LeBron

I Pray For You

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

In order to fully understand the story, you need to know the characters.

Brian Kevin Porter, Jr. is a 21-year-old third-year NBA player for the Houston Rockets.  He sunk a buzzer-beating game-winning three Wednesday evening at the Washington Wizards (as they are known now).

Kevin Porter (born April 17, 1950) is a former NBA player.

He played ten seasons with four different teams (the first was the Washington Bullets as they were known then) and led the league in assists in four of those seasons.

Brian Kevin Porter Sr., who is Kevin Porter, Jr’s father, pleaded guilty in 1993 for the killing of a 14-year-old girl, according to a case docket with the King County Superior Court and USA Today. Porter Sr. was shot and killed in Seattle in 2004 when Jr. was but four years old.

Glenn Consor is a former NBA player, turned scout, who finally turned to broadcasting.  Consor has more than 22 years of experience in the broadcast industry, including 20 years with the Washington Wizards (formerly the Bullets) organization in radio and television roles.

Did you get all of that?

So, as the buzzer-beater swished through the twine Wednesday night Consor assumed, incorrectly, that it was a chip off of the old block.

“You’ve got to give credit. Kevin Porter Jr., like his dad, pulled that trigger right at the right time,” Wizards broadcaster Consor said after Porter buried the jumper to give the Rockets a 114-111 victory.

It was a bad choice of words given who Sr. was, but Consor didn’t know what he didn’t know.  Consor assumed, and you know what they say about assuming.  The former NBA Porter is no relation to the current NBA Porter whatsoever.

Enter one more character.  Lebron James.  He’s The King.

“Oh, he thought this was cool huh!!?? Nah we ain’t going for this!” James tweeted. “Sorry but this ain’t going to fly! How insensitive can you be to say something like this? Beat it, man! I pray for you but there’s no place in our beautiful game for you!”

Cancel culture is an ugly game.

By yesterday morning Consor was told of the error of his ways.

Consor, on Twitter, said Thursday he mistakenly thought Porter was the son of the former NBA player who played several seasons in Washington in the 1970s and early 80s.
“I have reached out to Kevin to personally apologize and hope to be able to talk to him soon,” Consor continued.
That should do it, shouldn’t it?
But the King isn’t backing down.  He doubled down after his shootaround (probably a bad choice of a word as well, but we digress) yesterday.  “What he said — no matter if he thought that was his dad or not — was so insensitive, and the words he used — we know the words that he used, I don’t want even want to repeat it — is not even something that should ever be said.”
Come on, doesn’t everyone deserve a second chance Lebron? Or a third?  Or a fourth?
For example, King Lebron lectured Darryl Morey on how insensitive he and by extension, we are towards China.  Calling that foolish is being nice.
He further lectured us on the social injustice of the shooting of Kenosha’s knife-wielding felon Jacob Blake, and the crocodile tears of fully exonerated Kyle Rittenhouse.  Wrong and wrong again.
Thankfully, Lebron is “praying” for Consor he told all.  Sounds good.
Really?  No, he isn’t.  It’s just more grandstand theatre.
Words mean something.  And, sometimes fewer is better.  Consor learned that the hard way two nights ago.
Lebron has a ways to go.

Ten Piece Nuggets-Sports

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

If you have a busy Monday and need to go, we’ve got Ten healthy Nuggets to put you in the know.  It’s been a while.

  1.  The NBA All-Star game was yesterday. Did you watch it?  If you didn’t here is what you missed.  320 points.  Yep, 320.  That’s about 6 and 1/2 points a minute.   If you didn’t, here is what you didn’t miss.  Defense.  Team Lebron beat Team Durant 170-150.  Are you underwhelmed?  Understandable.
  2. That said, thanks to a perfect 16-for-16 performance from the field, including banking in multiple jump shots, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo won his first NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award, as he and his Team LeBron cruised.  Even with defense being optional, 16 for16 is16 for 16.
  3.  The virus was on offense as well, as contact tracing forced the league to pull Philadelphia 76ers stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons out of the game.  It potentially will keep them away from the Sixers when the second half of the season begins Thursday.
  4. Lebron knew better than to play this meaningless exhibition.  James, who said early last month that the NBA’s choosing to hold an All-Star Game amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic was a “slap in the face,” lived up to the other quote he had about the game that day.  “I’ll be there if I’m selected,” James said. “But I’ll be there physically, but not mentally.”  Could the same be said about the King numerous other times that he’s flapped his jaws?  He’s also keeping his decision about whether to get vaccinated or not private.  Maybe he’ll get it and be there physically but not mentally?
  5. With the COVID-19 pandemic wreaking havoc, the expectation has been that the NFL salary cap would fall significantly from 2020’s $198 million budget. After years of increasing by tens of millions of dollars, the fall was expected to be precipitous. The new floor of $180 million isn’t the exact final cap number but with the NFL and the NFL Players Association agreeing to it, it mitigates some of that decrease.
  6. Who has the most money to spend?  The Jacksonville Jaguars do.  They have $84 million free and clear.  They also own the first pick in the draft.  What team is the most underwater?  The New Orleans Saints went all in to try to get to another Super Bowl before Drew Brees’ arm turned into total mush.  They’re still about $48 million over the cap even after some off-season moves.  Three other teams (Rams, Packers, and Chiefs) that had playoff appearances or runs are also currently significantly over budget.
  7.  When was the last time Phil Mickelson wasn’t ranked inside of the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking?  It was 1993.  Or, 1425 weeks ago if you prefer.  It’s a record run.  Mickelson turned the big 50 last June.  He has won 44 times on tour.  If or when he is willing to put his mind to the PGA Champions Tour (aka the Senior Tour) he will pile up many more trophies.
  8.  Is Bryson DeChambeau unconventional in his approach to golf?  Is the Pope Catholic?  DeChambeau cut the corner, make that cut straight across the lake both Saturday and Sunday in the Arnold Palmer Bay Hill Classic with tape measure drives of about 342 yards.  Is his swing different than anything golf has seen since, well, ever?  Does a bear, nevermind.  DeChambeau won the Bay Hill and collected the top prize of $1,674,000.  That brings him to $23,229,908 for his career. He’s but 27 years young.   It pays to zig when others zag it seems.
  9. Kyle Larson wasn’t sure he’d ever race again in NASCAR.  And if he could, he didn’t know who would hire him.  Larson’s use of a racial slur while participating in an online call last April cost him his job, his reputation, and his ability to attract the corporations that fund a race team. On Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Larson raced to his first NASCAR victory since he was reinstated from a nearly yearlong suspension.  Bubba Wallace, NASCAR’s only black full-time driver, was one of the first competitors to congratulate Larson.  Good stuff.  Cancel culture gave a rare second chance.  Things are already improving under Biden, but we digress.
  10. So, who has already punched their dance card for the big NCAA Basketball Tourney?  If you guessed the Liberty Flames, the Morehead State Eagles, the Winthrop Eagles, and the Loyola Chicago Ramblers you should reconsider your priorities.  “It’s small conference champ city, baby,” screeched Dick Vitale.  Selection Sunday is but six days away.

You’re fed.  Get to work.

The King and His Court.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

LeBron James exercised his right to free speech yesterday.  King James was holding court with reporters in LA after a workout on the court.  In a 45 second answer to an inaudible question James said Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey, he of the tweet of support for the protesters in Hong Kong, “wasn’t educated on the situation at hand.”

He went on to say that Morey’s foray into pro democratic support could have caused people to be harmed “not only financially, but physically, emotionally, and spiritually.”  He reemphasized that we do indeed have freedom of speech, but we must be careful with how we use it because there can be a lot of negatives that come with it.  And, he also said that he didn’t want to get into a war of words or sentences with Daryl.

The NBA received tremendous bipartisan criticism for their initial response to Morey’s tweet, when they responded by calling the post “regrettable” for the offense that it caused. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver eventually tried to tamp out the firestorm by recognizing Morey’s free speech rights.  China canceled exhibition games and a number of business deals with the Rockets, and the NBA as well.

Now, with the league representatives and players back from their tumultuous trip to China, LeBron, who has never shied away from social justice issues or criticism of American leadership weighed in.

And, all of this makes us wonder.

How does LeBron know that Morey is not educated on the “situation at hand?”  Or, is it more of LeBron exercising his right to free speech by expressing his opinion of Morey without knowing the depths of his study or concern of the subject matter?  LeBron said that we “need to realize that there are ramifications to what we tweet, what we say, and what we do.”  Does basically calling someone “uneducated” qualify?

LeBron expressed concern for the harm the tweet could have caused.  He then led with “not only financially.”  Hmm.  Seems like “financially” was top of mind over the physical, emotional, and spiritual concerns.  Words mean something we were told.  The order in which you use them does as well.  We also wonder how the pro Hong Kong tweet could have caused “spiritual” harm, but we digress.

And, King James wants no war of words (or sentences) with Daryl.  If that is the case, why speak out on it a full 10 days afterwards?  We wonder if James could have picked up his “smart” phone to call the “not smart” Daryl to discuss the matter privately and at some length versus the 45 second sound bite?  In yesteryear the world’s occupants actually used to talk to one another.

And most of all we wonder.   Does LeBron recognize that the “fight for freedom” that Morey was championing is the exact freedom Morey had when he tweeted and was the exact freedom that LeBron exercised when he called out Morey for doing so?  Burger King, not King James, once had a tag line.  “Have it your way!”

This “woke” society that we live in needs to wake up.

 

 

 

Ten Piece Nuggets-Ramblings Across Multiple Sports

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

It’s always a good day to gather around the virtual campfire and roast some tasty nuggets.  In the crisp Spring air it’s even better.  After you digest your nuggets if you are good boys and girls we’ll fire up some S’mores.  But eat your dinner first.  It’s served one at a time below.

  1.  The NFL’s 100th season will open with the 199th meeting between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers.  The league announced Monday that it would forgo the traditional opening-night matchup in which the Super Bowl winner hosts the first game of the season on the Thursday of Week 1.  On the surface it sounds like a good story.  Two of the original and traditional powerhouses clash on the not yet frozen tundra to celebrate the league’s now one hundred years of history.
  2. New England, defending Super Bowl Champs, will play in the Sunday night game.  So after the Thursday season opener, and after the dozen Sunday day games, NE is sandwiched in just prior to the next night’s Monday Night doubleheader.  One wonders if this is burying the lead story by the powers that be in the NFL? News cycles being what they are, the Patriots and their owner can only get so much air time and attention paid to them given the window they are placed in.  In other words, did the league not want the Patriots owner’s happy ending story to hover like a pesky cloud over the season’s opening game?
  3. NFL free agency open season signings reminds one of the early Black Friday sales game.  You just got to have this guy at this price and now.  It’s like a doorbuster flat screen TV sale at Best Buy.  Then reality sets in relative to your salary cap and your remaining needs, not wants.  If you are still on the sidelines you might not get scooped up till late summer.  It’s just like the day after Christmas.  Markdowns.
  4. UFC star Conor McGregor announced his retirement from mixed martial arts in a Twitter post in these early AM hours .  The announcement came just hours after McGregor, 30, told “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” that he and the UFC were negotiating a potential return to the octagon as early as July.  It wasn’t that long ago that there was no mixed martial arts made for TV viewing.  It wasn’t that long ago that there was no Twitter either.  McGregor has retired before.  It’s part of fight game lore.  Then, you are lured out of retirement for one more championship bout.  It makes for a better fight story.  Sugar Ray Leonard is holding on line two.
  5. Did you ever watch “Undeniable with Joe Buck?”  It lasted 5 seasons and produced 50 episodes.  It’s a live audience AT&T Universe production.  Each episode showcases never-before-told stories about not only the athletes’ careers, but also their lives off the playing field.   It was, in our opinion, only as good as the interviewees and interviewer meshed.  Joe Buck can/could come across as a smug know it all at times.  After a pretty good five-year run, he has stepped aside.
  6. Enter “Undeniable with Dan Patrick” which is the same show of course with a different host.  We caught our first last evening with Jim Palmer, Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame pitcher, answering Patrick’s question tour of Jim’s career and life.  Jim Palmer still comes across as a smug know it all.  Few are better than Dan Patrick at interviewing in our not so humble opinion.  He has a way of putting the interviewees at ease and weaving through the questions so as to tell a story over time.  Palmer was anything but at ease.  No wonder he never got along with Earl Weaver.  Earl was raw and real. What you see is what you got.  Palmer isn’t.
  7. Palmer’s 268 wins over 19 years in MLB were due in large part to an outstanding career ERA of 2.68.  He only mentioned his 268 career wins five times by our count last evening.   Cy Young’s, World series wins, All Star appearances, and 558 career starts put his value in the marketplace at a one year highest salary of 275k in 1982.  It was good money back then if you could get it.
  8. But today’s MLB world is a bit different.  Of the 872 players on MLB rosters and injured lists as of Monday evening they averaged $4.36 million per annum.  Averaged is the key word.
  9. That average is down from $4.41 million at the start of last season and $4.45 million on Opening Day in 2017, according to AP studies.  Austerity has hit MLB.  Well, not really.  But it is interesting to note that when Mike Trout signs for 23k an inning, salaries in total are actually flat at best.  Yes, it’s 23k an inning as that is what 12 years at 430 million over 162 games each at 9 innings comes to.  Trout will make more after his first 12 innings than Palmer made in his best year.  It’s good money if you can get it.
  10.  The LA Lakers and LeBron were eliminated from playoff contention a few days back.  This isn’t news but ESPN continues to make it news.  Next thing you know they’ll be talking about Lonzo Ball losing 1.5 million as his father and another partner in Big Baller Shoes continue to act like they don’t know what they are doing.  Wait.  They just did.

Get the marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers.  Time for some more S’mores.