On Tuesday, Adrian Wojnarowski (commonly known as Woj) went on NBA Today and said the following:
- “The idea of (LeBron James and Bronny James) playing together is not a priority. It’s not foremost, at least any longer, in LeBron James’s mind.”
- “If (Bronny) does go in the draft, he very likely would spend next year in the G League.”
In other words, LeBron suddenly cares more about his son developing as a player than about getting to play alongside his son in the NBA.
This is, of course, a reasonable reaction to the last twelve months of Bronny James’s life. Bronny James suffered a cardiac arrest, and then something even worse: A season of being coached by Andy Enfield. Of course his development should be the priority, even more than it already was.
However.
We’re not going to ignore what this implies regarding LeBron’s opinion of his son:
LeBron doesn’t think he can win a title with Bronny James.
Are the Ad Agency People Ok?
I remember the 2017 Super Bowl for a few reasons.
First, this guy at the party put money on the mantle and said it was a bet on the Falcons, then invited us to bet against him. I was confused. I didn’t know what to do. Was I supposed to put up a matching amount of money? An amount of my own choosing? I think the guy thought it looked cool, but it made me oddly uncomfortable. Nobody ever acknowledged him doing that. I think he left before the game ended. I wonder what happened to his money.
Second, when I got home from my friend’s house I went to get a big framed picture out of my trunk, and I ripped the ass right out of my corduroys. This saddened me. They were nice, soft corduroys. So soft. So warm. So comfortable. What made it sadder is that the same thing had happened two weeks earlier to a different pair I’d bought. I’d hoped the first pair was defective. Turned out, the design just didn’t work with my heinie. For two weeks, I was a corduroy guy. After that? Never again. This is probably why I didn’t last in Minnesota. I kept ripping the traditional local garb.
Third, the commercials were all a bummer? I think this was the one where the commercials were all a bummer. I think all the commercials were trying to hit some sweet tone, and it made the whole thing feel like a funeral. Awkward night, the 2017 Super Bowl.
I remember, after the fact, people asking if those working in the advertising industry were ok. It was a reasonable question! I think we now must ask it again. Not because the commercials are sad, but because they’re incredibly annoying. Between “What a pro wants,” “No flex zone,” and that commercial for the Google phone, we have an historically annoying crop of commercials bombarding us every time there’s a stop in the action on both the ESPN and Turner families of networks. It’s been going on since March, and it shows no signs of letting up.
Again, this doesn’t imply the ad folks are sad. What it implies is something even scarier: They’ve completely checked out. Their most annoying creations don’t annoy them anymore. They are numb.
The Calder Cup Is a Great Idea
We don’t appreciate the Calder Cup enough. It’s genius. Take a minor league sport and give it a major league trophy, complete with an elite name. A name as strong as the Pacific Coast League, but with a trophy to go with it.
I’m going to Chili’s in a little bit to watch Admirals vs. (Texas) Stars. Not because it’s going to be on TV there. In fact, we have to bring my laptop and stream AHL TV. But my buddy’s a Milwaukee guy, and I want to support him. Plus, now I can tell myself I’ll watch the Belleville Sens tomorrow night when there’s no chance I’m going to watch the Belleville Sens tomorrow night.
The Riverside Stride
Speaking of cool names, Dodgers reporter David Vassegh bestowed one on Joe Kelly’s walk last night. I quote (emphasis mine):
“Joe Kelly vocalized to me his right groin is feeling good as he emerged from the weight room at Chase field with his usual Riverside stride.”
Vassegh was simply reporting here. He wasn’t offering an opinion. He was reporting the facts. He was reporting that Joe Kelly has swagger.
Vassegh reported that Joe Kelly walks with a Riverside stride. I think we should change that to the Riverside Stride.
