ESPN

SoFi or So Long?

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Way back in 1977, a fictitious movie titled Black Sunday hit the big screens.  But, before it hit the big screens one of the final scenes had to be shot.

That scene had the ever-present at Super Bowl games Goodyear Blimp hitting a packed Orange Bowl Stadium during Super Bowl X, and dropping a bomb that would turn lose a quarter-million steel flechettes(think mini bombs).  The terroristic plot was foiled at the last second, but not before it terrorized 80,000 fans who were actually movie stand-ins of course.  The film grossed $16 million.

Now, 45 years later, Super Bowl LVI will be the 56th Super Bowl and is scheduled to be played on February 13, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, a city two miles from LAX and not far from the movie-making capital of the world-Hollywood.

Note we said scheduled to be played.  There’s a terror of a different kind sweeping the nation as we write.  And, last night there it was scrolling across the ever-present ESPN updates.  “The NFL is looking into alternate sites to host SB LVI.”

What the scroll didn’t say was why.  Why move?  It’s because Omicron is the 2022 version of the bomb and the ease of its transmission is the quarter-million flechettes.

The real why of course is that the NFL show must go on as Hollywood might say even if it needs to move to another state and stadium.  Super Bowl “movies” gross way more than $16 million worldwide these days.

A determined virus should never get in the way of capitalism, our economy, our freedom, and our independence many say.  The “many” who say that are few when it comes to California governance, however.

You can never be “too safe,” and even level that might not be safe enough for Cali.  Could Cali opt out of SB LVI? Will Gavin Newsom make the call from the French Laundry Restaurant for the safety of the citizens he governs?

Could LA?  The Rose Bowl was played last Saturday in Pasadena.  But. But. But, new cases are geometrically increasing.

The world is waiting because the world will be watching regardless of what patch of grass it’s played on in five weeks.

It would take some game balls to call it off and make the NFL move the game and its footballs to another state.  It would be another huge defining moment of how divided our United States are on issues big and small.

Super Bowl LVI hits the big screens in your living room in five weeks and the Goodyear Blimp, sans flechettes, will have an eye in the sky to bring it to you.

Safety first?  Or hooray, hooray for Inglewood?

 

Why the Connection?

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Yesterday morning in unusually foggy conditions for the greater Los Angeles area nine people perished in a violent helicopter crash in Calabasas.  Two of the victims were a 41 year old father of four and his 13 year old daughter.

It’s always tragic when a death or deaths are so sudden.  It’s even worse when life is cut shorter than the average life expectancy age.  And, it’s down right awful when it’s a child with so, so much life to live in front of her.

But, based on the global outpouring of emotions ranging from shock to sadness to anger to grief, this was no ordinary 41 year old and his daughter.  This was a beloved figure.  Of course this was Kobe Bryant.  His list of accomplishments on the highest stage of the most accomplished basketball league, the NBA, places him on a short list of the all time greatest.

The BBR staff frankly was a bit surprised by the outpouring of emotion from those near and far.   Everyone has a right to speak, feel, and react as they darn well please.  But, the outcry made us wonder aloud, “why are so many so affected by the death of someone we don’t know?”  Our best answer is “because apparently so many were so affected by the life of someone we don’t know.”

And then we wondered why would one’s life be so affected by someone you don’t know.  And the answer of course is because one feels a connection to that person.  Isn’t it fascinating, for whatever reason that connection is felt, that one could be so moved?

Did you know Kobe personally?  Did you shake his hand?  Are the Lakers your favorite team?  Did Kobe do something off of the court for a cause that moved you?  Did you grow up idolizing him for his on court wizardry?  Did you dream in your backyard to dribble, drive, shoot and score like him?

If the answer to any of the above is yes, then you have that connection in you mind.

But BBR submits that there has to be more to it even than that.  Does his sudden death make you stop and realize how fragile life is?  Does it make you look a bit deeper into the “passage of time mirror?”  Does it, dare we say it, make you think about “what if it was you  or your daughter and you on that helicopter?

And if it really is more about you and your realization of human frailty, then so be it.  There is nothing wrong with it, but maybe it helps explain some of it.

Sometimes we just wonder, and wonder.  Seven others died in the same crash.  Do you know their names?  Do you care?  Maybe so.  But do you really, really care?  Maybe not.  Maybe there is no connection to them.  And, there is nothing wrong with that either, but maybe it helps explain some more of it.

Kobe connected, apparently, with millions in many thousands of ways.

Sports, the will to win, the excellence, the drive, the passion, and the fear of losing drove him.  And, maybe through him it drove you.

His passing might be a reason for you to examine why you had the connection.  And, whatever that reason is mystifies us on one level.  But if it drives us on another level to another level that is a good thing we suppose.  But, understanding the connection’s origin might be a healthy exercise as well.

May all nine victims rest in peace.  And, may ESPN give it a rest as well.

Ten Piece Nuggets- Sports at Random

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

This AM we gladly serve you our ten piece nuggets from sunny Orlando.   Actually it’s only going to be a few nuggets shy of ten.   One, it’s Lent.  Two, the Keto diet, being all the rage, makes us want to slim down a bit.   Three, we have a plane to catch back to our world headquarters in foggy, soggy, and cloudy H Town.

If we didn’t know better we might investigate who switched Portland and Houston’s spot in the continental 48.

Time ticks.  Time for nuggets.

  1.  We took in some Bay Hill Arnold Palmer Invitational golf on Saturday.   It’s a beautiful, well maintained, difficult track.   Arnold had/has quite a thing going here.
  2. Last year’s winner Rory McIlroy roared to within one stroke of the lead by nightfall Saturday.  His 31 back nine in last year’s final round made him yesterday’s strong favorite to repeat.  Plus the competitor’s resumes paled by comparison.
  3. But, starting in the final group Sunday, Rory forgot to roar.  Francisco Molinari started the day five back and won by a clear two strokes with a sizzling 64.   A closer look at McIlroy when he starts the final round in the last group is eye opening.   He’s only converted one of those golden chances at victory.  And, he’s been there sixteen times.  Rory needs a dose of Alex Baldwin’s character in Glengarry, Glen Ross.  A.B.C.  Always Be Closing.
  4.  The Will Wade LSU basketball mess is, well, a mess.  His refusal to meet with his bosses to discuss the taped and leaked conversation with yet another basketball “handler” was the impetus to the dreaded indefinite suspension purgatory.   It says here that he has coached his last game at LSU. Too bad too as he turned the worst, two years ago in the SEC, team into a first place finish.
  5.  He was the best coach for the money that LSU could buy.  Unfortunately some of his players sound like they were the best Wade could buy as well.   College basketball is a dirty business.  Now LSU is warming the water to wash their hands of it.
  6. So Antonio Brown, a Pittsburgh Steeler, and nearly a Buffalo Bill, is now an Oakland Raider which soon will be the Vegas Raiders.   He cost the Raiders a third and fifth round pick and a lot of dough too.
  7. Didn’t Oakland trade Amari Cooper for a first round pick midseason?   So, net net they have an older drama queen wide receiver that is quite expensive and a one minus a three and a five.   Sounds like Jon Gruden is spinning his wheels to us.
  8. Expensive wide receivers don’t win championships.  Value does.   Like it or not, and we like it, Pittsburgh puts team ahead of individual talent.  We read an analysis of the trade that spoke to the Steelers being the big loser in this.   We think quite the opposite.
  9. We aren’t big NBA fans.  But.  But, in the span of about nine days the Houston Rockets have beaten the Warriors, the Raptors, and the 76ers.  And, two of those three were road games.   That’s pretty impressive.
  10.  Meanwhile, every time we look at ESPN we get this incessant Lakers and LeBron  gibberish.  At least they can let the Antonio Brown story go now.  Disney owns ESPN.  It’s always a show about a character with them.
  11.  Ok, ok.  It was ten nuggets after all.  We don’t like dieting anymore than you do. And please excuse the no feature picture.   Our editor is busy taking pictures with Mickey Mouse.  It’s always a show about a character with him.