Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Given the push by the NBA to "get out the vote" - it would be interesting to see how many eligible players actually did. My guess would be just under 50%... Very cool... Is it true that Eli Manning has been named celebrity spokesperson for Shake Weight? I understand he's been a longtime devotee... Nathan Fillion would be a good choice as a replacement for Alex Trebek on Jeopardy. Smart, humorous, self-effacing and Canadian - all the things Trebek brought to the show... On a related note Jesus Nut would also be a good name for a band... I have to wonder what percentage of "Flat Earthers" were public schooled? I imagine that percentage would be pretty high... I wonder if it bothers Tom Hanks or if he's secretly happy that Bosom Buddies was never widely shown in syndication... 

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Now would be a good time for President Trump to announce he's moving the Department of Agriculture to Kansas and the Department of Energy to Texas... I'm still convinced that Peyton Manning and his brother Eli only work out using Shake Weights... After the passing of NBA Hall of Famer Wes Unseld on Tuesday I've become overly worried about another NBA great Tiny Archibald who is 71-years old and had a heart transplant two-years ago. Tiny was a childhood favorite of mine... This is from two years ago but really the Babylon Bee could just re-post periodically... Random NBA observation - Terry Rozier was having a pretty decent season for Charlotte scoring 18 points per game to go along with 4 assists and 4 rebounds per game before the season was interrupted... The Wages of Sin (Minus Taxes) would be a good name for a band...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Victor Davis Hanson on the strange case of the Cuomo brothers. I could see the DNC trying to shoehorn Andrew Cuomo into the top spot (elbowing Biden out of the way) oblivious to the fact that Democrats across the country loudly dismissed other NYC options like Mike Bloomberg and Bill de Blasio. Making Cuomo the VP would be even worse... Dan Wetzel makes the case that being able to hear Conor McGregor's trash talk in an empty arena during a fight would be must see TV. I agree. And McGregor/Diaz 3 is getting my money no matter where it is fought... Sure technically Eli Manning "retired" in January but as far as I'm concerned until another regular season game is played Manning is still the "active" NFL leader in interceptions thrown... Matt Taibbi on how Covid-19 the Wuhan Virus bailout gave Wall Street a no-lose casino... I think Goodyear and Ameriquest have missed a big marketing opportunity by not having their blimps traveling around the country. With nothing else to do people would have come out and stared at those blimps for hours. Huge missed marketing opportunity... "Blue states are about to get hit twice - massive budget deficits just as remote work makes the tax base more mobile than ever." - Naval Ravikant. Excellent point. There's no tax revenue coming in from all those businesses that were closed down. Meanwhile no State government employees or programs have had any cost or personnel reductions. Work from home employees will flee States with high taxes (Blue States) for those that don't (Red States)... 

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Don't understand people who consider reading to be a hobby. Do they also consider breathing to be a hobby? Because reading to me is just something my body does or has been conditioned to do... Funny because it's true... "To every man is given the key to the gates of heaven; the same key opens the gates of hell." - Buddhist proverb... He is known as the "tank man" to the outside world but I wonder if the man's name is known and venerated inside of China?... I'm still convinced that Peyton Manning and his brother Eli work out using only Shake Weights... Who knew? Albert Einstein and fellow physicist Leo Szilard once invented and patented a refrigerator... Laughed way too much at this (yes my mind is different from most)...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

When the outrage over Justice Kennedy retiring dies down, President Trump should announce that he's turning the White House Press Briefing Room back into a swimming pool. Can you imagine how well the MSM would take that news?.. I'm still convinced that Peyton Manning and his brother Eli only work out using Shake Weights... It's funny because it's so true... Idea for a movie - Zombie Inventory Takers. The undead converge on a local mall to take inventory... The stuff nightmares are made of - the insect that sucks his prey dry and then wears the corpses of his victims... Have the "TRUMP/PENCE 2020 - No Fat Chicks" bumper stickers been printed up yet?... Looks like the attendance poor Mets are planting the seeds of a September Tim Tebow call-up...

Top 5 - Worst New England Patriots Losses

Disappointed in Sunday's Super Bowl loss but it is not close to the worst Patriots loss in my lifetime. Here's how I'd rank them.

1. 2007 Super Bowl loss to the Giants - this was supposed to be the "perfect" season. If this game is played 100 times the Giants maybe win once and guess what happens? Silver lining was that Tom Coughlan was respected in Boston by many for what he did for BC football so we felt good for him.

2. 2006 AFC Championship game 38-34 loss to Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. This one really hurt. Indy went on to win Super Bowl LXI over the Bears. The Patriots would have destroyed Chicago.

3. Giants Super Bowl XLVI loss. Not only did it give Eli Manning and the Giants two Super Bowl wins over the Pats but believe it or not there was a bit of a vibe that the end of the road was near for Tom Brady. That was six years ago.

4. 1978 preseason game vs Oakland. This is the game Darryl Stingley was paralyzed by Jack Tatum. Don't even know if this was a loss on the scorecard but we lost Darryl Stingley. Am I a bad person that this isn't higher on my list?

5. Super Bowl XX 46-10 loss to the Chicago Bears. Every male in New England felt much less manly after that beatdown.

The loss to the Eagles Sunday doesn't come close to making the list. Philadelphia was simply the better team - no shame in losing to a better team. The most devastating loss in my lifetime was the 2003 extra innings home run by Aaron Boone off Tim Wakefield. The Yankees went on to win the World Series and the day after that loss I had to drive to NYC for business. When I got there I seriously thought about jumping off a bridge (I take sports much less seriously now).

NFL Sunday - Week 13

Most people have mentioned how little reaction Bill Belichick had during the Patriots 5 TD's last week vs the Dolphins but I love how he gets excited by good work and small details. Belichick knows that if you take care of the little things that the big things will take care of themselves.

People talk about how the Browns can't find a QB but consider that Bill Belichick has more wins for Cleveland (34) than any of the Browns coaches who came after him. The closest is Romeo Crennel with 24. Maybe they should find a decent coach first?

So the NFL is going to give millions to "social justice" charities in hopes of buying off players who might protest the anthem. Some players complain that these funds will come from monies already going to support the military and breast cancer awareness. The NFL says "No these will be new monies for these social justice programs." This is the same NFL that was supposed to provide millions in funding towards concussion studies but then backed out when they learned it was to be actual studies and not NFL approved conclusions already drawn studies. The NFL has zero credibility and is just making matters worse.

Meanwhile the Giants have "benched" Eli Manning. A move so poorly thought out and executed that all of New York is in an uproar. That must really please the NFL offices. The TV ratings are already in free-fall and now the Giants give their fans a reason to boycott the rest of the season. Fans in the biggest TV market in America actively avoiding NFL product. But sure give Roger Goodell a fat new contract. That will fix everything.

My guess is Eli Manning may have played his last game. He's made millions upon millions (his last contract payed him $35 million in guaranteed money) and he already has one more Super Bowl ring than his brother Peyton. What's left for him to prove? Why subject his 36-year old body to more pounding?

Rob Gronkowski is quietly having a very good season.

Today's pick is a three-team parlay involving the three QB's who started the season as the Patriots depth chart but all all three starting NFL games today; Tom Brady Patriots (Money Line), Jimmy Garopollo 49ers (+3 points) and Jacoby Brissett Colts (+9.5 points) - risk $100 to win $328.

Good luck.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

The NFL has to be really pleased with the Giants decision to bench Eli Manning. Now millions of fans in the biggest TV market have no reason to watch the rest of the season and plenty of reason to boycott the broadcasts. But sure give Roger Goodell a new contract - that will fix everything... Speaking of Eli Manning... Does Las Vegas have the wins totals for Arizona State next season under Herm Edwards up yet? I'd like to bet the under please... Wow - this was unexpected. American Gods show runners exit and season 2 is in question... Matt Lauer was eaten by wolves today. He was not delicious... Holy crap! This really happened... "I know of only two very real evils in life: remorse and illness." Leo Tolstoy...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Now that Mike Gundy has turned down Tennessee - the Volunteers will next turn to Nick Saban. In the end they'll wind up with Ben McAdoo... AC/DC bandmates pay their respects to Malcolm Young... Not an Eli Manning fan in the least but for what he's done for and meant to the Giants franchise for them to treat him this way is shabby. The Giants were the "classy" New York franchise - not any more...  Good point... If "gormless" is a word - shouldn't "gormfull" also be a word?...Older people remember November 22nd as the anniversary of the JFK assassination. Younger people remember the date as the anniversary of the Butt Fumble... An Iranian wrestler throws his match rather than face an Israeli. This is acceptable behavior? Ban Iran from International competition for making their athletes behave this way...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

This is basically the state of Rick Santorum's campaign. I don't know whether to laugh or feel sorry for him... Supposedly the Blue Jays turned down a trade that would have sent Brett Lawrie to the Mariner's for Michael Pineda. I think Toronto was correct to reject that trade. Lawrie could be a monster every day player and a sleeper in many fantasy baseball leagues... On this day in 2004 we got to see Janet Jackson's breast at halftime of the Super Bowl. I was not impressed... Who knew? Bradbury Robinson threw the first forward pass in football history on September 5, 1906. He was playing for Saint Louis University. You would think that Bradbury Robinson would be better known...  Mara likes Coughlin because he's focused on winning not his image (unlike some other head coach in NYC)... I wonder if players who donate to Peter Gammons' Hot Stove charity get better and more positive coverage during the season?... Just saying but Eli Manning had a poster of Tonya Harding on his wall growing up. I think there is still some yearning there... Who knew? Joel Murray who played Freddie Rumsen on Mad Men is Bill Murray's brother...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

It should be noted that the Patriots have now won 10 games in a row. The last team to beat them was actually the New York Giants... Had a dream last night that the Red Sox made a huge trade with the Marlins for Josh Johnson. I hope that dream comes true... Gov. Chris Christie calls Newt Gingrich an embarrassment to the Republican Party and I agree... So where does Rex Ryan watch the Super Bowl? No network would want him because how would he be able to answer the question of how do you beat the Patriots or the question of how to beat the Giants. Gasbag... I wonder if on the show Blue Bloods they ever show Tom Selleck and a sandwich and waterfall in the same scene. That would be a special episode... I wonder if Tiki Barber still thinks Eli Manning lacks leadership skills?... Definition of badass... So is Brian Orakpo banging the Geico cavemam? That's the takeaway I get seeing the caveman in the locker room in a cheerleader outfit... Just saw a guy with a "Will Work for Food" sign who looked just like Craig Kilborn. Pretty sure it wasn't him... I have a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that the Red Sox trading both Marco Scutoro and Jed Lowrie will lead to a desperation move of switching Dustin Pedroia to shortstop. I also wouldn't be surprised if Ben Cherington's next move is to trade Mike Availes for another middle reliever.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Dick Tuck - perhaps the most fascinating political operative in history... Eli Manning's contract makes him the highest paid QB in the NFL but I'd bet on average 10 QB's are taken before him in fantasy football drafts. I'd take Brady, Peyton, Brees, Warner, Cutler, Ryan, Roethlisberger, McNabb, Romo and Palmer all before Eli Manning... Heh heh - Ferris Bueller: Psychopath... Just saying that the grass is not always greener - JD Drew has played 344 games with the Red Sox and hit a HR on average every 33 AB since joining the team. In that same time frame Johnny Damon has played 41 more games and average a HR every 34 AB... There is a report that the Red Sox have put in a claim on Cristian Guzman. I believe it. Checking the Red Sox minor league depth at SS and man is it depressing. You have to go to Single A Salem to find a SS hitting above .220... Pure gold- John Hughes' Vacation 58 - the short story the movie Vacation was base on... The O/U for Notre Dame wins this season is 9. Yikes! I was willing to take the over at 8 but 9? Don't think so... A one-man stage show of Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea starring Erik Estrada would be so bad it's good in a Springtime for Hitler type way.