August 17, 2022 News and Notes

• One out of every nine LAUSD students sat out the first day -- many, probably, due to COVID concerns.
• That isn't going to be allowed to stand for long.  That's 50,000 absentees.
• Half of all students in LA missed at least 18 days last year.
• If there's any evidence left to get as to who the Q-Anon T Party will nominate in two years:  Ten House Republicans voted to impeach Trump.  Four quit at the end of this term.  Four of the other six have lost, three to Trump opponents, including Liz Cheney tonight.  Only TWO made the November ballot.
• A couple weeks after her husband got it, now the First Lady, Jill Biden, has tested positive for COVID.
• As has the CEO of Pfizer.
• Patrick Reed has sued NBC Universal, The Golf Channel, and Branden Chamblee, a commentator on same, for three quarters of a billion dollars for Chamblee claiming Reed is a habitual cheater, etc. and so forth.  And criticism of the LIV Tour, which Reed is now on.
• Why am I getting the feeling we are going to see a major violent incident between the PGA Tour and LIV Tour golfers in short order?   
• Wrestler Sasha Banks got her car broken into during some time in Oakland.  Translated:  She left her car out for more than five minutes in the central Bay Area!   
• The Texas Rangers are in the middle of a shakeup.  Manager and Team President both fired this week.
• To show how little it is probably going to matter:  Jon Daniels has been the President of Baseball Operations for the Texas Rangers now for 17 years.  Two trips to the World Series (which I completely forgot about, but were right at the start of his tenure, lost a Wild Card game, dropped two ALCS as AL West Champion.
• Last winning season was their last playoff year in 2016.
• And it continues for Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United:  Slapped a mobile phone out of a 14 year old's hand.  Officially warned that can be used against him in an English court, if the situation requires.  Ronaldo wants out of the ManU Titanic -- and, if he's not careful, he's going to get out, by way of going to jail!  The FA now is going to investigate -- and may charge Ronaldo for the incident.  In 2013, Eden Hazard was banned three matches for striking a ball boy.
• And all pretense of unexpected booking for the G1 for the 50th Anniversary went out the window in the semifinals.  Kazuchka Okada defeated Tama Tonga for the chance to become the winner in consecutive years, a feat only managed five times, three by Antonio Inoki.
• His challenger will be Will Ospreay, who beat Tetsuya Naito in the other semifinal.  After a tournament with a lot of booking, it's Okada, who basically has defined New Japan Pro Wrestling for the last decade, and Ospreay, who, if his body would ever hold up, would be one of about four men or so who could unseat him.
• The winner of tonight's final wins an effective Money in the Bank -- they WILL be the challenger at the next Wrestle Kingdom (title currently held by Jay White, who almost won his block undefeated, but for a loss to Tama Tonga on the final group night -- meaning he wins a title shot, but not at WK (see above)), but will have to defend that "title" over the course of the intervening months.  Tradition has the defenses against anyone in the group phase who defeated them, so Ospreay would have to face David Finlay and another former IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Shingo Takagi.  Okada would only have to face JONAH, a recent IWGP signing.  Based on Gedo's booking, kinda six of one and half a dozen of the other here.  Okada has defined New Japan the last decade, Ospreay would bring the better challengers in the fall -- but at risk of another injury.  Going with Okada as a prediction.