Couple of morning odds and sods, 8/2/17...

• This first one, as ESPN tries to bring the league mantra home -- but not in the way they're trying to tell you...

But the NFL really IS making a statement of who they are as a league -- a corporate league for White Republicans to watch men get killed.

— Michael Falkner (@darkstar7646) August 2, 2017

• Speaking of ESPN, in a fight where at least one ESPN analyst (Max Kellerman) is saying that Conor McGregor won't even land a punch (you better damn well hope that fight is over in about 60 seconds then!!), a bunch of Las Vegas (Superbook, in almost all cases) betting data on the Mayweather-McGregor farce is hitting the table...

1. I now know what my current number appears to be when I hit Vegas (barring a last-minute cancellation) next week:   I'd be getting 5-1 if I bet McGregor, I'd be -700 (1-7) on Mayweather.
2. Interestingly, even though many believe McGregor will not land a punch, the number appears far too interestingly close that bettors believe Mayweather can actually toy with him for 12 rounds:  The over-under is 9.5 rounds, and you're only getting +145 on the over.  And, as far as the method Floyd wins, KO is only forcing you to lay -160.
3. Bring the over-under to four rounds (more correctly, will Mayweather win in Rounds 1-4?), the under (Yes) is +350.  That may turn out to be the one I consider the most if I lay anything.
4. Bring that number to 2.5 rounds, and Under 2.5 actually gets you about as good of odds as you get playing McGregor (+450).
5. And they have a number of Super Bowl-esque cross-sport propositions as well.
6. And the William Hill has a few real out there bets, at least for the UK (not sure if this is available in places William Hill runs books in Vegas or not, will check):  You get 16-1 if McGregor is DQ'ed for a kick.  If Kellerman is right and you bet it (McGregor lands zero punches), 20-1.  And here's one:  You can bet in the UK on a prop that both fighters are knocked down twice, get up, the fight goes the distance, and McGregor wins the decision (200-1).
7. And ESPN is asking books to keep track of the largest bets taken on each fighter.  The Westgate has taken two undisclosed "low six-figure" (their words) bets on Mayweather (one on July 3, one July 28) -- hmm, could this be Money Team money scooping up the discards of the "squares"?  Before the fight was even made official, the Westgate took $50,000 on Mayweather at about 1-8.  And just after it was made official, one of the other books which covers several casinos took a $45,000 one.
8. And, on the "What a Fool Believes" side of the equation:  On July 24th, the William Hill US book (one of the Vegas ones) took three separate $50,000 bets for McGregor to win from the same person.  He moved the line from +475 to +425 on the first, bet it again at the second number, and got another bet at +425 when it moved again.  Someone has dropped $150,000 in that he believes Conor McGregor can win a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather.  He either knows the fix is in for McGregor, or he needs to give me that kind of money, because I could spend it better on hookers and blow.  (And I'm no druggie, I don't do "blow".  And I don't see the point in a prostitute, frankly.)
9. It sounds like this guy might also have gone to the Westgate.  THEY took two "five-figure bets" (their words)  on McGregor on the same day.
10. AND POSSIBLY THE SOUTH POINT...  They took a $35,000 bet on McGregor at 6-1.

Could someone have dropped $250,000-300,000 on McGregor?  SERIOUSLY?

Bets on the fight at 13 to 15 McGregor bets for every Mayweather bet.

Well, well, well... No one saw this coming from the London Five-Ringed Circus...

Five years after London hosted the Olympic Games, word from the Sunday Mail that it could well have been the dirtiest track and field competition of all time!

• 656 athletes competed in the finals of the different disciplines.  Of that number, 87 of them have been dinged for doping violations, the Sunday Mail has investigated.  Almost one in seven, on average at least one person in every eight-person race final (understanding many of the distance races and field events have larger fields).
• Another 138 fall into one or more categories where they are or may be associated with doping:  Coach, doctor, agent, possible missed test, or even the Russians hacking in and getting information about them to blow them up.
• Russia had 29 of their 53 Olympic finalists dinged for doping violations, a clean one-third of the 87 investigated.  (In these, unless stated, this is part of the first 87, not the second 138!)
• Turkey had nine finalists in track and field at the Olympics:  Four have been nailed for drugs.
• Jamaica had 21 finalists, seven nailed for drugs, one additional for pot (it was separated out because it's not a PED, just to make the point...)
• Belarus, seven busted out of 14 finalists.
• The women's 1500 meter final may supplant the infamous Ben Johnson 100m men's final as the dirtiest race in history.  Five years of testing, etc., have felled five of the top nine finishers, including stripping the gold medalist.
• The women's 4x100 meter final may go similarly:  Four of the eight finalist teams have one or more runners on the banned list at one time or another, three having two.  A fifth (Brazil) has one with a case still in progress.  Mysteriously, the United States, who broke the world record in the event, is not one of them.  (Are you kidding me?)

I want to leave you with a frightening Tweet -- not only in the nature of the extent of drugs in Olympic sprinting, but in what might be an obvious conclusion...

Nick Harris of SportingIntelligence, whose Tweet, retweeted by Brian Tuohy, pointed out this article, says the following about the fastest 100-meter times in history:

Of the 30 fastest men's 100m sprint times ever, only nine have been run by an athlete NOT banned for drugs - all 9 by Usain Bolt. #IAmBolt

— Nick Harris (@sportingintel) July 31, 2017

I'll say it, and I said it in a response to Harris:  It makes it even less sensical that Bolt wasn't a product of some form of human engineering -- far scarier implications than drugs.

Two basketball coaches who badly need to be punched in the mouth!

• The investigation into Bobby Knight has concluded.

He's in trouble.  (Deadspin, hattip to my anonymous friend!)

Basically, the allegations are true, though the final conclusion will probably be left to the FBI, at which point it will be Not Guilty By Reason Of GrabHerInThePussy.

At least four or five different women said he touched them in one or more inappropriate ways, and the investigation added at least one verbal denigration of a deaf man to the list.

And he's not the only misogynist coach who needs to get his face rammed in...

• LaVar Ball.

Just the WHOLE FUCKING THING about this motherfucker.

Let's see:  Previous tournament, pulls his team off the court after getting tossed.

At a tournament in Las Vegas over the weekend (in which he was showcasing his 15 year-old son, who's now become the biggest villain in that tournament):

• Orders Adidas, who was running the tournament, to remove a female official from his game.
• Another game, they made sure a woman was reffing it as a matter of solidarity.
• And now, after the tournament, Adidas officially apologized for the removal.

Someone is going to have to remove this piece of shit from basketball.

Why?  From the ESPN article on the apology, Mr. Ball on ESPN LA 710:

On Monday, Ball said he feels targeted by officials.

"Of course I'm being unfairly targeted, but it's OK. Why wouldn't I be?" Ball told Mornings with Keyshawn, Jorge and LZ on ESPN LA 710. "They say I got a big mouth anyway. They say we bad as heck. Of course you want to try to quiet me up. That's the way I've been coaching all the time.

"It's just entertainment. Instead of going to the movies, people are coming to the AAU game to watch a game."

He is a jackass, and is openly demanding the games be rigged for HIM!

FUCK THIS GUY!  Someone belt this motherfucker in the face!

And then one for Bobby Knight too...

North Dallas Thugboys Suspension Blotter: And there's Number FIVE!

And it's not Ezekiel Elliot either!

• Damontre Moore:  2 games, DUI arrest while he was with Seattle.

---

So let's go over this again, for anyone, especially if the media picks up on this...

This is just stuff that applies to this season for the Dallas Cowboys.

I want one reason that Jerry Jones is not suspended as the owner and GM for the Cowboys right now.

And here's just this off-season (and what applies to this season) worth:

• December 2, 2016:  Rolando McClain banned for life (it's listed as indefinite, but it's Strike Four).  His third suspension in five months, his fourth in 18 months.
• January 5, 2017:  Randy Gregory banned for the entire 2017 season for Strike Three.  His third suspension within a calendar year.
• April 21, 2017:  Shaquelle Evans gets Strike One for four games.
• June 28, 2017:  David Irving gets Strike One for four games.
• July 28, 2017:  Damontre Moore's two games.

That's just the announced suspensions.  IN ADDITION TO THIS:

• The whole Ezekiel Elliot saga, which could get him anywhere from one game to a year, depending on mitigating factors and how much the league wants to actually cover (between the domestic violence, a probable drugs violation, and a bar fight).  Reports are now indicating that the league wants to go through the Jerry Jones Hall of Fame induction next week before announcing anything.
• Damien Wilson, who was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon July 4th after brandishing a gun and smashing his truck into a tailgater.
• Nolan Carroll, a DWI situation.

I am NOT including:

• Lucky Whitehead, who was released after a false arrest, rather than the Cowboys risk a suspension.
• And Jourdan Lewis, who was cleared in a domestic violence trial, even though it is clear that the league could still take action against him if they chose.

The Dallas Cowboys, since the 2015 offseason, have had, in order:

• McClain strike one
• RJ Dill, released from the team after injuries.
• Gregory strike one
• DeMarcus Lawrence, now in his fourth year with the Cowboys
• McClain strike two
• Gregory strike two
• McClain strike three
• McClain strike four, technically still with the team or at least on their books with respect to any penalties
• Gregory strike three, also on the books with the Cowboys, but it now appears his career is over as well
• Shaquelle Evans, strike one.  Practice squad.
• David Irving, strike one.  Two years with the Cowboys, played every game but one last year.
• Damontre Moore, strike one, signed by the Cowboys to a low-risk one-year deal even knowing about the DUI stuff.

That's 12 NFL suspensions under the drug policy in about two years.

TWELVE.

And the're going to put that fucking owner into the FUCKING HALL OF FAME NEXT WEEK???

Mayweather-McGregor, A Month From The Farce: We know this "fight" is a joke -- just who's going down?

A number of articles and thoughts about Mayweather-McGregor, as the farce begins the run to fever pitch in four weeks...

• Absolutely STELLAR Deadspin article today by a boxing writer who went to McGregor's camp, saw him "box", and basically has declared him dead meat.  He then asks how McGregor has been bet to odds he's seen in Vegas as 4-1!! (Easy:  Wishful thinking, and the hope he murders Mayweather in the ring!)

Especially love this note to the NSAC:

"This is none of my concern, and how the idiots on the Commission board enrich themselves and bring revenue to the state is their business, but these dumb motherfuckers should never again have a voice in who is or isn’t allowed to box in Nevada. If Charles Manson applies for a license to fight Anthony Joshua at the MGM Grand in Vegas, they better not have the audacity to withhold it from him."

I would almost think that he's talking about McGregor and his lack of boxing acumen.  He should be talking about Mayweather here (IRS, domestic violence, etc.), as I've told the NSAC directly that, by their own guidelines, the piece of shit should never be licensed to box!

But, as we well know, he's one of the only draws Vegas has.

Want proof?

Because of my previous Vegas trips, I'm on the mailing list for deals for a number of the Vegas hotels, and I got a deal for the Westgate:  $50/night (plus $30 for the resort fee), but you get $50 in free slot play on your Player's Card for every night you stay.

And the first few days that is available is less than two weeks from when I received the e-mail (it's also the week I plan to be in Vegas to check out a number of things, with a decent bankroll for my level of betting, etc.).

They're having trouble bringing people in for the off times.

More on that when I head out there.  Anyway, back to the "fight":

• Report out today that movie theaters are getting on board to get people to watch the fight...  at FORTY DOLLARS A PERSON!
• As no surprise to how low the number is being bet for McGregor, reports from the Vegas books are that the vast majority of the money is going McGregor's way, both in bets and in amount of money.  This is almost certainly by the same "squares" (people who don't know as much as the "sharps") doing this since the fight was announced!

Reality check, people:  The fight's a fix.

The only real question in this fight is who takes the dive, since even The Mob couldn't beat the IRS.

Is Mayweather's troubles with the IRS enough to get him to do for McGregor what Pacquiao did for him, or is it a trap Mayweather is using to actually get people to think this fight might go the other way.  In a shoot, he KTFO's McGregor within 2 minutes.

There's one more factor in this that absolutely intrigues me.  Dana White is involved in at least some of the promotion.  That makes me wonder who's taking the dive here.

There's only two ways that Dana White could be seen as involved as this in any respect:

His fighter is winning the fight, or this is finally the time Dana White is cashing out before the drugs and everything else catches up to the UFC and finally bankrupts the whole enterprise.

Don't believe the latter can happen?  I got a good example for you, going off tomorrow night:

Jon Jones/Daniel Cormier, UFC 204 (SELF-CORRECT:)  214 main event.

Was supposed to be the UFC 200 main event, but Jones pissed hot.  That brought Lesnar into the equation to manufacture a saleable main event with Mark Hunt, and HE pissed away $1.5 million by pissing hot TWICE!

Jones was suspended a year for his positive test, and suspended by UFC previously and stripped of his division's title (which he's fighting for Saturday, which Cormier has held basically ever since) after a hit and run incident after Jones beat Cormier in their first fight...

... a fight punctuated by that mad melee at the press conference!

Jon Jones should never be allowed to fight again.  That he is is a testament to the current state of the UFC and the lack of draws fighting is having at any conceivable pro level.

That we're back here, after all that Jon Jones has put this "sport" through, indicates to me that there is the very real possibility that Dana White needs out fast before law enforcement gets their hands on MMA.

The fact is simple:  If Conor McGregor is destroyed as he is expected to be in four weeks, MMA and the UFC are DONE.

Much of the draw of MMA is that these are the baddest motherfuckers on the planet.

What took down Ronda?  A converted boxer.

I'll definitely be keeping an eye on things, especially as I'm in Vegas in 10 days or so.  Will I be duped enough to lay a buck or two on the fight?  Dunno.

An extension of the previous article might reveal something about the 2017 NFL season...

And, if this theory is right, calling it the "MAGA Football League" will be absolutely NO understatement!

Someone, I believe on Twitter, made a very good point today about the ESPN article regarding the J.D. Power poll of over 9,000 sports fans.

They made the point that the fact that the National Anthem protests being the #1 reason that the about 1,000 fans who lowered football viewing over last season did so, though correct, only won by two percentage points over both game delays/penalties in games, as well as the off the field issues the NFL is confronting.

And that criticism is correct and valid.

But consider how much WORSE it is if the following statement is true:

Since we all know the NFL is all but the fifth branch of the United States military, and that the only real demographic in which football is increasing in interest is White and middle-class, could it be that ESPN, on marching orders from Goodell, is aiding in moving the league further to the Right?

I don't think I need to go into, at this time, some of the ramifications.  Let your mind roam on those.

EDIT TO ADD:  Jerry Jones will expel from the Dallas Cowboys anyone refusing to stand for the Anthem.

So, Jerry, how long before you go all Yankee Stadium about it?

The MAGA Football League: And more evidence that White Republicans are the main audience for football these days...

In a survey that confirms some of my worst fears of the demographics that are the main make-up of football these days...

ESPN reports today a J.D.Power survey of 9,200 sports fans who attended at least one major sporting event.

The survey states only 12% claimed to watch fewer football games last year (even though ratings before the election were down 14% and routinely double-digit percentages in almost every time slot in that period), but, when asked for the reasons (and a person could give multiple reasons)...

• The leading reason, at 26%, was the Kaepernick-led anthem protests.

I guess it really shouldn't be a surprise, given the marriage between post-War On Terra America and the NFL, but, especially given the political realities of the switch, one does have to wonder if we are looking at the MAGA Football League this year (which is about the only reason I haven't removed the Cowthugs from consideration for the Super Bowl just yet -- just that I am clear now they either go 11-5 or 5-11 -- no 8-8 in-between with this booking!).

Some of the other reasons given were close:

• 24% of those turning down their football was because of the off-the-field stuff with domestic violence and player conduct.
• 24% also said game delays and length were the issue.
• Even though the NFL is trying to get rid of the commercial-kickoff-commercial madness, the number of fans reducing football listing that as a reason was only 20%.
• 16% was because of the election directly.
• Cutting the cord was at 5%.

But what this is indicating is what I am fearing about the football demographic:  Increasingly White, increasingly Republican....  (Also off-shooting from that one survey around the Adrian Peterson debacles which indicated the only demographic increasing interest in football was White, college-educated, and middle-class.)