April 30, 2023 News and Notes

• Two of the greatest words in all of sports:  Game Seven.  And there are three of them today.
• The Warriors and Kings shoot it out in Sacramento today.
• Seattle and Colorado in one NHL Game 7.
• And the end of the President's Trophy is 60 minutes away -- as eighth-seeded Florida has pushed record-breaking Boston to a seventh game.
• The Toronto Maple Leafs won their series last night.  What made this significant is that, even though about half the NHL makes the playoffs every year, this is the first playoff series win for the Maple Leafs in NINETEEN YEARS.
• A near tragedy at the Formula One race in Azerbaijan today.  Esteban Ocon was forced to pit on the final lap of the race and nearly took out a number of photographers.
• Ocon was forced to pit because he was forced to take on a different set of tires by Formula One rules.  You must take on two different sets and types of tires throughout the race.  The hard tires Ocon had on his car had lasted the entire event.
• Ten days into the Relay For Life Fantasy Faire, and the total is now almost $45,750.
• And don't look now, but Oakland is not the only historical-suck team out there.  About a month into the season, the White Sox are 7-21!  (That would extrapolate right about to the 40-120 the expansion Mets had for the record.)
• In case you're wondering:  June 30 - July 2 in Oakland, August 24-27 in Chicago.
• Another bad moment in this offseason for the University of Georgia.  A Georgia player is believed to make several anti-Asian slurs into an NFL Draft livestream.  What do they put in the water down there?   

April 29, 2023 News and Notes

• We have officially passed the halfway point of the Relay For Life on Second Life Fantasy Faire for the American Cancer Society.  The official nine-day donation total now stands at a little over $43,500.
• After winning game #5 Monday, the Oakland A's have gone on a losing streak.  The team has also ordered the removal of all anti-owner signs from the stadium.  The team now stands at 5-22.
• That is on pace, at the 1/6 mark of the season, for 30-132.  Ten games worse than the record set by the Mets six decades ago.
• Official attendance Friday night against the Reds:  6,423.
• The last middle-week series in Oakland was against the Cubs, and the Thursday game of that (April 19), with probably over half the crowd Cubs fans, could only draw just over 12,000.
• Saturday:  Now 5-23.  3-2 win for the Reds.  Attendance:  7,052.
• Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies were sent off from the NBA Playoffs last night.  Lakers by 40 to win the series 4-2.
• And an unexpected double-digit home loss by the Warriors sets up a Game 7 in that series in Sacramento.
• The NBA champion, as the champion of any league, represents the league in excellence for the next year.  If you don't think certain dials are twisted to ensure "certain teams" do NOT win the championship (looking at you, Ja Morant and Warriors...)...   
• Desjaun Johnson, a defensive end from the University of Toledo, has won the honor this year of being Mr. Irrelevant -- the last player drafted in the NFL Draft, compensatory pick of the LA Rams.

This Blog Should Not Exist, Part 2.07: We Are SO FUCKING DONE...

If you need to see what is going on in this nation, I have two very vile stories to give you, indicating we are so done as a nation, society, culture, and people...

The first comes from the state of Texas.  That should be a tip-off in the first place, especially given the subject matter.

A man was firing off rounds of an AR-15 at his Texas home in Cleveland, TX (about 40 miles north of Houston).  It was late enough that the family next door needed sleep.

The entire family was promptly liquidated by the apparent Mexican national.  Five killed, including an 8 year old.

And you can't tell me that -- and many more! -- were not the complete intent of this idiot, especially given his response to their reasonable demand that he can it!

But that might pale in comparison to Karl Denninger's latest anti-transgender screed on his The Market Ticker blog -- on his "what the media does NOT want you to know" section.

If you are willing, as a function of what you believe to be the "facts" of the situation, to agree with this guy on this subject (and there are even members of my family who do -- subject of at least two significant arguments and one "don't you dare threaten my wife!" (oh, I can't wait til these people see Part Three on May 24 -- provided I make it that far before I get put in prison!)), you must then agree, also, with the following:

• You then have two remaining choices with respect to that situation.
• You either, then, must believe not only that the sole purpose of Human on this Earth is procreation (with the appropriate penalties for refusal, however that refusal goes down), but you then also must believe that there can be no such thing as rape, because consent is no longer an issue at that point.  Since there is, then, no consent vis-a-vis "being an adult and accepting you are your biological gender", there is also no consent (and no point to it) as to everything which comes with that biological gender.
• Or you must then conclude God never created transgenders at all, and that Satan's Dark Miracle of Creation actually exists.

The latter, first, is not only false, but very monstrous -- but it is probably where we are headed in this argument with these right-wing bigoted fucks.

The same reason I can state God created hermaphrodites, as well as those who various sanctioning bodies have declared of Differences in Sexual Development (DSD's, like several African Olympic medalists, now banned from track and field due to anti-transgender bigotry by the world sanctioning body of the sport), is the reason I can state God created transgenders, transgenderism, and everything surrounding it -- and not as a function of Satan.

Your only other conclusion is that God did not create them at all, because you cannot reconcile those who are placed in the wrong body (and, in fact, have the wrong hormones going through the rest of their non-reproductive situation as well) with your belief, end of day, that God's sole purpose for Human is to Be Fruitful And Multiply.

Then we get to the former situation.  Since a person's plumbing is so sacred to you, with respect to especially (the false belief that things are being done to) children, you then state that that plumbing is the centerpiece of Human's entire life, being, and purpose.

The only logical conclusion from that argument is the argument that a person's sole legitimate purpose comes straight down to the fact that they are called upon by God to Be Fruitful And Multiply.  Those who refuse must be dealt with appropriately (however that refusal goes down -- including those, like myself, for whom it serves no one's best interests to even make the attempt, because the attempt cannot be made consensually).

And then, since a person's wishes, beliefs, and mental health have nothing to do with the above argument, then their consent with respect to it must also be damned.  Meaning that there is no material case for rape -- you're raping every transgender person in the world in the first damn place, because their consent to even be what you want them to be will never be given, pain of death in many cases (and, in many cases where reversal has already started, would be a medical situation, not a suicide one!).

So you're not only a bigot, you're pro-rape on top of it.

There can be no other conclusion, Karl.

I have almost had to disown my family over some of these facts (or have them disown me for their own safety), because of the lies to try to paper over the very real fact that your sole desire, due to the sacred plumbing being the centerpiece of the entire being of Human, is the elimination of the entire framework and infrastructure of transgenderism (not only the persons directly, but their allies, and also the entire physical and mental-health infrastructure of this nation).

Don't believe me on the last one of the three?  Here's a quote from blog commenter "Cmoledor":

"Touching on the physicians, Im really starting to believe that much of our medical industry is closely resembling witchcraft. Tin perhaps. But after the last 3 years and all of what Ive learned here about the med scams, it seems to me it is akin to witchcraft. But then witches didnt try to change sexes. So they are perhaps better than our physicians."

One side comment:  This group of animals is one of the main reasons I can basically discard the entire anti-vaxx movement.  The fact is, not unlike the Nazis, the only way you get to personal responsibility in this country is to eliminate all those who refuse your brand of it.

When you found out the nature of the largest group at risk of dying to COVID-19, you finally felt you had the means to kill the fat, lazy, etc. without firing a shot!  And now, given that you have succeeded in discrediting the vaccines to the point they can't be effective for those who took them (because we will never reach herd immunity -- remembering that the only reason we defeated polio, etc. is the forced vaccination for it of every schoolchild in this country).

(Which is one of the things you are now seeing discredited by the same crowd now!)

Your only conclusion at that point is then to state God never intended a significant portion of this country's population to live any degree of a length of time, and that a smaller such portion should never have been born -- thanks to the medical industry you so shun, both with respect to COVID and transgenderism.

April 28, 2023 News and Notes

• The Gaelic Athletic Association of Ireland has cancelled all matches for the weekend.  Referees' strike after one received a threatening letter from a fan after a match.
• Eight full days into the 2023 Fantasy Faire for Second Life, and, with just over nine full days to go, the event has just crossed it's first 10,000,000 Lindens, representing $40,000 for the American Cancer Society.
• The resident race-baiting rabblerounder on Deadspin, Carron J. Phillips, believes that the fact that Will Levis is white is the main reason the Kentucky QB was not taken in the first round last night, leaving an awkward moment with him waiting in the Green Room.
• Not for the victory lap Phillips is almost-certainly doing, but the stereotypical Black Athletic Quarterback is a commodity, especially with the Ravens re-signing Lamar Jackson.   

I can't believe I have to do a Playing Fair Moment with the NFL...

... but the first pick of the NFL Draft tonight was not Bryce Young of Alabama to the Panthers.

Yes, that is the first player drafted to a team.

However, in tribute to the three players killed from the University of Virginia last November, the NFL made D'Sean Perry, Lavel Davis, and Devin Chandler the first picks of the 2023 NFL Draft.

April 27, 2023 News and Notes

• I guess Aaron Rodgers is now COVIDIOT-8.  The Jets retired 12 for Broadway Joe -- and though Namath would've allowed it, Rodgers says he will wear #8.
• Disney has sued the state of Florida and Ron DeSantis for the governor's campaigns against the company.
• Zooey Zephyr, the transgender representative in the Montana House, has been expelled from the chamber by a party-line vote for the remainder of the session.
• Today is Day 8 of the 2023 Fantasy Faire for Second Life, raising money for the American Cancer Society.
• Through 6 days, the website reports slightly over $34,150 -- about a third of what it raised last year for the entire event.
• This total includes over $1,200 raised in a Children of Stories RP dance event Tuesday, DJ'ed by Nancy Daehlie.
• There is an, at present, unconfirmed report of a second Daehile-DJed RP event forthcoming...  Stay tuned!
• This pushes the 15-year total for the Fairelanders to over $665,000.
• And the T-Wolves playoff run ended as it began:  Anthony Edwards has been cited for assault after swinging a chair and hitting two female stadium employees.  His first court date is in June for the misdemeanor.
• The NBA and the players' union approved a new CBA to prevent a league opt-out this summer.  Six years -- the biggest changes meant to hamper superteams like the Warriors.
• At the sources level, but it appears that Jacksonville's Cam Robinson will be suspended for a PED policy violation.  The report does not, however, state how many games Robinson will have to sit.
• And another regular-season champion falls:  The Milwaukee Bucks are eliminated, four games to one!, by the Miami Heat.
• The television definition of "for better or for worse":  We lost Jerry Springer today -- and if I need to explain to anyone the statement I made accompanying that, you either aren't American (and that's no offense -- I mean that literally!) or you've been living under a rock.  He was 79.
• Except that a lot of his early work -- and some of his later work -- was NOT the classic format which featured every jilted lover in rural America (or so it seemed -- or actors representing same!) in almost every conceivable combination.   
• Because of anti-transgender laws and the backlash Dwayne Wade has suffered, Wade has moved his family out of the state of Florida.
• One of the horses entered in the Kentucky Derby for a week from Saturday has been put down after suffering an injury at Churchill Downs.
• The Atlanta Braves have been ordered by MLB to stop the oversized Homer Hat celebration.
• By the official hat provider of the league.
• We have just passed the one week mark of Fantasy Faire on Second Life -- just over $37,600 has been raised as of 12 noon Pacific Thursday -- precisely one week after the Faire's beginning.

Vince McMahon is a fucking scumbag, part...

Lawsuit revealed today by Brittney Abrahams, a Black writer for the company in the last three years.

Objected to racist and other-stereotype pitches, and retaliated against for it.

Basically, if you've seen Vince at any point in the last...  40 years...  none of this would be a surprise.

But this gets a post with a revelation of what one of the pitches was for the first major Saudi signing, Mansoor...

They actually were pitching that he was going to state he and people with him were responsible for the 9/11 attacks.

Not just the Saudis -- that he was ONE OF THEM.

This, from the same company who had to shitcan a wrestler and his storyline because it got a little too close to home, Muhammad Hassan and his black-masked creeps?

And THEN, now word from David Bixenspan that this led to the end of Mustafa Ali's push and that Ali wanted to be released from the company -- which the WWE has refused and Ali is basically being left for his career to rot.

April 25, 2023 News and Notes

• In his world, we call this "Saturday".  Nate Diaz has an arrest warrant in New Orleans, as he felt the need, after a fighting card in the city, to go fight himself outside as part of a brawl.
• No further firings on the media end as of the end of Monday night.
• But am I the only one to see the connections between the firings of the NBCUniversal CEO, Carlson, and Lemon -- and that they all (at least partially -- it appears Lemon's has even more than this!) have to do with sexual harassment and misogyny allegations?  
• But one on Tuesday so far:  Disney layoffs have claimed Nate Silver, and he's also out at the blog he made famous, 538.
• Perils of the Internet...  A previously banned idiot has been waging World War III on Second Life's Fantasy Faire, threatening the lives of just about everybody within reach on Day Five.
• The Faire continues unabated, however:  Almost $26,500 through the first weekend.  Two weeks to go.
• More history for the Rays.  14-0 at home -- best home start to a season in the Modern Era.
• Oakland is now 5-18, 11-10 extra-inning winners in Anaheim.
• Daylight has come, and he has gone home...  Harry Belafonte passed after a long life well-lived.  He was 96.

April 24, 2023 News and Notes

• At least FIVE major cable news outlet talents have been fired, and a CEO of one of the three major networks ousted as well in the last 72 or so hours:
• Tucker Carlson and
• Dan Bognino are out at FOX "News"
• Don Lemon is out at CNN
• And yet another "inappropriate relationship" (read: job qualification and he pissed someone off BIG) has claimed no less than the CEO of NBCUniversal, Jeff Shell.
• The only question is who did you piss off...
• Or is this a function of the cows coming home to roost and the conservative bend of a lot of recent "news" media is biting in the ass, given the Dominion settlement?
• MORE 10:45 AM PDT:  Jeannine Pirro and Maria Bartiromo, two of the Republican thousand-yard-stare whores at Fox "News", are out.
• Fox "News" viewers are preparing to move even further to the right, to Newsmax, etc.
• Atlanta's Dejounte Murray is under investigation for a contact altercation with an official after the Game 4 loss to Boston.  That might be Game 5 AND games next season.   
• This would, in fact, be his second offense at a game official -- he was fined $20000 for throwing a ball at the legs of an official in February of 2022.
• Should've been more, but he got only Game 5.  Suspended one game.
• The main judge of Dancing With the Stars, Len Goodman, passed away today.  He was 78.  He was the one who gave the dignified air to the table.
• The Aaron Rodgers trade just went down past about 4 PM Eastern today!
• The Packers gain two spots in the first round (15-13), the Jets 2023 2nd, a 2023 Jets 6th, and a 2024 pick which is either 1st or 2nd -- it's a 1 if Rodgers plays 65% of the snaps.
• The Jets get a fifth-rounder from the Pack, as well as the pick flip in 2023 Round 1.

April 23, 2023 News and Notes

• Whether you think it's legit or not, Hollywood and Netflix are gonna have a Hell of a Season Two.  Wrexham Football Club are a professional league football club again, for the first time in a decade and a half!
• Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have seen their team win the National League (Tier 5, and the highest non-league tier), and the 163-year-old English side will be back in League Two next year.
• The clincher was a 3-1 win over Boreham Wood.
• The A's lost 18-3 to the Rangers yesterday.  Through 22 games, the A's are 4-18 with a run differential of -104.  They're, on average, losing by over 4 1/2 runs a game, a pace unheard of in the history of MLB.  FOLD.  THE.  A'S.  MID-FUCKING-SEASON!!!   

April 22, 2023 We Need To Talk, Part Three: The Important One

• Two cheerleaders after one apparently tried to get in the wrong car.
• A six-year-old and his parents after the basketball the kid was playing with entered a neighbor's yard and he went to get it
• A 16-year-old Black person walks up and rings the wrong doorbell
• A 20-year-old, after she and two friends pulled into the wrong driveway in New York State

That's just THIS WEEK...  The 20-year-old was killed.

But there's more, as this has been rising -- but this week might finally have blown the lid off it.

Gun-toting America has had enough, and they're beginning to open fire, at the least at their front doors.

The Black kid was shot by an 84-year-old White man in a part of Kansas City where there are definite racial tensions, too.  Could this finally be the genesis of what I've told these Second Amendment fucks they're going to have to do, especially in the cities?

April 22, 2023 We Need To Talk, Part Two: MLB Edition

Anyone noticing the spate of ejections in the first three or so weeks of the MLB season this year?

According to umpire-school YouTube channel Close Call Sports, there have been at least 23 ejections this season already.

Last year, ejection #23 was May 3rd.

Two years ago, May 2nd.

Yeah, it does sound like (at least in the eyes of some apologists) "The Ump Show" is in full effect.

But there's another one I want to talk about:  Max Scherzer, because he did not believe he would get a fair hearing with MLB's arbitrators on his appeal of the suspension, chose not to.

And, in so doing, he has blown up his career.

Because, regardless of the truth of the statement, now or previous, he is going to be viewed as a cheat.

He is third on the active list for wins with 203, if you believe that stat.

And now, against regardless of truth:  No one will give that sufficient merit, because now people are going to take a look at, at the least, his entire recent career.

Especially if his claim of "rosin and sweat" is true, he had to appeal that, regardless.  Now, especially with the umpire's report that his hands were the stickiest he'd ever felt in the three years of the MLB inspection directive, the only assumption we can now make is that he definitely was doctoring the ball.

And you KNOW people are going to look at this even harder once he comes back.

April 22, 2023 We Need To Talk: Part One: NFL Edition

Gonna try to do three of these today.  We'll see if I get through them all.

But I see three subjects (two sports -- and, hence, less-important) that I think we are now at the level of "We Need To Talk..."

And this one surrounds the gambling investigations and suspensions in the NFL...

And this isn't necessarily one thing here...  Just kind of a list of things that I think we need to at least examine regarding a lot of this stuff...

First:

• Using The Sporting News to source the players before yesterday's announcement, these are the seven players to have been banned from the NFL for illegal gambling:
• Josh Shaw (who, though technically reinstated after a two-year life-ban, is done in the NFL)
• Calvin Ridley (served the one year life-ban, is allowed back, and is joining the Jaguars)
• Jameson Williams (six games)
• Stanley Berryhill (six games)
• CJ Moore (life ban, fired)
• Quintez Cephus (life ban, fired)
• Shaka Toney (life ban)

Now, why am I listing these?

• At the time of the suspensions, Shaw and Ridley were Arizona Cardinals.
• Williams, Berryhill, Moore, and Cephus were Detroit Lions.
• Toney was a Washington Commander.

Tell me one of those seven players who were on teams that were worth a tinker's damn in the relevant season:

• Shaw:  2019 Cardinals were last in their division
• Ridley:  2021 Cardinals did make the playoffs, but were blown out by the Rams in the Wild Card round.
• Toney:  2022 Commanders, last in their division.
• The four Lions:  Aced out of the playoffs in Week 17.  And, remember, this was after the Lions started 1-6, four of those losses by four or fewer points.

None of these teams were any degree of really relevant.

Second:  Given the increasing perception in the public that the NFL is rigged, do you not think that a number of these players may be trying to get money on the side here?

Third:  It is made note of by a lot of defenders of the NFL that none of these players really got that much playing time.

That doesn't matter.  They had access to those who did.  Especially given that the NFL investigation revealed yesterday appears to have uncovered a significant amount of gambling within the Lions' organization, would you not think that it may be time for the league to pore over the games last year and see if anything suspicious comes up?

You know, like the four games out of the first seven where the Lions lost by four points or less, or the fifth game later in the season?

And is there any real mystery that this has cropped up again with the rise of otherwise-legal gambling in the USA?

And there go the Lions...

Any plans you might have for the Detroit Lions to account to a tinker's damn in the NFL this year can be best discounted.

And any plans you might have in Minnesota for a January playoff home game can be, at the least, put in erasable pen, unless somehow you think Jordan Love can force-of-will the Packers to nine wins (ha!) and no one else gets there.

Because we have an illicit gambling ring which has centered on the Lions last year.

Five players have been banned by the NFL for various periods of time due to gambling considerations:

• Lions:  Quinten Cephez has been thrown out of the league, banned "indefinitely"/"for life".
• Lions:  CJ Moore has gotten the same penalty.
• An investigation has established both players gambled on the NFL last year.
• Detroit has fired both players.
• Lions:  2022 first-round pick Jameson Williams has been banned six games.
• Lions:  Stanley Berrihill will also sit six.
• The investigation found that, though they broke the rules on mobile-betting by players and on NFL property, they did not bet on NFL games.
• They have not been fired.
• Several members of the Lions staff have ALSO been fired, same violations!
• The Lions organization will receive at least a $250,000 fine from this, simply from the Club Remittance Policy
• Washington Commanders:  Shaka Toney has also been banned from the NFL for life for illegal gambling.

The Lions lost five of their eight losses last year by one score.  None played heavily for the Lions last year, but you can't tell me that, on a team where one play seemed to snakebite this team time and again, that something wasn't going on.

And the NFL can't tell you the truth -- because if it actually investigates only the portion of match-fixing which falls outside league rules and parameters, they're probably going to find out this is going on all over the league, especially with the advent of legalized betting in many states!

Anyone else beginning to think California voters had the right idea?

The NFL will deny all day and into the night the obvious connotation, and did in this announce

April 21, 2023 News and Notes

• A woman in Hollywood accuses Odell Beckham Jr. of putting his hands around her neck last night.  I'd be inclined to believe the woman because I believe this up OBJ's alley, except for the fact that the venue owner also sides with Beckham, and claims the video shows she was never even in the area.  Both best hope otherwise does not present itself!   
• Antonio Brown may be finally getting locked up.  Unpaid child support.  Gee, I NEVER would have guessed!

April 20, 2023 News and Notes

• It's that time again on Second Life.
• It's the annual 17-day Fantasy Faire to raise money for the Relay For Life on Second Life, a Fantasy emporium of shops and events, starting (about) noon today -- if the last stragglers can be arsed to get their shops set up in time and the sims work!!!   
• Max Scherzer is facing a 10-game suspension for being ejected from Wednesday's game against the Dodgers -- washed his hands upon order and failed a second substance check the next inning.  This is why they needed to toss German in the previous game -- you've now got a real problem...   
• And it's official:  He's been suspended the ten games.
• Earlier this week, Boston beat the Angels 2-1 in a game...
• ... which took 1 hour and 57 minutes to finish.
• Chris Paul finally got a boogieman off his back.  In his 15th playoff game officiated by Scott Foster, Paul finally won one of them, as Phoenix beat the Clippers 123-109.
• With a two-game early lead in the NL West, the Arizona Diamondbacks have gotten rid of their least effective starting pitcher so far:  They DFA'd Madison Bumgartner.
• The A's have finally thrown in the towel on Oakland -- they'll enter an agreement to buy land for a stadium in Las Vegas.
• The House of Representatives, per party lines (so this is COMPLETELY DOA in the Senate), passed a nationwide ban on transgender school athletes.
• I've done a number of articles on how this "fairness" argument dies a quick death when held up to the truth.  They want to murder every transgender person in this country because they want one gender to rape and pillage the other, and people wanting to live their own lives in peace is a completely foreign concept to them.
• Remember, this is the same House GOP who had Rep. Magic The Gathering yesterday bleating that one of her colleagues was fucking a Chinese spy!
• One North Carolina bigot even tried to invoke Muhammad Ali in this.  Forgetting that, in many circles, a lot of people didn't want him to fight at all.  As a Black, as a Black Muslim, and then as a conscientious objector to the Vietnam draft!!!   

It's Official: They're Going With The Commotio Cardis...

A day after the Buffalo Bills announced Damar Hamlin was cleared to resume operations with the team, Hamlin (???) announced that they did go with the sudden heart stoppage "commotio cardis" diagnosis as for what happened.

You best be right, but I still have some very real questions for what happened that playoff Sunday in Buffalo.

EDIT TO ADD, RELATED:  And now, today, Tua is trying to justify to everybody why they should allow and want him back on the field, saying he has "learned how to fall".

Oh.  My.  GOD.  

April 19, 2023 News and Notes

• Draymond Green:  SUSPENDED for Game 3.  And can make his summer vacation plans within a week or so.  The NBA has HAD IT with the Warriors' bullshit.
• The annual anonymous Overrated/Underrated NBA players' poll is out.
• Overrated:
• Trae Young of Atlanta is the most overrated player in the league.  Almost 15% of the players polled said he was overrated, even though he was 14th in the league at over 26 points a game and 3rd in the league at just over 10 assists a game.
• Knicks Julius Randle is second, at about half that percentage.  19th in the league at 25.1 points a game, 11th in the league at 10 rebounds a game.
• Toronto's Pascal Siakam had the same percentage as Randle.  26th in the league at 24.2 points a game, shoots under 50% FG to get there.
• Jimmy Butler of the Heat was #4.  33rd in the league at just under 23 points a game, not much else.
• Rudy Gobert of the Timberwolves was #5.  3rd in the league in field-goal percentage, 5th in the league in rebounds.
• Underrated:
• Jrue Holliday of Milwaukee won the honor as the most underrated player in the league.  In the shadow of Giannis, a lot of people get that idea.
• Mikal Bridges of Brooklyn was second.
• Jayden McDaniels of Minnesota was third.
• Jaylen Brown of Boston was fourth.
• De'Aaron Fox of Sacramento was fifth.
• Sports Illustrated noted all five players had key roles in getting their teams to the playoffs.
• MVPs:  Joel Embiid and Nokola Jocic.
• Greatest of all time?  Foolish and Wretched Ballhog.
• CFK did it again.  Clayton Kershaw against the Mets tonight:  7 innings, 9 K's, three hits.  And for those who honor the stat:  200th win of his career.  Only four active pitchers have reached 200, none have reached 250.  Only Adam Wainwright is in shouting distance at 195.
• Only 17 even have 100.

Sounds like the A's aren't the only team which MLB needs to fold:

how many fans are in the park right now? 😮 pic.twitter.com/7oR8LNzLhY

— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) April 18, 2023

 

That was Tuesday in Detroit.

Played a real doubleheader to make up with Cleveland.  Won the first game 4-3.

In fact, they swept the doubleheader with a sixth-inning home run in a 1-0 win in the second game, which was the makeup.

Announced attendance, and there were a few more people there for Game 2, was 10,099.

I'd REALLY like to know the real number for some of those pictures, though.

FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fox and Dominion are settling their defamation lawsuit.

Dominion's getting almost $800 million.

Why is that piece of shit propaganda fuckery still allowed on the air???

One Case Where China Gets It (Almost) Right

The Chinese Basketball Association ain't having that tanking crap.

To try to manipulate a suspension situation in the Chinese playoffs (to former NBA flop Eric Bledsoe), the Shanghai Sharks decided to throw Game 2 of their three-game first-round series.  Bledsoe had been banned four playoff games, so the Sharks tried to throw Game 2 to the Jiangsu Dragons.

In return, the Dragons threw Game 3 to ensure the Sharks advanced.

The league correctly identified both incidents as match-fixing, and...

• Threw the Sharks coach out of the league for five years.
• The GM of the Sharks for three.
• Threw the Dragons coach out for three.
• Each team was fired five million yuan.
• The Sharks were thrown out of the playoffs.
• The Shenzen Leopards have been advanced to the semifinals via forfeit.
• And the entire season is wiped out for both teams.

Not quite enough:  DISSOLVE BOTH FRANCHISES.

April 17, 2023 News and Notes

• Sunday Night Baseball reported last night that the current indication of game time is about a 15% cut from last year.  To this point in the season, the average game last year was three hours and three minutes.
• Now:  2:38.
• A number of teams are moving beer sales into the eighth inning as a result.
• Evans Chebet and Hellen Obiri, both from Kenya, won today's Boston Marathon.
• 27 non-binary runners competed in their own division.  
• Kae Ravichandran of Vermont won the division in 2 hours and almost 39 minutes.
• Sam Bennett has cashed in from his high finish at The Masters as low amateur:  NIL deal with T-Mobile.

April 15, 2023 News and Notes

• The Prime Minister of Japan has just had an assassination attempt -- a suicide bomber at a port.
• The Prime Minister was unhurt -- the blast was not strong enough to kill the bomber either.
• He has been arrested.
• Cody Ware has been banned from NASCAR, suspended indefinitely.
• Assault by strangulation of a woman
• Assault to inflict serious injury
• Communication of threats
• He's in custody with the additional charges.
• Controversial situation in New York today.  With the Twins being sent nine up and nine down in the first three innings, two checks of Domingo German, the Twins pitcher, got the umpires to compel him to wash his hands.
• German was NOT tossed from the game.
• The Twins' manager WAS for protesting the former fact.
• He was right to protest, and should've protested the game.  If something was on German's hands, how was that NOT doctoring the ball if it was sufficient to force the umps to order him off to wash them, especially after pitching three perfect innings?   
• For the record, German pitched five perfect innings.

April 14, 2023 News and Notes

• The resting of five key players to tank the Mavericks out of the playoffs will cost Mark Cuban another $750,000.  yawn  
• Is Anheuser-Busch finding out how many stupid bigots drink beer?
• DeMar DeRozan's nine-year-old daughter was escorted out of ScotiaBank Arena on Wednesday after online threats to go after her were registered during and after the Bulls-Raptors play-in game.
• Shawn Kemp has been charged with assault in Washington state after a confrontation over a cellphone degenerated into Kemp firing at someone.  No one was injured.
• Of course, you could be high-schooler Mikey Williams, slated to go to Memphis in the fall.  Arrested for FIVE gun charges.
• As early as Monday, Montana will completely ban the use of the TikTok app in the state -- under penalty of a $10,000 fine.
• The record stands tied at 13.  The Tampa Bay Rays are 13-1, 6-3 losers to Toronto.
• The 13 wins are against Boston, Detroit, Washington, Oakland...
• Yeah, that probably means it's more who they played than anything else...   

April 13, 2023 News and Notes

• MAY have a possible lead on some of the interesting stuff which has been going on with a couple of my accounts lately, including this blog.
• And if I'm right, that post in a month and a half is REALLY gonna get something started.   
• 12-0 for Tampa Bay after a 9-7 win over Boston.  The record-tie-er is a morning game with Boston Thursday.  A win would tie for the most wins to open a season.
• And they've done it!  13-0 with a 9-3 win and a four-game sweep of Boston.
• Packers want a second this year and a guaranteed first next year from the Jets for COVIDIOT-12.
• The Jets are balking the guaranteed first.  OUCH!!!! 
• Speaking of COVIDIOT-12, it appears he is endorsing anti-vaxx Democratic challenger Robert Kennedy Jr. for President.    
• It also appears that a Pentagon leaker of classified documents was probably a 4-chan Trump sympathizer.  Wanting to impress an Internet chatboard, and seems to fit all the checkmarks of an inside-job Trump sympathizer.
• Matchups for Friday's final play-in NBA games:
• East:  Chicago at Miami
• West:  Oklahoma City at Minnesota
• Josh Harris has a group together who will be the new owners of the Commanders -- it's at the "reports" level and the league has to approve.  $6.05 billion, a new record.  Fuck, if the shitfeast that is the Commanders is worth THAT...   
• The group also has ownership of the 76ers, Devils, and part of the EPL's Crystal Palace.

April 12, 2023 News and Notes

• 11-0 for Tampa Bay -- 2 away from tying the record.  7-2 win over Boston.
• Miami was upset by Atlanta in the 7-8 Eastern game.  The Lakers beat the T-Wolves in overtime in the Western 7-8 game.  Atlanta and Minnesota await the winners of tonight's 9-10 games to determine who they play in the elimination round on Friday.
• The Boston Bruins have already broken NHL records for wins and points.  64 wins, 133 points.
• #2 is Carolina with 111.
• So you know what that means...  Of course, if this Boston team craps out in the playoffs, that might FINALLY be the end of the President's Trophy.   

Another Playing Fair Moment...

The kids at a middle school (no one says where) start raising a ruckus in a classroom, and their teacher sprints down the hallway, thinking she has to break up another student fight.

The kids are so tightly packed, she has to work her way through them to get to what she thinks is a fight.

Nope.  The bright signs of "WILL YOU MARRY ME?" and "Say YES!" indicate otherwise...  Her partner decided to enlist the aid of the students to propose to her.

Word is, she said yes.

April 11, 2023 News and Notes

• The Timberwolves have suspended Rudy Gobert for the 7-8 play-in game tonight against the Lakers.
• The NBA is investigating an incident last month with Bradley Beal and two men, one of whom accosted Beal after a loss and yelled at Beal, claiming he lost a $1300 bet because of him.  Physicality was involved, as are the police.
• World women's hockey championships:  Canada and the USA needed nine rounds of shootout to settle their Group A preliminary match, with Canada winning.
• A third-division match will probably see both Romania and Hungary expelled from the next tournament, as a brawl involved 20 players and got all of them tossed from the game after a 10-2 win by Romania.
• 554 penalty minutes in the game.
• Reminiscent of the "Punch-Up In Piestany", a brawl between the Canadians and Russians which saw both teams tossed from the World Junior Championships in 1987.
• A 1-0 win for Tampa Bay makes it 10-0.  The record is 13, and Tampa would need to sweep the four-game series in Boston to get it done.

April 10, 2023 News and Notes

• I don't know if this is a targeted attack, or whether it's some algorithm finally getting around to the blog -- three more posts have been put behind a "sensitive content" wall.  And none of them are on the list of stuff I'd probably think would be put under there first.   
• I don't know why they don't just put the entire blog behind it -- or, if they really want to know, to shut it down entirely...
• And one possible reason why?  YAY GUNS!!!  ANOTHER ONE!!!  At least 5 shot and killed in Louisville.   8 injured, as of last count.  Bank.  So was it a robbery which was refused or someone who "just got out of prison and didn't have to take your shit"?   
• This after Gregg Popovich and Gavin Newsom both demanded action on the national epidemic of mass casualty events.

Oh, did some 509 bitch decide they wanted to stand up for Pedo State?

I've had one of my posts flagged.

And it probably isn't one you might think, at first glance.

I got one of my Penn State posts flagged for "sensitive content", probably in an effort to try to take it down.

Son, and I don't know who you are...  You could probably flag THIS ENTIRE BLOG (and the Final Fantasy XI one which preceded it) as "sensitive content" -- and you ain't seen nothing yet.

Wait a month and a half.  I'll show you "sensitive content"...

April 9, 2023 News and Notes

• Tampa Bay beat Oakland 11-0 today.  That is a sweep of their first three series -- 9-0 for the Rays.  The first team in 20 years to win their first nine.
• That's the good news.  The bad news:  Detroit, Washington, and Oakland -- three of the worst teams in the MLB.  Four at Boston next.
• Well, if they're going to investigate the Mavericks for throwing the season away by sitting players in a win-or-eliminated game, then the Trail Blazers may have to be next!  If the Warriors win, they avoid the play-in tournament.  In just the first quarter of the game between the two teams on this final day of the 2022-23 regular season, the Warriors have scored 55 points.
• And never challenged...  157-101.
• Scary stat:  The two wins on Friday and today which got the Warriors the #6 seed are only the 10th and 11th road wins this season for the Warriors.
• LIV Golf is in a dogfight at the Masters at 4 PM Eastern in Augusta.  Blood-money player Brooks Koepka is two over through 6 and one back of Jon Rahm, the new leader.  Phil Mickelson is in the top ten through, but playing partner and PGA stalwart Jordan Spieth can stop him -- he's one shot better than the LIV turncoat.  Saudi big-mouth Patrick Reed is tied with Mickelson.
• Amateur Sam Bennett has already won low amateur -- and he's tied for 13th through 7 holes of his final round.
• Whew.  Rahm wins by 4.
• Fucking Phil Mickelson, LIV turncoat, broke the Masters record for the lowest final round by a Champions Tour-age golfer (50+) when he pulled a 65 out of his ass to tie second with LIV shitbag Koepka.  Tied for second with the other fuckhead Koepka.
• LIV big-mouth Patrick Reed finished joint-fourth with Jordan Spieth.
• Sam Bennett finished two shots short of gaining automatic exemption for next year's tournament.
• Bizarre minor-league situation last night.  The Rocket City Trash Pandas of Alabama, a AA affiliate of the Angels, threw a no-hitter last night against the Chattanooga (TN) Lookouts, a AA Reds affiliate.
• They lost, and gave up SEVEN RUNS in the 7-5 loss.
• All 7 runs were in the seventh and final inning (they played a doubleheader).  
• Four walks walked one run all the way around with two out.  
• An outfield error scored three more.  
• THREE hit by pitches forced home a fifth run.  
• A walk forced home a sixth.
• A wild pitch scored #7.
• And they got another walk before the third out.
• In total, SIX WALKS, THREE HBP, a wild pitch, and an error -- they plated seven runs and put 12 to the plate without even getting a hit.
• And this is what happened with bases loaded and two out:  Three walks, three HBP, wild pitch, three-run error.
• At this rate, just fold the damn Angels if this organization is that shit!!!   
• And they one-hit the Lookouts in the second game.  At least, hopefully they cut half the team between games -- they did win 3-0.
• Rudy Gobert has done it again -- expelled by the Timberwolves from the last regular-season game for taking a swing at a teammate in a time-out huddle.  Will be handled "internally" -- they play the Lakers in the 7-8 game on Tuesday.
• It appears Odell Beckham Jr. is a Baltimore Raven.  1 year, $15M.

NBA playoffs:

• Play-in:
• Eastern 7-8:  Atlanta at Miami on Tuesday
• Eastern 9-10:  Chicago at Toronto on Wednesday.
• Winner of the 9-10 at the loser of the 7-8 on Friday.
• Western 7-8:  Minnesota at the Lakers on Tuesday.
• Western 9-10:  Oklahoma City at New Orleans on Wednesday.
• Winner of that 9-10 at the loser of the 7-8 on Friday.
• First Round:
• E#1 Milwaukee vs. the second Eastern play-in winner.  Starts Sunday.
• E#4 Cleveland vs. E#5 Knicks.  Starts Saturday.
• E#3 Philadelphia vs. E#6 Brooklyn.  Starts Saturday.
• E#2 Boston vs. winner of Atlanta-Miami.  Starts Saturday.
• W#1 Denver vs. the second Western play-in winner.  Starts Sunday.
• W#4 Phoenix vs. W#5 Clippers.  Starts Sunday.
• W#3 Sacramento vs. W#6 Golden State.  Starts Saturday
• W#2 Memphis vs. winner of Minnesota-Lakers.  Starts Sunday.
• In all cases, the higher-seed has home-court advantage.  
• Best of 7.
• The three best records in the NBA came from the East.  The East champion will have home-court advantage for The Finals unless the East champion is Cleveland or below and the West champion has a better record.

This Blog Should Not Exist, Part 2.06: Dept. of Education Caves, and the state realities are about to make it worse...

Not a good day at all for human rights.

First step was really yesterday in Kansas, when a Black Uncle Tom Democrat provided the deciding vote to reinstate (over the governor's veto) the transgender sports ban in that state.

Two Democratic legislators in Tennessee has been expelled for a role in the anti-bigotry protests at the state Capitol where at least 19 were arrested for believing Trans Lives Matter.  A third has survived an expulsion vote.

But the most devastating situation may be the Dept. of Education, who today nullified Title IX protections for transgender athletes (and many cis-female athletes as well!), in allowing many of these bans if they serve educational purpose and/or minimize harm to an athlete.

In short, the Day One Title IX protection Biden put in for transgender athletes is now, through the DoE, null and void.

Worse, like the Kansas bill, it basically allows for fingerfucking and other prurient "inspections" of athletes to "prove" their female nature.

"Minimize harm to the athlete..."  Yeah fucking right!!!

Let me give you three separate anti-trans and anti-cis (as a result of anti-trans) women's sports situations ANYONE COULD HAVE PREDICTED...

1) World Athletics did not just only ban transgender athletes from the women's events, but also set a limit on the natural testosterone levels for female athletes.  Meaning, if a cis-female athlete has a natural testosterone level which is too high, she is treated as a transgender and must lower the testosterone to within limits.

I said before that this would destroy all meaningful standards for female athletes, and the situation with Christine Mboma of Namibia proves this out.  DSD (Differences In Sexual Development) runner, not subject to the DSD rules which disqualified Castor Semenya from 800 meters, but now must undergo hormone therapy (which may not be sufficient for her to compete in next year's Paris Olympics) to be allowed to compete at any World Athletics event.

She was the silver medalist at 200 meters in Tokyo in 2021.

(And DSD and intersex people should put to bed any fucking "God did not create transgenders" bullshit.  I don't wanna fucking hear it, Republicans, and now it appears as if cis-females are also running afoul.)

2) I'm trying to recall the state, and I do believe it was a swimmer, but there was a cis-female athlete ordered to prove she was female after she was beating the other athletes in her class by "too much", making it believed she was also transgender.

3) I don't know how many other states' bans force this issue -- I know Kansas' does and the Dept. of Education is going to allow it.  But physical inspection of female athletes' genitalia is now being allowed.

Yes, I said it above and reiterate it here because of the nature of the situation:  They're going to allow men, in the name of "fairness" of "women's sports", to start fingerfucking little girls before they can be allowed to compete.  Because one of the belief systems indicates that proof of female nature can only be acquired upon knowledge of a cliortis -- at least if you listen to some of these right-wing pigs...

In short, to the Republicans, YOU SICK FUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

And here's the two worst parts of it:  No one should be surprised at this.  As an offshoot of what that Market Ticker commenter spoke of with "'Ass, Gas, or Grass [nobody rides for free]' is going to determine who gets fed and who starves":  We are rapidly going to see it become harder-codified, if not completely hard-codified, that your rights end where your acceptability does.

That, without "legitimate purpose", you have no rights -- and if that legitimate purpose means you have no rights because you are meant to be fingerfucked to prove you're a girl so that you can have babies so the "right men" can "Be Fruitful And Multiply", sucks to be you, right????

And the second worst part of it is how close we are, when you start taking a look at some of these deep blood-red states and the very real possibility of one-party rule.

You already know about the Florida situation with them using 175 year old canards to outlaw the Democratic Party in the state.

But do you also know of how many Republican legislatures are veto-proof, so they can basically expel anyone they see fit:

• The TN House is a 3/4 majority Republican -- before today's expulsion, 75 R 23 D.  Now 75-21.
• The NC Legislature, with a Democratic jump, just went veto-proof.  The next day, transgender sports bans went on the docket in the state Senate.  It appears that Gov. Cooper could be in danger of removal.
• KS, as noted above, only needed the one vote to override the veto.
• The following states have veto proof majorities or close (numbers by Wikipedia):
• Alabama (R, 77-28 in the lower house, 27-8 in the upper)
• Arkansas (R, 82-18 lower, 29-6 upper)
• California (D, 62-18 lower, 32-8 upper)
• Colorado is one vote short in the upper house (D, 46-19 and 23-12)
• Connecticut is three votes short in the lower house (D, 98-53 and 24-12)
• Delaware is three votes short in the lower house (D, 25-16 and 15-6)
• Florida (R, 84-35 lower, 28-12 upper)
• Hawaii (D, 45-6 lower, 23-2 upper)
• Idaho (R, 59-11 lower, 28-7 upper)
• Illinois is one flip short in the lower house.  (D, 77-40 with a vacancy in the lower and 40-19 in the upper)
• Indiana (R, 70-30 lower, 30-10 upper)
• Iowa is three votes short in the lower house (R, 64-36 and 34-16)
• Kansas (R, 85-40 lower, 29-11 upper)
• Kentucky (R, 80-20 lower, 30-7 upper)
• Louisiana (R, 70-32 lower, 27-12 upper)
• Maryland (D, 100-39 lower, 34-13 upper)
• Massachusetts (D, 132-25 lower, 37-3 upper)
• Depending on how the Independents caucus, Mississippi could be anywhere from one to five votes short in the lower house (R, 77-42-3 and 36-16)
• Missouri (R, 111-52 lower, 24-10 upper)
• Montana (R, 68-32 lower, 34-16 upper)
• Nebraska's one house is one vote short (R, 32-17)
• Nevada is one vote short in the upper house (D, 28-14 and 13-8)
• North Carolina has been announced to go veto-proof for the Republicans.
• New York (D, 102-48 lower, 42-21 upper -- has it by two votes in the lower, and right on the number in the upper)
• North Dakota (R, 82-12 in the lower, 43-4 in the upper)
• Ohio (R, 66-32 with one vacant in the lower, 26-7 in the upper -- even if the vacancy goes Democratic, that's still right on the 2/3 in the lower)
• Oklahoma (R, 81-20 in the lower, 40-8 in the upper)
• Rhode Island (D, 65-9 in the lower, 33-5 in the upper)
• South Carolina MAYBE, it depends on one Independent (R, 88-36 in the lower and 30-15-1 in the upper).  They either are veto-proof or one vote away in the upper house.
• Tennessee (R, now 75-21 in the lower, 27-6 in the upper)
• Utah (R, 61-14 in the lower, 23-6 in the upper)
• Vermont (D, 106-38-6 others in the lower, 22-7-1 in the upper)
• West Virginia (R, 88-12 in the lower, 31-3 in the upper)
• Wisconsin is close, two votes in the lower, a vacancy in the upper (R, 64-35 and 21-11 with a vacancy in the upper)
• Wyoming (R, 57-5 in the lower, 29-2 in the upper)

Meaning:

• 25 states now have veto proof majorities in both state houses.
• 18 Republican, 7 Democrat
• Kansas, Kentucky, and Louisiana could remove their governors at any time they choose -- they have Democratic governors and Republican supermajorities.
• Wisconsin is within shouting range, see above.
• North Carolina may not have the votes to remove their Democratic governor, but the jump has made the state veto-proof R.
• Vermont could do the same the other way.
• Nevada is close.
• Another 10 states are close to that.
• 5 each
• Meaning that, if you really wanted to go with it, you could distill most national and state elections down to about 15 states.

And you wonder why some transgenders are very angry today.  They see the playing field, and some very real questions are being asked....

April 6, 2023 News and Notes

• Will Smith has pissed off people again -- he's calling for the cleansing of America of all Trump supporters.
• Would not additionally be shocked if he sees what these supporters will do to his wife for being "weak"...
• And if Will wants Jada's name out of my fucking mouth, I hope he reads what I said -- but I do apologize.   
• Speaking of The Great Orange Pig:  He now wants to de-fund the Department of Justice and the FBI.  And crime continues to skyrocket due to this moron in 3...  2...  1...
• A tense quarterly meeting of NASCAR was boycotted by most of the teams because of a serious financial dispute over team charters.
• Humorous sign in a largely pro-MJF crowd on AEW Dynamite on Long Island last night:  "What Kind Of Son Leaves His Mom On Passover?"
• The owner of the sign?  You guessed it!  MJF's mom!!  (Who, with his father, has posted several babyface anti-MJF signs on shows they've attended!)
• A quirk of the religious calendar:  Holy Week is this week.  So is Passover.  So is part of Ramadan.
• And HHH will appear again to speak to the fans on Friday's Smackdown.
• Tuesday:  An Oakland win over Cleveland was seen by a paid attendance of 3,407.
• Also Tuesday:  All but two of the 13 scheduled AAA games had higher attendance.
• A Nor'Easter has already, as of Wednesday, cancelled four home openers for Thursday due to the weather.
• Two were cancelled Wednesday morning!
• A Redditor from a minor-league East Coast team is already talking that a Friday opener is being postponed Wednesday night!
• In one of the most surprising recent decisions, a West Virginia transgender girl has won reversal of the state's ban on transgender athletes from the US Supreme Court -- only Alito and Thomas dissented.

Pro Wrestling Mania/Vince Fallout: Too much to cover not to give it it's own post...

I'll rehash a good part of it here, but it appears that Tony Khan has joined the momentum against Endeavour/UFC-owned WWE and the re-emergence of Vince McMahon at the top...

It starts with probably one of the best tag teams of the last five years.  FTR was about to have their AEW contracts expire, and a major bidding war was ensuing.

That bidding war ended over Wrestlemania Weekend with Vince's re-emergence.  FTR, who believes in wrestling over theatrics ("No Flips, Just Fists") re-signed with AEW, and won a Titles vs. Career match over The Gunn Family for another reign as AEW World Tag Team Champions.

But a bigger signing preceded it by a couple hours:  New Japan champion Jay White has also chosen AEW over WWE.

Also, Nigel McGuinness and a major young PR gun behind the scenes also jumped to AEW this week.

And also word that Jim Johnston, the long-time entrance-music producer for WWE, wants to make music for AEW wrestlers.

And then the HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT for Tony Khan:  Wembley PPV in August:  All In London.   

AEW has admittedly been on the back foot -- and, although this is only one week, it's a HUGE WEEK.  We'll see what happens next -- but it was AEW that seemed to have the Raw After Mania feeling.

April 5, 2023 (Non-Trump) News and Notes

• The developments of Wrestlemania Weekend continue:
• It is not clear at this time whether Bayley has walked out on her and Damage CTRL's booking woes lately, but it appears as if Bayley either is leaving WWE on her own or has been told she is an imminent cut.  She all but said goodbye on her social media on Tuesday after being cut from the Raw after Wrestlemania before yet another Damage CTRL loss.
• And the Bron Breakker call-up has, in fact, been aborted by his father's actions -- and it appears that the crowd turning on Breakker as a result of Rick Steiner's transphobic Wrestlecon rant has made NXT decide to turn Breakker heel.
• Even though he was screwed in the match on Saturday by heel tactics -- so they double-turn the two.
• On the same card, it appears a "Fire Vince!" chant has already started.
• At least one fan was seen on camera with a "Give Dana Brooke A Chance" sign at the top of the Raw after Wrestlemania.  That sign was apparently confiscated soon after, and Dana wants words with WWE brass over that.
• The head wound which probably cut the Mania Night 2 Hell In A Cell match with Edge short cost Finn Balor 14 stitches in his head.
• AEW responds:
• AEW has re-signed FTR, the Vince return making the decision for them, and FTR then won the AEW World Tag Team Championships on AEW Dynamite tonight.
• After the show, Dax Harwood of FTR and AEW owner Tony Khan confirmed the reports in a spirited off-camera promo, Harwood holding up a sign "Vince Fears Tony Khan".
• AEW has also announced it's first true stadium show, All In London, for Wembley Stadium in August.
• AEW has also signed former New Japan IWGP Heavyweight Champion Jay White, seen as one of the largest free agents after White left New Japan after Wrestle Kingdom.
• Former NXT commentator Nigel McGuinness was announced as signing with AEW earlier in the day.
• Motherfucker Elon Musk has apparently, at least more temporarily than just April Fools Day, abolished the Twitter bird and replaced it with the Dogecoin Dog.
• Word is Jill Biden wants both NCAA finalists for the women's basketball at the White House.  No, Jill.  Champs only.  You're inviting an incident with some of the bad blood.   
• And there it is:  A moment you had to think would happen with the pitch clock:  Sandy Alcanatra pitched a 1-0 complete game shutout for the Marlins over the Twins.  The game took 117 minutes, one hour and 57 minutes.
  
• The last ten seasons have had six sub two-hour games.
• Three have involved the Marlins.
• Two, Alcanatra.
• Framber Valdez did even better:  He got an entire inning done in just one minute and 57 seconds.
• The first two ejections of the season, according to umpire-school YouTube channel Close Call Sports, have both been disputes over the pitch clock and calling for time.
• Shohei Ohtani has made another bit of history.  He actually got called for two pitch-clock violations today:  One as the pitcher, the other as the batter!
• Ohtani spoke with the umpires afterward and acknowledges the need for adjustment.
• Anti-vaxxer Robert Kennedy, Jr. has filed to run for President.
• After photographic verification, a bat found to be used by Babe Ruth has sold for a record for baseball bats:  $1.85 million.

This Blog Should Not Exist, Part 2.055: No Recourse...

(Consider this an addition to the 2.05 post below.)

Keith Olbermann, as he said he was going to do, revised his Countdown iHeart Radio podcast after the Trump arraignment today.

And in such, he articulated that the crimes being covered up by the fraudulent business practices were, full-square, for the interference with the 2016 Presidential election.

If this is true, he should never been President, and the entire election and Presidency voided.

However, there are three additional problems this presents, both of which very existential to this country:

First, what recourse occurs when it becomes plausible that a Presidency was, factually, illegally obtained and should be voided?  The fucker seated at least three Supreme Court justices, and three of the most wild-eyed conservatives this side of the Thomas-Alito Cult.  This fucker loosed a movement which has murdered numerous transgenders and other aggrieved demographics (and should be tried for manslaughter for every one of them, since this movement and his Presidency are the result of illegal acts).

Second is the belief, especially in the Q cult, that Barack Obama was a Kenyan national and never should've been given the office of President.  So much is the cult nature of Q, the standing belief of them (and, as a result, many Republicans, is that Michelle Obama is Mike Obama, ifyouknowwherethey'regoing...)

Third, they may finally have struck at the heart of the country and killed the Constitution once and for all.  Not realizing (or, maybe, they DO realize) that the Constitution, post-Civil War, is an imposition of rights against them for the very reason these animals assert, the American White Right is actually now attempting to use the Constitution and THEIR supposed "rights" to kill off the aggrieved demographics, because the existence of those demographics violates central rights of the dominant White Right demographic.

They are using the Constitution against ITSELF, and that they will kill it that way.  That there is no way you can have a 14th Amendment if, in the eyes of the country, it becomes the public interest to Be Fruitful and Multiply...

... like Texas, who is going to make it a law that Godly marriages (no divorces on either side, heterosexual, etc.) of 10 children or more will not have to pay property taxes to the state.

And then the regularly-scheduled Olbermann notes that it appears the bloviation by the Orange Pig is a contemptible inflammatory statement to rile up the base, meaning Trump should be arrested for that too.

We're not making it, people.  We aren't.  Better we get on with the Second American Civil War and let the real God sort it out.

This Blog Should Not Exist,, Part 2.05: All In

(Blogger's Note:  2.04 (a response to the Nashville shootings) was deleted by request of some readers, the same ones who have had me boycott coverage of the Sochi Olympics and the last two FIFA Men's World Cups.)

As I'm beginning to write this, Donald Trump is shooting his mouth off, six and a half hours after being officially arraigned in New York City Supreme Court (and I knew this from my time in the system and in Rikers':  The highest appeals court in the state is called the Appeals Court.  The Supreme Court, specifically in New York, is the felony criminal court.), pleading not guilty to 34 felony counts surrounding falsification of business records.  He becomes the first President of the United States of America to be officially arrested and charged with a criminal offense.

That's the benign part.  And the fact that it was as brief as practice-able and that Trump pled not guilty -- all normal and to procedure (though I can't think, to my experience, his lawyers are crazy about his plea (you are supposed to stand silent and let that plea be entered on your behalf) or of tonight's bloviation.

It's the rest of this you need to worry about -- because all sides of the political spectrum have probably shoved all the chips to the center of the table.

The 2024 election and the very future of this country will almost certainly now be decided in a New York City criminal courtroom.

The very fact we have a Constitutional Republic, Democracy, whatever you wish to call it, will be decided in the next months in that courtroom if we make it that far before Main Street explodes (and that's an entire separate 2.xx part of This Blog Should Not Exist I should probably do, and quickly!).

The reasons are not only having to do with the results, but with the charges.

Let's start with the latter.

Donald Trump is charged with 34 separate violations of New York Penal Code 175.10 - Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree.  Each is a Class E Felony, each carries a potential 1-5 year prison sentence and a fine.

There are two very prescient facts which makes this situation dangerous for the country:

The first is the charge itself being First Degree Falsification of Business Records -- for the difference is that the act has to be what would be a Falsification of Business Records in the Second Degree (NYPC 175.05), but it also has to be an act which covers up or is in commission of another criminal offense.

(At the press conference, DA Alvin Bragg was asked of that distinction -- and says several laws, including at least one New York election statute, are in play.  Some believe this might be an avenue the Trump lawyers could pursue -- but isn't the Presidential election, on a state-by-state basis, run by each individual state?)

The second is that each and every one of the charges, as I stated in the other post, between February and December of 2017.  Meaning these acts are alleged to have taken place in the first year of Donald Trump's Presidency.

This has a number of damning implications, not the least of which is that, if convicted, Donald Trump has not only committed an impeachment series of offenses with the direct offense, but one more or impeachment offenses by the laws being covered up or committed, and those will have to be spelled out and proven that the false records covered up these offenses as well.

This leads to the results, which is why this is completely All In for America.

Trump has made a lot of the fact that he and those of sufficient "legitimate purpose" (to quote at least two other NY Penal Codes) are above all semblance of law -- it was the center of what got him elected President!  So, if something was found, they had to go to this situation.

So there are three potential outcomes (with several other realities which now come of this):

• If Trump walks (either through the charges being dropped or through a complete acquittal):  Then the theories of the Republican pundits are probably correct -- Trump is the next President in an electoral landslide.  If done soon enough, I could see him grimace (he can't have been happy with Mike Pence) with Ron DeSantis as a VP to help finish the job on the democracy.  As a result, now that DA Bragg has arrested him and arraigned him, this must either go to a plea or go to trial -- and, with what even a plead-out would give (see the third outcome), it must go to trial.
• If Trump walks, but through a hung jury or series of hung juries, then he may well also win an electoral landslide, but with less effect on the surface than a full acquittal/exoneration.  He gets to tell his base that he is above the law, so he almost certainly wins another term.  Sadly, with the political reality and division this son of a bitch has stirred up in this country, it will be nearly impossible to get a jury through selection (and an eventual appeals process) which won't hide it's biases when the votes are taken.  Hence, I see this as the most probable outcome.
• In either of these two cases, the complete legal abolition of the Democratic Party would probably occur in the next 24 or so months.
• If Trump is convicted of any crime (and this can be through plead-out or through a jury decision):  You could see the end of the entire Freedom Caucus/America First/MAGA movement -- because, now, every Congressperson who failed to impeach or remove him through three Congresses (2017-18, 2019-20, and, yes, 2021-22 (meaning you, MTG and Fivehead!)) could be removable for dereliction of their Constitutional duty.  It's one thing to allege a High Crime or Constitutional Misdemeanor.  It is quite another to actually have presented actual Constitutional Misdemeanors against the President and doing nothing.
• As a result, I could easily see a conviction, etc., resulting in the complete abolition of the Republican Party as the terrorist organization it is.

There is one piece of bad news, however, in all of this:  The next in-person hearing for the Orange Bloviator is December 4, 2023.

34 Counts, While He Was President

Donald Trump has been charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records throughout the year 2017.

The counts are all violations of NY Statute 175.10 -- falsifying business records, first degree.  They are Class E felonies, each punishable 1-3 years "upstate", prison.

These charges indicate that additional crimes were being concealed, covered up, or committed at the same time.  Which would mean, if this went to trial, we'd find out what additional crimes...   

Yes, pretty low-hanging fruit.  To me, however, the key of these charges is that Trump committed these WHILE HE WAS PRESIDENT.  All of these charges are falsehoods from 2017, his first year in the Presidency.

April 4, 2023 News and Notes

• Protestors on both sides have gathered outside the courthouse in New York City.
• There have already been several clashes.
• The news is reporting this will not be a long process today, and the Trump lawyers are going to try to get the charges dismissed.  As a former NYC defendant, I stress:  THIS IS NORMAL -- BOTH OF THESE THINGS.  Happens hundreds of times a day in the NYC courts (and nationwide as well).  Don't fall for overdramaticism on the news here.   

Outside of Trump-dom:

• Well, this first one -- not quite.  The Raw after Wrestlemania 39 was a complete fraud and joke, and has re-established that Vince McMahon IS back in charge of creative at WWE.  The end saw a 10-minute beatdown and destruction of AEW turncoat Cody Rhodes at the hands of former UFC World Champion Brock Lesnar.  ... who, with the Endeavor sale, now has to be the front-runner to be the man to finally take the belts off Roman.   
• Sad note from pro wrestling last night:  Bushwhacker Butch (real name Bob Miller), the former brutal Sheepherder who was recast as a comedy tag-team wrestler of great renown in the WWE, died last night.  He was 78.
• Congratulations to the UConn men and LSU women, who had dominant wins in winning the respective NCAA basketball championships over the weekend.

Be VERY Careful About The Trump Indictment Today

(Well, if I finish this in the next 20 minutes, it'll be tomorrow (Tuesday) West Coast, but hey...)

It appears that, Tuesday the 4th, in New York City, may be the greatest MAGA flashpoint since January 6th of 2021.  Donald Trump will be arrested, fingerprinted, all the other stuff, and arraigned -- for now, it is believed for 34 felony counts in the state of New York, mostly business fraud and hush money to porn actress Stormy Daniels.

This isn't going to be enough to get this guy to swing from a gallows (and I do not believe this country can be saved as long as Donald J. Trump Sr. (or Jr.!, or MTG!!, or Slut Boebert!!!, or Fivehead Pedo, or...) is allowed to continue to live.

But there are a number of things I think people have to watch out for for Tuesday's proceedings:

• A reminder on the first one:  This is an arraignment.  The Grand Jury has determined there is enough evidence to take the 45th President of the United States of America to trial on felony counts, some of which probably before he became President, others, we don't know yet...  Although tomorrow will be hailed as a great victory for the American Left, nothing is proven in trial until such time the trial takes place and a jury finds him guilty...
• Second is the obvious potential for violence, especially because Trump Sr. has already scheduled a press conference in his Florida home for six hours after the 2:15 Eastern scheduled arraignment, where he has already threatened to nail the District Attorney with a baseball bat and that there is word that he may finally be lifting his cowardice and telling his Nazi goon squad on the Right to open fire.  I would probably put the odds at well better than 50-50 something happens tomorrow.
• Third is a central precept of Donald Trump:  That he, and those of his station, are so far above the law, they have no law.  And if that's what we should be teaching our children in school (that those who are considered "important enough" can do whatever they want to do to you without recourse), then of what use is allowing many people who aren't "important enough" to continue?  If "Life Is Not Fair", then why not end it for those who will always be shat upon and are expected to BOHICA and tell their betters to give them "another"?
• Fourth:  Unless the sentence specifically prohibits him from running for office or holding office or title in the United States, he can run for and win the Presidency from state prison.  Keep this in mind:  If this were to happen, it would basically blow up the entire concept of law, not just on an "important enough" level, but on a purely conceptual level.
• Fifth:  The whoredom of CBS and Leslie Stahl on Sunday appears to indicate the media has full interest in inciting "The Purge", "The Hunger Games", "Squid Games", or whatever it is that the Nazi White Right will loose on this country if Trump or DeSantis wins in 19 months.

And I'll close, for now, on a personal note:

Marjorie Taylor "Magic: The Gathering" Greene:

You got no idea about Predators, bitch.

Maybe you need to get off your ass and talk to someone like Debbie Gibson -- because if I have nothing left to lose, I may just take that "Two Genders" troll sign you have on your window to troll a Congressman with a trans child and ram it down your fucking throat.

I take being called a pedo as a death threat, whore.

April 3, 2023 News and Notes

• The new era of WWE begins with the "new wrestling fiscal year" tonight.  Endeavor, the parent company of UFC, announced the purchase of WWE this morning and will merge the two companies.
• It will, in fact, be a full merger of the two companies, operating under the same umbrella.  Oof.  This could be very interesting, and NOT in a good way.  We know, from history in Japan, that a soft-merger of puroresu and MMA has been attempted by no less than the likes of Antonio Inoki -- and all of the other possibilities as well...   
• The CEO of Endeavor has said Vince McMahon is part of the deal.  Yeah, OF COURSE HE FUCKING IS!  So he's right next to that other fucking crook, Dana White!!   
  
• Want more evidence the pitch clock is working as Manfred intended?  A Saturday night game between Cleveland and Seattle was completed in just 123 minutes.  Two hours and three minutes.
• Anthony Rendon of the Angels has been banned four games after negotiations between the league and the Players' Association for an altercation with a fan.

And Night Two of Mania...

• Brock Lesnar got himself over with first again, pinning Omos after an F5.
• Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baesler, even with Ronda's broken arm, won the women's tag team "showcase.
• GUNTHER retained the Intercontinental Championship over Drew McIntyre and Shaemus.
• Bianca Belair pinned Asuka to retain the Raw Women's Championship.
• And then it got silly, and then stupid.  Snoop Dogg came out with Miz, and they rehashed last night's embarrassment.
• Just when it looked like Miz and Dogg were gonna go at it, Dogg got Shane McMahon out of mothballs for an impromptu match...
• ... at which point, apparently Shane blew out every cruiciate ligament he could find in his knee, forcing Dogg to knock out Miz, do the stupidest People's Elbow in history, and pin Miz.
• Edge pinned Finn Balor in a Hell in a Cell match, probably also cut short due to blood streaming from Balor's head after a ladder spot gone awry.

But the two biggest stories may go under the radar:

• In the front row of plants, along with Cody Rhodes' wife Brandi, Dusty's wife and Cody's mother, and children was also Brodie Lee Jr. -- Negative One -- to the surprise of myself and many other AEW fans.  Yes, Brodie Jr. did have many friends in WWE, including the Rhodes', but to be so prominently featured in their programming...
• But the biggest story of the weekend is just emerging Sunday afternoon.  Pretty soon, it now appears that WWE and UFC will operate under the same parent.  Endeavour, the company which bought UFC, is now emerging as final talks to own WWE!  About the only other group which can get the Fuck Vince treatment as bad as the Saudis.
• And to basically seal that Vince is running the creative again, LOLROMANWINS -- Roman Reigns is still the undisputed champion, 939 days and counting on the Smackdown side...
• When you combine his other reigns, Roman has now been champion 1,057 days.  Only four men have that number beaten in WWE.
• Roman now stands 535 days from Hulkamania I.  That would be September 18, 2024.

April 2, 2023 News and Notes

• I don't think they're going to get fined for this one.  There was a court-storming after one of the games of the Final Four.  San Diego State defeated Florida Atlantic in a classic with a buzzer-beater jump shot.  After the game, both Petco Park and SDSU's Viejas Arena erupted at the victory, and students at the San Diego State arena stormed the court.
• It appears the shit is about hit the fan.  After Donald Trump is arraigned on Tuesday, he plans to go in front of the media.
• A Liga MX official is under investigation for angrily kneeing a dissenting player in the groin after the player demanded a VAR review.  He cards the player, the player is in his face, the ref knees him in the junk.  Send him off for abuse and be done with it!  That's TWICE now the referees/umpires, in the name of The Show Must Go On, did fire-able offenses when they should've ended games/thrown people out of games/etc.
• To wit, in an interview with umpire-school YouTube channel Close Call Sports, the referee suspended for that egregious Fuck You Strike Three in college ball earlier this year claims racial abuse from the crowd.
• Wrestlemania 39 Night One (for the record, I saw it pirated -- FUCK YOU VINCE!):
• Austin Theory defeats John Cena to retain the WWE US Championship.  ... and, once again, Vince and the like tell the fans that the people they cheer are IDIOTS, making the fans idiots by extension.  Cena throws the Five Moves, ref bump, crossface/STFU, Theory taps, Cena thinks he's won.  As long as Cena has been around, he should know better.  Low blow, A-Town Down, and nobody gets over with that garbage.  Match was also slow as well.  Maybe * 1/2.
• The Street Profits won the Intuit Turbotax Wrestlemania Men's Tag Team Showcase over three other teams.  Spot, Spot, Spot, eight and a half minutes, cash your paychecks.  Don't get me wrong, but this show went the better part of three and a half hours and some of the breaks were INTERMINABLE. At least one can say it was exactly what it said on the tin.  **, higher if you like short spotfests.
• Seth Rollins defeated Logan Paul by Stomp and Pinfall.  UGH.  And not because of the in-ring -- they certainly tried.  But a combination branding moment with the energy drunk Paul is promoting and fellow YouTube fighter KSI (KSI in a large energy drink mascot costume interferes in the match and eventually takes a splash from Rollins on the outside...) is several notches down for me.  ** 1/2 for the attempt.
• Trish Stratus, Lita, and Becky Lynch defeat Damage CTRL by pinfall.  A bit botchy, and what do you do with Bayley and Damage CTRL now.  Sasha's already gone, and, the way Damage CTRL is getting booked, it may be time for Bayley to follow.  ** 1/2.
• The card definitely picks up, though, right around here.
• Battle of the Mysterios goes to Rey as Judgement Day interference backfires as Rey's New LWO ensures Rey gets the 619 and splash on his son Dominik.  Solid match, good storytelling -- yes, mother and sister were in the front row and the sister took a cup of water to the face by the disrespectful bitch Dominik -- who, for effect, was brought in in handcuffs from the back of a police gurney in his entrance.  Going to be interesting to see what goes from here.  *** 1/2.
• Rhea Ripley is the new Smackdown Women's Champion with a pinfall victory off an avalanche Riptide from the top on Charlotte Flair.  Maybe a bit too baby-facey on this victory for the "bad girl" 2023 Royal Rumble winner -- this did seem to have the Stephanie McMahon "Woman Power" Stamp Of Approval...  And there may be a serious believability issue in getting the belt off a triple-threat beast like Ripley, but nothing to complain about in this match.  ****, maybe even **** 1/2.
• In the classic "Miz Eats Shit" spot:  Pat McAfee answers an apparent open challenge by Wrestlemania host The Miz and beats him in four minutes by NFL Punt (to the shoulder, to be fair) and pinfall.  In a rare moment, it is true in this case:  I was sports-entertained by this one.  A lot of people may not like Mike Mizanin, the former "Real World" participant, but damn has he blossomed in WWE -- and he's the perfect "Eat Shit" guy in this context.  And McAfee, for limited training, etc., is that damn good.
• And, in a rare "Feel Good Moment the WWE did allow", the main event of Night 1 saw Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens, two talents from the Pro Wrestling Guerilla independent in Los Angeles (and yes, Zayn's masked El Generico from PWG was referenced by the commentary), defeated Jimmy and Jey Uso for the WWE Undisputed Tag Team Championships.  But I'm going to only give it about *** 1/2.  I do think the match was quite overdone, especially in the "they may have to stop the match because of the Uso Penitentiary Beatdown" spots.  The real interesting thing is going to be, however, what happens with the apparent upcoming sale of the WWE -- Sami Zayn is immediately GONE if the Saudis, as favored, buy the company.  Zayn is part-Syrian and uses that to promote a Syrian hospital charity and does not take part in the Saudi events.
• WWE claimed about 81,000.  Sources say it was more like 67,000 at SoFi -- it was basically a complete sellout.
• Some other Wrestlemania-week news:
• Latest "Transphobic Bitch To Be Cancelled From Professional Wrestling":  WWE Hall of Famer Rick Steiner was expelled and permanently banned from Highspots' Wrestlecon after a transphobic incident during Friday's dealer's hall against IMPACT Wrestling's Jordynne Grace.  Really, asshole?  And on Transgender Day of Visibility no less...  ("Vengeance" and perhaps "Violence" were squelched by the Tennessee shooting...)
• A couple more comments:  You'd think that the big-mouthed shithead of the brothers in this would actually have been roid-freak Scott!
• And as more people get outed as bigots and transphobes and #SpeakingOut and all of this, at what point is some skeezy promoter going to decide to actually counter-program a convention with these types?
• And it was so bad that it may have seriously damaged the career of his son, Bron Breakker in NXT.  Breakker was the NXT Champion entering a match on Saturday morning at the Staples Center "Stand and Deliver" event against Carmelo Hayes.  Breakker was the good guy, but Hayes was the one getting many cheers, including the "yay"s in the Yay-Boo strike-exchange spot.  And, even though Trick Williams blatantly interfered in the match and Hayes won the NXT Championship as a result, Breakker did the respect spot (in what made no sense otherwise -- not only would it seem Breakker has a rematch coming, but a "Beat The Shit Out Of Trick" match as well!!!) afterward.  That incident with his father Rick may have seriously damaged him, because that familial tie is a MAJOR part of Breakker's character arc!
• Talking possibly "Curtain Call"-level damage.  In that Bron is either going to be depushed or taken off television and retooled for a number of months, rather than go straight to the main or additional time with the NXT title.
• And for the record:  None of this is to imply that Bron is to blame.  However, a lot of Bron's push is that he's Rick's son -- and there's a family resemblance.
• Speaking of transphobia:  Gender-fluid/orientation-fluid "Daddy" EFFY had his sixth "Big Gay Brunch" on Saturday noon, as one of the last cards of a weekend full of independent wrestling events ancillary to Wrestlemania.  After another Game Changer Wrestling deathmatch main event where he and two partners won after one of the opponents turned on his (kayfabe!) homophobic "master" (the gimmick was that the little shit who was the "master" said that the only reason the Big Gay Brunch drew flies was that a straight man headlined it -- him!!!), EFFY gave an impassioned plea to the full house in Los Angeles to take the positive energy from the Big Gay Brunch and use it to aid the transgender community.
• A couple of the names who had very busy weekends in LA Wednesday-Saturday:  "Speedball" Mike Bailey had ten matches.  AAA Mega Campeon El Hijo del Vikingo parlayed his national exposure against Kenny Omega into several high-profile matches on the weekend.