Professional Rapper
PROFESSIONAL RAPPER
The Cast
Date: 20 July 2020
FILLERBUSTER’S ELEVEN
BACKGROUND: This started as a long-winded numbered blog. It transformed into an organized long-winded category blog. Now, it is a quick-hitter to ease your pain. I lack time. So, the preparation of the blog actually made me procrastinate from writing the thing. Let’s see who makes the cut. Barely edited as usual unfortunately, so please excuse any mistakes during my stream of consciousness. I feel the need…the need for speed. Let’s turn and burn.
SETTING: This is written and released on Monday evening while the wife catches up on Dateline and 20/20. I continue the objective of picking one SINGLE topic for each sport to streamline this blog (except for “this and that”).
- EVERGREEN: ASTERISKS. When you read about each sport’s plan, you typically run into feedback on what this season means overall. Many experts, talking heads in the media, and ex-players feel that this year will have an asterisk attached. I wanted to voice my opinion on where we should “rank” any titles about to be earned. The smaller sample size, the bubbles and hubs, the different season and playoff formats, players sitting out, and other factors make people think this won’t be viewed later in history in the same way, and that it should be “lesser.” I disagree. Just different. Listen, there have been wars, strikes, terrorist attacks, and hurricanes that have altered what we know as “normal.” Sure, the pandemic is going to alter the normal drastically, but there are some reasons we might even value any new titles this year MORE. One, it can be viewed as unfair that a home advantage is taken away. Whether we are talking about The Garden in the 80’s, Joe Louis Arena in the 90’s, Mile High during the late Elway years, Fenway Park once the 2000 figure rolled around, or Oracle Arena more recently for the Warriors, obtaining home field or court or ice is extremely important for any title run. There will be none this time around. It will be unfair, but let’s just call it once again different. Let’s call it historical. But, let’s not think that this lack of a home location hinders anything ON the ice, court, or field. The comfort level is the same for everyone, and that almost gives each player more of my respect. There is no happy place. There is no safe house. There are no angry fans trying to drown out snap counts or coaching play calls. It is the ultimate of a “level playing field.” For better or worse, it is out of everyone’s control, so let’s just embrace it for what it is. Two, the sample size is a problem allegedly. I won’t deny that mathematics has less opportunity to weed out the pretenders through a long arduous season. But, again, it is different and historical, and still demands respect. Remember when we had the short best of 5 first round NBA series? There were more upsets. The lesser team had a better chance in the matchup. So, this will be similar. Is it less fair to the better and deeper teams? Sure. Does it give pretenders a better shot? Sure. So, therefore this season will be HARDER to win to a degree. You will have less grueling seasons which may be criticized, but you will have more teams in the mix, making it more competitive. Again, it will be more of a sprint, but you will still have a winner, and there will be much less margin for era. No nights off will be allowed to take these trophies. Three, and these start overlapping more, so I will throw the rest all in this spot. Let’s call it distractions. It might be a bubble, but the distractions will be everywhere. Having an unfamiliar training setting will be a distraction. Not having meals you are used to will be a distraction. Not having the ramp up period to fight off a future injury will be a distraction. Losing a player for two weeks for a bubble infraction or positive COVID test will be a distraction both mentally and for the entire team. Having no fans will be a distraction. Not having your family will be a distraction. It goes on and on. These players will have to be almost MORE mentally strong than other years, as the setting will dictate this. Let’s summarize. Winning a title in any major sport this year should not be looked down on, and should not be treated as anything but being the best given a particular situation. You will be the best in the sport, the best at winning in neutrality, the best at dealing with distractions, and I will think of you as an equal champion to other “normal” years.
- NFL: BIG LONG AND SHORT CONTRACTS. Think teams are holding back on paying the big bucks to their stars? Think again. Not only were a couple of big contracts paid out, but records were set with guaranteed money allotted. Derrick Henry signed up for a 4 year/$50 mil contract. But, any RB contract is a big deal these days, mainly due to changing offenses and RB longevity. He will get $25.5 mil guaranteed, and he is set for years to come at a changing position. Myles Garrett signed a contract EXTENSION with the Browns, that will give him $100 million in guaranteed money. That is a lot in the football world. And in Kirk Cousins Saga II, Dak Prescott will play on the franchise tag again. He won’t be living in his car though and don’t feel bad for him, as it pays $31.4 million in one YEAR. On the nicer guy side of that coin, AJ Green will sign the franchise tag with the Bengals for $18 mil and change, and has committed verbally to wanting to figure out a long term deal with the team. Joe Burrow is a very happy man that AJ Green is not your typical WR jacka#$ and wants to bolt to greener pastures.
- COLLEGE FOOTBALL: CALEB WILLIAMS. Not sure if any of the SI Executives are Norman grads, but Caleb Williams was named the #1 overall prospect in his class. He will go to Oklahoma to try and keep them legitimate as their self-proclaimed QB U that has gained traction recently. This is not a story of him becoming a Sooner, but just noting that a major site named him as the top dog overall.
- COLLEGE BASKETBALL: BAYLOR RECRUITING. What the heck is going on in Waco? The 2021 recruiting was already pretty stellar for them going into Monday. But, now that five-star recruit Langston Love has decided to join the party, they now have the #1 recruiting class (by far) for that year. He joins Jeremy Sochan and Kendall Brown as the top-flight guys. Scott Drew has picked that program up, put it on his back, and is now getting studs year after year. They are going to be fun to watch this year, and next year obviously too. Nice pull(s), Scott.
- NBA: BUBBLE LIFE. I just wanted to share two articles this time around, and there will be plenty of time and finally ACTION for me to write about here very shortly. This article talks about odd things players brought to the bubble. I noticed that all players seem to be gamers. https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29434535/unique-items-nba-players-brought-orlando And related to the bubble also, this article announced the progress of the bubble, the players, surprises, etc. https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29496126/how-nba-players-navigated-first-two-weeks-bubble
- NHL: QUIET PROGRESS. The NHL has been the quietest in my opinion about the overall plan and its details. That being said, I have said all along that they most likely will be the most organized when it is all said and done. The storm in Edmonton damaging on of the hubs probably wasn’t the best sign of good times coming, but the fact that their first round of COVID tests opened with a TWO count means that the players and teams are being responsible. I am rooting for that to continue, because this mad playoff run is going to be fun. Man, playoff hockey is the best.
- MLB: DANIEL BARD. There will be a multitude of stories that occur during this shortened, post-COVID season. But, I already read one of my favorites before we get this season started. Daniel Bard was the less glamorous Rick Ankiel, suddenly losing control of his fastball and being forced out of the game. He became a mental coach for the D-Backs, was told his throws had quite a bit of juice on them when tossing it around with players, and it pushed him enough to hop on a mound and see what velocity he was at. Mid-90’s was the answer, and now the Rockies have just informed Daniel that he will be on the opening day roster. Like the movie The Rookie, it doesn’t really matter how many games he wins this year. The fact that he made it to where he is at IS the story. I will be rooting for him, and you should too.
- MISCELLANEOUS: MEMORIAL. The course played similar to a Major, the field was the strongest one yet this year, and scores reflected this. There were no 20 under scores for this week. And, even without fans, it provided great entertainment. Rickie and DJ oddly both blew up on the first day, and really never recovered. Phil had a typical tournament of making sure we see his ads, trying odd, chancy shots throughout, and not really making any impact on the leaderboard. Not only did Bryson DeChambeau card a ten on a hole and miss the weekend, but during that ten, he asked the official for a “second opinion.” As Jim Rome said when commenting on this event in his comeback from vacation today, you ask for a second opinion from a doctor and not a PGA Rules Official. Brooks took a massive Kodiak rip on Day 3, which was entertaining. He also birdied 5 of 7 holes right after the Kodiak. They did a quick special on how Tony Finau’s club speed was witnessed at 206 recently. Jack Nicklaus, the course architect, not only gave great analysis during the weekend’s rounds, but unfortunately also got COVID at the same time apparently. Tiger Woods struggled with mediocrity throughout the four days, barely made the cut, appeared to be in pain, and again is just not totally there right now with the PGA Championship not too far away. Finally, sometimes one guy just is playing a different version of the course on display. Jon Rahm was this guy this past weekend. He had a comfortable lead going into the final day and never relinquished that lead. He is now the #1 player in the world. He is amazingly consistent and I respect that, but I still have a problem with the #1 player having no Majors. He hasn’t won one of the big ones, and I personally feel they need to redo the rankings if that is not being taken into account as much as it should be. Winning 11 times and being European Tour Golfer of the Year is impressive. Winning a Major is more impressive and completes any resume for being #1.
- MISCELLANEOUS: ARTICLE SHARE. I just wanted to share two articles that caught my eye this week. This one is a great breakdown of Christian Pulisic’s season with Chelsea. https://www.espn.com/soccer/chelsea/story/4137168/christian-pulisics-first-premier-league-season-compares-to-stars-like-sadio-mane-and-raheem-sterling And this one was sent to me by my ex-colleague and friend, Bob. It talks about how Lance Armstrong inspired someone but also fooled him (well, I think he did that to all of us, but this is very well written). https://www.bicycling.com/culture/a32907944/dear-lance-armstrong/
- THIS AND THAT: You have to jump all over and network the restaurants that are still doing a form of happy hour. Although the beer special at Highland Tap and Burger was only a dollar off the drafts and sort of weak, the burger special (combine it with the green chili fries if I was you), along with the mixed drink specials are still good deals. The borders to Canada and Mexico are now closed from the U.S., and if we keep up this pace with COVID, they will end up building a wall for US. Barbados is being smart and offering deals to people working from home long term…that wouldn’t suck. It doesn’t affect us pawns, but Twitter didn’t benefit much from some big names getting hacked all at once. Disney World is opening Epcot Center and Hollywood Studios so you can do two more things besides Disney World you can’t do right now…going to the movies and traveling the world. Another family found thousands of bees in their wall, and this really makes me want to go check all crawl spaces. I might die of a heart attack should I find “thousands of bees in my wall.” The Governor of Georgia, who has become pretty famous nationally during this pandemic, has decided to sue the Mayor of Atlanta because apparently he has become bored again with sensibility. The mortgage rate is below 3% so refi while you can, folks. We just did for the second time in not so long of time. Talk about beating the system! Mary Trump decided one day that writing about Donald Trump from a family level would be relieving and financially good, and damn Mary was right. Sold 900,000 copies in the first week to break all sorts of records. And, perhaps you missed Billy Joel driving down a street on his motorcycle, seeing a piano on the sidewalk, and deciding to play it in front of some random people. Man, I would die. https://y98.radio.com/blogs/kevin-the-intern-berghoff/watch-billy-joel-playing-a-street-piano Not exactly an uplifting story, but a sad and informative article about the brave teachers who have to now become a front line for the children being educated. Scary stuff. https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/16/us/coronavirus-teachers-preparing-wills/index.html An assistant not only decided to kill his tech mogul, but saw off all of his limbs and head. That is some serious anger (and a lot of bad planning also). I knew John Lewis was a legend, but had no idea he was arrested for “good trouble” 45 times. I am working on season 3 of The Wire, and I wonder when people watched Game Of Thrones, if they just said well this Little Finger guy is just literally the same guy as the councilman from The Wire, because that is what I think, but it is just inverted (Top gun tease for a joke but I will move on). I admit to liking Halsey’s new song also. Be Kind. I might just be an overall fan of hers. Not saying I invented this list, but I think it is relatively accurate considering it was off the cuff. There is a guy who I respect a lot, and is a long-time friend of my wife, who has not seen ANY of the following movies. I thought all dudes knocked out at least 2 of these. That is my cutoff. And most of us have seen every one of them possibly 25 or more times. Godfather, Scarface, Goodfellas, and Casino. Then, I quoted a Tombstone line after I found out, and he hadn’t seen that one either. Nick, don’t worry. I will have a Casino Night party at my place once this COVID stuff clears up. My wife only asks for McDonald’s once every year or so, and it is usually out of convenience or speed. We had it on Sunday. What a bum experience. Soggy fries, messed up order, missing sauces, and had to sit in that parking spot where they bring it to you. I can write off a bad McDonad’s trip, but I kind of wanted a flawless one for someone who never goes. Guess it will be at LEAST another year before we have that together again. Taco Bell is nixing eleven items from their menu, so you better get what you need before that date in August. Colorado betting netted $96k for its first month. The carbonara at the quaint little Italian place, Parisi, is pretty ridiculously good. Trump will resume his daily briefings, meaning our remote work afternoons will be provided instant entertainment once again. I realized after going through every piano book I owned that Chopin Preludes was missing, and that arrived today from Amazon…with my egg weights. I am excited to work out and box with the egg weights…as soon as my back and wrists get rid of the massive soreness I experienced for hitting a huge bucket of balls on the range for the first time in months. Felt great to be swinging the sticks though. Lil Dicky is the next coming of Eminem skill-wise, and although there are faster songs he raps in, the funniest one I have heard thus far is Professional Rapper. Check it out. With Snoop. From 2015. I know. I am still catching up on what he has out there. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlU4FuIJT2k I am pushing this rapper on people like I am pushing the board game Shut the Box on people. He is fast, cool, educated, clever, and already cool with the old school guys. Oh, and Shut The Box is also cool and clever and a fantastic game. And the wife and I head to Boulder this weekend for our next road escape from quarantine. Then, we are hoping we will feel safe enough to jump on a plane in August for a Tulsa family wedding.
- TWEET OF THE WEEK
ALTERNATE CATEGORIES THAT DIDN’T MAKE THE CUT:
- THE BEST WORKOUT SONG EVER FOR THIS WEEK (because the best song this week IS the best song ever…for now):
- QUOTE OF THE WEEK
- LINKS TO SAVE YOU TIME IN LIFE
- TRAVEL
- THIS WEEK’S LIST
- MY NUMBERS
- GONE FISHING (the riddle for money):
- PICS BY MY PIXEL (pictures from my phone):
- LIFEGUARD ENTRY:
- THE FILLERBUSTER
The theme? Professional Rapper barely beats out Billy Joel and Shut the Box, as I have pushed the other two A) forever and B) massively in the last three weeks. Plus, it is from 2015, and is totally random.
And our weekly reminder of the greatest sequel ever made coming out this winter… Top Gun 2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8z1rqA8jRw
That’s it for today. Hope you enjoyed or are at least more informed. Remember two things. First, feed yourself, feed your family, but always, always remember to…feed the wolf. Second, if you can’t spot the sucker in your first half hour at the table, then you are the sucker. Will I blog again? That is a CLOWN question, bro. As one shepherd said to the other shepherd, let’s get the flock out of here.
| THROW IT BACK IN THE POND |
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| dog |
| andrea |
| amy |
| Elizabeth |
| da baby |
| Jim carrey Renee zelwegger |
| karen |
| back black street |
| golf bets |
| memorial being on with tiger while working |
| the no sports party about done for wife |
| the wire |
| piano |
| guitar |
| wedding enlistment |
| spanish |
| workout |
| skydiver dies first jump 1 per 500k if tandem in last decade |
| front porch |
| Linds plural |