Friday, March 15, 2024

Briefly.

I had sex for an hour and 40 seconds last Saturday night. Thanks, daylight savings!

Trivia #1: What is “Tokophobia?”
Trivia #2: How many golf balls have been hit into the water surrounding the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass, the site of THE PLAYERS (being played this weekend) since 2003, in THE PLAYERS tournament? – 602, 699, 723, 802, 868, 909, 973
Trivia #3: Longwood University punched their ticket to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. What state is the university located in and what is their nickname?

“She had twenty-three masts, and she stood several blasts, and they called her the Irish Rover.”

On this date: March 15, 44 BC, Julius Caesar is stabbed to death by Brutus, Cassius and several other Roman senators on the Ides of March in Rome.
March 15, 1968, LIFE magazine calls Jimi Hendrix “the most spectacular guitarist in the world”
March 15, 1972, “The Godfather”, based on the book by Mario Puzo, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Marlin Brando and Al Pacino, premiers in NYC (Academy Awards Best Picture 1973)

‘Tis the season, and what a great season it is as “Selection Sunday” is in a couple days, followed by the NCAA Basketball Tournament, Opening Day in MLB across the country and then the NFL Draft. All the while in the midst of the end of the NBA and NHL regular seasons. Bring it on!

But first, let’s enjoy Championship Week(end) and THE PLAYERS.

Go away: Aaron Rodgers. He’s been here before. You’re 40-years-old, go jump into politics and leave the NFL/Jets alone.

Speaking of the NFL, how about the movement with players during the past couple of days?! The upcoming draft prospects just got juicier!

They said it: “You know, I was once named Minor League Player of the Year… unfortunately, I had been in the majors for two years at the time.” – Bob Uecker

Guinness beer sales rose 20% in North America last year and stout in general is gaining in popularity. A 20% rise is unheard of for a mature brand with a deep distribution and can be partly attributed to a sharp rise in consumption by female drinkers as well as a hugely successful rollout of Guinness 0.0, its new non-alcoholic stout.

Useless information supposed to fire my imagination: The Celtics have 36 seasons with >=50 wins in their history, most of all NBA franchises, three more than the Lakers.

Good News: For Longhairs, a California-based men’s grooming brand, bigger is better. Or, in this case, longer is better. After setting a Guinness World Record five years ago for the “most hair donated to charity in a 24-hour period” during “The Great Cut of 2019,” the company is ready to surpass that record. The organization was successful in 2019, donating over 339 pounds of hair — but now the Longhairs team is hoping to surpass that record in 2024.

WTF: Some people may go to a church or chapel to get married — but one couple, Logen Abney and Tiana Alistock said “I do” inside the men’s bathroom at a local HOP Shops location in Verona, Kentucky, on Valentine’s Day. HOP Shops are known for their out-of-the-ordinary bathrooms that include a colorful light display at the press of a button.

This week’s sign of the apocalypse: The U.S. Military Academy at West Point has made the decision to remove the “Duty, Honor, Country” motto from its mission statement. In a letter sent to students and supporters, Superintendent Lt. Gen. Steve Gilland said the phrase, which was first added to the mission statement in 1998, would be replaced with the words, “Army Values.” “Our responsibility to produce leaders to fight and win our nation’s wars requires us to assess ourselves regularly,” Gilland wrote in a letter to cadets and supporters on Monday. “Thus, over the past year and a half, working with leaders from across West Point and external stakeholders, we reviewed our vision, mission, and strategy to serve this purpose.”

Article I’ll skip: Doomsday preppers offer tips to thrive in future societal collapse

R.I.P. Eric Carmen (74), singer-songwriter and frontman of the power-pop band the Raspberries who went on to achieve solo success with songs such as “All By Myself” and “Hungry Eyes.”

Trivia #1 answer: What is “Tokophobia?” – The pathological fear of pregnancy and can lead to avoidance of childbirth.
Trivia #2 answer: How many golf balls have been hit into the water surrounding the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass, the site of THE PLAYERS (being played this weekend) since 2003, in THE PLAYERS tournament? – 602, 699, 723, 802, 868, 909, 973 – 802
Trivia #3: Longwood University punched their ticket to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. What state is the university located in and what is their nickname? – The Longwood University Lancers are located in Farmville, Virginia.

Don’t give up, don’t ever give up.

Be careful out there. (It’s a jungle!)

Happy National Buzzards Day!

Today is also International Women’s Day. It was supposed to be yesterday but they took too long to get ready.

“May we all be alive at this same time next year.” Slainte!

“Before her love, I was cruel and mean
Had a hole in the place where my heart should have been
But now I’ve changed, and I feel so strange
I come alive when she does all those things to me”

– Raspberries (Go All the Way)

Friday, December 15, 2023

Briefly.

That fact that my entire body cracks like a glowstick whenever I move yet refuses to glow, is very disappointing.

Trivia #1: Mosi Tatupu played for the New England Patriots from 1978-1990. He played for another team in 1991. What was that team?
Trivia #2: On December 15, 1791, the first US law school was established at what university? – Pennsylvania, Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Brown, Lowell
Trivia #3: B.B. King. What does “B.B.” stand for?
Trivia #4: What is Howard University’s nickname?

Go away: Patrick Mahomes (Draymond Green with a close second)

DYK: Mosi Tatupu was posthumously diagnosed with CTE. He died of a heart attack at age 54. Bonus trivia: In a 2023 report, how many NFL players were diagnosed with CTE amongst the 376 who had their brains scanned? – 100-125, 126-150, 151-200, 201- 250, 251-300, 301-350

There’s still time to change the road you’re on.

This week’s sign of the apocalypse: A history teacher at a Seattle high school allegedly gave a student a failing quiz grade after he answered that only women can get pregnant and only men can have penises.

Fun fact: The world population is approximately 8,030,610,062. The number of people born to women is 8,030,610,062. The number of people born to men is zero. Look it up.

On this day: December 15, 1810, the first Irish magazine “Shamrock” was published in the US.
December 15, 2006, American blues legend B.B. King was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush

They said it: “It’s tough to swallow. Not only from me, and football in general, to take away greatness like that, for a guy like Travis to make a play like that, you want to see the guys on the field decide the game.” – Patrick Mahomes. Wah-wah-wah

Really? Colorado attorneys for two men accused of stealing items from Kohl’s, including KitchenAid appliances, argued for lesser charges during the trial because some items their clients stole were on sale.

Shohei Ohtani signed on with the Los Angeles Dodgers for $700M over 10 years. Reportedly, he deferred all but $2M annually until his contract ends. He will then receive the remaining $68M annually, paid WITHOUT interest, until 2043. So… beginning in 2034, he will collect approximately $1,863 per day for doing nothing, assuming he’s not playing in 10 years. Not a bad gig, if you can get it.

DYK: On December 15, 1980, the Yankees’ Dave Winfield became the highest paid baseball player, 10 years $15M.

I think I like the NFL more than the NBA is because the helmets cover up most hairdos.

Useless information supposed to fire my imagination: Last night the Las Vegas Raiders scored 42 1st half points, the most in history for a team that was shutout the previous week. (They had the record at 35 and then chocked up another TD)

Good news: Bestselling author James Patterson has awarded $500 bonuses to 600 employees at independent bookstores across the United States. The employees were nominated by their store owners, managers, peers, community members and others for the holiday awards. “Booksellers save lives,” Patterson said in a statement. “What they do is crucial, especially right now. I’m happy to be able to acknowledge them and their hard work this holiday season.

Article I’ll skip: Prince William’s romance with Kate Middleton faces renewed scrutiny

I went shopping for a pair of jeans the other day. My choices: Regular, straight, relaxed, relaxed straight, slim fit, classic fit, athletic, stretch. Look, I just want a pair of freakin’ jeans!

R.I.P. George McGinnis (73) – Played basketball in the ABA/NBA from 1971-1982. His accolades are numerous, I’ll skip the 2nd/3rd team honors here. 1969 – Indiana Mr. Basketball, first team Parade All-American, 2x ABA champion, 1973 ABA Playoffs MVP, 1975 ABA scoring champion & MVP, 3x ABA All-Star, ABA All-Time Team, 3x NBA All-Star, 1976 All-NBA First Team, No. 30 retired by the Indiana Pacers

Trivia #1 answer: Mosi Tatupu played for the New England Patriots from 1978-1990. He played for another team in 1991. What was that team? – The Los Angeles Rams
Trivia #2 answer: On December 15, 1791, the first US law school was established at what university? – Pennsylvania, Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Brown, Lowell – The University of Pennsylvania
Trivia #3 answer: B.B. King. What does “B.B.” stand for? – Blues Boy – As a singer and disc jockey in Memphis, he was given the nickname “Beale Street Blues Buy”, later shortened to “Blues Boy” and finally to B.B. (If you were paying attention, I asked this same question on September 25, 2020)
Trivia #4 answer: What is Howard University’s nickname? – The Bison

Bonus trivia question: In a 2023 report, how many NFL players were diagnosed with CTE amongst the 376 who had their brains scanned? – 100-125, 126-150, 151-200, 201- 250, 251-300, 301-350 – There were 345 players diagnosed with CTE. Similarly, (shockingly) in a 2018 BU general population study, one person was diagnosed with CTE in 164 autopsies.

If alcohol can damage your short term memory, imagine the damage alcohol can do.

Don’t give up, don’t ever give up.

Be careful out there. (It’s a jungle!)

Happy National Underdog Day!

“Everybody wants to know why I sing the blues
Yes, I say everybody wanna know why I sing the blues
Well, I’ve been around a long time
I really have paid my dues”

– B.B. King (Why I Sing The Blues)