Catch Of The Day

Chipmunks.

CHIPMUNKS

The Cast

Date: 28 July 2020

FILLERBUSTER’S ELEVEN

BACKGROUND:  This started as a long-winded numbered blog.  It transformed into an organized long-winded category blog.  Now, it is a quick-hitter to ease your pain.  I lack time.  So, the preparation of the blog actually made me procrastinate from writing the thing.  Let’s see who makes the cut.  Barely edited as usual unfortunately, so please excuse any mistakes during my stream of consciousness.  I feel the need…the need for speed.  Let’s turn and burn.

SETTING: This is written and released fully on Tuesday night while watching some baseball.  My work week is about to get nuts, so better I knock this out tonight.

  1. EVERGREEN:  SEVEN.  Dynasties are special.  Dynasties are rare.  And a lot of things have to happen for dynasties to even happen.  Talent, solid chemistry, great coaching, a lack of big injuries, contracts that keep people there, a lack of pandemics, etc.  So, when I heard Travis Kelce and Chris Jones yapping about how the dynasty had begun, that was one thing.  But when I heard live that Tyreek Hill disagreed with them on First Take and said that seven and not five was realistic as far as titles, I had to believe it is in their locker room and therefore a little hazardous, along with being irritating.  Why must you say these things?  The greatest basketball player of our generation even got this wrong on a stage after The Decision, and only won two with his two Miami sidekicks.  What makes you think it will be any easier for you all?  Why ruin a special thing?  Sure, you have the most talented 24 year old who has already won one of everything at the controls, but do you not think that a bunch of talented big dudes on other teams are not spending most of their days plotting how to stop you?  Do you think defensive coaches won’t find a wrinkle or two to attack you from?  Did you suddenly forget how hard it was to win one?  Listen, no one doubts your talent, your starters, your depth, your coaches, or the kid at the wheel.  And it is NOT a bad bet to take you all instead of the field in any upcoming season we have.  But, for the moment, win a second one and settle down a little.  Let your play do the talking, learn from others’ mistakes, remember how hard it is, and stop talking, please.  I mean, Brady, the golden boy, “only” won six and he is the greatest ever.  Oh, and go watch Rocky III.  You need to keep that Eye of the Tiger and not get sucked into your riches and mansions.
  2. EVERGREEN 2: LOU.  I didn’t really want to talk about this, but it IS too funny of story to ignore.  Talk about selfish.  Talk about how we aren’t even into the season yet.  Talk about how any games he misses are seeding games.  Talk about where he went.  Any way you cut it, you made a bad decision, Lou Williams.  He is a key contributor for the contending Clippers, and should have more respect for social media, the pandemic, and the bubble.  Lou stopped by a Gentleman’s Club for food.  He has food named AFTER him there, so you can sort of understand him wanting to swing by to get his OWN food after his family emergency, but are you kidding me?  THIS is not the time for this.  Just because you might be the FIRST person ever to swing by a strip club JUST for the food, don’t blow this off in the media.  This IS a big deal.  It is not just about the establishment.  It is not because you “just got food.”  It is because you were out of the bubble, and you endangered your teammates’ health and playoff chances by making that stop.  We hope Lou is the outlier and not the trend.  We hope so.  I am not sure I have that much faith. 
  3. NFL: We could talk about everyone opting out and the Quarantine QB idea, but let’s stick to what is happening ON the field.  The New York Jets traded Jamal Adams to the Seattle Seahawks and got a boatload for him.  You probably heard about the TWO first round draft picks.  But, there was actually a third round pick in 2023 and a safety on the roster also included in the trade.  My thoughts on this trade are as follows.  First of all, I HATE when a player gets his way in a trade request.  To add insult to injury, I hate it more when they land on a GOOD team.  So, Adams basically whined about his situation, expressed he wanted out, threw his coach under the bus while this was about to get in motion, and now gets a greener grass that will make a run at the Super Bowl possibly.  I hate it.  But, even more than that, it is a cocky statement by the Seahawks.  I am sure your coach and GM are geniuses.  Sure.  I am sure that you consider yourselves in that winning “window” where you have to capitalize.  But, you don’t need two consecutive first round picks to build your roster? And your prize is a high-quality safety that won’t change the score often enough to not miss two first rounders?  I love Adams as a top-flight safety in the league.  But, I don’t think you give up your immediate future for him for a safety in the meantime.  Congratulations, Jets.  I think you got rid of a headache and will get some early draft talent in the near future.
  4. COLLEGE BASKETBALL:  Four big microphones in college basketball were dropped this past week or two.  I am just telling you to remember these names in future years.  The most moderate of the four is Jordan Riley.  St. John’s was supposed to keep him local, but got outdone.  Patrick Ewing evidently made an impression and the four-star recruit will head to G-Town.  The #1 player in California also laid down a commit, and that commit went to UCLA.  Peyton Watson said that UCLA was the original blueblood and that he wanted to help them get back to that status.  Gutsy move by a kid who wanted to stay local.  I already told you about Emoni Bates going to MSU, but we will count him again as the third guy, and that leads us to the fourth guy.  If you wonder about the domino that is Bates, know that a five-star center from Canada, Enoch Boakye, just followed him to Michigan State.  That is serious pull, when a five-star knows he will already be Robin to the more obvious Batman most likely.  The rules might change by the time both get to MSU, but for now, it is a hell of a pull by Izzo.  And RIP, Stanley Robinson.  You were too young to die, and we will always remember your years at UCONN.
  5. NBA: NUGGETS.  Bol Bol made some headlines when he opened the bubble scrimmage play for the Nuggets with a double double.  You can write it off, or maybe you don’t know who he is.  But, as I have been saying since the 2019 draft, be EXCITED about the Nuggets’ last two drafts.  I know you might not follow rivals or college hoops.  I know you might not recall when Michael Porter and Bol Bol, in their own year and before injuries were BOTH slotted at one point as the #1 pick overall in the draft, but I am reminding you about it now.  Listen.  The Nuggets present roster is getting better, their star is slimmed down, there is no home court advantage in the bubble, anything can happen, and the Nuggets have two players in Bol Bol and Porter who are maturing in front of our eyes.  Both have inside out skills, both have a handle, and both are multi-positional.  Be EXCITED about the bubble, and definitely be excited about next year.  If Jamal Murray can show ANY sort of consistency in his scoring and can be better on defense, this roster’s main problem will be having enough basketballs on the court.  And let’s finish this section by sharing the tidbit that Dwight Howard did NOT know how COVID was spread.  https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2020/07/21/dwight-howard-didnt-know-coronavirus-flies-through-air
  6. NHL:  The new Seattle team will be called the Kraken?  My, what a fantastic team name, and everyone else will be jealous.  Nice job, whoever made this decision.
  7. MLB:  THE RETURN AND THE MARLINS. Damn you COVID.  I want to discuss the Betts contract, Fauci’s first pitch, or Shane Bieber fanning 14 and allowing no runs.  But, you leave me with the Marlins.  Manfred says this is not a nightmare, and everything is ok.  I would be fine with that response if I was told the PLAN.  You do not have a bubble.  Your league didn’t make it out of the first week without HALF of a team testing positive.  It made you cancel other games with that team not even involved.  It made you cancel the Marlins’ next six games.  What is the PLAN?  The NBA has impressed us all with its attention to crazy detail and fallout plans.  I have seen nothing from MLB.  Am I glad that baseball is back with fake fans in the stands, the public announcer talking, and fake crowd noise?  Yes.  I am watching a game right now?  Yes.  But HOW do you allow the PLAYERS to make the call to play Sunday night after four positive tests that day?  How is there not a protocol for this where the players are not making the decision?  How are you not telling me about how you are making up these games and the windows on the calendar that you planned for makeup games?  Why is the fanbase so confused and not informed?  And WHY does a player actually say he goes on Twitter to find out if he is playing since the media knows before he does (see below for that tweet)?  We need direction when there is no bubble.  Give us some info that indicates you all sat in a room and mapped out all possibilities.  Want to know what is worse than having no season?  Getting teased WITH a season and having to pull the rug out suddenly.
  8. MISCELLANEOUS:  I love Mike Tyson as a fan, and consider him, in his prime, probably the baddest man alive.  And I respect him for staying in shape, showing us boxing videos, and even am happy with his involvement in Shark Week.  I am even fine with him starting some sort of old man’s boxing league where they can box.  All that being said though, I am not interested really in WATCHING it and having the media push it on me.  I treat it like the time all of my tennis legends retired within a few years of each other.  I loved watching John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors and Mats Wilander and Ivan Lendl duke it out in real match play.  But, I didn’t need to see them play on the Seniors Circuit.  No interest whatsoever.  I just knew they were doing it, and yay for them.  Yes, I just made a parallel between tennis and boxing.  Welcome to my blog and mind.  It can be done.  Back to Tyson though, I actually just am glad you didn’t go down the road we thought you were going…well, I guess before you appeared in the Hangover.  Anyway, I am proud of you and your business ventures these days, will root for you in your exhibition fight, and know you were the baddest man alive…but just don’t push your boxing match on me, please.
  9. THIS AND THAT:  Random notes attack.  My saddest moment of the week was when I found out that Top Gun 2 was moved to July of next year.  Dammit.  I don’t know about you, but I can wear my mask comfortably for the time it takes me to run in a store and grab something.  I can’t wear it for hours.  Nicki Minaj is pregnant, and does that mean her badass sex raps end, or does she just spit out the baby and go back to her old groove?  Men’s Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank are closing hundreds of stores, and although I didn’t read the article, I assume that is because no business meetings are happening and no one is going anywhere.  Local 46 has good social distancing, people, if you are looking for a nice outdoor patio drink.  Man, if there weren’t enough global USA/American jokes, we sure have given them much more ammo in how we handled the pandemic.  I read that in New Delhi though that one in FOUR have it.  A mask was just released that allowed you to drink through a straw, and that took about as long as Domino’s finally doing the car drop thing they are advertising.  I hear there is a Friends reboot, and was kind of rolling my eyes when I found out that they are making another Bill and Ted’s movie.  That trumped that feeling.  I admit to never hearing about this sugar free gummi bear review thing.  Allocate 4 minutes, because you have to read a few of them to get the humor, but enjoy.  https://www.amazon.com/Haribo-SUGAR-Classic-Gummi-Bears/product-reviews/B006J1FBLM What happens when we roll through the entire alphabet naming hurricanes before mid-August?  I dislike Taylor Swift a lot, and definitely don’t dig her music, but she did what I think EVERY artist should come out of quarantine with…a new album.  Props to that chick.  My egg weights have added a lot to my home workout and I recommend them.  The Wayback on Tennyson is another cool spot that we thought closed, but just opened back up.  They also have good social distancing rules.  Again, Drunk History is a good show overall, but the lip syncing and cameos make it GREAT.  Princess Cruises won’t sail until mid-December, so my mom cancelling her cruise WAS genius, because there is no WAY I would want to be on a Christmas cruise when the company is just now learning the rules they have implemented.  Deodorant sales are down, and that makes sense.  A man recorded himself for 40 hours stranded at the Joshua Tree, but I wonder this.  I get filming it in case you died.  But, are you actually going to stop your life and watch 40 hours of you in a desert with a broken leg?  A guy split a $22 million lottery prize after a handshake years ago, and I respect the heck out of that. Want to see something disturbing?  Read all of the “normal” names on this list of names of people who flew to visit Jeffrey Epstein’s island.  https://www.reddit.com/r/EpsteinAndFriends/comments/emvk4c/list_of_names_for_the_epstein_flight_logs/  Japango in Boulder had a jellyfish aquarium, and I can tell you that this will definitely be a purchase of ours in 2020.  Well, I assume you know the Regis clip I would like to play you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE5ROl2YPbs RIP, Regis.  If I was in between cars, and had some money right now, I think I would get the new Ford Bronco.  They look SWEET.  Google has announced that they will work from home until July 2021.  Yup.  I probably will at least do UNTIL 2021 for me.  Dr. Fauci’s first pitch might have been top 10 worst of all time, but his baseball card broke every record there was, so there is that.  I am tired of Robin Meade coming on the TV and telling me to text loved ones.  They need to find a new person to deliver this message, as this commercial has gone on too long.  This Celebrity Show-Off thing shows up on TBS or TNT every couple of hours, and although I will not seek it out, and although two of the three I have seen are dumb, I will say the Jason Mraz one kind of had me chuckling.  It is OUT there.  Finally, you might not listen to the Jim Rome show, but this call left him and the rest of the listening audience speechless.  I might even make this my blog theme to confuse everyone if they haven’t read this far.  Chipmunks.  COVID has made chipmunks start nut hunting again, and they apparently haven’t learned to swim on their backs yet in relearning hunting, so the nuts go rotten.  This is another example why the Jim Rome show IS the best show, on TV or radio.  And Jerome got a Golden Ticket to the Smackoff next year from Rome, because of its awesomeness. Hit the item that starts with “Jerome from Houston” on 7/27 and listen to the magic.  https://www.stucknut.com/takebox/
  10. TRAVEL:  see below for last trip notes.
  11. TWEET OF THE WEEK

ALTERNATE CATEGORIES THAT DIDN’T MAKE THE CUT:

  1. THE BEST WORKOUT SONG EVER FOR THIS WEEK (because the best song this week IS the best song ever…for now):
  2. QUOTE OF THE WEEK
  3. LINKS TO SAVE YOU TIME IN LIFE
  4. TRAVEL
  5. THIS WEEK’S LIST
  6. MY NUMBERS
  7. GONE FISHING (the riddle for money):
  8. PICS BY MY PIXEL (pictures from my phone):
  9. LIFEGUARD ENTRY:
  10. COLLEGE FOOTBALL
  11. THE FILLERBUSTER

The theme?  Chipmunks edges out Top Gun being postponed and my Boulder trip.  My travel notes are below though.

And our weekly reminder of the greatest sequel ever made coming out NEXT summer now, and I can’t believe I started this blurb before the holidays last year and I still have another year to go now… Top Gun 2.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFM3i-dQ6B8

That’s it for today.  Hope you enjoyed or are at least more informed.  Remember two things.  First, feed yourself, feed your family, but always, always remember to…feed the wolf.  Second,  if you can’t spot the sucker in your first half hour at the table, then you are the sucker.  Will I blog again?  That is a CLOWN question, bro.  As one shepherd said to the other shepherd, let’s get the flock out of here.

TRAVEL:

Boulder July 2020:

  • Again, this is another 2020 road trip hindered by the pandemic.
  • I highly recommend hitting the Blackbelly Butcher/Market on the way into town.  It had the feeling that the food came straight from farm to mouth.  Linds got a very fresh tasting salad.  I got the country ham and burrata sandwich and was sad when it was finished.
  • If you stay at the Hotel Boulderado, make sure to get the updated wing.  I didn’t actually see the older rooms, but ours was still unique and old-ish, so therefore I wouldn’t want more historical for less technology.  The hallways reminded me of the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park.  Go down the scary old elevator, also reminding me of the Stanley.
  • We planned on doing Rio on Friday, but we needed reservations, so had to do Rio on Saturday instead.
  • We did Japango as a backup.  It ended up being great.  They had decent drink specials and some delicious appetizers.  Their peppers were actually a little better than Uchi’s, my top of the line.   The place also had jellyfish aquariums, and I think Linds and I have decided to get one for the house.
  • After happy hour, we headed back to the room.  There is a speakeasy in the basement of Hotel Boulderado called License 1.  It was not open, but we got some pics in the empty, closed place, and I played a little piano on the ancient classic piano.
  • Room party for a bit, rainy outside.  We played Shut the Box, which has become our regular time filler.
  • The special we got at the hotel included a lobster dinner (and free parking), so we did the Friday option.  The dinner was fantastic, with great service by Dan and Nick.  Clam chowder was amazing for not being in the Northeast, salad was fresh even though I will start carrying around Everything Seasoning for salads, and the lobster and corn was stellar.  I named our lobster Harlan.
  • After dinner, we just had a home party, since last call goes down at 10pm in Colorado these days.
  • Early wakeup the next day.  We used to live by Moe’s in Denver, but went to this location and had some food for a meal at the lake.  I got my usual Shorty P. with bacon horseradish cream cheese (on everything and not pumpernickel this time), and Linds got a burrito with bacon and scallions.  Not sure which one was better.  They were both amazing.
  • I apparently never drove far enough down Baseline Road.  I had no idea that it went by some crazy rich houses and into switchbacks to the reservoir.  Great, pretty drive.  The many, many bikers going up this extreme incline made me sad and feel lazy.  That is a different breed of person.
  • We heard that if you go to Gross Reservoir, you need to be there in the morning for easy parking.  This was a correct statement.
  • The reservoir is a downhill climb to the lake, and uphill on the way back.  LOTS of room, multiple beaches by North Shore where we entered, water was amazingly calm and perfect for a couple of paddleboard runs by the wife and I.  Well, she did successful outings, but I just did the knee thing.  You aren’t supposed to swim at all at the reservoir.  So, my falling in trying to stand up would be frowned on.
  • We took some pictures of some mountains on the way down like we don’t live here and see awesome mountains every day.
  • We walked by a farmer’s market that you had to have reservations for.  My, life has changed.
  • We had brunch at Dushanbe Teahouse.  Cool building just a short walk away from the hotel.  They messed up our reservation not being outside, but the atmosphere was great, and brunch was delicious.  I had the Eggs Benedict, an although it was solid, the house green and red hot sauce made it amazing.  I had some Iced Tea since I was in a Teahouse, and peppermint flavored tea was refreshing, although not my style.
  • It started raining, so it was another good time to head back to hotel.
  • Naptime.
  • Room party for a bit.  Shut the Box.
  • Our reservation at Rio was at 430.  We decided to just have the two margs of the three house limit.  They have changed their salsa.  It used to be above average.
  • It was either head back to room or enjoy Pearl Street.  We decided on the latter.
  • We had a drink at Oskar Blues.  Great service, just ok beers, and your typical tourist trap.
  • They recommended The Jungle as our final pre-dinner stop.  It was cool.  You can’t go inside except for bathroom, but their outdoor area did their best at replicating a beach bar in the mountains.  Their Painkiller was pretty spot on, and I think they just need some swing bar stools put in.
  • We had dinner at The Kitchen.  Really subpar services, and I was hoping for a little more from the chicken entrée.  It was either that or a really expensive steak, so glad I went low for the meal.  That is a meal I don’t want to be paying bank for.
  • We kept walking by The Post, which looked like a cool spot.  We finally had a round there, although last call (at 9pm) made the decision to leave easy.  But, cool spot to watch live sports if they are on.  We watched UFC.
  • Home Party.
  • Bed.
  • We checked out the next day and headed to brunch at River and Woods.  GREAT choice.  Outdoor seating in back.  I had already been eyeballing the Brunch Poutine, so I went with that.  It was so good that I didn’t notice they forgot the cheese curds until I was about done.  That is odd.  It means I will need to go back up and get it with curds.  I asked for iced tea, and it came our full on red colored, which was weird, but it tasted like normal tea.  Weird.  Two guitarists started playing near the end of our meal.  That was nice.  I would highly recommend this spot.
  • Home.
  • I have some great pics (about 100), but it is just Boulder, I am tired, and ping me if you want to see them.
THROW IT BACK IN THE POND
huskers mishandled sexual assaults
nwsl team push for Los angeles
washington nfl team hires julie donaldson for broadcasts
jumpman logo to appear on many nba uniforms
another round of stimulus
european stimulus
election 2020
kg might be interested in buying wolves
coke dropping odwalla other zombie brands
wilf family emerging as lead for wolves
China
twitter-qanon
prince george is 7
cfl team drops Eskimos
NBA responds senator re. china
Tobias Harris uses presser for breonna
wvu DC part ways after allegations
13 nuns in convent die covid
westbrook is back
harassment allegations against david villa
nfl says fans have to wear masks if attending events
bills ed oliver charges dismissed
angels tendon still out
fenway unveils BLM billboard
cohen home confiement
maxwell records to become unsealed
mccutchen speech yanks nats
premier league sets sept 12 as start
bill gates message covid conspiracy
russell wilson, ciara announce birth
mcdonald’s chipotle add mask wearing
gatorade athletes of year named
si story caddyshack 2
pacers sabonis hurt
storm liberty honor breonna
Ravens fluker girl punched hin
cook will report
women’s hof to induct stern
asu professor found in dumpster
Biden ahead in three 2016 trump states
mahomes happy with safety measures
reds Davidson covid
chiefs sign osemele
ole miss suspends leading pass rusher
Giants release rosas
4 Marlin’s test positive
nfl won’t pay players who go to high risk events
high ranking trump adviser has covid
red lobster employee saves blue lobster
tom hanks and wife are officially greek citizens
jason mccourty expresses concern with season
mostert-49ers restructure contract
vikings trainer positive covid
conacaf announces new WC qualifying format
GOP proposal decreases unemployment benefits
notre dame withdraws from hosting first presidential debate
dunbar put on commissioner’s exempt list

Eagles-new kobe mural

ditka says kneeling athletes should leave
Joe Jonas Sophie Turner have kid
shark attack maine
Stubblefield rape charges
white open to khabib picking own last fight

Donald trump jr. twitter account canceled

No phils test positive

Vikings cook reports

Mahomes invests in royals, more KC roots

Mets sign Maxwell

Pippen downplays the last dance persona of him

Gop new stimulus votes

Lebron not turning off phone for this playoffs

no preseason games
michael bennett to retire after 11 seasons, 1 ring
AB announces retirement? Go away
to also do social justice decals
terrell owens shows against tyreek hill he still has speed
jets owner investigated for comments
Carlton Hselrig steelers, wrestler dies
washington football team is chosen temp name
adams says gase not right leader for jets
Alex smith cleared
KC tardiff opts out season
kyrie donates 1.5 mil for wnba players sitting out
quarantine QB idea being floated

dont’a hightower opts out

Andre smith ravens opts out

Patrick chung opts out-up to six pats

chick fliet games at stake-uga-virginia was one???
#1 ATH James Williams commits to Miami FL
proposal on table for notre dame to be in acc
Rutgers quarantine team
msu quarantine team

Maac cancels fall sports season

recruit dons face mask to reveal college choice boise state
zero positives
nba teams now playing other teams
jr smith blankets and snacks
black lives matter on orlando court
jumpman logo
justice winslow out for griz injury-never played yet
nba moving up draft lottery five days
Dwight quote
Hawks three new uniforms
giannis saying no hoop just a joke
lakers alex caruso skips sister’s wedding to stay in bubble
everyone answering questions with breonna taylor answer
nbabubblelife is the best
scrimmages start, twitter all over it
rivers leaves rockets for family situation
thibodeau knicks

Anthony davis might miss a game or two eye injury

mackinnon, draisaitl, panarin mvp finalists
QBR
drinks with matty g
miracle on dice
bets!
workout
spanish
piano
guitar
boulder
sprained knee
wedding practice
I sauce everything
Chopin preludes
never been kissed compromise
foi gras
radish
cheese gone bad
kapler kneels with players
blue Jay’s play where
alyssa nakken coaches 1B in exhibition game
votto, others to kneel during anthem
jays will call pittsburgh home, but penn dept of health vetoes
dodgers mookie betts near long term contract
bet on giants, then kershaw bows out
juan soto out for opener
mlb will extend postseason
blm mlb
my teams-phils, angels, rockies
buffalo locale for blue jays
fauci first pitch
mookie betts deal pays him through 2044
dbacks scout dies covid
Shane Bieber fans 14 no runs
A’s walkoff run new rule extra innings
Verlander done elbow
ohtani fails to record an out
rays ji-man choi suddenly becomes a switch-hitter
rangers shut down corey kluber for four weeks injury
Cali HS delayed until december
texas delays big hs schools football by a month
new statements by kelly loeffler-needs to stop talking blm
rupp arena renamed-where do we draw the line?
Alvarez wisco lose 60 mil
MLS is Back enters knockout stage
Whitaker over till decision

deadspin writers who left starting defector media

sports back the failed quarantine
betts 13 year deal? wow. thought long deals done
game who would you me Rome Adam levine
Tesla no like
fans not there to see hit astros, plus 60 game season short for bans
let’s play ball!
wow, nice to have sports back-lots to say
7.8 quake hits off Alaska
portland oregon floyd protests continue
kardashian-west
clif bars are GOOD
foo fighters frontman wants to get teachers back
Kanye pres but Kim mental health worry?
freedom of speech early fg
neo robot chicken dance
Disney delays star wars avatar
hurricane Douglas hawaii
portland still going
watermelon sugar song
Hammock is great at our house
the greatest at home video show is amazing-wow
$134.50 steak the kitchen concert hotel
bear kiddie pool
girl lighting fire ex’s car
bear goes up to girl
hurricane hanna
hurricane douglas