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King Kong Bundy’s Last Act is a Permanent One.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Another Mardi Gras has come and gone. Many kings of their parades were praised and glasses toasted.  It’s quite the production.  So, too, were quite the productions of a few blockbuster King Kong movies.   But, there was only one King Kong Bundy.  And, he was a production unto himself.

Christopher Alan Pallies (born in 1957) was a professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, King Kong Bundy. He is best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in the mid-1980s till the mid-1990s. In his career zenith Bundy wrestled in the main event of WrestleMania 2 in 1986, facing Hulk Hogan in a steel cage match for the coveted WWF World Heavyweight Championship.

It’s quite the production when they add the old steel cage to insure the paid actors cannot escape from the stage on which they are getting paid for their act.  It’s  the ultimate extraneous prop.

He was developed by the infamous Von Erich family as “Big Daddy Bundy.”  He wore blue jeans with a rope belt. After a dispute with the Von Erich family, Bundy was recruited by “Playboy” Gary Hart (not the politician) and with great fanfare was reintroduced as “King Kong Bundy.”  King Kong, wore a black singlet for the first time to signify his change. This was quite a wardrobe upgrade from jeans and a rope belt.

He lost his hair during the feud, adding to his signature look.  Who doesn’t go through a feud, lose their hair, get a new look, geta  new name, and get a new gig in life?  Oh, and don’t forget about the singlet in the slimming black color.

His acting ,er wrestling career, began in 1984 and lasted till 2007.  In that span of time his character was paired with many, opposed by even more, and took several twists and turns into the turnbuckle.  While he squared off against Hulk Hogan, his best schtick might have been the long running feud that he had with Andre the Giant.  Andre might have been the only wrestler bigger than King Kong Bundy.  Christopher Pallies, or KKB, stood six-foot four and weighed in at svelte 458 pounds, a giant in his own right if not by name.

His wrestling/acting landed him in a few “real” acting roles as well.  Bundy had two guest spots, and one bit part on Married… with Children, as the creators had named the lead characters “Bundy” in honor of him.  We aren’t sure which side of that should be more honored.  In 1987, he played Uncle Irwin, the brother of Peggy Bundy.  Lastly, in 1995, he appeared again as his day job, King Kong Bundy character.  In the role he taught Bud Bundy how to wrestle if you really want to call it that.

King Kong Bundy died Sunday at the too early age of 63.  He joins many, many other “professional” wrestlers who left here too soon to go to another ring in a another place.  The 458 lbs might have helped to punch his quick ticket to paradise.

There have been many kings, a few King Kong’s, but only one successful production named King Kong Bundy.

 

 

The Edmund Fitzgerald

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

We have a hunch that you have either heard the song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” hummed along with it, or even contemplated the words of the over six-minute long ballad.  It’s one of those that once in, you can’t get it out of your head.  It was sung by Gordon Lightfoot and released in 1976.  The popular ballad made the sinking of Edmund Fitzgerald one of the best known disasters in the history of Great Lakes shipping.

But for being one of the better known disasters in Great Lakes history the November 10, 1975 sinking remains to this day quite a mystery.

Some of the known’s follow.

  1. The “Fitz” as it was nicknamed first launched in 1958.  It was the largest ship to have sailed in the Great Lakes and remains the largest to have ever sunk there.
  2. The ship and its crew had safely navigated over 1,000,000 miles in its 17 years in the lakes mostly taking the very same route each time. That is the equivalent of several trips around the globe.
  3. It left Superior, Wisconsin on 11/9 with a quite full load of iron ore (26,000 tons) and was riding low in the water per its design.
  4. Its destination was just outside of Detroit even though Lightfoot sang its destination as Cleveland.
  5. Its captain,Ernest M McSorley, a grizzled veteran, saw the weather forecast prior to embarking and thought the worst of a gale force wind storm would pass south of Lake Superior when they got there.  It didn’t.
  6. En route to a steel mill near Detroit, they joined a second freighter, SS Arthur M. Anderson. By the next day, the two ships were caught in a severe storm on Lake Superior, with near hurricane-force winds and waves up to 35 feet high.
  7. Shortly after 7:10 p.m., Edmund Fitzgerald suddenly sank in Canadian (Ontario) waters 530 feet deep, about 17 miles from Whitefish Bay.  It was near the twin cities of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.  Per the captain’s update, they were headed to the bay to get out of the worst of the storm and could have covered that distance in just over an hour at her top speed after his transmission.
  8. Although Edmund Fitzgerald had reported being in difficulty earlier, no distress signals were sent before she sank.  Captain McSorley’s last message to Arthur M. Anderson said, “We are holding our own.”
  9. Her crew of 29 perished, and no bodies were recovered.

What isn’t known is why.

  1.  Clearly the wind caused the huge lake to grow violent.  But McSorley was known as a bad weather pilot having steered through like conditions in these same waters many, many times before.
  2. Rescue efforts began by air and by sea and quickly.  They were in vain.  A few life vests and a few pieces of wood were all that were ever seen floating aimlessly on the surface.  Why so little after only an hour or two had passed?
  3. One theory is that it’s design (low in the middle when loaded) allowed  the waves to crash repeatedly over the top and unsecured hatches ( a rather common practice then) slowly filled with water causing it to sink.
  4. Another theory is that three consecutive waves, commonly called three sisters, in excess of thirty feet each swamped the cargo areas in rapid fashion without allowing the first nor second wave to slide back into the angry sea.  They could have caused the ship to rapidly sink, explaining the lack of a distress signal.  The SS Arthur Anderson, about 14 miles behind, reported two such waves shortly before all communication with the Fitz was lost.
  5. Yet another theory has the ship thrown into nearby shoals causing it to break up.  Subsequent underwater missions have shown no evidence of that type of damage though.
  6. A final theory had the boat structurally effectively snapping in two on the surface from the pressure in the ship’s middle.  Research teams, due to the two pieces only lying 150 apart on the bottom argue against the surface breakup and for the breakup as it hit the bottom.

    The Edmund Fitzgerald’s original bell recovered and now a museum exhibit.
  7. These research “dives” have photographed the ship split nearly in half though supporting theories two or three above.  The bow is sunk and “stands” vertically at the bottom while the stern is at about a 45 degree angle.  These findings support the weight of the ore, the low middle of the ship, and the sudden disappearance.
  8. Numerous investigations have led to numerous safety improvements since then for crew, cargo, ship design, navigation requirements, and storm notification.  Perhaps some good came of a lot of bad.
  9. No one will ever know what actually happened.

While this story pales in comparison to the mega tragedy story of the Titanic, it still fascinates to this day.  How could a veteran crew sailing in familiar lake waters all perish without a prior word of warning?  In Gordon Lightfoot’s ballad he wondered the same and honored those crew members for it.

 

 

The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald”

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November turn gloomy
With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more
Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty
[Former version:] That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed
[Latter version:] That good ship and crew was a bone to be chewed
When the gales of November came earlyThe ship was the pride of the American side
Coming back from some mill in Wisconsin
As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most
With a crew and good captain well seasoned
Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms
When they left fully loaded for Cleveland
Then later that night when the ship’s bell rang
Could it be the north wind they’d been feelin’?The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound
When the wave broke over the railing
And every man knew, as the captain did too
‘Twas the witch of November come stealin’
The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
When the gales of November came slashin’
When afternoon came it was freezing rain
In the face of a hurricane west windWhen suppertime came, the old cook came on deck
Saying, “Fellas, it’s too rough to feed ya.”
[Former version:] At seven PM a main hatchway caved in
[Latter version:] At seven PM it grew dark, it was then
He said, “Fellas, it’s been good to know ya.”
The captain wired in he had water comin’ in
And the good ship and crew was in peril
And later that night when his lights went out of sight
Came the wreck of the Edmund FitzgeraldDoes anyone know where the love of God goes
When the waves turn the minutes to hours?
The searchers all say they’d have made Whitefish Bay
If they’d put fifteen more miles behind her
They might have split up or they might have capsized
They may have broke deep and took water
And all that remains is the faces and the names
Of the wives and the sons and the daughtersLake Huron rolls, Superior sings
In the rooms of her ice-water mansion
Old Michigan steams like a young man’s dreams
The islands and bays are for sportsmen
And farther below, Lake Ontario
Takes in what Lake Erie can send her
And the iron boats go as the mariners all know
With the gales of November remembered[Former version:] In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed
[Latter version:] In a rustic old hall in Detroit they prayed
In the Maritime Sailors’ Cathedral
The church bell chimed ’til it rang twenty-nine times
For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
Superior, they said, never gives up her dead
When the gales of November come early

 

Fashionable Managers are Good (for) Sports.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

The NBA fashion show and All Star weekend has come and gone.  Team LeBron squeaked by Team Giannis in a defensive thriller 178-164.  In defense (none played) of the NBA the weekend is really more about style than substance anyway.  The atmosphere surrounding one of these weekends is dress up, party, three-point contest, dress up, party, pretend to play a basketball game, dress up, party.  The dearly departed Yogi Berra would call it 90% style and 50% substance we think.  Which got us to thinking.

When Yogi hung up his cleats from catching for his Yankees he eventually wore those cleats and an entire game ready Yankees’ uniform while managing them from the dugout.  This is, of course, just like every other MLB (or MiLB) manager before and after him.  Which got us to thinking.  Why do MLB managers wear the team uniforms?  Respect?  Tradition?  Superstition?  Are they more effective or authoritative if they dress so?  At a minimum we suppose that when they disagree with an umpire’s call its better to kick dirt on home plate with cleats and an easily washable uniform.  Which got us to thinking.

Can you imagine if they dressed like Pat Riley, aka Mr. GQ, the NBA multi time world champ head coach extraordinaire?  Or, could you imagine the cool Riley bouncing out of a dugout in his woven Cole Hahn’s and Perry Ellis tailored suit to turn his cap backwards and spit tobacco juice hither and yon? Heaven forbid that one gelled strand of coiffed hair stray out of place.   Which got us to thinking.  Why do NBA coaches roam court side in thousands of dollars of fine silk threads and pressed shirts?  ‘Why not?’ is our guess.  Aside from sitting, standing, and very occasionally drawing up a play with a Sharpie on a white board there isn’t much physical exertion inside of a climate controlled arena to sweat about.  Which got us to thinking.

Why do NFL football coaches wear coaching shorts and shirts and cleat looking shoes without cleats during practice?  And why do they wear NFL sideline team gear on game days?  Ah, we think we know this one.   NFL practices can be messy, with grass, mud, and sweat and all.  And, the NFL is the ultimate marketing machine.  “Ooh, did you see the new LA Rams shirt that (poster boy) Sean McVay wore on the sidelines?”  “I gotta get me one.”  Which got us to thinking.

Why don’t NHL coaches wear team sweaters and skates while standing behind 20 or so sweaty guys that sit on a cold bench holding a wooden stick waiting for their shift to be called out by men who wear suits and ties?  It’s always an adventure for the coaches try to walk on the ice with dress shoes on.  And, can the NHL afford a tanning bed for them? Milk white skin washes out against milk white ice.  The winters are long in those parts.  Which got us to thinking.

Why do soccer coaches (or managers or trainers or whatever they are called) in Euro leagues wear skinny ties and skinny pants with fitted shirts with their skinny sport coats next to those benches that look like bus stops?  Exact change is needed to board please.  Which got us to thinking.

We think that we might have over thought this.

 

Well Beyond “Just Do It.”

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Opinions on the quality of individual original content programming on ESPN vary.  It ranges from excellent to steaming hot, mid summer Manhattan, New York, New York garbage.  Yep, that’s quite the range.  Two that we feel are on the excellent side are Outside the Lines and 30 for 30.

So, the other night when James Harden’s scoring streak crossed over 30 thirty games with 30 points or more per, we began to wonder.  What “inside the lines” performance, regardless of the sport, is the most excellent of all time?  Harden’s run is indeed impressive.  But, it’s not even the best historically in basketball.  Wilt Chamberlain holds the all-time record at an amazing 65 straight games, set during his astounding 1961-62 campaign, when he averaged an NBA-record 50.4 points and set the single-game scoring mark with 100 points against the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962.

The record of playing in 2,632 consecutive games over more than 16 MLB years is held by Cal Ripken, Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles. Ripken surpassed Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees, whose record of 2,130 consecutive games had stood for 56 years.  Impressive.  But, that speaks, at the least, to good for a long time.  Tiger Woods once made 142 consecutive cuts on the PGA Tour over several years.  Very Impressive.  That speaks, at the least, to very good over a long period of time.

But that’s not what we’re after.  We are after a run of unmatched, high level, measurable success while we scan multiple sports.  Yet its very hard to measure across sports.

Wilt Chamberlain’s run is the type of run we’re looking for.  How about Oscar Robertson’s season of averaging a triple double? In the 1961–62 season, Robertson became the first player in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire season, with 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists.   Robertson also set a then-NBA record for the most triple-doubles during the regular season with 41 triple-doubles; the record would stand for over half a century when, in 2016–17, Russell Westbrook recorded 42 and joined Robertson as the only other player to average a triple-double for an entire season.  Very, very impressive.  Now we’re getting somewhere.

Is there anything harder to do, though, than hit a baseball consistently for a long stretch?  Yankee Joe DiMaggio holds the Major League Baseball record with a streak of 56 consecutive games in which he got at least one hit.  In 1941, it began on May 15 and ended July 17. DiMaggio hit .408 during his streak (91-for-223), with 15 home runs and 55 runs batted in.  Baseball’s best get out seven out of every ten time they bat over the course of most careers.

Surely one off night, or one dominant pitcher, would prevent any mortal from going 56 straight games.  Ask Pete Rose. “Pressure? Well it ain’t hitting in forty-four straight games, because I done that and it was fun. The playoffs are pressure.” – Pete Rose .  He forgot (or as they say today misremembered) that he was chasing Joltin’ Joe D. and fell quite short.  Forty-four is over 20% less than 56.  You may have heard that Peter Rose, aka Charlie Hustle, sometimes has trouble telling the truth.

Wayne Gretzky was also unstoppable for a run on ice that left all others stone cold. The Great One scored the most points in one season including the playoffs with 255 in 1984-1985.  Nestled inside of that run was four goals in one period and most assists in one game with seven.  There are many other candidates we are sure.

Rocky Marciano never lost a boxing match.  Never.  49-0.  Byron Nelson won 11 straight golf tournaments.  11.

We could go on.  Choosing one across sports is impossible.  But, someone once said “Impossible is Nothing.”  Not for nothing, we choose The Big O, Oscar Robertson’s season of triple doubles by the slimmest of margins over Marilyn Monroe’s ex husband’s hit streak.  What’s your choice?

 

 

 

 

 

I Have Yet Another Story and Two Morals Thereof

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Riding high off of the 2003 BCS National Championship, LSU football ended 2004 on a down note.  Nick Saban announced that he was taking his talents to the NFL.  He left behind an energized fan base, a stable of future NFL players, and a small (due to the 85 man total limit) but promising 2005 recruiting class.

Holliday enjoyed a 6 year, 6 team NFL career. He holds many Denver Broncos special teams records.

Enter Leslie Miles.  He quickly made the appropriate rounds and said the appropriate things to the recruits who were soon to sign and to their families as well.  Only one scholarship remained to be awarded.  After some deep thinking (just pretend) by Miles he offered an 11th hour scholarship to a spark plug named Trindon Holliday.  He stood all of 5 foot 5 inches tall and weighed about 155 lbs.  Oh, and Trindon could run.   In his 2005 senior high school year Holliday posted the nation’s fastest indoor time in the 55 and 60-meter dashes. He led his team to the state title by winning the 100 meters and 200 meters and was second in the long jump. Holliday was a four-time state champion in the 200 meters and a three-time 100 meters champion.   In fact, Trindon made the 2007 World Championships and had realistic hopes to make the 2008 USA Olympic team.

In other words Trindon and my best friend in the world Joseph Roy Miller, Jr. have absolutely nothing in common.  Nothing.   Big Joe stood 6 foot 4 inches and tipped the scales a biscuit shy of roughly 260 lbs. in early 2005.

Joey and I decided that a trip to Baton Rouge to join about 7500 other fervent LSU football fans for the early February, day long recruiting bash was just what we needed for some food, football, fun, and a wee bit of Makers Mark.

Not long after our arrival we hit it off with the then president and editor of my favorite recruiting website.  As the afternoon rolled on our insatiable thirst for Makers was quenched again and again.

The stage was set (literally) for the 5pm appearance by the Fighting Tigers Marching Band, the AD, and finally the new head coach who would give the football hungry crowd the low down on the newest sensations signed that morning.  Three foot wide placards with the signed recruits name, high school, height, and weight hung to one side of the otherwise empty stage.

I sensed that the crowd had grown restless and should be entertained.   I wondered aloud with the webite prez if he could get the three of us brief access to the stage.  He liked the dumb idea almost as much as I did.  He asked and we somehow were granted a brief opening.  Once we walked onto the stage the crowd (also enjoying a few adult beverages) noise diminished an octave or two.   Quickly, I grabbed Trindon’s placard for the photo opp.  I placed it in Joey’s hands and asked him to hold it out right in front of him.   “Ladies (a few) and gents(term used loosely) meet Trindon Holliday,” I said.  And then I said it again, only louder.  There was no way that this was happening.  Surely they knew that Joey was no Trindon.  One clap from the crowd turned to many which turned into darn near a standing ovation for the (not so) young lad.

Unfortunately the photos from that day are lost much like the recruiting geeks were for clapping.

What’s the moral of the story?  There are two.  One, people who tell you that they know all about their favorite team’s recruits, don’t.  And two, have lots of fun.  Life is short, like Trindon, not like Big Joe.

The Worst Finished First.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Last week we wrote the following.

Should one or two slight upsets occur, Jared Goff and Tom Brady would lead either or both of the Rams and Patriots to the very lovely(ahem) and picturesque, beautiful Atlanta.  Therefore, regardless of the outcome of the games, a “franchise” quarterback will eventually lead his team to the podium to cherish the coveted Lombardi Trophy.  Brady and Brees are the old guard great qbs.  Goff and Mahomes are the up and coming ones.

Roger Goodell will (we hope and think) get booed loudly prior to the presentation.  But, we digress.

Super Bowl winners come in different shapes and sizes, but they usually have two things in common.  One, they have a real good or great coach.  And two, they have a real good or great quarterback.  There are outliers of course.  So, who might be those outliers?

We continue to examine those very questions in our run up to the Super Bowl features continuing today.  Today we examine the question “who is the worst quarterback to have won a Super Bowl?”  Our take from bad to worse is in reverse order below.

3.  (tie) Mark Rypien– Rypien led the Washington Redskins to a 37-24 SB win over the Buffalo Bills in 1991.  The sixth round pick by the Skins in 1986 started for only 5 years, won just 47 games, and completed a modest 56% of his career pass attempts.  His team bettered the Bills led by Jim Kelly who we selected as the third best QB to have played in but never won a Super Bowl.  His career passing rating is 78.9.  That’s 80th all-time for qb’s who have met the minimums to qualify.  He’s tied with Byron Leftwich.  Ouch.

3.  (tie) Jeff Hostetler– A real gamer Hostetler filled in for half of a season and the playoffs for Phil Simms.  He rode a dominate Bill Parcells defense to a 20-19 triumph over the Jim Kelly led Bills a year before Rypien did the same.  He won only 51 games as a starter(4 years) in his career and completed 58% of his passes.  He did get one trip to Hawaii for a Pro Bowl.  His 16k career yards ranks 136th just 100 yards ahead of one Rodney Peete. Ouch.

Ray Said Get Out of the Way!

2.  Trent Dilfer– Dilfer was a first round pick of the TB Buccaneers in 1994.  After moving to the Baltimore Ravens he won a ring with them punishing the New York Football Giants 34-7.  In the 4-0 playoff run that year he threw for only three touchdowns.  He basically stayed out-of-the-way of one of the most dominant defenses in NFL history led by Ray Lewis.  For his career Dilfer threw 129 interceptions v 113 touchdowns and completed only 56% of his attempts.  His 70.2 passer rating is 149th all time and ranks below Rex Grossman.  Ouch.

1.  Doug Williams- Williams also was a first round pick of the TB Buccaneers.  As a starter in his nine-year career he lost 42 and won only 38 games.  After TB he went to Washington and played lights out in SB XXI whipping John Elway and the Denver Broncos 42-10.  He threw 100 NFL TD’s against 93 picks.  His passer rating was a quite low 69.4.  His 49 percent career completion percentage held true to form in the 1987 playoff run to the SB as he completed 49% of those attempted as well.  It was a bit of a different era back then, but 49% is 49%.  Ouch.

No NFL level quarterback is bad.  But relatively speaking these four “bad ones” won the biggest game of them all.

Some how. Some way.

As They May Say Across the Pond, “Bloody Sheep!”

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

We ugly Americans are gluttonous.  More is better.   We collect.  Some even hoard.  More insurance.  More regulations.   “More, more, more” sang Andrea True in 1976.  But when you “have more than you can shake a stick at” you likely have too much.  What pray tell does that mean and where did that phrase come from?

Meaning: Having more of something than you need
History: Farmers controlled their sheep by shaking their staffs to indicate where the animals should go. When farmers had more sheep than they could control, it was said they had “more than you can shake a stick at.”

But, just because one owns more than they can handle or might need it doesn’t give you the right to steal from them.  Maybe you could beg.  Maybe you could borrow.  But you shalt not steal.  If you do grab a sheep or two, be sure to wash away the evidence right away.  After all you don’t want to be “caught with blood on your hands.”

Meaning: To be caught doing something wrong
History: This saying originated because of a law. If someone butchered an animal that didn’t belong to him, he had to be caught with the animal’s blood on his hands to be convicted. Being caught with freshly cut meat did not make the person guilty.

Seems like it was tough even way back then to convict someone of a crime.  That must be why it seems like we have more criminals than we can shake a stick at.

Boom Boom’s Life Lessons #12

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

One of the many gifts that Boom Boom gave us was the torrent of quips about how one leads one’s life.   He could say so much by saying so little.   A statement at just the right moment resonated in my young, eager eardrums.  How I interpreted or applied it was up to me.  No more words were spoken because no more words were needed.  Today, to kick off 2019 is a personal favorite.

After parking in the spot of his choice came the one mile walk to Tulane Stadium in the New Orleans Saints first years.  Boom Boom was sometimes a buyer and frequently a seller of excess tickets to each home game.  I was but 7,8, and then 9.  I watched.  I listened.  I learned.  He sometimes sold them for more money than other times.  He rarely sold to the first person he encountered.  He always kept the better seats for us.

One Sunday morning early in my tenth year and the Saints fourth year we turned the corner onto Willow St.  The stadium was quite visible a few blocks down.  The crowd, though still somewhat sparse, already had the supply and demand side represented.  He stopped cold.  From his coat pocket came three tickets.  “Son, put this one in your back pocket.  It’s the seat next to me.  Take these two and sell them for us.  I’ll see you in the stadium.”  “Ok,” was the best I could utter.  Quickly he strode into the distance.  I felt alone, all alone.

I bounced from one opportunity to another and then I made the sale.  Excited, eagerly I made my way to the stadium and then to the seat next to dad.  Have your sandwich he said.  “But,” I countered.  “I’m talking to this gentleman next to me son.”

Eventually he turned back to me.  “Well, how did you?”  “I sold them for $4.50 each.  I got $9.00,” I beamed.  He looked at me for what seemed like forever.  “Ok, son, I’m glad you sold them.  But, I don’t think that you got fair market value today.”

Fair.  Market.  Value.   Fair.  Market.  Value.   The words ricocheted around in my cranium like a pinball gone rogue.   I had no idea what those three words strung together meant, but it didn’t sound too good.

I wanted to ask.  He wanted to talk about the soon to start game and all of the strategy that the home team might employ.  And, so we did.

The lesson was more about getting “it” than it was about what “it” was.  Wasn’t it?  I’ve chased Fair Market Value and then some ever since.

 

Better to Beware Bettor.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

After Santa Claus has come and gone comes the final regular season weekend in the NFL.  Santa comes to town the 25th of every December.  You can bank on it.   The last week of the NFL regular season occurs right afterwards.  You can bank on it.  What you cannot bank on, however, is predicting the outcome of NFL games.

And, week 17 is toughest of all.  Why, you might ask? That can be answered with one easy question.  Who cares?  That is the question.  How can you tell which team cares enough in week 17 to actually give it their all.

Reasons for indifference about winning this Sunday abound.  If you are in the playoffs do you rest some or all of your starters?  If so, do you rest some or all for some or all of the game?  If you need to win to get into the playoffs, do your chances vaporize prior to your kickoff based on results from earlier games that day?  If you are out of the playoffs, do you play for pride(an overused battle cry)?  Or, do you mail it in?  Do you play for your favorite coaches job?  Do you play for your own job?  Does the franchise tank the game to improve their draft position?  Is it time to give that backup quarterback his chance?   Questions far outweigh answers.

All of those legit questions aside, let’s examine a few games and be dumb brave enough to take a stab at their outcomes.  If you bet real money and take advice from the guesses below, we suggest that you stop betting real money.  Or, at least tread very lightly in week 17.

Miami at Buffalo(-3.5)  – Here is the classic two teams playing for pride (read as “nothing”) game.  Miami fired their GM yesterday.  Does that mean their coach’s job is safe?   Oh, and why is Buffalo favored?  We guess it’s because they’re at their home stadium.  Home is also a place where they can get cozy by the fireplace to watch the playoffs.   For no good reason at all, take Miami plus the points.

Detroit at Green Bay(-8.0) – Detroit annually disappoints.  This team lived down to its expectations.  They’ve been mentally out for months and statistically eliminated for weeks.  Green Bay is in the unfamiliar position of playing out the string.  Are they playing to help Joe Philbin get the vacant HC job?  Doubtful.   Are they the better team?  No doubt.  When in doubt take more than a touchdown in any NFL game, anytime.  Except this week.  We’ll take GB to win the game and cover late somehow.

Jacksonville at Houston(-6.5) – Jacksonville imploded weeks ago.  However, they rose from the ashes last weekend.  Houston has a division championship on the line and playoff seeding(possibly) implications at stake.  Best of all Houston lost on the road in a close one last week.  This seems like one of the few games this week that is a good betting spot.  We’ll take Houston to win on the money line though it’s expensive at 3-1.  And we’ll take Houston to cover the 6.5 a well.

Carolina at New Orleans(-9.0) – New Orleans has already secured a bye week and home field advantage throughout the playoffs.  Carolina shut down weeks ago in the midst of a six game losing streak.  As a result, they shut down Cam Newton two weeks ago due to an ailing wing.  His backup is now hurt.  Enter third stringer Kyle Allen for his NFL debut.  Brees and most of his ailing offensive line might not play at all.  Enter Teddy Bridgewater for his Saints debut.  You get the picture?  Take Carolina plus nine in what will look like a final preseason game though we expect the Saints to win a fairly close one.  Call it 24-18 for grins.

Cincinnatti at Pittsburgh(-14.0) – This one is tricky.  Baltimore hosts the suddenly angry Cleveland Browns at the same time.  If Baltimore wins Pittsburgh is eliminated from the playoff chase.  Pittsburgh might be angry too after a hard fought, close loss to New Orleans last weekend.  Meanwhile we expect Cleveland to keep it close v. Baltimore with the Ravens winning on a late FG.  Pittsburgh never mails it in.  We expect them to score early and often and do a bit of scoreboard watching along the way.  It’s hard to spot 14 points in any NFL game.  We will.  Take Pittsburgh minus.

Good luck wagering in week 17.  You might be better off putting your money at risk in the stock market.  Sorry, too soon?

 

 

 

 

 

What’s in a Name? Part 2.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Today we continue our trip across the United States to uncover five more towns with funky names.  Sometimes the “how” of how they got these names is crazier than the name themselves.

Let’s start with a name of a fellow who has earned a day or two off.  Our trip crosses the US.  His went around the globe in 24 hours just 48 hours ago.  And while he would like to pack lightly, he cannot.

Santa Claus, Indiana

Originally called Santa Fe, the town’s name changed in 1856 when town officials learned that there was already a Santa Fe, Indiana. However, the town has certainly made the most of the second-choice name.  It’s Santa Claus, IN, and it fully embraces its “Christmas-y” moniker. Touted as a place “where it’s Christmas all year round,” Santa Claus features attractions like Holiday World, Lake Rudolph Campground, and Frosty’s Fun Center.  Now do you believe in Santa Claus?

ZZYZX, California

No, we didn’t fall asleep with our fingers accidentally pushing down on the keyboard.  We promise.

Curtis Springer was a radio evangelist who tried to convince people he was a doctor by selling fake medicines on his radio show. He set up health spas around the country but never paid taxes on them. He established the Zzyzx Mineral Springs and Health Spa in 1944 at the spot, which was federal land, after filing mining claims for 12,000 acres surrounding the springs. He used the springs to bottle his water and provide drinks for travelers through the hot desert. He named the area Zzyzx  so it would be “the last word in health.” Eventually, the Feds caught up with his financial schemes and threw Springer in jail—for 49 days.

Burnt Store, Florida

According to local legend, the town gets its name from a trading house on the Peace River that was burned down in 1849. At that time, manager George Payne had recently held meetings with Seminole Indians, and he died in a Seminole attack shortly before the store burned. Though this account is questioned by several historians as a hurricane is thought to have demolished the first store while another account states that the trading post was abandoned long prior to its demise.  Regardless, Burnt Store remains today while its origin was somehow lost long ago.

Kickapoo, Kansas

Alliteration is always appreciated.  Yet, this town name has a pretty simple origin.  It’s the name of a Native American and Indigenous Mexican tribe still living in the area. A large,150,000 acre Indian reservation sits within the city limits. According to legend, the name means “wanderer.”  That sounds better than the alternative to us.

Hippo, Kentucky

No, there are no actual hippopotamuses living in or around Hippo, Kentucky. The name of this town comes from one of its twentieth-century residents, Bee Madison “Hippo” Craft. His nickname has nothing to do with hippopotamuses either.  The townspeople called him “hippo” as a rather insensitive shortening of the word they used to describe him.  That word was “hypochondriac.”  We’re sure that in today’s politically correct world there would be some opposition to how this name originated.  Hopefully his statue (if there is one) is safe.

Santa Claus covers a lot of ground in a short period of time.  Our guess is that he stopped, be it ever so briefly, in Zzyzx, Burnt Store, Kickapoo, and Hippo just like he did in New York, Los Angeles ,Chicago,Houston, and so on.