Author: boom booms room staff

Raising the Bar

Posted on by boom booms room staff

Setting goals is a tricky business.  Set them too high and you’ll disappoint yourself and those that bought into the false hope.  Set them too low and achieving them isn’t really a success nor a motivator.   Setting goals for sport teams is equally tricky for the exact same reasons.  Fan support and donor support hang in the balance.

Let’s use a Gamecock as a Guinea pig for an example.  What is a realistic yearly goal for Head Coach Will Muschamp and his South Carolina football team?

SC competes in the SEC East.  They play Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Missouri, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt each year in the east.  They have Texas A&M from the west as their designated rivalry yearly game and rotate among Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Mississippi St,, Ole Miss, and Arkansas as their other west opponent.  You have four SEC games at home, and four on the road each year.   They select/control who their four out of conference opponents are and where they play those games.   One choice that they always make is Clemson.  The instate rivalry “Palmetto Bowl” is 115 games old and counting.

It should be noted that this year’s schedule rotated in the west to a tussle with Alabama.  All of the above makes one wince.  Survive that gauntlet and the reward is the SEC Championship Game against the best from the west and a to be determined bowl game.  SC joined the SEC in 1970.  A championship still escapes them.

Ready to set the goal to keep everyone moving in the same direction to achieve it?  Good luck.  Good luck unless some realism, if not publicly stated, is at least privately understood.

After being impatient in latter part of the 20th Century,  SC has been patient in the 21st.  Lou Holtz in 2000 gave way to Steve Spurrier in 2005, who retired in 2015.  Enter volatile Will Muschamp.  Four years later SC competes hard on the field.  Their upset of Georgia in Athens two weeks ago proves that.  The report card for Holtz was a 45% winning percentage turning around a downtrodden program in four years, 63% under the ole ball coach, and 55% for Muschamp’s tenure.

Is Oklahoma St. or Texas Tech the SC of the BIG 12?  Is Michigan St. or Minnesota the SC of the BIG 10.  Is Washington St. or California the SC of the PAC 12?  It seems so.  So do you accept the bar and try to shimmy over it more than not?  Or do you raise the bar and attempt to do what you haven’t done in a long, long time or even forever?

How do you move up to that higher bar?  Money, cheat, culture, system?

Okie St. chose the money route thanks to T. Boone Pickens.  Mike Gundy’s team has had a few moments, but no breakthrough yet.  Tillman Fertitta is pouring money into Houston to try the same from a lower bar.

Ole Miss chose the dishonest route.  Hugh Freeze’s college coaching career is on ice because of it, and Ole Miss is fighting to stay out of the cellar in the SEC West.

Mike Leach brought his fun and gun system and mentality to Wash St.  It’s been fun, but it too hasn’t broken through.

Dabo Swinney changed the culture and expectations at Clemson though they had a more storied past to recapture the magic v. establish it.

We think that a game Muschamp is going the culture route hoping recruiting and money will follow.  His 3-4 record season to date matches his recruiting rankings relative to his competition thus far.  A season ending date with Clemson still looms.  Jeez.

There’s much satisfaction and financial reward for whomever can sustainably break through to challenge the big boys.

It’s an admirable goal.  Is it realistic?

 

 

 

 

Ten Piece Nuggets-NCAA Football

Posted on by boom booms room staff

It’s Monday and it’s time to take a look at the NCAA football  and it’s AP Top 25.  Week eight is in the books, and we cook up ten nuggets to review it.

  1.  Alabama remains entrenched at #1.  They won the home game against Tennessee 35-13, and lost a QB in the process.  Tua Tagovailoa underwent surgery for a high ankle sprain yesterday and is expected to be back for the early November showdown with LSU, who remains at #2 after a 36-13 win at Mississippi St.
  2.  Clemson’s won 45-10 over Louisville on the field.  But, off of the field they lost one place in the polls.  They are now #4 after Dabo Swinney told reporters that his sophomore QB Trevor Lawrence had four really bad plays in the game.  Their loss was THE Ohio St University’s gain as THE climbed to three.  THE beat Northwestern all sixty minutes long in a 52-3 Friday night blowout.
  3. Oklahoma #5 and Penn St #6 round out the top six teams all with 7-0 records.  Oklahoma stayed at #5 while Penn St jumped into the spot formerly occupied by fellow Big 10 school Wisconsin.  Whisky looked hungover all Saturday afternoon losing to lowly Illinois 24-23.  James McCourt kicked a 39-yard field as time expired and Illinois pulled off the biggest upset of the college football season bar none.  The Badgers dropped a steep seven spots to #13.  Their playoff dreams are now a headache and need two aspirin.  Penn St jumped to a 21-0 lead at home over Michigan then held on to win 28-21.  Jim Harbaugh’s team suffered another loss to a big time team in a Big Ten game in a big time moment.  He decided to question the officiating. “It’ll be interesting to compare some of the different scenarios in the game, in terms of calls,” Harbaugh said.  Perhaps a look in the mirror would be interesting as well.
  4. Florida and Notre Dame begin the parade of 6-1 clubs at #7 and # 8 respectively.  Florida hoped over ND moving from 9 to 7 a week after their first loss as they fought off a game South Carolina Gamecocks team in the rain in SC.  Will Muschamp had a few choice words for a few refs after a few bad calls and non calls post game.  He said he had nothing more to say about it.  Then, almost under his breath he uttered “gutless” describing the refs decision to flag him for unsportsmanlike conduct.    His wallet might be a few “dollars less” after the NCAA takes a look.  ND was idle before they travel to Michigan this week.
  5. Auburn jumped two spots back into the top ten at #9 after running over Arkansas 51-10.  Arkansas is a bad football team.  Their fake punt, which you can see here, could be the worst designed special teams play, well, ever.  The Auburn Tigers travel to Baton Rouge for a top ten showdown/throwdown with the LSU Tigers Saturday.
  6.  Georgia wore down Kentucky 21-0 in the mud and rain in Athens a week after they were upset by SC.  Georgia threw for a measly 35 yards all game on just 12 attempts.  Kentucky one upped that, or one downed that, throwing for a measly 17 yards on 18 attempts.  If you missed the game you don’t have to brag about it.
  7. Oregon and Utah rep the PAC 12 and are ranked #11 and #12.  Oregon’s season opening, last seven seconds loss to Auburn is deep in the rear view mirror now.  The Ducks went to Washington and escaped with a fine 35-31 win.  They’ll need help to climb back into any playoff discussion.  But with only two road games left of the five remaining, at USC and at #24 Arizona St., they do have an outside shot as others ahead of them square off.
  8.  Baylor says hello, remaining undefeated after an impressive road win at Oklahoma St. 45-21.  The Bears are 7-0 and have Texas and Oklahoma visiting Waco in mid November.  Baylor moved up four spots from 18 to 14.
  9. SMU 7-0, Minnesota 7-0, and Appalachian St. 6-0 round out the undefeated teams at #16, #17, and #21 respectively.  Much like Rodney Dangerfield it seems they get no respect.  Boise St. was undefeated but got bounced at BYU by the Cougars.  Boise St fell from 14 all the way down to 22.
  10. A few early lines are out.  THE Ohio St. U is a home 14 point favorite over Wisconsin.  LSU is a home 12 1/2 point favorite over Auburn.  Michigan is a surprising home 2 1/2 point favorite over the Fighting Irish.

Don’t leave your plate in the sink.  Put it in the dish washer please.

 

Abby Takes Down Vegas, Year 2, Week 8

Posted on by boom booms room staff

Abby began the second half of the NCAA football season more like a lion roaring than a dog barking last week.  Vegas called and offered her a comped dog suite this week complete with a mani and pedi bar, lap pool, and a dog run in hopes of getting her back to the sports book.  For the week she won four of five against the spread, collected a very impressive eight of nine bones, and punched the hunch bet ticket yet again.  Vegas needs to try to get even.

For the season Abby’s four paws stand at 19 wins and 16 losses, winning 38 and losing 29 bones wagered, and improved her hunch bet to a gaudy six wins and only two losses.

As a reminder each bone is the hypothetical equivalent of betting $11 to win $10 as Vegas takes the $1 juice when they win.  So in winning 38 bones she has collected $380 (38 x $10).  In losing 29 bones she has lost $319 (29 x $11).  The net take season to date is $61 on a win percentage of 57% (38/67).   If you bet $11 on each hunch bet you would have won $60 while giving back only $22.  Enough with the calculus, and on to this week’s opportunities.

It’s big spreads and big home dogs week.  Abby loves home dogs, but is wary of big home dogs and big favorites.  In the top 6 Alabama, LSU, THE, Clemson and Wisconsin are all on the road and are favored by an average of 27 points while Oklahoma is a 33 1/2 home favorite.  Woof!  Be careful.

Purdue v. Iowa -17 —  Iowa’s offensive scores are few and far in between.  Iowa’s defensive scores allowed are even fewer and farther in between.  Purdue has underwhelmed Abby to this point.  It’s a Big 10 grind and an Iowa win 33-10 with a late cover.  One bone.

Florida -5 v. South Carolina and Under 46 1/2 —  Will Muschamp, fresh off of a huge road upset over Georgia, hopes that his team can keep the mojo going at home.  Dan Mullen, fresh off of a 42-28 LSU road loss, hopes his Gators can recapture the mojo that lead to the 6-0 start.  Abby will pair the Gator win with the under.  Both teams scored a lot last week, while this one sets up to be a slobber knocker.  One bone to win Three Bones.

Pittsburgh v. Syracuse +4—  Has Abby ever mentioned that she loves home dogs?

The Orangemen’s season is basically on the line here.  They are one of the bigger disappointments season to date in the Power Five Conferences.  Abby is sniffing an outright win, but will wag her tail if she gets a cover.  Two bones.

Florida St. +2 v. Wake Forest —  Willie Taggert said last week that his team is close to being “right there” again in the ACC.  Then they went out and got worked by the Clemson Tigers.  If there is any fight left in the Seminoles (seems like an offensive name to Abby) they’ll win straight up.  Two bones.

Baylor v. Oklahoma St -4 —  On paper this almost seems like the wrong team is favored.  Abby has been long on the resurgent Bears all year.  But, the line and the spot seem right for a Cowboy victory by about a touchdown.  We’ll call it 38-31 Okie St.  One bone.

Oregon v. Washington +3 —  Abby chases ducks whenever possible.  Her Husky friend does the same.  Oregon seems to be the best in the west by a fair margin.  But, we see two loses on their tail feathers and this is the second and final one.  One Bone.

On a hunch Abby is taking LSU v. Mississippi St. under 62 total points.  LSU has nearly averaged that on their own this year.  But.  This game is sandwiched in between Florida and Auburn.  LSU runs the ball a lot this week, rests several regulars, serves a few more suspensions, and plays some D to hold Moo St. to less than 17.

Start spreading the news.  Abby also likes the ball in Verlander’s hand tonight.

Woof!

 

 

 

 

The Nationals Won. The Senators Lost.

Posted on by boom booms room staff

If you didn’t get a chance to tune into the Democratic Presidential Debate broadcasted live last evening, worry not.   It’s roughly only the fourth of 12 scheduled debates.  You can catch the next one or the next one.   Maybe the same tired answers to the same tired questions will grab your interest then.  We doubt very seriously that last night’s did.  And, worry not because we have the winners and losers all sorted out for you below.  Schmeer the bagel while we schmeer the debate.

Winner — Elizabeth Warren.  She spoke for a total of 23 minutes which was a strong 7 minutes longer than the presumptive, but maybe no longer, favorite Joe Biden.

Loser —  Everyone.  Everyone who listened to Elizabeth Warren for 23 minutes must feel like they need to go to their happy place this morning.  There is no way that every second of every minute of 23 spoken can be so terribly important about things that are so terribly bad that she must use the octave of shrill that she incessantly does.  Take a breath every now and then.

Winner —  Joe Biden.  Biden spoke for 16 minutes and didn’t really have a memorable “gaffe.”  He said “expidentially” instead of “exponentially.”  He mistook Iraq for Afghanistan.  But, that’s a good night for him these days.   Win one for the old gaffer is still in play, barely.

Loser  —  Joe Biden.  If Uncle Joe thinks that his topline response to his son’s foreign dealings is the end of it he’s sadly mistaken. “My son’s statement speaks for itself.”  “My son made a judgment. I’m proud of the judgment he made.” His party will take Trump to the mat from now till 2020 for his foreign affairs and Trump will tweet about Papa Joe and Son Hunter along the way as necessary.

WInner — Tulsi Gabbard.  Every time Gabbard speaks she sounds well thought out and mostly logical.  It’s a breath of fresh air on a very stale stage.  She isn’t afraid to call out her party or the other one when she feels the need, but does so in a respectful manner.

Loser — Tulsi Gabbard.  Gabbard was afforded only eight minutes of oxygen to breathe new life in the old party.  She lashed out at CNN last evening after the debate for the lack of time.  This may be a reach, but if Trump reached out to her after her campaign gets snuffed out by the DNC, he could make major hay if she accepted a role in his administration.  She seems like the type that if she felt like she could make a difference regardless of their differences she would give it her all.

Winner —  Bernie Sanders.  Two weeks after having what is now being called a heart attack, Bernie was back on the attack.  With his hair out of place, his hands and arms flailing about, and with his far, far left ideas being bombastically presented, all seemed well again.

Loser — Bernie Sanders.  His campaign is boxed in.  His radical left perch has many birds of the same feather.  They all look stuck together.   His stint as the left ideas leader was further slowed by the need for a stent in the arteries.

Winner — Kamala Harris.  Harris used a good bit of her 12 minutes telling America, once gain, that she was plenty experienced as the AG for the State of California.  She reminded us that aside from the US Department of Justice, that department is the second largest in the US.  She also told us, once again, that she went to more funerals of slain innocent children and gunned down cops than she wanted to tell us about.   It was a great refresher course on who she is we guess.

Loser — Kamala Harris.  Harris used a good bit of her 12 minutes telling America, once gain, that she was plenty experienced as the AG for the State of California.  She reminded us that aside from the US Department of Justice, that department is the second largest in the US.  She also told us, once again, that she went to more funerals of slain innocent children and gunned down cops than she wanted to tell us about.  It was a great refresher course on who she is we guess.  Or, it wasn’t.

Winner — Tom Steyer. The retired billionaire who bought his way onto the debate stage had the bright lights shining on him for a full seven minutes.  It must have felt like he was running out of a tunnel onto a playing field for the first time with his favorite JV team.  Cost per minute was rather steep, however.

Loser — Tom Steyer.  Now the retired billionaire can go back to sending money to the candidates he stood next to.

Winner — The Washington Nationals.  The Nationals probably gained TV eyeballs by the minute as America switched the debate off, and their sweep in the NLCS of the St. Louis Cardinals on.

Winner — The Washington Nationals.   Once upon a time there was a team in Washington.  Their nickname was the Senators.  They moved to Texas in 1971 and became the Rangers.  When the DC area regained a team (the Montreal Expos) in the 2005 season they didn’t rename them the Senators.  After last night’s debate snoozer, who can blame them?

Winner — Donald J. Trump.  Regardless of your party affiliation, hopes, and dreams, you had to be disappointed in the debate.  It was a rerun of a rerun and it lacked any suspense, drama, plot twists, or excitement.

Winner — Adam Schiff.  If you are the DNC your best hope for now of beating Trump is impeaching Trump.

 

The King and His Court.

Posted on by boom booms room staff

LeBron James exercised his right to free speech yesterday.  King James was holding court with reporters in LA after a workout on the court.  In a 45 second answer to an inaudible question James said Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey, he of the tweet of support for the protesters in Hong Kong, “wasn’t educated on the situation at hand.”

He went on to say that Morey’s foray into pro democratic support could have caused people to be harmed “not only financially, but physically, emotionally, and spiritually.”  He reemphasized that we do indeed have freedom of speech, but we must be careful with how we use it because there can be a lot of negatives that come with it.  And, he also said that he didn’t want to get into a war of words or sentences with Daryl.

The NBA received tremendous bipartisan criticism for their initial response to Morey’s tweet, when they responded by calling the post “regrettable” for the offense that it caused. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver eventually tried to tamp out the firestorm by recognizing Morey’s free speech rights.  China canceled exhibition games and a number of business deals with the Rockets, and the NBA as well.

Now, with the league representatives and players back from their tumultuous trip to China, LeBron, who has never shied away from social justice issues or criticism of American leadership weighed in.

And, all of this makes us wonder.

How does LeBron know that Morey is not educated on the “situation at hand?”  Or, is it more of LeBron exercising his right to free speech by expressing his opinion of Morey without knowing the depths of his study or concern of the subject matter?  LeBron said that we “need to realize that there are ramifications to what we tweet, what we say, and what we do.”  Does basically calling someone “uneducated” qualify?

LeBron expressed concern for the harm the tweet could have caused.  He then led with “not only financially.”  Hmm.  Seems like “financially” was top of mind over the physical, emotional, and spiritual concerns.  Words mean something we were told.  The order in which you use them does as well.  We also wonder how the pro Hong Kong tweet could have caused “spiritual” harm, but we digress.

And, King James wants no war of words (or sentences) with Daryl.  If that is the case, why speak out on it a full 10 days afterwards?  We wonder if James could have picked up his “smart” phone to call the “not smart” Daryl to discuss the matter privately and at some length versus the 45 second sound bite?  In yesteryear the world’s occupants actually used to talk to one another.

And most of all we wonder.   Does LeBron recognize that the “fight for freedom” that Morey was championing is the exact freedom Morey had when he tweeted and was the exact freedom that LeBron exercised when he called out Morey for doing so?  Burger King, not King James, once had a tag line.  “Have it your way!”

This “woke” society that we live in needs to wake up.

 

 

 

Ten Piece Nuggets-NCAA Football

Posted on by boom booms room staff

The beginning of the work week is upon us.  And, the beginning of almost exclusive NCAA football conference play is also upon us.  You have to take care of business every Saturday in conference play.  If you don’t, someone will be there to take food off of your table.  Here are ten nuggets for your breakfast table to kick start your week.

  1.  A week ago we called the lack of movement in the top ten “frankly boring.”  Like the weather, that changed this past Saturday.  The new AP top 25 is out.  And, Alabama took care of it’s business to remain # 1 with a solid conference road victory over the Texas A&M Aggies 47-28.  Tua T threw his first pick of the year and Alabama had 11 penalties accepted against them.  That’ll make this week’s practice for the Tide anything but frankly boring when Saban tears into his team.
  2. And, previous #5 became this week’s #2.  The fighting Tigers of LSU trailed a talented Florida team after one drive in the third quarter 28-21.  But from there for real Heisman candidate Joe Burrow took over on offense, and Dave Aranda’s leaky defense took over Florida’s offense.  LSU scored 21 unanswered to secure a 42-28 win.  It was it’s second win of the year over a top ten team.  Apparently the voters were impressed.
  3. Clemson and THE Ohio St. University slid one spot each to #3 and #4 respectively.  Clemson rolled a below average Florida St. team 45-14, while THE took the week off after it stymied an offensively challenged Michigan St team 34-10 the week prior.
  4. Oklahoma fans are hot.  The now #5 Sooners beat the then #11 ranked Texas Longhorns by seven points.  Oklahoma feels like they should be ranked higher.  If their Red River Rivalry score would have better reflected how they dominated Texas between the 20’s, maybe they would be.  Jalen Hurts dazzled at times and at others made poor decisions.  The only ranked team left on the Sooner’s schedule is down the road with #18 Baylor.  They’ll need some help to climb.  And, they’ll likely get it.
  5. Knock knock.  Who’s there?  The Big 10.  The Big 10 who?  The Big 10 who now have Wisconsin at #6 and Penn St. at  #7 to go along with THE at #4.  Wisconsin shut out said offensively challenged Michigan St. 38-0.  It’s Whisky’s fourth shutout in six games.  On the year they have allowed a mere 29 points in total.  Impressive.  Penn St. held off offensively challenged Iowa in Iowa 17-12.   Iowa has scored 18, 3, and 12 in conference games worth mentioning.  Thirty against Rutgers doesn’t count for much.
  6. The loud thud you heard was Georgia falling from #3 to #10.  We stated above that you have to take care of business every Saturday in conference play.  If you don’t, someone will be there to take food off of your table.   The Gamecocks of South Carolina took away UGA’s dog bowl and did so between the Athens’ hedges.    It’s a big win for Will Muschamp’s continued tenure at SC.  It’s a big loss for Kirby Smart’s team.  They’ll now need to beat Florida, win the SEC East, and beat the West opponent in the SEC Championship Game to have any shot at barking about inclusion in the playoffs.
  7.  Notre Dame sits somewhat quietly at #8.  Georgia beat them a few weeks ago.  We aren’t sure how they get the #8 spot, two ahead of Georgia.  But, Georgia only has Georgia to blame.  The Irish ran for over 300 yards in South Bend, and held on at the wire to defeat a game USC team.
  8.  Oregon remains the highest ranked PAC 12 team checking in at #12.  They’ve been impressive after a season opening loss to Auburn.  Don’t believe us?  Ask Colorado who got worked on both sides of the ball in a 45-3 wipe out.  On defense, the Ducks lead the conference with an average of 8.7 points per game surrendered. Oregon does face a test in Week 8 — a road trip to No. 25 Washington that is a must-win if the Ducks look to keep any shot at the playoff alive. The Ducks are a 2 1/2 point early week favorite.
  9. Who else remains undefeated after seven weeks?  If you said Boise St #14, Baylor #18,  SMU #19, Minnesota #20, and Appalachian St. #24 you’ve been watching too much college ball.  Is there a 2017 UCF type run in one of them?  We don’t know.  But, don’t sleep on Baylor.  Their schedule toughens from here.  But, Texas and Oklahoma both have to travel to Waco.
  10.  Congrats to Tennessee for getting an SEC win 20-10 over the Mississippi St. Bulldogs.  The season opening loss to Georgia St. stings a wee bit less now.  The Volunteers should not celebrate for very long, however.  They travel to Tuscaloosa this weekend for their yearly “natural rival” game v. Alabama.  Bama is a big 34 1/2 point favorite to kick around the team with the blue tick hound.  Big spreads litter the Vegas Strip this week.  Ohio St, Clemson, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, and LSU  are favored over conference opponents by 27, 23, 29, 33, and 19 points respectively.

It’s a quick 4 days till Friday.

Abby Takes Down Vegas, Year Two, Week Seven

Posted on by boom booms room staff

It’s hard to believe but after Saturday 50% of the regular NCAA season will be gone.  But, 50% remains.  And, what remains will be the better half as conference play is now the norm.

Abby and her bank account reaches the halfway mark just a bit ahead of that 50/50 area.  For the season her picks are 15 up v. 15 down.  The more important bones collected are 30 up and 28 down.  And, her amazing (dog) run on hunch (LY was 9-1) bets continues this year, now standing at 5 wins and only 2 losses.

Halloween is still three weeks away.  Some of the lines are a bit spooky.  Bravely, to the boneyard we go!

Virginia v. Miami -2 —  Virginia’s head coach is a Broncho, but Miami’s team speed is a Mustang.  It’ll be 90 degrees with 90 percent humidity down there tomorrow night.  Miami sweats out a late Cavalier drive and wins by more than 2 and less than 7.  One bone.

Oklahoma v. Texas +11 —  Texas upset Oklahoma last year in the Red River Rivalry.  A few years back this was called the Red River Shootout.    The PC crowd was upset about the violent name.  Nobody in the Big 12 plays violently, so what’s the big deal?  Expect a lot of scoring in this shootout.  Oklahoma gets the win, but so does Texas and the points.  One bone.

Mississippi St. v Tennessee + 7 —  This is Abby’s game of the month. How much better can it get?   It’s a bulldog vs. a blue tick hound!  And, the hound dog is a live home dog.  A straight up win by the Volunteers is possible.  There might even be a dog pile in the checkerboard endzone post game.  Four bones.

Cincinnati v. Houston + 7 1/2 —  The Bearcats are riding high after a home upset of UCF and have arrived in the AP Top 25 this week at #25.  They might leave H Town with a straight up loss and fall back into the dreaded “others receiving votes” mix mash.  One bone.

UAB -12 v. UTSA —  This is the eye chart game with all capital letters.  So far this year UAB passes the eye test.  That little bird that Abby keeps telling us about has a birdseye view of this one.  One bone.

The left coast has been great to Abby for hunches that win bunches.  Last week 16 point favorite Washington lost straight up to Stanford.   This week they are favored in Tuscon by 6 over the Arizona Wildcats.  Abby feels like the odds makers are begging you to take Arizona.  On a hunch she likes the Huskies doggone it.

 

Abby has again assigned the BBR staff to cover the LSU game live.  Work, work, work.

Woof, woof, woof!

Lefty- The WNBA Final Is Tonight, Shorty- The What?

Posted on by boom booms room staff

In my best Al Pacino voice, ” let me reintroduce you to my two little friends, Lefty and Shorty.”  It’s already been a year since they dissected the women’s sports scene.  But, first we digress a bit.

Way way back in 1965, or 6, or 7 we frequently made a Sunday PM trip to the Gulf Gas Station a couple of miles from our house.  I did not know it then, but it was on that road and back that my father (Boom Boom) began teaching his lessons of life to me.

Lefty and Shorty were the amiable service station attendants.  Well, that’s what they were called back then as every pump was full serve. Sunday’s were slow.  We had their full attention.   Dad interacted with them as they checked the oil, washed the windshield, pumped the gas, and took the money.  He often tipped them as well.  They were the main characters in the first lesson I learned.  They were funny. They always had a back and forth to their banter.  And, they always had a kind word or three.

If Lefty and Shorty were alive today their exchange may go something like this.

Lefty- The WNBA Final game is tonight.  Shorty-  The what?  Lefty- The Connecticut Sun face the Washington Mystics in a winner take all game five.  Shorty– Who?  Lefty- The series is tied two to two.  Shorty- The Astros and the Rays are tied two to two.  Winner advances.  Loser goes home.  Lefty- And that has exactly what to do with the basketball game?  Shorty– I think a lot more people are paying attention to that playoff game.  Lefty- You aren’t going to watch it?  Shorty- I am.  Gerrit Cole is on the bump for the Stros.  Lefty- NO.  The basketball game.  Shorty- Is the basketball game being played in China?  Lefty– NO. Huh? Shorty-  Good thing.  Fewer people?  Those watching the WNBA tonight or LA Dodgers fans supporting Dave Roberts decisions last night?  Lefty- I’m going to fix a flat tire.

 

You can count on Lefty and Shorty from time to time when a spirited debate is needed.

Lefty– Say bye for now Shorty.  Shorty– Bye for now Shorty.

 

 

 

 

 

Ten Piece Nuggets-NCAA Football

Posted on by boom booms room staff

The used to be Monday, that turned into Tuesday NCAA football Ten Piece Nuggets, slid all the way to Hump Day this week.  The foray into all that is Daryl Morey occupied our eyes and ears yesterday.  That said, it’s never too early in the season, or late in the week, to worry about the dreaded winter weight gain.  To help you manage your weight, we deep fried just eight nuggets this morning.

  1. The weekly AP Top 25 is (has been) out.  And, frankly it’s boring.  Maybe this week, as we get into the conference schedules a bit deeper, will be the “oh wow, that happened” week.  Stop us if you heard this before, but Alabama and Clemson remain one and two.
  2. THE Ohio St moved into a tie with Georgia at #3.  THE beat up an average, then #25 and now unranked, Michigan St. team.   Why this was impressive is yet to be determined.   We suspect the Northern block of voters banded together to dot the letter “i” in Ohio St. much like the sousaphone player in the band does weekly.  Georgia beat Tennessee (doesn’t everyone these days?) by 29 and somehow lost a smidgeon of ground.  Maybe UGA the dog can dot the “i” as only he can in Georgia next time.
  3. Florida jumped three spots up to #7 with their “game of the week” win in The Swamp over a great D, and average O, Auburn team.  Florida has a “D” in their name and a “D” on the field.  Auburn turned it over several times.  If you are a Florida fan you can say that the Gators took it from them if you prefer.  Auburn’s Bo Nix joined a litany of freshman QB’s to go on the road in a big SEC contest and come away looking like the freshman they are.   Auburn has LSU and Georgia in the next three weeks.   Good luck.
  4. Florida has LSU this week in another swamp.  This one is in Baton Rouge.   College Game Day will airboat in for the contest.  LSU is favored by an eyebrow raising 13 points.  LSU’s offense in the last 13 years hasn’t averaged 13 points a game in SEC clashes it seems.  Joe Burrow, who now geauxs by Joe Burreaux, leads a Tiger offense that has scored an SEC all time record of 273 points after five games.  Lee Corso is sharpening his pencil and trying on Tiger gear.
  5. Wisconsin stands 5-0 and tall at number 8.  They have shut out opponents three times in five games this year.  Impressive even if those three opponents were not.   Junior RB Jonathan Taylor is averaging 7.2 yards a carry, and has 16 touchdowns in five games.  He wants one of the three chairs inside of the Downtown Athletic Club in NY in December.  Michigan St. tries to slow down the big red machine this weekend.  Good luck.
  6.  Who is the highest ranked one loss team?  It’s Notre Dame at #9.  They host USC under the watchful eye of Touchdown Jesus this weekend.  They are a win over the Trojans and a few upsets away from sneaking back into the short list conversation for the playoff four.  Ye have of little faith you say?  While conference teams beat up conference teams, ND only has one ranked team left on their schedule.  It’s Michigan next week in Ann Arbor.   Michigan’s record under Jim “Judge Judy” Harbaugh against ranked teams gives one little reason to believe that ND loses a verdict in another game this year.
  7. The PAC 12 continues, like Rodney Dangerfield, to get no respect.  Oregon is #13 and the highest ranked team from the conference.  Utah checks in at #15.  And, don’t look now, but the Arizona St Sun Devils moved up to #18.  Respect for the conference will need to be earned, not given.
  8. Wake Forest, Baylor, SMU, and Memphis might feel like they get no respect as well.  They are all undefeated and ranked anywhere from #19 to #23.  The Baylor Bears leaped 10 voting spots to jump in at #22.  It’s the first time they have been ranked since 2016.  Next week’s nuggets are free if you can guess the Baylor head coach?  It’s Matt Ruhle who left Temple after 2015 to guide the then disgraced Baylor program back after a disastrous on and off the field year.  On the field they went 1-11 that year.
  9. SMU, and coach Sonny Dykes are actually one spot ahead of Baylor at #21.  Dykes salary of $3.5 million and Rhule’s of $3 million are a combined $1 million less than Jimbo Fisher’s yearly haul from another Texas school.  A&M is ranked a bit below both at #24.  Bama makes a whistle stop in College Station this weekend.  If you were all aboard the Jimbo train when he was hired, you might want to see the Aggies slow down the Alabama “bang, bang choo choo train, come on Bama do your thing” Crimson Tide.  The Red Elephants are favored by 17.
  10.  Another savior anointed in Texas is/was Tom Herman.  His $5.75 million yearly takes on Lincoln Riley and his $4 million in the Red River Shootout.  Savior Herman’s team beat Riley’s Oklahoma Sooners last year.   And, the Tea Sippers went wild.   Vegas isn’t impressed.  The Sooners are installed as an 11 point favorite.  It seems like a lot of points to the BBR research/analytical/gambling department.

It’s always nice to get 10 when you were expecting 8 nuggets isn’t it?  You couldn’t help yourself.  We understand.  You were over served.  We know the feeling.

Morey’s Three Second Lane Violation

Posted on by boom booms room staff

Did you know who Daryl Morey was prior to last Saturday?  The Houston Rockets General Manager brought analytical concepts similar to MLB’s Money Ball approach to the Rockets organization over a decade ago.  Under his leadership the franchise has won plenty of games, acquired James Harden, but hasn’t won it all.

But, Morey’s tweet of support of the pro democracy movement/protests in Hong Kong, and vis a vis against The People’s Republic of China, threatened to take money from the NBA, it’s owners (specifically Rockets new owner Tillman Fertitta), and it’s players.  So the NBA, Fertitta, and Harden acted quickly.  They whistled a violation.  It’s the golden rule.  He who has the basketball makes the rules.  Morey was in the NBA lane (and out of his) for three long seconds.

In a statement Sunday, NBA chief communications officer Mike Bass called Morey’s tweet “regrettable” and said the league had “great respect for the history and culture of China.”  “The NBA can be used as a unifying force to bridge cultural divides and bring people together,” Bass said.

Fertitta tweeted that Morey’s tweet did not reflect the views of the NBA organization.  He went on to state that their presence in China is to promote the NBA internationally and that the Rockets were NOT a political organization.

Rockets superstar James Harden also pushed back on Morey’s statements. “We apologize. You know, we love China. We love playing there,” Harden said in Tokyo on Monday at practice, ESPN reported. “We go there once or twice a year. They show us the most important love.

“The most important love” actually might be “the most important money.”   You see a Chinese sportswear maker, two banks that sponsored the Rockets and a Chinese broadcaster that aired games bailed on the team, according to a Reuters report.

The sportswear maker, Li-Ning, expressed “strong condemnation” of Morey’s tweet, saying that it had suspended cooperation with the Rockets, and one of the banks, SPD, said it had halted marketing and publicity activities with them, Reuters reported.

So, yesterday, Morey under what we assume was intense pressure from the Chinese dictatorial government, China manufacturers and marketers, the NBA, his boss Fertitta, and his other boss James Harden, tweeted that he had contemplated his position on the matter a bit further. “I was merely voicing one thought, based on one interpretation, of one complicated event,” Morey said. “I have had a lot of opportunity since that tweet to hear and consider other perspectives.”

And so, in the real world span of time equivalent to a 24 second shot clock, the tweet heard round the world clanged off of the Pacific Rim.  For the NBA the only thing more important than defending this three point Morey shot was getting the rebound and starting a fast break the other way.

Last year Adam Silver, NBA Commissioner, addressed the media for a state of the NBA union.  He lamented the fact that the NBA had too few women in coaching positions and refereeing.  “There is no reason why we shouldn’t have women in 50% of these jobs,” he continued.  It’s about all about equal opportunity in the NBA.

A few years back, in his first as said commish, Silver strongly condemned the then LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling.  Sterling was caught on tape tossing around a few racial epitaphs.  Sterling got a lifetime ban for speaking in a hateful manner.  It’s all about equal opportunity in the NBA.

Ah, but over the weekend, social justice broke an ankle as capitalism pulled a crossed over dribble on it.  The NBA is just like many causes, movements, organizations, and individuals these days.  They align with all of these great ideals until those ideals don’t align with what’s in their best interest.  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  Or, not.  Alas, there really are no free throws in the NBA.

Fertitta made his fortune acquiring and expanding several restaurant chains.  Then, last year he acquired the Rockets.  His restaurant portfolio lacks a Chinese chain.  Perhaps he wants to put a full court press on Panda Express.  With all of the pandering that the NBA has done to appease the Chinese, it should be a slam dunk for him.

And, Morey has a far better understanding of money ball than ever before.