unclevlad

But we all know that any SB odds posted before training camps even start are all hype and hot air. Denver last year. Cowboys, many years...because lots of people bet the Cowboys with their........well, I'd best not say. NOT their brains, let's just leave it there. Rodgers has been grotesquely overvalued for the last several years.

Oh, very much so. But the Vikings to win a single playoff game? Better odds playing Power Ball. EDIT: for amusement purposes only. https://sportsbook.draftkings.com/leagues/football/nfl?category=team-futures&subcategory=winner&wpsrc=Organic Search&wpaffn=Google&wpkw=https%3A%2F%2Fsportsbook.draftkings.com%2Fleagues%2Ffootball%2Fnfl%3Fcategory%3Dteam-futures%26subcategory%3Dwinner&wpcn=leagues&wpscn=football%2Fnfl

That guy should work at Arby's.....

I thought national French Fry day was any day the high in Paris was over 90....................

Wow, Mr. P, you're such an optimist!!! Even more that the Fuzzlord!!!!

Well...apparently the rookies are starting to report today; training camps start opening early next week. So, it's time for a thread for the new season. And ugh...this isn't exactly the best way to start things out, but ESPN's Outside the Lines team is showing a story regarding who leaked the emails that led to Jon Gruden's firing. The story is massively ugly. We start with Dan Snyder, but that's no surprise now. They don't accuse individuals per se, but make cases for...Goodell, DeMaurice Smith (head of the PA), and general league officials and even owners, who were MORE than happy, apparently, to force Gruden out. They also suggest Snyder had a strong hand in influencing how Gruden was terminated...under threat of releasing his implicating emails. THAT part backfired, as that appears to be the last straw, and Snyder himself was forced out. Quite the sordid affair to kick off the season.

The Tennessee football program got hammered by the NCAA today, for numerous, MAJOR infractions committed by their prior coach, who held the job from98-2000 before being terminated for cause. (The violations.) The university aggressively self-reported and self-penalized...16 scholarships is a big deal...so they avoided the bowl ban. ESPN's saying this has been a tendency, as it's a punishment on innocent players. Instead, the NCAA fined them $8M...reportedly about the amount a bowl ban for 23 and 24 would've cost, but leaving the players free to enjoy the experience. That seems like a good solution. More scholarships lost, serious reduction in allowed recruiting visits. The former coach is subject to a 6-year show-cause restriction...anyone thinking of hiring him has to justify doing it, to (most likely) a very dubious committee. AND even if hired, a 1 year suspension. So if I understand how this works, he's completely out of college coaching for a while.

Interesting. In the GC, Pogacar takes 3rd, Vingegaard 4 seconds behind in 4th. That matters...because 3rd place gets a 4 second time bonus. So Pogacar cut the deficit today from 17 seconds, down to 9. By comparison? Hindley is almost 3 minutes back of Vingegaard, and Rodriguez Cano almost 5 minutes.

Sad food-related news. Anchor Brewing has become another victim of the pandemic. Company noted that 70% of their sales was to restaurants. Dining was hit long and hard, and has been slow to recover. They tried to go more into retail, but that's a HARD market these days. They ran out of time. They have ceased brewing, and given 60 days' notice to all employees. They'll package and sell what they have in the pipeline already, but after that...... Serious bummer for me. Anchor was one of the first breweries I really cut my teeth on, when I started exploring real beer.

Yes.

Would you do that to the MAC? Slap em in Division III. They might break even there.

And indeed the other shoe has fallen. The actors are on strike as of this afternoon. Does that mean we're going to be flooded with reality TV?

I don't care about surviving the century, as I won't. I'll be happy if we get through this decade without a major catastrophe.

Looks like Hollywood is at the brink of a shutdown. The actors' unions are poised to join the screenwriters and go out on strike.

If Threads can establish itself enough, the big news outlets will abandon Twitter. CNBC story says Threads is still building out its structure in ways that marketers want, but that the big advertisers are watching closely. No, I don't think Twitter will necessarily continue to exist, at least as a significant player. I have had a Twitter handle in the past, for a short time; forget why now. Something useful. Can't say I ever used it. Won't use Threads either.

I did note in the live map from the Tour, that it was gonna be a bunch sprint, the whole peloton was right behind a small group...under 30 seconds with 20, 30 relatively easy miles to go. Philipsen's making this a non-competition. He's approaching double the points of Coquard in 2nd. Not the first time; think Sagan blitzed the field in '19, IIRC. Annoying!! that NBC isn't showing stage 12. Potential breakaway-stayaway stage. Cat 3, Cat 3, Cat 3, Cat 2, Cat 2. Through wine country too, altho most of the route slips among the hilly part. Probably still some wine grown on terraces until you get too high.

In the long run, I think locking up fringe events is going to basically make the vast majority *completely* lose interest in things like cycling and most Olympic sports. Out of sight, out of mind. It isn't like a lot of these have massive followings in the first place.

And Florida's elected CFO is posturing about it. No surprise. But this is the counterpoint, from a story in USA Today:

An idle thought...... How much of the Arizona entrenchment on the stolen election story, is based on individuals like Lake, using it to further their own ambitions? Versus...how much of it was sown election night, when Fox's commentators were so vehement about the (correct) call of the race? I'm not saying the whole election stealing line is their fault; Trump was going down that path regardless. But specifically in Arizona, Fox's handling might've been more of a catalyst. If we can get through the next 20 or so years, I think this period is going to be intensely studied by historians.

Nope, that's true, but people have brought up various rules points, and much of this thread's been...a bit disjointed anyway. In RAW? Time Stop IMO simply cannot be done; it's in direct opposition to the combat structure. Your only real approach, that I can see, is Multiple Attack...with the massive penalty involved. Oh...take that back. Want to attack in a "Time Stop"? Buy SPD 36, Instant, going off on the segment AFTER activation. You get 3 fresh actions. Something like that, I might buy as something like a classic time stop.

Those divisions look fairly reasonable. The odd man out there is Memphis. If it's 2 divisions of 8...you might get a better grouping. Your SE, plus Memphis...that's 5. Indiana, Washington, and Philly. Milwaukee, Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago, and Toronto are all Great Lakes. One might have to look at schedule construction. 2 interconference games per team, that's 32. Leaves 50. Baseline...let's say 3 games against every other conference team, that's 45. (And it's sensible if the playoff formula is, let's say, top 2 in each division get in, then the next 6 are based on conference record.) Leaves 5 games. 3 might be divisional by division placement the season before...the top 4 teams play an additional game against each other, the bottom 4 do as well. The other 2 could be doing that between divisions in the same conference. 1 and 2 in one division plays 1 and 2 in the other; 3 and 4 vs. 3 and 4, and so on. Eh, we'll see. Another question, if they do expand...do they use the NHL's model for their last expansion? Vegas Golden Knights shocked the sports world, developing a winning club *immediately*. In part because the NHL didn't let teams protect a whole lot of players, IIRC. One thing is that they're gonna adopt a no-flop ruling...get caught flopping? Technical foul. Might be good in principle, but...disastrously BAD in practice. The NBA already has, IMO, the worst-regarded replay system in US pro sports. FAR too many, they take FAR too long, and flagrant foul reviews leave fans totally confused too often. I agree that flopping is bad for the game, so...well, I'll give it a shot, but I'm not all that hopeful.

I think one player tried to use it in the game I was in...long, long time ago. My admittedly VERY vague memory was that it didn't work out that well. But yeah, as Grail noted...it might've been that the player spent the points...and IIRC didn't have that many left. With a GM that loved twisting what you did and one-upping you...while likely flat-out ignoring the rules.

Several issues aren't limited to Warner Discovery. Cost cutting and IMO really questionable decision-making seem pervasive. Disney's firing a bunch of ESPN people recently. One I just realized: NBC Universal showed the first week of the Tour de France on cable, through USA Network...but all the rest is only on Peacock. Really? I don't think cycling is popular enough to draw new subscribers in any great numbers. It's just the bean counter mentality running amok, it seems to me. I think the days of cable/satellite services are numbered; cable subscriber numbers have been shrinking for a long time, and that's still happening. But the problem with streaming is its fragmentation.

Well.... So much for watching the Tour. None of the actual race coverage now is being shown on cable, it's all locked into their streaming service. They showed the first week on USA Network, but...nope, no more. Not even the final stage.

Oh boy. The situation at Northwestern just got worse. https://www.nbcsportschicago.com/ncaa/big-ten/northwestern-wildcats/northwestern-baseball-coach-engaged-in-bullying-and-abusive-behavior-reports-say/494513/?partner=yahoo&cid=yahoo This report is arguably even more disturbing. SB Nation has an op-ed on the entire disaster: https://www.sbnation.com/2023/7/11/23790992/northwesterns-multiple-scandals-are-an-abysmal-institutional-failure Points in that piece...Northwestern may not be able to fire Fitzgerald for cause, IF the 2 week suspension was the agreed punishment. Ergo? They owe him his 10 year, $42M salary from a recent extension. Ouch. The situation in the baseball program is also set out in more detail. It is VERY ugly. It's a total disaster for the school. I don't see any route forward short of a complete reset...both coaches, the AD, and the institutional failures (the ridiculous initial suspension, the failure to talk to players in the baseball program) will force the president out.