Pay That Man (Jokic) His Money.

I got behind again.  Too much going on.  I don’t have time to organize.  I am just putting out some short opinions on some sports topics to catch back up.  I will try and do better the next time.

1. Jokic should be paid.  And he was!  And the ridiculous NBA free agency market dictates that his price is in line.  All $270 mil of it.  Think about this, folks.  In 2028, he will make $61.5 million.  For one year… Insane. But, we got him, Denver. He is a Nugget for a very long time and WANTS to be here.
2. And I like the recent Nuggets trade.  They traded two bench players with low ceilings for a bench player (Smith) and a starting SG (Pope) that can be your defensive stopper too.
3. The Steelers always take care of who they deem important, whether it be as a locker room presence or statistics.  They locked up Minkah Fitzpatrick, who is both.  Love this move.
4. I think I am good for the theater viewings.  I went to Top Gun four times.
5. The Avs have been the best team in hockey the last two years.  It was great (and financially good personally too) that they won the toughest team title in sports.  It was also nice to finally see McKinnon relax a little.  It was a pretty dominant playoff run.  Winning 16 games and losing 4 against the best is amazing.  They released the injuries the team had now that the poker face lies are done, and they ARE the toughest players in any sport.
6. Since hockey is now done, I will say all of the things about the sport I believe.  The announcers are the best, I have no idea how the refs dodge everything, the interviews are the best and classiest without a doubt, the handshakes still give me chills, and the hoisting of the Cup after the game is so cool to watch.
7. Kroenke, as an owner, has won THREE titles since February.  Pretty stellar, in case owners talk shit to each other.
8. The Warriors won the title and they are back on top again.  I still think MJ’s tears looked much more legit each time than Steph’s this year.  What is scary about this team is that there are 2 or 3 players who will just get better.  If Klay becomes Klay again, Steph is Steph, and Draymond is Draymond, this team has another 2 or 3 runs left in them.
9. Floyd Mayweather got a little emotional at his HOF induction.  That was nice to see.  The guy owned the ring for 50 fights, and had a confidence and car buying problem, so it was great to see him be a little humanized.  For you younger people, watch a full fight of Mayweather.  No one could hit him.
10. We all know that supply and demand is all out of whack in every industry.  Lindsey knows exactly what type of car she wants.  It has become a very hard and frustrating process.  We have been booking flights to New York and Arizona in the last four weeks when the car in questions disappeared.
11. Bullet Train looks like a very fun movie.
12. You pick cities all over the USA for the World Cup sites, and Denver gets dissed?  Nonsense.
13. Learn the name Pete Nance.  When this college basketball year is all said and done, he might be the key to why UNC is holding the trophy.  Great transfer get.
14. Katie Ledecky just won a 17^th title in the 1500.  Over the hill?  She won by about 10 seconds.  Her dominance is insane.
15. Have you been watching this Louisville football recruiting phenomenon?  The five-star WR they got a month or so ago said he was going to blaze his own path and tell his friends to follow.  UL just got the #2 RB last week.  It is becoming a pattern.  A very odd pattern.
16. At age 47, I realized I couldn’t see my phone without reading glasses.  I am now 49, and have started doing yoga stretches for my aching hip.  I am in the fight against Father Time as we speak.
17. Does technology have a “comeback” award?  If so, the QR code runs away with this title.
18. Gronk is “retiring.”  That simply means he will pick up the phone after Thanksgiving for the stretch run with his buddy.
19. The TBT is back, and so is Jimmer Fredette.  But, the crazy thing is that 2 possible top 10 NBA Draft picks are also playing.  That is interesting and expect some new rules about THAT soon.
20. Like keeping up with my blog, I can’t keep up with shows.  We haven’t even finished Ozark yet, even though it IS good, haven’t even gotten to Barry Season 2 yet, and now Westworld is coming out?  Ugghhh.
21. Arch Manning chose Texas and now the recruiting world is following him.  Heck, I was just glad to see UVA on his final five list.
22. Paulo went first in the NBA Draft.  Listen, you could have picked any of the top three and been right for at least right now.  After that is where the drop off occurs…
23. This year was all about college basketball remaining strong.  Next year?  Prepare for the developmental league and international invasion.  There will be possibly only 2 or 3 college kids in the top 10.  The #1 pick is the most hyped kid since LeBron.  Yes, THAT LeBron.
24. The annual Smackoff for Jim Rome’s radio and TV show was solid.  Leff went “old school” and talked sports and got seventh oddly.  Caleb won it over Iaphrate.  But, here is the thing.  It gets worse and worse every year.  Not worse with smack quality.  But worse with sports takes.  All the callers do is bust on each other.  Funny stuff?  Absolutely.  Will I listen next year?  Yup.  Will I tell others to also?  Correct.  But, it saddens me the sports talk days are gone.
25. If Von Miller is trying to jump around to Super Bowl teams, the Bills are a good guess.  And I guess he doesn’t care about the weather or quality of the town, so that is something.
26. Alamo Drafthouse has instituted a red button that alerts your server.  Brilliant.  They didn’t have it during my third showing of Top Gun, but did during my fourth.
27. I have figured out that I am very good at betting on tennis.
28. Serena lost in the first round.  But, no matter how much of a legend you are, you can’t just jump back in the professional routine and expect things to go perfectly.  The other players have been in the grind weekly.
29. Nick Kyrgios is making it painfully obvious AGAIN that he has all of the skills to win a Slam, but just has to stay out of the way of spitting at fans, hitting balls out of the stadium, etc.
30. The LIV Tour debuts in the USA this weekend.  Worlds are colliding.
31. The Phillies might think they can survive without Bryce Harper during his injury time, but I think they need to make a splash.  Pick up a bat and another arm, guys.
32. I can’t think of ANYTHING in this crazy world that makes more sense than having Le’Veon Bell and Adrian Peterson box each other.  I might even look into attending that brilliant theme.
33. Are you getting the hint, Kyrie?  Thinking about jumping off our flat Earth?  You opt in with the Nets, and arguably the best player in the NBA immediately demands a trade…with no leverage to where.  That is a sign you are a very difficult person, Kyrie.
34. Russell Westbrook opted in for his $47 million year.  That sounds right.  He knows he is the problem, but making sure he gets his cash.
35. James Harden is working out AND is not taking HIS $47 million, indicating he might want to restructure so they can get better players?  Really?  We are all in the Upside Down evidently.
36. The Clippers landed John Wall, and, once again, we are talking about them as contenders.  Hey, let’s go talk to Kawhi about their chances!  What?  Oh, that is right.  Dude is just weird and off the radar as usual.
37. So, I am still so confused how this Baker Mayfield drama will turn out.  Almost as confused as I am about how Watson needs that many massages.
38. We had three girls stay in our Airbnb this week.  They asked for more washcloths, as they use a different one each day.  So, yes, we had to find them 15 washcloths for the week.
39. Jalen Brunson is a solid NBA player, but I have problems with the Knicks signing him.  From his point of view, he has a confidence problem.  There is no way I would have left the side of Doncic when titles are in the future.  From the Knicks point of view, Brunson is a solid signing, but he is NOT a franchise changer.
40. The show I Can See Your Voice was on our TV after we watched something else.  We were both reading, so we kind of watched it.  Dumbest show and how are they making these things…
41. Tiger Woods is now a billionaire.  I thought he already was one.
42. Emoni Bates was one of the best recruits in the nation a couple years ago.  Kid is all over the place these days and being a waste of talent.  He is leaving Memphis and going back home to Eastern Michigan.
43. Of course, he is not as much of a mess than Miles Bridges, who got arrested the day before free agency was to begin and make him filthy rich.  It will be tough for him to sign a max contract with handcuffs on.
44. I just heard Howard Stern is running for President and Bradley Cooper is his VP.  In this world we live in, I might consider that choice.
45. USC and UCLA are going to the Big Ten.  Sounds like a lot of long trips for students trying to study too.  We are obviously heading towards two super conferences, but the process is painful right now.  Now, we hate Lincoln Riley for TWO reasons.  I hope he didn’t change the names of his dogs (Boomer and Sooner) so he has daily reminders of how much of an ass he is.
46. Gary Payton II deserves a stable situation after his multiple attempts and bouncing around the league for the last year or two.  Now?  He has a ring, and he has a three-year contract with the Blazers.  Good for him.
47. I have many, many local stuff I want to talk about, but just read my Google reviews.  Don’t have time for both today.
48. Finally, Happy Bobby Bonilla Day, everyone.  They have now paid him $14 million, and have $15 million more to pay until the year 2035.  What a retirement plan!
49. We are going to Dillon for the weekend after watching the Rockies game and fireworks tonight.  Happy Fourth to everyone.