More Linky Links

More stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Truflation is a site you should check periodically.

- Matt Taibbi on Facebook allowing the Biden White House to censor content.

- I wasn't aware I was in need of a new conspiracy theory but there you go.

- Shocker - not one 8th grade student at Lebron James' I Promise School has passed state's math test in 3-years. Either these scores are due to the school only being 5-years old, the school starting in 8th grade (and the failure is really on who was "teaching" the students before) or James is much better at PR than education. Not sure.

LeBron James is a Hard Person to Root For

And it seems an ever harder person to work with. Read through this litany of James being a spoiled man-child and tell me this describes a likable human.  As a Celtics fan - I've never liked LeBron and it gives me pleasure that James is going to leave the Los Angeles Lakers in tatters when he departs. 

It's said the truly great players elevated the play of those around them. Again - read the history of LeBron's scheming behind the scenes and tell me how he's done that. Bird, Magic, and Michael all made their teammates better players. LeBron tries to get his teammates traded instead. 

Oh and spare me "He's built a school" crap. Tell that to the people of Hong Kong or the people in Chinese labor camps. 

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Cannabis jobs are booming.  Article also seems like a stealth propaganda piece for unionizing these jobs which would be a mistake. Legal weed will be successful as long as its less expensive than illegal weed. Union labor costs on top of the significant taxes already added to the product would make that a difficult equation.

- The NYT's Partisan Tale about COVID. You should question anything you read in the NYT. They are not a trustworthy source of information.

- Heh Heh

- COVID - the Plague of the Poor. Such a great article! Make this today's "must read!" Two stats jumped out at me because I was unaware of them: "In 1975 there were 1.5 million hospital beds available in the United States; in 2019 there were only 920,000. To make matters worse, hospitals lost an estimated $50 billion a month during lockdowns in 2020."

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I'm curious to see if major unions like the NFLPA or the government workers unions cave to vaccine mandates or if they stand up for their members who do not want to be forced to get a vaccine to save their jobs... Gourmand Winos would be a good name for a band... Perhaps the trade of Russell Westbrook to the Lakers was a distraction tactic by LeBron James to make people look away from how much of a dumpster fire Space Jam II is. Plausible theory... If the NFL in effect bans non-vaccinated players could they also ban vegan players while they're at it? That might get my support... Really random thought; in old western movies you'd never see John Wayne or Gary Cooper in a whorehouse. Henry Fonda? Sure. Jimmy Stewart? Maybe (he did run one in The Cheyenne Social Club)...  

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Really rooting against the LeBron James' Space Jam movie. Last time I had this much dislike towards a movie was the all-female Ghostbusters flick... My mind works differently than most but I would really like to see Rascal Racing where obese people (min 300 pounds) race around a NASCAR track for one lap on their Rascal scooters. The crashes would be hilarious... Ratings for Game 1 of the NBA Finals were down 10 million viewers compared to just 4-years ago - a trend which is not good for the NBA. But interesting the average of 8.57 million was a million more than watched last year's Game 1 which featured LeBron James and the LA Lakers. Funny but the Finals ratings always went up when Michael Jordan was playing in them... As much as Red Sox fans miss Mookie Betts (who was never going to sign long-term with Boston) they're happy to be rid of David Price, his contract and his ego. Price isn't even a starter for the Dodgers anymore but is coming out of the bullpen... As great as Tom Brady is, especially performing at such a high level at his age, he doesn't come close to the performance of another GOAT named Vanna White who is still doing her role on Wheel of Fortune at age 64. Rumor has it that this may be her last season though. All good things must come to an end...  

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Why environmentalists cause climate change. Beware anyone who believes in an apocalyptic climate change future but is also against nuclear power. They are either a moron or running a con game. 

- Heh Heh

- Heh Heh - LeBron "Me and my team have decided to boycott the playoffs in the name of social justice."

- The mRNA vaccine revolution is just beginning.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Every time I see Lebron James' beard I keep waiting for Spike Lee to announce he's signed Lebron to play Ahab in an all-black production of Moby Dick... God help us indeed!... When is Consumer Reports going to do an all tazers issue? I only want to buy the best... I've said this for a long time but I think all candidates for Congress should first have to take and pass the citizenship test immigrants take as part of the Naturalization process. And the results should be made public. That would both weed out candidates who don't know our history or how our system works (looking at you Maxine Waters) but also provide an easy metric for people on the fence to make a choice (pick the candidate with the higher score)... Sad but true... Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! (Those words will always be magical to me)... 

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Heh Heh - took me a second. "How dare you!" 

- Sometimes it isn't satire

- Larry Ellison makes a good point about cats and dogs.

- Agree with this hero mom 100%

- The environmental catastrophe of the American chestnut tree blight has gone mostly unnoticed and unreported.  

Top 5 Reasons the NBA is in Trouble

Here's my Top 5 reasons I feel the NBA is in trouble. I did not number them because to me all these reasons are inter-related.

- The costs of attending an NBA game have gotten out of reach for the average family. This has bred some resentment that I think goes under the radar. With the kids never having the magic of attending their first NBA games the next generation of NBA fans has been eroding away for some time now. The experience of a kid just seeing the NBA through the prism of TV or a video game isn't the same. Too easy to change the channel or play a more interesting game instead.

- The domestic political stances taken by the league have driven away many fans. The attitude of "If you don't agree with our stances and vote Democrat then you are a racist" is basically the message many fans have taken away from the NBA's actions. And Adam Silver saying there will be no on court messaging next season is a tacit admission that this has hurt the NBA's bottom line. It may be too little to late for many fans though.

- Player movement has hurt many fans emotional attachment to players. Think of this as "the LeBron Effect." His "decision" to leave Cleveland for Miami caused great psychic harm to the fans in Cleveland that never truly healed and ushered in many NBA stars following suit. As great as Kevin Durant is as a player he will never get his historical due because no fan base ever became emotionally attached to his vagabond ways the way past generations fell in love with a Michael Jordan or a Larry Bird. And if the shutdown related revenue drops cause a work stoppage - look for fans to run away from the NBA in droves because for most that emotional attachment to the players has been severed or never developed in the first place.

- China: They choose blood money over the freedom of the people of Hong Kong and gave up the moral high ground basically for generations. Given the damage the Wuhan virus has caused to this country many will neither forget nor forgive the NBA for this huge moral shortcoming. No other professional sports league is saddled with this problem. The damage will be unique to the NBA.

- Commercials: This isn't just an issue for the NBA but it is exacerbated by the nature of their game. For as long as I've watched the NBA people have opined that you only need to watch the last few minutes (tough to argue against this idea). People in general have become more reluctant to sit through the commercials that permeate live TV sports which is one of the reasons sports TV ratings are down across the board. But given the nature of NBA play many people wonder why subject yourself to two hours of commercial ridden TV when you can just catch the highlights on YouTube? Some NBA owners highlight the uptick of NBA clips on digital platforms as a positive but it's really more of a symptom of a deep problem for the league.

NBA (Not So FAN-tastic)

Making a prediction that in three-years or less when the NBA renews their TV deals and it is for a lot less than the current NBA 9-year $24 billion TV deal with ESPN and Turner (deal expires in 2025). Many things will be blamed for the reduction in revenue but the "Social Messaging" political stances the league took this year won't be one of them.

Another prediction - when it is time for a new CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) between the owners and players - the players will not accept the reality of the new salary cap which will be much less than the current one. I'd look for a lockout by the owners or a strike by the players either of which will be the final nail in the coffin for the NBA.

Short-term if LeBron James wanted some good PR (to offset some of his blatant jock-sniffing of Communist China) I'd suggest he donate his entire NBA playoffs share to the management and housekeeping staff of the hotel the Lakers are staying at during the bubble in Orlando.

It's the least he could do.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

"You know what the issue is with this world? Everyone wants a magical solution for their problems, and everyone refuses to believe in magic." - Alice in Wonderland... If I could listen to just one artist on a desert island I think I would probably end up choosing between Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits and solo) or George Harrison (The Beatles and solo)... Convinced that the very best obituaries of Little Richard will mention his crucial role in the movie Mystery, Alaska... "Life is short, break the rules. Forgive quickly, kiss slowly. Love truly. Laugh uncontrollably and never regret anything that makes you smile." - Mark Twain (emphasis added for the tip I really want to take to heart)... Michael Jordan's Bulls were swept twice in the NBA playoffs by the great Larry Bird Celtic's teams of 86 and 87 (the 86 team is considered by many to be the greatest NBA teal of all-time). These were best of 5 series so the sweeps were just 3 games. If you put the 33-year old Jordan on those Bulls teams they don't get swept by the Celtics. And I still say if you put a 33-year old Jordan on the Cavs instead of LeBron James they don't get swept in 4-games in the 2018 NBA Finals by the Warriors...  Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

No dog in the LeBron vs Michael debate but I do wonder if you put Michael Jordan on the 2011 or the 2014 Miami Heat instead of LeBron James (with Jordan being the same age as LeBron those seasons) does anyone think the Heat lose to the Mavericks or Spurs? I doubt it... Not for nothing but if someone started a rumor that "Joe Biden needs to wear adult diapers because he's lost control of his bladder"- many, many people would believe it. Such a rumor is easy to believe at this point because it is not out of the realm of possibilities. That's a problem for the Democrats... Doctor Strange would have made a fantastic Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher... Phrasing... LeBron James' Cavs were swept in the 2018 NBA Finals by the Warriors. Do you think Michael Jordan would ever allow one of his teams to be swept in the Finals? Jordan's competitiveness would not have allowed that... Bill de Blasio seems like the sort of politician that would try to reintroduce pay toilets...

Heh Heh

Via

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Fan raised $43k to hand out "Stand With Hong Kong" t-shirts at Lakers home opener. Be interesting to see how the team handles this.

- Yes - this is true. I am lazy!

- CC Sabathia's Hall of Fame case. Was Sabathia better than Luis Tiant? Or Curt Schilling? Neither of those players are in the Hall of Fame.

- Cool science.

- The Trade War seems to be effecting the strength of the Chinese economy. As an aside I loved this quote from the article; "Authorities will loosen policies, but in a more restrained way." Loosening things through further restraint?  That's the Chinese Communists for ya.

- South Park pokes fun at LeBron James for his China comments.

- Heh Heh

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Had a dream that Donald Trump's butler was to be played by Samuel L. Jackson in the Tarentino movie adaptation of the 2016 Presidential election. Yes I know Trump doesn't have a butler and this was only a dream. But I'd really want to see that movie... They should do spinoffs of The Walking Dead but set them in different periods in history. You could have The Medieval Walking Dead, Civil War Walking Dead, etc....  "You will not be punished for your anger. You will be punished by your anger." - the Buddha... "Don't be a tough guy. Don't be a fool! I will call you later." Written by Donald Trump but voiced in my head by Mr. T.... I'm predicting right now that LeBron James' Space Jam 2 will be a massive bomb... Cheers had such great writers and characters. I'll always mist up over this scene. Just wish the clip was a little longer so we could have seen her tell Roy to hit the bricks... 25 of the best Oscar Wilde quotes. This is one of my favorites, "When I was young I thought that money was the most important thing in life; now that I am old I know that it is"...

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Toronto Raptors fans to give away thousands of pro-Hong Kong t-shirts on opening night. Good for the folks who came up with this. Be interesting to see how the team handles the situation.

- Hollywood's new self-censorship mess with China.

- 25 cool Australian slang terms.

- Citizen scientists find thousands of asteroids in Hubble images. Cool.

- Boston represent!

- China vows to retaliate against US Congress for passing Hong Kong human rights legislation. Trying to bully Hollywood is one thing but trying to bully the US Congress should get your hackles up Left and Right.

- Laird Hamilton's 5 rules for healthy living.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Even Matt Taibbi is saying the Left is trying to engage in a coup against the President.

- And just like that LeBron became the focus of a future episode of South Park

- What is this magic?

- This is an interesting situation and perhaps deserving of a Presidential pardon.

- Why Metformin could help you live a longer, healthier life.

- Agree 100%

- This was well done.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- This letter is awesome - be sure to read until the end

- Mother Jones - A century of fire suppression is why California is in flames (and this was written a year ago!)

- Trump's sanctions are crushing Iran's job market and potentially destabilizing the regime. Keep the pressure on! That's what you deserve when your biggest export is terrorism.

- Awesome - farting controversy "clouds" dart championship. Let he who hasn't cropdusted while playing Cricket cast the first stone.

- Why you should always take the high road

- Interesting - Lebron James specifically asked Cleveland not to trade Kyrie Irving and especially not to the Celtics

- Outstanding!

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

When I saw President Trump's tweet about LeBron James - my honest first thought was that Trump either consciously or unconsciously wants to be a one-term President... God help me but I laughed at this... If Donald Trump ever goes on trial for anything in his life one of the jury pool selection questions will now have to be "Are you a fan of LeBron James?" If the prospective juror says yes then they will be shown the door... Turns out that $32.6 TRILLION cost for Medicare for All over 10-years was a best case scenario. Anyone who argues for this has no idea how the world works... "God will not have his work made manifest by cowards." Ralph Waldo Emerson... For no reason I'm suddenly curious if a reggae version of The Band's Up On Cripple Creek exists... I'm curious how President Trump going after LeBron James polls in Miami and Ohio. Sure it will poll poorly in Akron but what about in Cleveland?...

LeBron James

So LeBron James has signed with the Lakers as a free-agent for $154 million over 4-years. Who could have seen this coming? Oh yeah - everyone!

Last year I suggested that Cleveland should be trading LeBron James and not Kyrie Irving. I still stand behind that.

If the Cavaliers had traded James last season this year their core would have been Kyrie, Kevin Love and Brandon Ingram. Any half decent GM would be able to make that core into an Eastern Conference contender.

Instead Cleveland will be in shambles for the foreseeable future. They might not even have their own draft pick this year having traded it for Kyle Korver (Top 10 Protected).