Road Trip
Road Trip
The Cast
FILLERBUSTER’S ELEVEN
Date: 30 June 2020
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 on Tuesday night in full. You will notice more focus on each topic as I toy again with the direction of this thing. Written, edited, released.
- EVERGREEN: VINCE CARTER. Vinsanity officially retired last week, robbing all of us and Vince of any type of final farewell on the court. We will never truly know about Vince Carter on two items. We will never know what would have happened had his knees not gotten wobbly too early in his career, and we will never know what would have happened had he been lucky enough to land on a better team in his first two contracts. Way before he was 43 years old and the old man of the NBA, he had a similar trait as Michael Jordan had when he went into the air. Uncertainty. You knew he would be up there for longer than other mortals, and you didn’t know what he was going to do while he was up there, and you watched in awe. He rose out of Daytona Beach, was Tracy McGrady’s distant cousin, was POY in Florida and an McDonald’s All-American for the nation, and then turned down 76 major schools (including Florida) to head to UNC. He got North Carolina into a couple of Final Four’s before becoming the 5th overall pick of the 1998 NBA Draft. The Warriors actually traded him to Toronto immediately, where he would land Rookie of the Year and then go onto seven more teams and eight All-Star nods. The farthest he would ever advance into the playoffs would be the Conference Semi-Finals, but he had other things going for him. In 2000, he not only still finished his degree at UNC while in the NBA, but gave everyone a “where were you when…” moment when he man-handled all other contestants in the perhaps greatest one-man show in a dunk contest. It was magical, and was the height (along with the MJ ones) of the dunk contest. He also would get a gold medal in the Summer Olympics before heading off to teams such as the Nets, Magic, and Suns. Before his knees gave out, he made us gasp when he took off. And we missed that as he aged. But, later in his career, he won various teammate and philanthropy awards instead of MVP’s. He even gave us his ASG spot for MJ during his comeback. But, know this. Vince Carter, when he was in his prime, flew a little higher than everyone else at one time. We will miss you both of you, Vince…that flying circus in the air, and that veteran class teammate.
- I didn’t read this until after I wrote the above, but enjoyed this article too. https://deadspin.com/vince-carter-will-be-remembered-for-more-than-his-ridic-1844167007
- NFL: CAM NEWTON. If you get some free time, maybe you should check out the Jay Cutler-chickens story, but let’s reel it in to one story for today and my writing. I chose this one because I have been harping on it from the moment he went on the market. For MONTHS. I wanted the Steelers to look into getting Cam Newton, and I think that every team should have. The guy has been to a Super Bowl, the guy was 6-2 before his last injury, is 2-0 against the Patriots, and changes the way defenses attack in all ways…in his prime or not. He has an injury bug, and a isn’t the most mentally stable QB out there, but he is a SOLID #2, who I would take any day, any time. Listen, the Patriots didn’t pull a “Patriot Way” genius move. They just got tired of waiting for everyone to pass on him, and picked up the phone. He was the best VALUE out there. You should be mad at YOUR team too. Chase Daniel is the backup QB for the Lions that you barely have ever heard of, and he makes more money than Jameis Winston and Cam Newton COMBINED. True, Newton’s contract is incentive lined, but it is short-term and doesn’t risk the future of the team. There was NO way that The Hoodie planned on “rebuilding” after Brady’s exit. No. He is always wanting to win, and although I am not a fan of the team nor QB, this was a great, great value pickup that many other teams could have figured out. It really doesn’t MATTER if it works out of not. And, worst case for this pickup, the guy they already THINK will work out (Stidham) DOES work out and stays healthy. Shame on you, rest of the NFL. This was a no-brainer.
- COLLEGE FOOTBALL: REALIGNMENT. BLM is taking down statues and state flags, ACC coaches are isolating themselves from their wife for the ENTIRE season because of COVID, and Clemson had almost 40 COVID cases and we aren’t even into the true season yet. The other problematic concept is the following also. The STUDENTS. In the NFL, control can be put around fans and players. In college, you have normal STUDENTS on grounds that could contribute to the problem, many schools won’t play at all if there are no classes, and travel logistics become longer, more expensive, and more problematic. It is time to start thinking about what this author is talking about. Radical, but logical with the changing worlds we live in. https://www.si.com/college/2020/06/29/ncaa-college-football-conference-realignment
- COLLEGE BASKETBALL: EMONI BATES. Emoni Bates is the best high school player in the land. And he just finished his SOPHOMORE year. He is the next coming, and has been watched for years now. He is a 6’9” small forward who can shoot. They are hoping he is a little better than Andrew Wiggins, the last coming. Emoni reclassified to the earlier class and STILL was #1. First Gatorade Player of the Year as a sophomore? Check. State title? Check. Based on all present rules, he wouldn’t be in the NBA draft until 2023. He is a kid where I could see them coincidentally changing the rules before that year. Until then, he will attend a prep school that his dad created for him and other top prospects to play the best competition. One way or the other, know this. He might go to the G-League. He might go overseas. There might be new rules by then and new places to go. He might not play college ball, but if he does, he is going to Michigan State. Remember the name. Tom Izzo had a great week.
- NBA: THE PRE-BUBBLE. Before I get to my hook, I would like to announce that June 30th was a big day in NBA basketball. It was the LAST day that Deron Williams was paid $15k per DAY by the Nets for THAT bad contract. Yes, THAT Deron Williams. Done since 2015. Basically, he is the Bobby Bonilla contract of the NBA. Now, to my hook. We are less than a month before GAMES and I am supposed to be excited, right? Point spreads are on the board. Well, I AM, but man, are there a lot of bad stories out there BEFORE the bubble. The Nuggets just shut down their facility due to COVID, and they were supposed to be in the bubble already. Well, they shut down the facility on Saturday, and somehow ESPN didn’t pick it up until Tuesday. That is weird and shows full transparency, right? Anyway, Jokic had COVID in Serbia, Avery Bradley will sit out due to family, Malcolm Brogdon tests positive, Jabari Parker tests positive, two other Kings, Derrick Jones from the Heat, Wilson Chandler will sit out, Dinwiddie tests positive, DeAndre Jordan is out after a test, 16 of 302 total, I can’t keep track of the list, Florida is spiking again, and this has the look of a big problem, no matter how detailed that rulebook is. I hope we figure it out, and we definitely need sports, but the foreplay is ominous to say the least. At least we will have JR Smith back in the fun, as he is being signed by the Lakers. He is a real rule-follower. Man, I hope this works out.
- NHL: HUB. Meanwhile, the NHL hasn’t released a home base city, a rulebook, or anything. I have a feeling that their PLAYERS are less to worry about than other leagues as they always strike me as tough classy guys, but give us a hint of this brilliant plan, folks. When are these six cities going to be limited down?
- MLB: NUMBERS. Baseball plays the most amount of games. Their numbers are what makes the game. Hitting .400 is mythical and impossible. Your ERA is your brand if a pitcher. But, aside from various players like Joe Ross, Ian Desmond, and Ryan Zimmerman sitting out, what else do we have in store for this strange season? How many wins will a team get? Will someone hit .400? The sport is based on percentages, and this is a great article that provides a foundation for your expectations. The article may be less interesting than the cutouts that season ticket holders will send to the San Francisco Giants, but still a good read.
- Dammit. I lost the original article when I lost my COVID stuff too. Anyway, found another one. Solid article still on the above. https://www.si.com/mlb/2020/06/30/baseball-schedule-60-games
- MISCELLANEOUS: I could discuss a TBT team being out because of COVID, the various PGA golfers testing positive, Mike Tyson turning 54 this week during his comeback, or Christian Pulisic continuing to make America proud overseas, but isn’t THIS more fun to read? Best sports anthems ever. GNR and ACDC make the title game. https://deadspin.com/it-s-thunderstruck-vs-welcome-to-the-jungle-in-fig-1844203541
- THIS AND THAT: This is where randomness still rules, because it is my blog, and it is fun. Lou’s Italian Specialties downtown is very good, but I would lean towards a sandwich over a pasta from what I have tasted. Ron Jeremy was charged with sexually assaulting four women, and although I guess I wouldn’t doubt his lack of mental stability, that still strikes me as odd for a guy who probably skips to work each day. Did that dust plume not make it fully to Colorado? I must have missed it. Microplastics have been found in a tiny organism in Antarctica, and that is not good on the size OR location of the animal. I still don’t understand why we are lighting off fireworks in a bunch of cities a week before we can’t go to a festival on the holiday, but I guess everyone is strange in their own way. Charles Robinson is a Yahoo NFL reporter, and he mentioned in a Jim Rome interview that the best way to get fresh French fries at McDonald’s is to order them at the first window without salt, and then they make new ones, and then at the next window after you have them you ask for salt packets, and then probably go to a different McDonald’s to do the trick again another day. A kid, mother, and grandfather in New Jersey ALL died in the same pool and that is just horrible. Armida’s closes in Denver, and that makes anyone without fear of singing karaoke very sad, as it was a central go-to. Tres Chile’s on Tennyson has low happy hour prices like before, and lots of open air to not feel you are around germs. On the opposite side, FnG has better food, but their bar and crowd inside looked almost at normal capacity. Sit outside if you go there. If Trump doesn’t make another term, I think I WILL miss his idiotic, painful tweets each morning with lots of capital letters in them. So bizarre and all party based these days. Post Oak is like the pizza in Billions and it doesn’t taste as good NOT in the shop as it doesn’t travel well, so just go there and eat it there. Order Billy Simms if you want delivery. WestEnd on Tennyson you would THINK would be lax on their social distancing, but them and Local 46 are some of the safest surprising ones we have seen. Over 100 people in India were killed by lightning in TWO days, and even if they were in wide open fields, I didn’t know that was a thing annually. I made lunch mac and cheese into breakfast mac and cheese by adding some over easy eggs at Cozy Cottage, and it was pretty freaking tasty. They allow you to bring your own booze, if you care. I had the steak and eggs at American Elm again, and it was just as magnificent as the first time, and I might get it again the next time I go. If you are out there looking for more proof the world is ending, oil companies (Chesapeake Energy Corp) are filing for bankruptcy and locusts are invading Gurgaon. The movie The Way Back with Ben Affleck was solid, and I have decided it is either Flight mashed with Hoosiers, or a spinoff Hoosier movie involving Dennis Hopper. He is quality in it. B+. So, there was Disney Plus for Hamilton, and now I have to have Apple Plus to see a mainstream Tom Hanks sub movie called Greyhound? This world is getting WEIRD. I miss the movie theater. The stars make a home version of Princess Bride. Funny as heck. https://www.cnn.com/videos/movies/2020/06/29/princess-bride-movie-celebrity-remake.cnn Ozark will come back for one more 14-episode season, and you should catch up now if you are not there. That show will take you on a RIDE. Finally, my wife and I needed a new board game. If you haven’t played Shut The Box, then I would say do it, but only if you have an hour or two to kill. ADDICTING. You won’t be able to stop. Apparently, it has already been a thing in the UK for centuries. I had never heard of it. Fun, fun, fun. And if you haven’t been to Rodizio Grill since this all went down, we just had to burn a coupon so have tried it out. In case you are curious, everything is still all you can eat. You walk up and ask for portions of salad bar and hot side items in a one-way style. They will give you too much. Think about it. They can’t be skimpy because hard core eaters will be mad about asking for more, so basically they are wasting a lot of food. Meat works the same, but with a table divider and specific rules on handling utensils for the meat. Salad bar was awkward, but overall it was fine.
- EVERGREEN 2: ROAD TRIP. People are tired of being at home. Enough people are going out and about in close quarters to ruin things for the safe people. You need to get away. But, no one wants to go to an airport for anything less than an imperative flight. So, jump in the car, folks. Do research on where you are going and make sure you aren’t walking into being quarantined where you go. Call some places. Know the rules. Don’t go to the beach unless you know a barren one. Things are just lax enough to get away responsibly but tight enough to not get on planes or boats. Restaurants have their new system down, and hotels are now used to people and cleaning more. This is the perfect time to find that place far away that you have been wanting to go to. For people out East, that task might be a little tougher because of crowd density, but it looks like things have declined on the COVID front in the Northeast. My wife and I were supposed to be at Bluegrass Festival last week in Telluride before all of this crap, so we decided to just do that THIS week for the long holiday weekend. Six hour drive we have never indulged in. Whether it is a small town far away, a camp site you know about but haven’t gone to, or a camp site you don’t know about and haven’t found yet, go. Be responsible, but you CAN get away and have a change of scenery. I would overpay for nicer hotels too because of better cleanliness. And we all lose some local dive bar searching because they are probably more dirty, and in CO they are banned again as of today (need to serve food). Good luck, have fun, drive safe. I personally will talk to you on the flip side of our trip. Have a great Fourth.
- 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 (tough to do when we are all remote):
- THE FILLERBUSTER (going to space this out more, especially since there is less travel in my life)
The theme? We are going on a road trip to Telluride, so it is the preemptive theme, and the post-trip blog theme for sure. And what a fun, dumb movie that was back in the day. So random, and has nothing to do with my blog in the end game. Except for the movie is called Road Trip.
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 |
| lions owner ford steps down, daughter takes over |
| pro softball players slam gm national anthem tweet |
| China two espionage canada |
| michael flynn case |
| pga tour adjusting covid rules |
| us open expands eligibility criteria-mickelson in now |
| borussia dortmund wants gio reyna long term |
| concern in wnba restart details |
| monsanto bayer roundup litigation |
| tariffs aircrafts-europe |
| redskins removing ex-owner from ring of fame also |
| khurrum rahid head covering muslim |
| acc commissioner retiring after next year |
| gregg williams has jamal adams back |
| australia new zealand to ost 2023 women’s wc |
| amazon backing seattle arena initiative |
| rhule might take a knee |
| tea war us uk |
| rapper huey dies |
| colts darius leonard kicked out of chipotle |
| trump obamacare |
| citi credit card users complaining |
| coach k says BLM not a political issue |
| morehouse scaps football season pandemic |
| wwe releases two wrestlers sexual misconduct |
| nats zimmerman still deciding if playing this season |
| nc racetrack owner posts bubba rope for sale |
| Angela Madden found dead Cali to hawaii |
| Microsoft closing stores |
| nflpa workouts safety |
| Blake hinson says ms flag part of decision |
| under armour wants to nix UCLA contract |
| the decision was fans idea |
| dodgers Andrew toles sleeping behind building |
| Brandon Jones wins first truck race |
| virtual salute to 100 year anniversary of Negro League |
| supreme court blocks abortion law that would have closed clinics |
| friction with russia |
| police reform |
| facebook ad boycott |
| pakistan |
| bet awards |
| costco stops selling half sheet cakes |
| 3 hikers lost mount rainier park |
| 60000 lbs of chicken nuggets pulled |
| china locks down 40000 people 18 cases |
| anniversary we don’t care about The Decision push |
| Hawks ok arena being voting station |
| people defecating queens vacation home |
| new Beijing law |
| Detroit police car drives into protestors |
| Hamilton coming out Disney plus |
Carl reiner dies
Lillard gets first cover for new nba 2k
Lost my covid notes
Us looks so dumb right now
| Blm |
| Brooks laid to rest |
| Seattle protestors keep going |
| seeing hard core wlm people sad |
| bubba noose wasn’t hate crime per fbi door opener Oct 2019 |
| bearcats to remove schott’s name from stadium |
| breonna Taylor killer fired as cop |
| Kimmel sorry for blackface |
| Tina fey asks platforms to pull 30 rock blackface |
| ouzo bay Baltimore 9yr olds dress code |
| walgreens guy-three officers-rex chapman tweet |
| blackface |
| Oregon no masks for blacks |
| nm hate crimes restaurant. |
| pride |
| 3 scrubs episodes banned |
| bubba |
| https://www.espn.com/racing/nascar/story/_/id/29357584/bubba-wallace-nascar-investigating-hate-crime-know-know-fbi-findings |
| three men charged with arbery murder |
| jon stewart says he regrets for only having white male staff on show |
| disney changing concept of splash mountain |
| Dixie chicks now called the chicks |
| Philly will take down Columbus statue |
| donovan mitchell gets negative feedback on posts |
| past incidents being investigated nationally |
| trump signing order to protect monuments |
| brady bucs work out despite covid restrictions |
| seahawks, ravens discussed antonio brown |
| big ben admits previous addictions to alcohol, porn |
| cowboys steelers HOF game canceled |
| nfl talking about selling parking lot viewing areas |
| malcolm jenkins calls football nonessential, worries about coming back |
| jay cutler is hunting a chicken serial killer |
| Joe bugel skins dies |
| manziel says football in past |
| nfl fines pats 1.1 mil, third orund pick, video crew |
| west virginia dc put on leave various allegations |
| lsu adds espn 300 lineman dellinger from mich |
| kiffin leach lobbying for change to ms flag |
| dave clawson wake will isolate from wife for season |
| clemson football 14 more positive covid, 37 total |
| mayor resigning after comments on football team’s BLM video |
| realignment plan |
| akrum wadley, former iowa rb, speaks out |
| june 25 would have been nba draft day |
| 16 of 302 players test positive |
| going to allow social justice messages |
| nba spreads on board |
| ja Morant sorry for anti-police post |
| NBA black lives matter on courts |
| nhl hub city down to six |
| iginla hossa Lowe hof |
| mlb rules, plan |
| yanks dodgers favorites to win world series |
| rockies blackmon has covid |
| expectations |
Desmond also says mlb is failing minorities
Larking and others want landis off mvp trophy
| Best Virginia out of TBT covid |
| pga Cameron champ positive covid |
| nyc marathon canceled |
| graeme mcdowell withdraws event caddie COVID |
| koepka out at event caddie covid |
| pulisic scores again |
| Liverpool first premier league title 30 yrs |
| denny mccarthy tests positive at travelers |
| travelers mickelson early lead |
| travelers dustin johnson wins |
Arizona stopping bringing athletes back
Tyson turns 54 june 30, still coming back
Anthem bracket
| 7.4 earthquake southern mexico |
| trump appoints 200th judge leans conservative |
| elections primary numbers coming in |
| nasa to name headquarters after hidden figures woman |
| man on bench singing living on a prayer |
| ants in cat bowl resolutions |
| kanye west-gap deal |
| vampire fish spawning in vermont waters |
| postino roast beef panini just ok |
| man smuggles cocaine in on artifical penis |
| https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8446297/British-man-caught-smuggling-cocaine-Belgium-inside-fake-penis-faces-three-years-prison.html |
| lee flake |
| siya kakkar tiktok dies |
| out cold |
| lars |
| a boat party? |
| will you just be cool? |
| excuse me. hello? |
| are your feet very sad? |
| you big piece of rice! |
| smashing party |
| he is a sex player |
| and my extremely handsome father |
| new sex machine called lars |
| I don’t know what the elves say |
India has banned tiktok
Amc delaying more opening-summer releases
Sasha baron cohen catfished right wing event
| the guardian hooked me again at end |
| people like us must destroy people like him |
| telluride booked lulu 5D |
| the cleaners tornado |
| the cats won’t eat |
| the busy work week |
| Spanish |
| miss billions already |
| the wire progress-season 3 finally |
| workout paused-injuries |
| Guitar |
| Keyboard |
| adding shadow boxing |
| boulder is booked-next road trip |
| the politician-wife loves |
| egg weights ordered |
| Paddles are expensive-don’t lose them |
| people like us must sell to people like him-my new sales line |
| hump day hh, and then thursday hh |
| refund canadian hotels success |
| the blog webinar |
| car to the shop |
| the broken arm, back |
| so out of the loop on new songs and movies |
| workout songs |
| email now fwi.com |
| dinner friday solo |
| american elm Sunday |
| first friend covid test-didn’t go to pool to meet them |
| no egg weights-amazon canceled order |
| lost priority package-success |
| neighbors hate us |
| Yaaaz |
| Maury |
| widespread panic Sundays |
| shut up and play-jojo |
| telluride crew |
| ouray springs |
| terrible mask |
Rodizio-must use coupon
Changed the jogging route
Tigers to give 8.4 mil to torkelson
CB grimes #6 in espn 300, picks tar heels
