you five Milwaukee Bucks that it is.
  3. We stated last week that game two for Houston was critical already as Golden State was up one.  Houston tried valiantly but fell down two games to none.  Saturday they needed overtime on their own floor after leading by 13 late in third quarter to snatch their first win on their own home court.   Game four is tonight.  It says here that this is done in six and quite possibly five games.  Golden State has too many weapons. We’ll bet you five Gold(en State) coins.
  4.  As the story goes as the weather warms the further the baseball goes.  On the weekend both college and the pros provided some long balls in thrill of victory, agony of defeat, and walk off games.  The Padres trailing in the bottom of the ninth 5-4 at home got a walk off grand slam from Hunter Renfroe to beat Dodger closer Kenley Jansen (he of the five year $80 million contract) 8-5.
  5. Not to be outdone, in a wild one in Baton Rouge Sunday, the LSU Tigers overcame 7-0, 10-1, and 15-9 deficits to tie their game v the Ole Miss Rebels in the bottom of the ninth.  Trailing 15-9 with two outs the Tigers got back to back to back three run then solo then solo homeruns to force extra innings.  The Rebels were unfazed and scored four in the top of the tenth to secure the game 19-15 and the series 2-1. Ole Miss outhit LSU 23-22 in that game alone.  In college, late in a series, when you are out of pitching, you are very out of pitching.
  6. Not to be outdone by college, the Cincinnati Reds went back to back to back yesterday against Jeff Samardzija and the SF Giants.  But these were no ordinary back to back to backs.  These were accomplished on three straight pitches.  It was the second time this season that the Reds went yard in three consecutive at bats.  The Giants were unfazed however and battled back to beat the Reds 6-5.  A quick check of the Elias Sports Bureau shows that it was the first back to back to back on three straight pitches in twelve years.
  7.  The World Series Champion Boston Red Sox are headed to the White House soon to visit President Donald Trump.  Their leader, Manager Joey Cora, won’t be meeting the nation’s leader, Donald Trump, though.  After months of thought Cora, who hails from Puerto Rico, says that he doesn’t feel comfortable to do so after the way Trump’s administration handled the hurricane relief to his native land.  Last April Cora blasted Trump’s tweets about the relief saying “I hate that people make it a political issue.”  We assume that him skipping the trip to the White House isn’t making it a political issue.
  8. The Donald, no stranger to the political correctness (or not( struggles facing America weighed in on the very controversial decision at the finish of the Kentucky Derby.  The decision to DQ Maximum Security for interference and put the roses on Country House Trump thought was not a good one.  He tweeted that “It was a rough and tumble race on a wet and sloppy track , actually, a beautiful thing to watch.” “Only in these days of political correctness could such an overturn occur, ” he concluded.  We assume that the rough and tumble race on the wet and sloppy track reminded him of his run against one Hillary Clinton.

Two nuggets fell off of the plate.  Sorry.  The five second rule applies, but we didn’t get there in time to save them.  We owe you.

And, They’re Off!

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Even if you never watch football, you still watch the Super Bowl.  Even if you never watch golf, you still watch The Masters.  And, even if you never watch horse racing, you still watch the Kentucky Derby.  Don’t you?

Yes, it’s the first Saturday in May which means it’s time for the “Run For the Roses” at Churchill Downs, Kentucky.  Why is it called the “Run For the Roses?”  That answer and other interesting facts about the Derby follow.

  1. The race’s founder, Meriwether Lewis Clark, the grandson of famous explorer William Clark, was first inspired to start the Kentucky Derby after a visit to Europe, where he attended the Earl of Derby’s Epsom Derby in England.  The first race was in 1875.

  2.  That makes the “most exciting two minutes in sports” race this Saturday the 145th run for instant stardom.  It has never been cancelled.  World Wars One and Two, The Great Depression, nor weather has ever intervened.
  3.  “Plain Ben” Jones holds the record for most wins as a trainer with six.  Bob Baffert, with five wins, has three horses going Saturday as he attempts to tie Jones.
  4. The race entrants are limited in a few ways.  You can only run in the race once as only three-year olds can enter.  The field is limited to the highest 20 qualifiers (and two alternates in case of scratches) since 1975 when a too crowded 23 thoroughbreds entered the starting gate.
  5.  Each owner shells out $50,600 to enter.  Derby entrants must be nominated to the Triple Crown, which costs $600 if done by the early deadline in late January, plus $25,000 to enter the Derby and finally $25,000 to start.
  6. The purse this year jumps by a fat $1 million dollars to $3 million.  The winner takes home $1.86 million.
  7. Only the winner of the Kentucky Derby can win the coveted Triple Crown (also winning the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes).  The first Triple Crown winner  was the 1919 champion Sir Barton.  Amazingly he hadn’t won a race before arriving at the Derby.
  8. Fillies can enter.  Three have won in the history of the race.  Regret in 1915, Genuine Risk in 1980, and Winning Colors in 1988 put their nose on the wire first.
  9. No horse has ever broken from the 17th starting gate and won.  Of course not every race has had 17 or more entrants either.  If you think the starting gate has great relevance, consider Improbable on Saturday at 6-1 odds.  Improbable improbably gets the fifth gate.  Gate 5 has seen the most (10) winners break from there.
  10.  The Derby is  called the “Run For the Roses” because the winner is draped in a blanket of approximately 400 sewn in red roses.  The blanket weighs about 40 pounds.  The race’s founder, M. Lewis Clark decided on the rose tradition after seeing them being handed out at a post race party over 125 years ago.

Post time is 5:50 PM Central Time.  Then, they’re off!

Shaq on the Attack

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Last week in our Ten Piece Nuggets we mentioned that Inside the NBA on TNT was hands down the best studio sports show around and second isn’t close.  Not only do we stand by the statement, we are doubling down.  The only negative about the show is that it runs after the second game of doubleheaders which puts it on as late as 1 AM Eastern.

If you missed Tuesday night you missed another run at comedic gold.  We’ve attached a five-minute and change clip that you can see by clicking here.  Yep, it’s pretty long but well worth your time today while on your union mandated break.  Like a fine wine it gets better and better.  It’s must see TV till it’s very end.

The chemistry of the four of Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley is great.  It’s great until Charles goes off of the rails.  Then it looks like your 10th grade science lab gone wrong great.    Shaq had it with the Chuckster.  And, he let him know it.

If you’ve seen the clip it’s worth another look.  We’ve watched it more times than we care to admit and still laugh like it’s the first time.  Besides, your union contractually secured the time for you to do so.

And Justice For All

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Rod Rosenstein(RR) resigned yesterday effective May 11, 2019.  RR went to the White House Monday and personally delivered his resignation letter face to face with the President, according to an administration official and a Justice Department official.  It was only fitting that he do that since in his short stint as Deputy Attorney General he often went toe to toe with President Trump.

On Monday, Rosenstein wrote in his resignation letter to Trump, “We keep the faith, we follow the rules, and we always put America first.”  Sounds like a great idea we suppose.

Regardless of which side of the aisle you prefer it was hard at times to keep the faith in RR because one wondered whether he was following the rules.  It’s hard to put America first if you don’t.
President Trump nominated RR to serve as Deputy Attorney General for the United States Department of Justice on February 1, 2017.  He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on April 25, 2017.  A quick, but very busy, two years later he’s out.
But, in the span of 24 months RR wrote a letter to Trump recommending James Comey be fired, appointed Robert Mueller as Special Prosecutor in the Russia mess, either did or did not want to wear a wire when talking to Trump, attempted to recruit cabinet members to invoke the 25th amendment to have Trump removed from office, and approved along with AG Robert Barr the findings of the Mueller Investigation.  Trump tells us that he sleeps about four hours a night.  Our guess is that RR sleeps about four hours a week.
Research shows he is a registered Republican.  Trump didn’t get that feeling, wanting on numerous occasions to fire him.  Bad idea Trump’s team told him.
Eleven House GOP members filed articles of impeachment against Rosenstein on July 25, 2018, alleging he has stonewalled document requests from Congress and he mishandled the 2016 election investigation.  But they backed down for fear of slowing the Kavanaugh Supreme Court approval process.  Bad idea other congressmen told them.
He was in the very good graces of the Democrats until RR added his signature to Barr’s that Mueller’s investigation found no Trump Russia collusion and felt like any instances of obstruction of justice failed to rise to the level of criminal activity.  Bad conclusion Democrats told him.
So Trump didn’t like him.  Congressional Republicans didn’t like him.  And, now Congressional Democrats don’t like him.  If everyone disagrees with you up there in the swamp maybe you are putting America first?
So Rod Rosenstein went out like he came in-face to face and toe to toe with his biggest of many critics.  Maybe justice was served after all.

Ten Piece Nuggets-Sports

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Leftovers from the NFL Draft, a few appetizers from the NBA, MLB is cooking, and even a bite from a game show highlight today’s ten piece nuggets.  Commence consuming if you wish.

  1. The  NFL threw an NFL Draft party and everyone was invited.  Quite a few showed up too.  It’s TV ratings were the highest ever as 47.5 million watched.  Over 600k attended in Nashville.  Crazy.  Nashville knows how to do it.   Remember when the NFL TV ratings were down and out and never to return because of Kaepernick, kneeling during the anthem, and disrespecting the flag?
  2. Tampa Bay drafted kicker Matt Gay in the fifth round.  This comes just a couple of years after they drafted their current kicker Cairo Santos.  Apparently they lost confidence in Santos.  Gay said that he was surprised that TB took him so early in the draft.    The one thing you need in a kicker is confidence.  Apparently Gay isn’t too confident either.
  3. The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Toronto Raptors last night in Toronto, taking the home court advantage away.   That evened the series at one game a piece.  Doesn’t this one already smell like a game seven will be needed?
  4. The Portland Trailblazers got worked over by the Denver Nuggets as well.  Damian Lillard complained in-game about the officiating.  After the game he commented that his team complained too much during the game about the officiating.  The Trailblazers trail in the series one game to none.  Doesn’t this one smell already like a game seven will be needed?
  5. Boston shocked and rocked Milwaukee Sunday.  Game two is tonight.  Isn’t this already a must win for Milwaukee?  You bet it is.
  6. Golden State slid by Houston, and all of their complaining about the refereeing, Sunday.  Isn’t this a must win for Houston?  You bet it is.
  7. Suspended and reinstated LSU head basketball coach Will Wade might be in the proverbial soup again.  Late yesterday a video surfaced (which he was not in) that had former Arizona assistant coach Emanuel “Book” Richardson discussing Wade having made a $300k offer to lure incoming freshman Naz Reid to LSU for his now one and done season.  Whether he did, or did not, we don’t know.  If he did, however, we think he grossly overpaid.  Reid has declared for the NBA draft.  He might get his passport stamped for Europe instead.
  8. Who has the best record in baseball one month in?  It’s the Tampa Bay Rays of course at 19-9.  Second?  It’s the Minnesota Twins of course at 17-9.  Third?  It’s the St. Louis Cardinals of course at 18-10.  Who did ESPN broadcast for their national game last night?  It was the 14-17 Oakland A’s at the 12-17 Boston Red Sox of course.
  9. If you like 3 point bombs, watch the NBA these days. If you like home runs, watch MLB these days.  In 2017 a season record 6105 home runs were smashed.  One month in, 2019’s pace is 1.33 dingers a game v. the 2017 pace of 1.26.  Keep up this pace and they shatter 6105 by an additional 358 taters.  Sure, it’s only one month in.  But, the “new” swing that’s being taught through the minor leagues for the last five years is to lift the ball.  Lift it they have so far.
  10. Alex Trebek has never seen anything like this. James Holzhauer’s 18th appearance on Jeopardy was  a rather close call.  But, it was another winning one with $54,017, or $18 dollars more than Adam Levin who amassed $53,999.  This brings Holzhauer’s total take to $1,329,604.  He’s the fastest ever to one cool million in the show’s history.  The per game rake is unlike any previous.  All time money winner Ken Jennings needed 74 wins to get to $2.5 million way back in 2004.

Remember to stay out of the pool for 30 minutes after you eat.