Sports

The Buccaneers Are Leaking Oil

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

The answer is, “a small gift given to a customer by a merchant at the time of a purchase.  Something given or obtained gratuitously or by way of good measure. Used as a sentence, “The waiter added a serving of bread pudding as a lagniappe to the meal.”  The question is, “what is lagniappe?”  Forgive us, for we seem to have gotten caught up in the Jeopardy game, with all of the hype surrounding it these days, as James Holthauer closes in on the all time money winning record.

Our small gift, given to you today could have been given to you yesterday as lagniappe nugget number 11.  But, like great bread pudding, we wanted to cook it low and slow to insure that all of the butter and rum sauce would be soaked in, and there for the taking today.  And it is.

What is it?  It’s the story of the Tampa Bay(TB) Buccaneers and the British Petroleum(BP) oil spill in 2010, of course.  Of course?  Well, not really “of course,” but perhaps “par for the course” as to how the franchise is led.  The Bucs filed a $19.5 million claim for in economic damages from the Deepwater Horizon Settlement Program, but the suit raised a red flag with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth District. The appellate court denied the claim last week. No word on if the red flag looked as obvious to the court as the one with the skull on it that TB flies.  No word on if the skull shows how brain dead this franchise really is either.

Perhaps the frivolous claim was a salary cap issue?  If the TB Buccaneers had won their Deepwater Horizon settlement program claim, they would have received close to enough money to cover quarterback Jameis Winston’s 2019 salary of $20 million.  Surely two wrong ideas, in this instance, could make a right?

Why would the Bucs, valued near 2 billion bucks, make any claim of damages for a spill that occurred more than 300 miles from TB, let alone a claim of $19.5 million?    The court’s eight-page (it took that many pages?) decision stated the spill didn’t hurt the inept franchise’s performance more than they have hurt themselves. It pointed to the team’s record of 10-6 after the spill in 2010.  This record was achieved just a year after finishing 3-13, proving that even during catastrophic ecological events a blind squirrel can still find a nut.

“The Bucs have not had a 10-win season since,” the decision stated.  Yes, it really did allude to how much oil this franchise annually leaks on its own.  Pure comedic gold was achieved in one simple sentence within the eight long pages.  Great jokes are rooted in honesty.

The courts set up the settlement program in such a way that companies did not have to show a direct connection between the spill and financial loss. And why not?  Over 100,000 businesses throughout the Gulf region filed claims. Some actually were damaged.   Many were prompted by law firms who encouraged companies to stake a claim.  And why not?  If everyone is getting theirs, you might as well get yours.  The team based its claim on the formula spelled out in the settlement agreement BP crafted with the courts. The formula is based on whether a claimant’s financial condition worsened after the spill.

BP agreed to the procedure to avoid litigation in countless trials.  BP clearly was worried that it’s leaking oil defense was as leaky as the Buccaneers’ defense is on a yearly basis.

Claimants had to show a post-spill revenue slowdown of 15 percent or greater during a three-month period between May and July of 2010, and a revenue uptick of 10 percent during the same three months in 2011.  The court said the Bucs failed to substantiate the claim, but not necessarily the integrity of same.  We aren’t exactly sure what that means.   But, we can assure the courts that, by making the claim in the first place the Bucs have no integrity to begin with.

Tampa Bay has lost 97 games in the last ten years.  That’s very nearly an average of 10 losses per year.  The Hail Mary that their lawyers threw in court fell incomplete as well.

Tampa Bay lost in court, and in the court of public opinion.  Again.  The oil spill was a terrible mess.  So, too, are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Pass the bread pudding please.

 

Ten Piece Nuggets-Sports

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

It’s time for your Tuesday edition of the Monday tradition of the Ten Piece Nuggets.  Enough of  baseball (never), hot dogs, apple pie, and sitting poolside.  Try some tasty ones below.

  1.  The Indianapolis 500 was Sunday.  Did you watch?  No you didn’t.  Pole sitter Simon Pagenaud held off Alexander Rossi and Takuma Sato to win his first career Indianapolis 500 on Sunday. The 2016 IndyCar Series champion finished just two-tenths of a second ahead of Rossi in a very exciting run for the checkered flag.  And, the pair traded the lead several times in the final 10 laps.
  2. Quick Indy quiz for you.  Part one.  Is there part of a golf course located inside the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway?  Yes.  Four holes of the Brickyard Crossing Golf Course are situated inside of the track.  It’s voted time and again as a top 100 American public course.  Careful.  You are responsible for broken car windshields.  They aren’t cheap.  Part two.  Is Bobby Rahal still driving Indy cars for a living?  Nope.  His son Graham Rahal is.  Graham finished 27 after crashing.  Bobby is a smooth 66 already.
  3. Super Bowl two time MVP and winning quarterback of the first two Super Bowls, Bart Starr, is dead at 85.  Green Bay Packer Starr has the highest postseason passer rating (104.8) of any quarterback in NFL history and a postseason record of 9–1. His career completion percentage of 57.4 was an NFL best when he retired in 1972.   It was a different game back then.
  4. Quick Bart Starr quiz for you.   Part one.  Bart Starr played QB in college for what school?  Roll Tide Roll.   Alabama.  Part two.  What round did the Packers take Starr way back in 1956?  It was the seventeen round and he was the 200th player taken.
  5.  Quick Super Bowl MVP quiz for you.  Part one.  Five players have won more than one Super Bowl MVP.  Starr is one.   You get no credit for guessing Tom Brady who is two as he is the only one to have won four.  Who are the other three?  Joe Montana has won three.   Terry Bradshaw and Eli Manning have won the award twice.   Part two.  Who are the only two to have won it in back to back years?  Starr and Bradshaw are the only ones to have won it in back-to-back years.
  6. Quick MLB quiz for you.  Part One.   America’s pastime has completed roughly three innings of their nine inning regular season.  Which team has the best record?  It’s the Minnesota Twins.  They have a gaudy 36-17 record, a very gaudy 10 game lead over second place Cleveland in their division, and have hit a seriously gaudy 105 home runs.  Part two.  Who is the hottest team of all?  It’s the Oakland A’s.  Quickly and quietly they’ve won ten in a row.  Despite a very modest payroll they wouldn’t go away last year winning an impressive 97 games.  It looks like they want in again this year.  Their pitching staff has an MLB fourth best 3.35 ERA.  Real estate is about location, location, and location.  Baseball is about pitching, pitching, and pitching.
  7.  When a minor leaguer makes his major league debut it’s a special moment no matter his pedigree.   Hundreds of thousands have tried and come up short.  When a “journeyman” finally gets a chance it’s very special.  Twenty eight year old, and seven season minor leaguer, Jack Mayfield got his chance yesterday.  Multiple injuries to the Houston Astros left virtually no one to play second base.  Up from Round Rock AAA came Jack.  Yesterday, Memorial Day, before a sellout home field crowd of 42,000 fans, Mayfield roped a stand up double off of the left field wall in his very first at bat.  An astute cameramen and director had a camera on his wife and mom of his seventeen month toddler in the stands.  Want to see what unbridled joy looks like?  You can see it right here.  MasterCard used to call moments like this “priceless.”
  8. Bill Buckner died yesterday at the way too young age of 69. His “ball through the legs” moment v. the New York Mets in game six of the 1986 World Series unfortunately dominates most people’s memory of him.  Too bad. Loved by teammates, he was one of the good ones on and off of the field.  On the field Buckner slugged over 2,700 hits in his career that spanned 22 seasons with five teams.  He won the batting title in 1980.  And he had a mustache, eye brows, and coif of hair for the ages.
  9. The Boston Bruins scored two unanswered goals in the third period and won game one of the Stanley Cup finals 4-2 over the St. Louis Blues.  It’s only game one, but it might have Blues fans singing the blues.  In 77.6 percent of all Stanley Cup Finals the team who skated to victory in game one has taken home the Cup.  But, this is no ordinary St. Louis Blues team.  Stay tuned.
  10. The Golden State Warriors are heavy favorites to win yet another NBA Championship.  They get after the Toronto Raptors in their own game one on Thursday night.  The Warriors are -300.  What does that mean?  It means you have to bet $300 to win $100 on Golden St.  However, game one is in Toronto and the Raptors are favored in that game by one.

It’s already Tuesday.  It’s just 24 hours to Hump Day.  You got this.

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.

 

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

 

 

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.