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Non-baseball items, part II
Peggyzbooksnmusic wrote: "Hubby is listening to Raider pre season game on radio. I'll be listening to Padres at Dodgers on radio tonight. Inspired me to look up on YouTube the late George Carlin's classic comedy routine exp..."Just thought, here is the method I use to post from YouTube. I copy the link. Then go to the thread I want to post on and use the paste function.
The following is taken from the Guardian's write-up of the Manchester City-Wolves match from yesterday.The most moving moment of the match probably came a few minutes after the final whistle, when Rúben Dias and Bernardo Silva, City’s new captain, stood before the South Bank to join Wolves’ players and head coach, Vítor Pereira, in applauding the home fans singing Diogo Jota’s name on loop. Sasa Kalajdzic, an unused substitute, rested his No 18 shirt, which Jota wore during three successful years at Molineux after signing from Porto, on the edge of the box in remembrance.
If anyone is interested here is the write-up of the entire match
https://www.theguardian.com/football/...
UK Rugby League team Salford Red Devils are definitely in trouble and while they may survive the season won't likely be part of the RFL's 2026 season. As usual the problem is money, or a lack of it.https://www.theguardian.com/sport/202...
Yesterday was Black Cat Appreciation Day. Hope everyone had a good one, though I dare say most dogs were somewhat put out. I did have a joke come to mind but some might think it too political so I held off. Amazing.
Mod
I have had a couple of black cats in my time, one was my families and one was my wife's, so have no problem with them. I was thinking along the lines of 'wokeness' has finally invaded the realm of the felines.
Had to chuckle just now. Article on a wrestling match which was no holds barred no disqualification rules between a couple of women. The article pretty much stated one of them wanted to use a mace, the medieval type. However when you read some quotes from the wrestler it seems obvious to me she was meaning the spray mace.As a side note, one thing I learned when I was involved with the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronisms) was that medieval clergy were allowed to use a mace. However they could not use a sword as they were not supposed to use a weapon that drew blood.
The times they are a-changing. Skibidi and tradwife are now in the Cambridge dictionary.
The following is from Politico's London Playbook newsletter. My school had a dress code (I actually helped in formulating it) but no school uniform.BRAND AND DELIVER: Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson is urging schools to immediately restrict the number of branded items of school uniform required, ahead of a three-item limit being introduced from September 2026. “No family should have to choose between putting food on the table and buying a new blazer,” Phillipson said. Data from Parentkind showed that more than a quarter of parents go without heating or eating to cover uniform costs.
Not sure but I think this guy had the book thrown at him, and rightly so.In Liverpool, a man arrested on suspicion of racially abusing Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo has been banned from every UK football stadium and is not allowed within a mile of any ground on match days.
A few more sentences like the above might help to curb the racial abuse problem in football, though I wouldn't get my hopes up. Jerks are going to be jerks.
OK I have a question. What is the problem with NFL teams having male cheerleaders? According to an item in the telegraph there is some sort of controversy about it but the item is behind a paywall and I haven't seen anything anywhere else, so far.
C. John wrote: "OK I have a question. What is the problem with NFL teams having male cheerleaders? According to an item in the telegraph there is some sort of controversy about it but the item is behind a paywall ..."I don't know about NFL but at my high school in the 1960's we had both male and female cheerleaders and it was common at other schools.
I posted earlier about Morecambe, who play in I think the fifth tier of English Football, were in financial trouble. Well the team has now been sold to a group called Panjabi Warriors, who own a number of sports teams. It appears things are looking up. Now the problem will be putting a team together for their game on Saturday.
Mod
How is having male cheerleaders de-masculinizing football? The taking jobs away from women I can see as an argument against it, not necessarily a good one, but an argument nevertheless. Do I dare presume the senator in question is a Republican. Oh yes, and I think the comment about 150 genders is overdoing it somewhat.
Apple has in the works a comedy on the subject of Pickleball. Here is an item on it from The Hollywood Reporter. There was a link but it actually tells you less than this does.Apple Original Films has added to its upcoming movie release slate The Dink, a pickleball comedy from director Josh Greenbaum, Ben Stiller’s Red Hour Films and Rivulet Films. The sports comedy stars Jake Johnson as a washed-up tennis pro convinced to stoop to play pickleball to save a struggling club and earn his father’s respect. He appears alongside Mary Steenburgen, Ed Harris, Chloe Fineman, Aaron Chen, Patton Oswalt, Chris Parnell and Christine Taylor. Stiller and former pro tennis players Andy Roddick and John McEnroe will have supporting roles. The Dink, which is now in post-production, reteams Apple and Stiller after the Emmy-nominated success of Severance . Greenbaum is directing the comedy from an original screenplay by Sean Clements.
Well it is official, at least in Britain, if you are somewhat boisterous and noisy at work it is not age discriminationhttps://www.theguardian.com/money/202...
Enjoying a nice mug of Starbucks' True North coffee and I didn't go out for it nor have it come via Door Dash (or whichever service it is that my son uses).
The Women's Rugby World Cup starts tomorrow and is being hosted by England. Their first match is against the US. England, by the way, is the favourite to win the tournament.
Things are getting interesting in Manchester. A clause in the purchase deal between the Glazers and Ineos (Sir Jim Ratcliffe's company) has now come into effect. It allows the Glazers to sell their interest in Manchester United if they choose. The clause also allows them to force Ineos to sell its shares. Given how things have gone I daresay a lot of people would be happy to see both parties gone from ownership.
Mod
To bring you up to date with the trial and non-guilty verdict for the five hockey players, the crown will not appeal the verdicts. I suspect this means that the government did not think they could win an appeal. This will make some happy and some not happy.
Here is a list of the 25 best sports movies from The Hollywood Reporter. I have only seen one of the movies on this list, though there are two I want to see (and no Personal Best is not one of them). I have also read the book that inspired one. Read it for one of my high school English classes. Disappointed to see that one of my favourite movies, Chariots of Fire, is not on this list.https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lis...
Have seen 10 on this list. My 2 favorites are Bull Durham and Breaking Away.
Ron Turcotte, the jockey who rode Secretariat to the Triple Crown in 1973, has passed away at age 84. He passed away at his home in Drummond, New Brunswick.
In the Rugby Womens' World Cup England defeated the USA in the opening match by a score of 69-7. Here's a write-up of the match.https://www.theguardian.com/sport/202...
A bit of wrestling now. This is Buzz Sawyer's face turn in Georgia. Gordon Sollie had just let the fans in on the fact that Buzz Sawyer and Brett Wayne were in fact brothers (real name Woyan). Brett Wayne would later use the same last name as his brother. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzDIF...
I have been able to verify that the two men were in fact brothers (can't always take that as a given in wrestling)
Mod
I’m not much of a moviegoer any longer - but I have seen 17 of these movies on this list. Even “Bring It On”, which was better than expected
Mod
Most of these types of lists are subjective. It’s the writer’s perspective that forms it.
I was a little surprised as well not to see Field of Dreams on the list. I was also a bit surprised to see Personal Best on it. Of course this list was a list of sports films. I am sure if it had been just Baseball we probably would have seen it on the list. Trying to remember but I think I have only actually watched two baseball oriented movies, Bull Durham and Take Me Out to the Ballgame. The latter starred Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly and Esther Williams. They even managed to work in a pool sequence for Williams.When it was released in the UK it went under the title of Everybody's Cheering, which is a good title for a sports oriented film.
In the Rugby Women's World Cup Scotland has defeated Wales. Not sure if there is another game today or not. Haven't looked at a schedule yet. I am looking forward to Canada's first game, especially since I believe they are ranked No. 2 in the tournament.
John Fogarty, of Creedence Clearwater Revival fame recorded an album of CCR's hits. Makes sense really as he wrote most if not all of them. The funny thing is that each song is subtitled "John's Version". Wonder where he got that idea from (said facetiously).
Brooke Henderson won the CPKC Women's Title. This is her 14th LPGA Tour win. I expect we shall see her in LA next year for the Olympics, presuming golf is in it.
Apparently it is a bank holiday in the UK but I have no idea why. National Waffle Day was yesterday but that isn't a British Holiday.
Amusing item from the Telegraph's Sports Briefing newsletter.In the Rugby Championship, South Africa tighthead Asenathi Ntlabakanye will not travel with the Springboks to New Zealand after providing an “adverse analytical finding” during recent random drug-testing. The player denies any wrongdoing.
Sounds to me like a fancy way of saying he failed a drug test.
Another face turn, this time we are in Portland Oregon and the person making the turn is Playboy Buddy Rose. Take a look at the ring invasion that happens at the end of the match. I have never seen that happen before, and I really can't be sure that the promoters knew that was coming. The commentator for this match by the way is Dutch Savage. He had been a long time heel in this territory, as well as in Vancouver, but had become a face himself. Not sure but that may have happened when Dutch bought into the Portland territory.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx0T3...
From what I have read it seems Rose went back to being a heel about a year later.
Word of the day: climateflation. This is the effect climate change is having on food prices.
The UK is toughening its laws against "honour-based" abuse. This was a new term for me but I figured out pretty quickly what it meant.
My youngest daughter is reading a book called "Mile High", not sure who the author is. She describes it as a Chicago Hockey Romance. Apparently it is part of a series of books with each book focusing on a different sport, though she doesn't think they are all set in Chicago.
Interesting item on gambling ads, and their frequency, from today's Morning Brew newsletter.If it feels like you’re seeing gambling ads every 10 seconds during sports, you’re wrong but you’re not far off. A recent study from the University of Bristol shows it was actually every 13 seconds during this year’s Stanley Cup Finals. The most frequent messaging was found on visual displays like rinkside boards, with commercials contributing much less to the frequency.
Researchers analyzed this year’s six Cup Finals matches and seven NBA Finals games and found that viewers were subjected to 6,282 instances of gambling-related marketing across the 13 games, with 94% occurring during the NHL games. Researchers believe the big difference is due to the NBA Finals streaming on YouTube, which has stricter limits on gambling ads.—DL
I just saw a picture of the trophy for The Ashes being held up by David Gower after England had won it in 1985. Man that thing is small. It could probably fit in someone's hand. Gower is holding it between his thumb and a couple of fingers. Of course it is a funeral urn that holds the ashes of a burnt cricket bat.
There were on fans present for the Carabao Cup game between Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United. At least not from Sheffield. The home stands were completely empty. Whoever was broadcasting the game must have had some fun with that. By the way the Carabao Cup is what used to be called The League Cup when I first started following football.
Just got around to changing my desk calendar and discovered today is Ganesh Chaturthi. Had to look that one up. Apparently it is the birthday of the Hindu god Ganesh. I might have heard about that one in my World Religions class in first year but that was 51 years ago.
If anyone recalls the case of the chap who threw a sandwich (a hoagie apparently) at a federal officer in Washington, a grand jury declined to indict the fellow.
Have to chuckle. Playing one of Spotify's playlists right now. The song that is playing now is "How Can I Be Sure" by the Young Rascals. Next up is "Baby Let's Wait" by The Rascals. I will presume that the algorithm that is responsible for choosing these songs is unaware that they are the same group, just at different stages of their career. They started out as The Young Rascals and eventually dropped the word Young
The aforementioned playlist seems to be mostly sixties pop/rock though it did start off with the Rippingtons which is a smooth jazz outfit that I quite like. Seems to be a lot of Jay and the Americans, Neil Diamond and Righteous Brothers on it though.
Manchester United was knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Grimsby Town. Grimsby Town is not a power in English Football but it seems Man U might not be either. Oddly the article I read referred to the competition as the League Cup, its original name.
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The Game (other topics)The Game (other topics)
Rory Land: The Up-and-Down World of Golf's Global Icon (other topics)
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VvWw...
The second one is "Captain Groovy and His Bubblegum Army" by the group of the same name. I am given to understand this was to be the theme for a proposed television show that never materialized.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAVmW...