10 Piece Nuggets

Ten Piece Nuggets-Football and Not, America and Portugal

Posted on by boom booms room staff

It’s time to get your head straight.  It’s back to work for everyone today after the better part of two weeks of holidays, sick days, and “use em up, or lose em” vacation days.

Randomly on the menu today is a big serving of NFL wild card weekend, some pop entertainment, increased tensions with Iran, and a golden Golden Globe master of ceremonies opening speech.  Chow time.

  1. Three of four home teams (division winners) historically win on wild card weekend.  Road winners Tennessee, Minnesota, and Seattle made it three of four road teams this weekend though.
  2. Two words of advice for the media and over reacting fans and foes regarding Tom Brady and Drew Brees are “CALM Down!”  Both of them (Brady, perhaps a bit more than Brees) has lost a bit off of his fastball.  Brady was never mobile and Brees looked ordinary in a collapsing pocket yesterday.  But, both of them are the primary reasons why their teams got to the three seed to begin with.
  3. Both of them had fewer reliable weapons around them this year than in year’s past.  Tennessee and Minnesota both saw this and schemed effectively to make NE and NO earn every yard.  Brady wonders where Gronkowski is.  Brady wonders where the NE run game has run off to.  Brees has no WR target that can gain separation besides “Can’t guard Mike” Thomas.   Thomas was targeted 185 times and caught 149 balls because he had to.  No one else gets open.  Kamara was very ordinary due to injury?  Fatigue?
  4. How many quarterbacks in the NFL currently would you take in an open draft over Brees for next year or 2021?  Mahomes? Yes.  Jackson?  Yes.  Rogers? Yes.   Wilson?  Yes.  Watson?  Yes.  Garoppolo?  Maybe.  Stafford?  Maybe.  Prescott?  Maybe.  Everyone else who took a snap this year?  Probably not.
  5.  Four numbers to consider for your lottery card this week are 38,33,40, 26.  That’s how many points the eight wild card teams scored in the four games prior to an additional 3 and 6 in the two overtime games.  If you bet the under all weekend good for you.  All season long the public is enamored with the dazzling offenses on display.  Bad teams give up a lot of points.  They also sit home during the playoffs.  Good teams play defense.  They advance in the playoffs.
  6.  How weak was the NFC East this year?  Very.  Philly scored 9 at home against Seattle yesterday.  Yes Wentz went out with an injury.  Who says with him the would have scored more anyway?  Dallas sat home at 8-8 and is interviewing new head coaching candidates.   The New York Football Giants are a hot mess and have the fourth overall pick in the 2020 draft.  That’s a nice way of saying they finished 4-12 and were the fourth worst team in the NFL.  Washington fired their coach in October and have the second overall pick in the draft.  That’s a nice way of saying they finished 3-13 and were the second worst team in the NFL.
  7. Historically three out of four home teams advance in the divisional round that takes place this coming weekend.  They are the #1 and #2 seeds for a reason.  Having this past weekend off and staying home for this weekend is a big advantage, perhaps the biggest advantage in all of major sports in playoff seedings.  Vegas agrees.  The 49ers are a 6 and 1/2 point favorite pick over the Vikings.  The Ravens are a big 9 point choice over the Titans.  The Chiefs home field advantage is factored into them being a 9 and 1/2 point pick.  And the Packers are favored by 4 over Seattle.
  8. Changing gears Madonna announced via Twitter that she moved her family to Portugal.  She abhors what America has become under President Trump.  BBR says kudos to her for that decision as at least she followed through on her “threat” to leave if Trump was elected.  Portugal is a socialist country, so she’ll get to sample what some on the far left want this country to become.  In fact a Gallup poll taken in May of this past year shows 40% of Americans favor it.
  9. If you missed Ricky Gervais obliterate Hollywood last evening in his Golden Globe opening monologue, it’s totally worth the 7 minutes and 43 seconds of your time to watch.   It’s candid, frank, and funny.  Besides, you need to pace yourself in the workplace in 2020.  It’s a leap year.  You will need to work an extra day.
  10.  Numerous candidates for president for 2020, “media experts,” and the Twitter tweets have taken their turn telling America how bad it was for us to take out the Iranian bad guy Qassem Soleimani.  Joe Biden says “it will drastically increase our prospects of going to war with Iran.”  Perhaps.  But, perhaps the reason our prospects of going to war with Iran increased is because Solemani orchestrated one too many  bombings, assassinations, or IED strikes against Americans and its soldiers?  And, US intel said he was deep into yet another devious plan.  Is it a case of the chicken and the egg?  If so, BBR thinks that Trump has been pushed far enough and he isn’t going to play the role of the chicken in this one.

Speaking of chicken, we hope you enjoyed these nuggets.  Get to work.

Ten Piece Nuggets-Soup to Nuts

Posted on by boom booms room staff

Day one of the new decade is done.  Your nuggets are as well.  They’re from all of the food groups, random, and tasty.  Dig in while they are still warm.

  1. You don’t have to feel sorry for the NFL owners after all.   Colin Kaepernick knelt down and the ratings fell down two years ago.  Now riding a two year in a row year over year gain in viewership, the league has begun early talks on future broadcast rights. The NFL’s various deals are coming up soon, with the ESPN Monday Night Football deal running through the 2021-22 season, the CBS/Fox/NBC deals (both the Sunday packages and Fox’s Thursday Night Football contract) running through 2022-23, and the DirecTV Sunday Ticket deal also running through 2022-23.
  2. Neal Pilson, the former longtime president of CBS Sports who now runs his own media consulting firm, estimated that the NFL could get a minimum of 30 percent more in broadcast fees under its new contracts, while one network official predicted a 50 percent increase.  The collective value of all of the deals currently is 5.7 billion (with a b) dollars.  The new deals will fetch between 8 and 10 billion and should be dry ink by the end of 2021.
  3. Did you start your intermittent fasting diet yesterday? Or, is today the day?  There seems to always be a new diet craze and every now and then one gains national momentum.  Already the “experts” are telling us what is good and bad about the diet.  Soon it will reach it’s zenith and then die a slow death.  They all do.  Don’t believe me?  Ask Dr. Atkins.  Well, you can’t actually.  He died a few years back, but not before the his diet, the Atkins diet was the answer to our obesity.  Bread was dead.  Then his diet was.
  4.  The Big 12 is done bowling for the year, thankfully.  Texas hammered Utah on the last night of the second decade of the 2000’s.  It was the  Big 12’s only win.  The conference finished 1-5 in the bowls and were embarrassed in some games.  Oklahoma was done at halftime in the 63-28 playoff loss to LSU.  Kansas State lost to Navy.  Oklahoma St. lost to five loss Texas A&M.  Baylor scored 14 measly points last night in the Sugar Bowl to a Georgia team that had 18 (yes, 18) players out for various reasons and was bounced from the final four two weeks prior.
  5. Robert De Niro has outdone himself with his disdain for President Trump to close out 2019.   De Niro said in an interview with the Daily Beast late in November, “I think that if he became president for a second term he’d try to have a third term, and let smarter people manipulate it into getting us into some kind of altercation: a war.”  De Niro added: “The only other president who served a third term was Roosevelt because he was in a war, and this fool would go and start something. This was what Marty Scorsese was saying, and I said, ‘Marty, I never thought of that. I never thought he’d go for a third term if there was a war or something.’”  Bobby( can I call you Bobby?) and Marty have too much time on their hands.  The Twenty-Second Amendment says a person can only be elected to be president two times for a total of eight years.  They probably like that amendment better than, say, the second one.
  6. One of the very best commissioners in any sport at any time passed yesterday.  David Stern took over an NBA at a crossroads in 1984.  His vision, preparation, and hard work turned the NBA into a global brand.  He presided over the league for 30 years.   Seven teams joined the league, and six relocated. Stern also helped in the creation of the WNBA and the NBA Development League, now known as the G League, providing countless opportunities for players to pursue careers playing basketball in the United States that previously weren’t available.  Adam Silver has big sneakers to fill.
  7. Joe Biden castigated Texas Governor Greg Abbott a few months back while stumping in Iowa for signing into law the right to bear arms in places of worship.  “It’s irrational,” totally irrational,” he exclaimed.  If you missed it over the holidays a hero in a small town Texas church took one shot with his handgun from fifty feet and killed a gunman who had opened fire on the congregation killing two before he was taken out.  The whole episode lasted six seconds.  How long would it take for police to arrive after being notified?  Biden wasn’t going to carry Texas anyway, was he?
  8. The New Orleans Saints worked out several wide receivers earlier in the week.  One of them was none other than Antonio Brown.  Afterwards Antonio called the workout a publicity stunt pulled by the Saints.  That is a funny take considering Brown brought a handful of associates with him to his Saints workout, including someone who was documenting the visit with a video camera. He posted clips of his visit on social media throughout the day, including a picture of the waiver the Saints made him sign.  Sometimes life’s lessons take a while to sink in.
  9. Nancy, it’s a new year and a new you.  You can walk the seventy-five feet necessary down the hallowed halls of the Capital Building and deliver the two Articles of Impeachment already.  Or, don’t.  Every major poll taken in the last wo months shows that America is tired of the circus.  One of our BBR staffers has it from a great source deep inside of the action that the Republicans feel better than ever about regaining the House.  If so, the gavel leaves the Madam Speaker’s hands once more.   Time will tell.
  10. Only Jerry Jones could drag the Jason Garrett “will he or won’t he be the head coach” saga out another day.  He, his son Stephen, and Garrett will meet for yet a third time today discussing the Cowboys future direction.  Jerry used to be quicker on the draw than the savior in the Texas church.   What possibly is left to discuss?  A ten year body of work is there.  Make the call.

Ten Piece Nuggets-Kitchen Sink

Posted on by boom booms room staff

It’s cold outside this morning regardless almost of where you are.  Time to make a pot of soup, or a Ten Piece Nuggets.  What do you want in it?  Everything but the kitchen sink sounds good.  So, we’re going deep in the panty to give you ten random thoughts, in no particular order, and covering no particular subject matter, though sports and the political madness are the roux.  If we cook them slow enough maybe they’ll all come together.  If they don’t we’ll go get an Impossible Burger later.

  1.  How long is the list before you get to Drew Brees as the greatest all time QB in NFL history?  It’s hard to measure this objectively.  Different periods of football, rules changes, differences in the order of importance of the metrics?  How important are Super Bowl wins?  For the sake of argument let’s afford him one more before he goes.  Where would you put him then?  We’d go with third best ever.  Tom Brady has to get the nod given the Super Bowl performances and wins.  Joe Montana would be second for much of the same plus his accuracy.  Peyton Manning and John Elway aren’t far behind.
  2. What fundamentally changes after Donald Trump is impeached, tried, and acquitted? The Republicans did a nice job of digging in and combating the Trump named “witch hunt.”  Democrats insisted on a ready, fire, aim approach.  They sure have a lot of bullets, but we aren’t sure that any hit a bullseye unless you don’t like him to begin with.  Dislike doesn’t rise to the level of high crimes and misdemeanors, hence America’s collective yawn.  If you were for it or against it before this started, you still are from whence you came.
  3. The college bowl season gets underway this weekend.  Forty one bowls are on tap in all.  Eighty teams in all as two will play two games including the last one for the biggest prize.  If you win as many regular season games as you lost or win one more, you’re in.  If you are already feeling college football withdrawals, you might tune into something named the Bahamas Bowl brought to you by Meineke Mufflers featuring Idaho St. v.  William and Mary.  Or, you might not.
  4. Coincidence or not?  Elizabeth Warren’s polling numbers peaked in late October.  They’ve slid since.  The collective pharmaceutical stock prices slid until her numbers peaked.  The stocks have been sharply higher since late October.
  5.  For the first time since 2010 Alabama did not have a first team All American named.  Injuries, graduation and youth played a role.  But at Alabama injuries, graduation, and youth hasn’t ever got in the way before.  Is this the beginning of the end of the greatest 10 year run in college football history?  Or is it a one year aberration?  If you don’t think Nick Saban is working well into the evening to insure it’s the latter, they you don’t know much about his work ethic and burning desire to achieve.
  6. Joe Biden is apparently the clear front runner again in the race to face the man with the orange face.  It’s been nearly a week since Sleepy Joe has mixed up the decade that we are in or the state that he is in.  He’s been in Iowa for two weeks straight.  So, that part might be a bit easier for him.  Trump needs no one to tell him how to run a race for President.  But, he’d be wise to challenge Biden to more than the usual number of debates if Biden gets the nomination.  Anyone remember how tired Hillary Clinton was at the end of it all?  How tired was she?  Glad you asked.  She was so tired that she forgot to make a concession speech the evening of the election.
  7. The NBA season is nearing a third complete.  League viewership ratings are down significantly.  Questions abound and answers need to be found.  Have the early season matchups coincided with marquee players injuries making the matchups less interesting? Sure.  Have the number of people who have cut the cord (no more cable or satellite tv) made it harder to find the games?  Sure.  Will the end of the football season have the ratings go up for the NBA?  Sure, but it always does.  Is the NBA concerned?  Damn sure.  Did the NBA turn off the fan who supports the freedom protests in Hong Kong?  Sure, but to what degree and for how long?  Did the NBA fan appreciate the LeBron lecture on China and all that is right with it?  Not sure.
  8. It seems like the persona that James Comey wanted you to know and feel with his testimony, tweets, Trump attacks, book, and book tour might have taken a hit in the last week.  Even Comey himself was forced to admit on Chris Wallace’s Fox News Sunday Show that the FISA process (the keys to the engine that drove the “Russian interference” investigation in the 2016 election) was rife with problems as the proper process was not followed.  That’s being kind to the process actually.   Criminal proceedings, maybe not against Comey, will result after AG Barr has his final say.  The investigation, like the deep state that caused it, goes deeper now.
  9.  MLB calls this time of the year “The Hot Stove League.”  It’s been hotter than Hades for one team.  The Houston Astros lost game seven of the World Series in late October.  Since then they have lost Gerrit Cole, three major league scouts, the team President Reid Ryan (son of Nolan), advisor Nolan Ryan (dad of the President),  and significant credibility.  The investigation into the allegation that they were stealing signs electronically after being warned repeatedly to not do so continues.  When it’s complete astute league followers expect suspensions of manager AJ Hinch, GM Jeff Luhnow, and perhaps others.  Fines in the millions and lost draft picks are almost a certainty as well.  It was a model franchise in the eyes of many not long ago.  No more.  The mess must be dealt with, and dealt with strongly.  It’ll be late February or early March of 2020 before the investigation is complete we are told.
  10.  Their is an age old saying in politics.  People vote their wallets.  The Dow Jones Industrial Average crossed 28,332.74 on Monday, meaning it has rallied 10,000 points, or more than 54 percent, since Trump’s election victory on November 8, 2016.   There are 11 long months to go till we find out.

I’ll have the Impossible Burger, no mayo please.

Ten Piece Nuggets-The Declaration of Independence

Posted on by boom booms room staff

Two hundred and forty-three years and one day ago America, then 13 Constitutional Colonies, declared it’s independence from British rule.  But, did you know that the document wasn’t signed that day?  It was ratified.   It’s interesting trivia.  And here are some other facts leading up to and after 7/4/1776 that are a part of the Ten Piece (Declaration of Independence) Nuggets that follow.

  1. The Declaration of Independence (DOI) was actually written on July 2nd.  It took congress two days to debate and eventually ratify it on July 4th.
  2. The final approved text was reproduced into 200 or so copies to be distributed to the thirteen colonies.  Philadelphia printer John Dunlop did the work.  The copies are referred to as the “Dunlop broadsides” accordingly.
  3. It is believed today that there are only 26 known and authenticated copies that remain from the “original” copies.
  4. One such copy was discovered by a man who bought a painting at a flea market in Philly in 1989.  He bought the painting and the hidden gem behind it for $4.  He sold the copy of the DOI for $8.1 million a couple of years later.
  5.  The ratifying delegates actually didn’t begin to sign the DOI until August 2nd.  Some signed even later.  Fifty six eventually signed the original.  And, two, John Dickson and Robert Livingston never signed it at all.
  6. One signer, Richard Stockton, a lawyer from Princeton, New Jersey, became the only signer of the DOI to recant his support of the revolution. On November 30, 1776, the he was captured by the British and thrown in jail. After months of harsh treatment and paltry rations, Stockton repudiated his signature and swore his allegiance to King George III.   Later in life he pledged his allegiance to the US all over again.
  7.  Ben Franklin was the oldest to sign at 70 years of age.  A South Carolina delegate, lawyer Edward Rutledge, was only 26 and the youngest to sign.
  8. The original was moved from Washington in 1941 to Fort Knox in Kentucky until 1944.  This move came two weeks after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.   It was covered by 150 pounds of protective material and escorted by the Secret Service along the way.  In 1944, post war, it was returned to the national archives in D.C.
  9. There is a message, written upside-down across the bottom of the signed document: “Original Declaration of Independence dated 4th July 1776.”  Who wrote this and why isn’t for sure known.  However, in the early days when it traveled it was often rolled up.  This writing might have been used to easily identify it from its back side.
  10. By July 9th the document had reached New York City.  George Washington, commander of the Continental forces in New York, read the document aloud in front of City Hall.  A rambunctious crowd was inspired by its words.  Later that afternoon they tore down the nearby statue of ole’ King George III. The statue was subsequently melted down and shaped into more than 42,000 musket balls for the newly formed American army.

Hopefully you enjoyed your barbeque yesterday and the independence nuggets above today.