Day 869

• Prosecutors in Spain are asking for eight years in prison for pop superstar Shakira -- tax fraud.  Makes me wonder when we declare the entire entertainment industry a multi-layered criminal cartel and be done with it!   
• Severe thunderstorms in Las Vegas left the Strip in a flash flood last night!  That can happen...   
• The problem of teens brawling in theme parks has become a nationwide epidemic.  Maybe, sadly, it's time to start considering REAL action against some of this crap.   
• Charles Barkley has been money-ordered to quit this LIV crap.  He'll stay with TNT if this whole thing doesn't eventually get him fired upon further reflection.
• Aaron Judge walked off with the only run last night in a 1-0 win -- his 39th homer in the Yankees' 100th game (and their 67th win).
• And he's just hit #40 tonight in game 101.
• And a slam to put away the Royals in the 8th for #41.
• New Nick Kyrgios domestic violence hearing date:  August 23.

We now have more information on last night's Press Your Luck situation which might explain everything:

• Most of the $433,000 the contestant had won was the "specialty prizes" placed on the board:  A $220,000 Trip To The Ends Of The Earth (A North Pole flyover plus a trip to Antarctica), a $90,000 pair of Fords, and a very expensive Harley Davidson, as well as a $10,000 Grand Piano
• Meaning that, when the contestant actually hit the Whammy, he had lost about $350-360,000 in prizes and only a (comparatively) small sliver of cash.
• Most people know that, to the great detriment of American game shows, the IRS gets involved in basically any winnings situation.
• Here's something you may not know:  For The Price is Right, you MUST produce a certified check for the amount of your taxes, or you do not receive the prizes at all!  
• If that's the case for Press Your Luck, at least one fan I talked to this morning proposed the contestant was going to (somehow) come up with the better part of $150,000 IN CASH -- and he'd won less than half of that on the show, meaning he was on the hook for about 75 grand!
• It makes the decision to play and win the half-million augment in cash make COMPLETE SENSE.