The Cast

Date: 05 August 2022

FILLERBUSTER’S ELEVEN

BACKGROUND:   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 started at Ginger Pig during happy hour while wife is at a different happy hour.  Finished on Friday afternoon after work. BY THE WAY, the tweets I posted seem to be extra funny or meaningful for this blog. Click on some of them and your day will become better.

1. EVERGREEN:  Bill Russell
   1. Listen.  There is nothing I can say that hasn’t been already said, so let’s just say that he was the greatest winner in team sports history.  That is a fact, not an opinion.  And what he did for social justice can’t be overstated.  He was a supreme winner on and off the court.
   2. I wrote down a couple stats off the top of my head.
   3. 10-0 in Game 7’s
   4. NBA titles 11 out of 13 years
   5. Nine straight NBA titles
   6. Changed game with the controlled blocked shot
   7. First black NBA coach in history (player/coach)
   8. Won two championships at San Francisco, which isn’t exactly a perennial blue blood
   9. Averaged 22.5 rebounds per game for his CAREER
   10. Would never, ever talk about his game, stats, or self in any way.  It was always about the teammates.
2. EVERGREEN: Vin Scully
   1. This was another crappy loss only days later.  Again, there is not much I can say that hasn’t been said, so I will leave it at this.  He was the voice of the Dodgers, but most forget he did golf, football, etc.  But, here is what I will always remember about his announcing.  He was a storyteller, but let the moment do ITS thing on you and didn’t clog it up with banter.  I hear that he used to walk away from the mic and let people hear the crowd noise as is.  Then, he would come back and tell some magical story about it or something he compared it to.  Watch Hank Aaron’s 715^th HR call by him.  It has ALL of the ingredients in that two minutes that made him the best.
3. NFL: 
   1. Losing a center doesn’t sound like a huge deal to most teams, but one of Tom Brady’s weaknesses is internal pressure up the middle that rushes his throw.  Having a backup center with the way their schedule starts off might be more altering than we think.
   2. But, the Bucs sort of countered that by getting Mr. GOAT a TE (Rudolph) and a WR (Jones).  It reminds me of Chuck tagging along with the Blazers, and the Mailman joining the Lakers for one last run at a title.  I know.  These guys aren’t exactly doing that, but they are SORT of over the hill, and the Bucs are counting on them to be maybe better than they have been recently with Crocs Boy throwing to them.
   3. The Jimmy G. QB situation is STILL so intriguing to me.  You have a QB with a 70% win percentage and who has taken his team to 2 of 3 Conference Championships on the BENCH.  I think Trey Lance IS the better long-term solution, but kind of weird Jimmy is doing nothing for anyone.
   4. Because my household caring has made me care (Sooners and Baker), I read daily updates on Baker vs. Darnold proactively.  Baker was up 3-2 as of yesterday, and it sounds like he takes more chances and is getting to know the offense better.
   5. By the way, if you feel like NOT getting nonstop ESPN coverage of Watson and Griner, tune into the NFL Network in the morning and afternoon.  My work background TV and I are really enjoying the background real-time tidbits and interviews from every training camp location.
   6. I have been in Denver since 1997.  There are two “feelings” like this year.  The year that Peyton came and, well, this year… If I wasn’t fully invested in another football team for my entire 49 years of life, I might consider jumping on this bandwagon.  Whenever I talk sports with ANY Broncos fan, I say “You must be SO excited.  I am a Steelers fan, and am almost excited FOR you.”
   7. The Tim Patrick injury hurts though.  But, the Broncos have had this happen at least 3 of last 4 seasons to their WR unit (I think), but this year they have Russell and not some questionable QB to find a replacement.  I heard who is still out there for WR’s, and was surprised by the quality of receivers.  BUT, in the end game, this is truly the time that Jerry Jeudy can show he deserved to be pick #15. #15 is for a #1 or #2 receiver, not a slot.
   8. So, Kyler Murray is rich, has the second most guaranteed amount of money in NFL history, and apparently doesn’t watch film.  First of all, that would be hard to believe.  Second, it doesn’t matter whether he does or doesn’t.  The fact that the Cards made it PUBLIC is wrong on ALL levels.  We shouldn’t hear about that stuff.
   9. Bo Jackson is the best athlete of all-time, ran up a wall in baseball, and ran circles around people in Tecmo Bowl.  I found out he footed most of the bill for the Uvalde funerals.  Wow, his legend grows, if that is possible.
   10. True, I haven’t played a video game in any way in like 10 years.  True, I haven’t played Madden since 2001.  True, I assume video games are off-the-hook realistic and true to what they are portraying in an almost scary way.  That being said, enough with the Madden position rankings being a whole special on ESPN.  I can live with fantasy football specials, and I love lists, but please go away, 99 rankings. 
   11. The Hoodie won’t announce an OC or DC because it gives him more bandwidth to be really, really coy and vague when reporters question him after the game.  He can blame no one, everyone, or whoever.  He can do what he wants, and he IS a football genius, but let’s just all think about IF Brady retires and Bill doesn’t get another Super Bowl.  There will always be that question.  Think about it another way.  Phil Jackson was the best, and would have been questioned if he only did it with MJ.  But, he did it many more times with some guys named Kobe and Shaq, so he is in the clear.
   12. Jim Irsay paid $6 million for Ali’s title belt.  If I had to actually think about this and what it would take me to do that, I believe I would need at least $200 million in the bank.  And I LOVE Ali and boxing.  Six million is a lot of money, and in the 80’s, it was a whole bionic man that did right for society and stuff.
   13. Tyreek Hill is propping Tua WAY too much for a guy who just left Mahomes with no choice.  Of course, maybe I would too if I realized I left possible title town for the next decade.
   14. (Shhhh…I personally think Tua blows UP this year.  I think he might be the real deal.)
   15. Danny Amendola will never get credit for anything but his two titles, but he really DID do something.  He was the money slot receiver for the best QB in NFL history.  Him and Wes Welker changed the dynamic of that position with Brady, like Brandon Stokley did for Peyton Manning.
   16. They are pushing for Soldier Field to be a dome.  That will totally RUIN all of those old 70’s and 80’s Chicago Bears games summaries on NFL Films I loved so much.
   17. Big Ben made some comments about current players being me only.  I love my team, and thank Ben for our two titles.  But, the reality is that he was a statue at the end, he probably raped two chicks early in his career, rode his motorcycle too fast, dissed his offensive players on camera in interviews, and should probably just ride into the sunset and not have interviews until his HOF induction.  Basically, I love what he did, and he improved as a person through his career, but, in the end, he was still kind of a dick.
   18. (and I am a Steelers fan, for any newbie readers)
   19. Sometimes I encounter a fact that I had NO idea of, even as a sports junkie.  I discovered one the other day.  Roger Craig is NOT in the HOF???  That is insane.  I totally forgot that.  That is an absolute travesty.  If he can’t be in for stats, he should be in for the simple fact that he totally changed what the RB position was.  He changed the game.
   20. I care about the DK Metcalf extension only because I watched him get drafted right before the Steelers were on the clock that year and I was hoping.  I was eating dinner at Wynkoop with friends, and I was sort of sad.  I wish he was a Steeler.
   21. I get extending Deebo Samuel, but why the running incentives in the contract?  RB’s have the shortest shelf life.  Deebo is a WR who is also a good RB.  BUT, I would not want to PROMPT him to run more.
   22. I am sad for James Washington.  He is a WR for the Cowboys now, but he was a third WR on the Steelers for many years.  He just got hurt and is out for 6-10 weeks.  And that was when the WR2 was open opposite Ceedee Lamb.  He had an opening, and his body didn’t deliver.  And, he left the Steelers loved (not like Bell, Brown, etc.).  Get better, James.
   23. I was sad that the Stephen Ross/Dolphins ruling didn’t include the tanking violation from Flores, but I think it was harsh enough.  The $1.5 mil is mattress money for him, but the two first round picks are a punch in the gut to any team.  By the way, Ross LOOKS like a punk.
   24. F1 racer Lewis Hamilton joined the Broncos ownership.  The Broncos have the Walmart guy as front man, and he like triples the rest of the top 10 of owners money.  Aside from having more heads in the game before we actually tell everyone that Peyton Manning is in charge, why do we need all of these chefs in the kitchen?  Money is not the problem.  I guess the Broncos want a very full boardroom.
   25. I am putting Watson down at #24 on purpose.  This is what I think. 
       1. He is a predator because he never repeatedly used the same massage person.
       2. We are learning the whole process is lacking.
       3. The fact that the decision now goes BACK to the NFL is almost funny.
       4. If he gets to play during all of this processing, I will be mad.
   26. This is a great article.  This is something I do at the bar all the time.  This is something you should read.  The GOATS at every position on offense (yes, they have a defensive one too).  https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/34302023/greatest-nfl-players-ever-every-offensive-position-picking-goat-quarterback-running-back-receiver-offensive-tackle
   27. The Steelers paid Diontae Johnson for two years.  That is smart for both parties.  He doesn’t know whether the unknown QB starter will love him as much as Ben, and the Steelers don’t know whether he will continue his pass-dropping improvement practices AFTER he is paid.  Good meet in the middle extension…
   28. By the way, folks, I know we are all excited that football is now back, but let’s all get on the same page.  Preseason games are practices.  Say it again.  Preseason games are practices.
4. COLLEGE FOOTBALL:
   1. The Sooners got ranked best ever college football team by Yahoo Sports.  That is not a big deal, and it is Yahoo Sports who is making the list, except that I only wrote this because it is a list, my wife cares about OU (but won’t read this ever), and because posting a list on Yahoo Sports is like tweeting a Fox News story.
   2. I hear they are proposing a 16-team college football playoff.  I typically would say that I am FIRMLY in the 6-team playoff mode.  Top two teams get byes, and other four play to get to two.  But, OU/Texas and USC/UCLA really have jacked up the entire system, haven’t they?  So, I will repropose an idea.  10 teams.  Two top teams get byes.  The other eight teams (mixture of the megaconferences and the other conferences) play a tournament to play those two top two teams (my philosophy is based on the fact that two conferences will have like 15 teams in five years, so therefore the top two teams out of those megaconferences will have deserved a bye or two).
5. COLLEGE BASKETBALL:  
   1. I don’t have much for today.  We are getting closer to season, GG Jackson decommitted from UNC, Kentucky got Justin Edwards, and Bronny is looking better as a prospect.  Actually, the BIGGEST news in college basketball is in the women’s game.  Poor Paige Buckets.  She is hurt again and done for year.  Her injuries are robbing fans and UCONN of what should be a memorable college career.
6. NBA: 
   1. All of this Watson, Griner, and MLB trade deadline stuff has actually given me a break on Kevin Durant.  Glorious.
   2. Celtics?  You have UVA guy Brogdon now.  Your lineup is complete.  You don’t need Durant now.
   3. I haven’t heard any Kyrie Irving stuff either.  Maybe he fell of the flat Earth, but I am sure enjoying the silence almost as much as I am enjoying Stephen A. Smith being off the air.
   4. (someone next to me at bar just asked me what they would be reading if they went to my site, and I said Jim Rome+Seinfeld+Bill Simmons.  I think that is ballpark.  More so if I actually had the time to include more links, spend more time on each subject, and write more of my sarcasm.
   5. HERE is a stat to tell your friends.  Seriously.  Although Steph Curry gets all the hype, his brother, Seth, is actually 1% BETTER than Steph for the career.  Great stat.  Look it up.  43.8% to 42.8%.
   6. So, the Bucks are smart.  They basically are locking up ALL of Giannis’s brothers along with him.  Don’t ever go against the family…
   7. I feel like the Donovan Mitchell trade story just disintegrated. 
7. NHL: 
   1. There are no big stories, but we ALL want to know where the Stanley Cup is and what the Avs player is doing with it for that day…
8. MLB: 
   1. I am NOT highlighting all of the trades.  Too many.  Kurkijan is in the HOF, Big Papi stole the HOF induction ceremony as expected, Trout has a back condition we are worried about but are more worried about the Angels having the two best players in baseball and not making the playoffs, DeGrom is back and throwing 102 MPH, the Padres just got Soto (AND Hader and Bell), Austin Riley just locked up with the Braves and probably took less money than he could have made, and the closer is more important in baseball than ever and the times have changed.
   2. Speaking of the Angels, we all want the Angels to get good.  We all want Ohtani and Trout in the playoffs.  But, they keep finding new ways to lose.  Last night, they hit SEVEN solo home runs and became the first team to do that…and lose.
9. MISCELLANEOUS:  
   1. Just like I don’t like SI wanting me to pay for their “premium” articles, I hate how Yahoo Sports reorganizes the articles based on what I just clicked.  So, basically, now I wake up, and I have all of the Steelers, Phillies, and UVA articles up top.  Let.  Me.  Find.  My.  Own.  Shit.  I am in technology.  I get it.  Stop it.
   2. This Griner thing is so sad that I don’t even know where to start on it.  I hope the prisoner trade happens soon.
   3. LIV golf.  Barkley didn’t go, Tiger was offered 700 mil, Bubba followed the money, LIV went up to 14 events next year, both tours upped their 2023 earnings, suits and countersuits are occurring, and Bryson is comparing both to pizza shops.  Listen.  The angry capitalism theory is fun and all, but they SHOULD have just worked together for 2023 to make both happen successfully.  If LIV only went up to 10 events, and PGA brought their amount down a little, they could have both lived together in harmony.  Players could jump from one to the other without contracts.  And, sure, it would have been messy with the money all on the LIV side.  But, I think they could have figured this out in a different way.  Or, they could have at least publicly TRIED so we thought they cared about us fans a little.
   4. I feel like the TBT was a monster idea initially, and now we all have realized that it is just a million bucks being split 12 ways to guys who already play pro ball internationally for money.  I think it is great that most clubs have made their exposure for a cause, and less about winning it all.
   5. I am so old that people used to care about the Tour de France when I was a kid.
   6. Joey Chestnut apparently won a chicken finger eating contest.  No rest for the legends, I guess.  Are all of the food eating contests in the summer though?  Doesn’t he want to chill out for a few months in the offseason after his Super Bowl Hot Dog event?  Does he enter deviled eggs eating contests?  Can I see his schedule?  I could possibly take him on the egg thing.
   7. England beat Germany in women’s Euro.  The win occurred in extra time.  Seriously though.  Has anyone done a betting study on betting on ties for every single match and see how they do?  I want to know.
   8. Tony Finau is on fire these days, but we are still waiting for him to catch fire during the important ones.  Well, actually, now is a good time to catch on fire for FedEx money, I suppose.  But, not for legendary status.  You might as well go play LIV, Tony.
   9. Ric Flair won his final event, because wrestling is not scripted and we all thought he wouldn’t win his final event.
   10. Did I already mention that I am enjoying Stephen A. Smith not being on morning ESPN?  I did?  OK, well, let me just say I am.  His personality is big and I get why he was paid and he had his time, but it is so peaceful watching educated conversation on morning ESPN without someone yelling or interrupting everyone.  My dog has even napped better without him talking.
   11. Moments that would break Twitter.  This is a great link to sporting events before social media that would have broken social media.  If you are above 40 years old, you can probably guess about 5-7 of them pretty quickly.  https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34343545/moments-broken-sports-twitter
10. THIS AND THAT: 
    1. I am less tired of Joe Namath than Jimmie JJ Walker from Good Times, but don’t understand the multitude of commercials on both Dateline (wife) and ESPN (me) ALL of the time.  I know some of you skip the commercials, but they are sometimes unavoidable.  I had to explain to my younger wife why Jimmie talks like he does, but I swear that Dynamite and Money are giving us nightmares.  Stop telling us to call and check our zip code! And, by the way, these people on the commercial strike me that they are delusional and calling to find out where they live, not to see if they qualify for whatever the commercial is for.
    2. Go to the Riverfront event that is monthly in Denver.  Wife found a new band in the Drummies that I will admit is pretty good.
    3. I went to the Renaissance Festival for the first time in three years.  I will take another 3-year break.  Two things bother me.  The level of dress up by some people scares me and Puke and Snot have either died or have been banned.  Very proud I didn’t try the trick ladder this time.
    4. The game Moniker is pretty fun, folks.
    5. THIS is an unfortunate story.  A woman was on a boat and was stabbed in the stomach by a sailfish the guys on the boat caught.
    6. Billy Strings just opened up for Metallica and said he had never seen the band.  Sad but True.  My wife showed me a tweet during that show when Strings was opening up for Metallica and it said “I don’t know who the hell this Strings guy is, but he is tearing up the guitar right now.”  Or something like that.  If you haven’t caught a Billy Strings show, you are getting more alone by the minute.  The dude is a big deal.  Here.  Read this to start out:  https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/billy-strings-bluegrass-fishing-concert-1369241/amp/?fbclid=IwAR2R_IM0zranvhRHEKd7t-GMtVjOiLrdGggFQ36BTd6QCUi_Hyko9pQm-Ew
    7. We watched the end of Armageddon the other night again.  We love the end especially.  We cried, and didn’t want it to end for the 50^th time.  And then we happened to read Rotten Tomatoes for the first time on it.  It was 37% and 73%.  What?  It is like the best 30 minutes end of movie ever!!  It is the perfect mix of action, comedy, world-saving, and sadness.  What is wrong with everyone?
    8. What is sad?  In the United States, we have had 381 mass shootings this year, which averages to 1.71 daily.  That is downright scary.
11. THE FILLERBUSTER
    1. Ran out of time.  Going to pass on this and keep the ongoing list.  You get no personal Mark Filler update this time. 
12. TWEET OF THE WEEK

Jim Weber on Twitter: “How I picture Urban Meyer watching this Raiders-Jaguars game: https://t.co/IdRa6pyPUF” / Twitter

Harrison Wind on Twitter: “We asked and we received MICHAEL PORTER JR – FULL PRIVATE WORKOUT https://t.co/188cA39f2I https://t.co/lJLuxNZ5Zt” / Twitter

Jim Weber on Twitter: “Bryson DeChambeau: Galaxy brain. https://t.co/PoP3H9c4R9” / Twitter

ESPN Stats & Info on Twitter: “Jacob deGrom in his first start of the season today: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 6 K Mets bullpen today: 3 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 5 K It’s the 17th time over the last 5 seasons that deGrom has allowed 1 or 0 ER and the Mets have lost, most of any pitcher in the league. https://t.co/U0Ro6PCSQN” / Twitter

Barstool Sports on Twitter: “RIP Vin Scully. Here he is calling Hank Aaron’s 715th HR. https://t.co/YQIyHIdKWD” / Twitter

Sosa Kremenjas on Twitter: “Lmaoooo I love Keenan Allen so much. Making fun of the Russell Wilson “Broncos Country, let’s ride” https://t.co/jnyxbPG2t4″ / Twitter

Barstool Sports on Twitter: “This is why TCU didn’t get invited to the SEC @UnnecRoughness https://t.co/IYdC5OAZaQ” / Twitter

George Karl on Twitter: “I’m thinking these two met up already today and are having an epic reunion. https://t.co/QKjeDRVJbL” / Twitter

ESPN Stats & Info on Twitter: “Bill Russell is the only player in NBA history to play in at least 10 Game 7’s, and not lose a single one. Russell amassed 293 rebounds in Game 7’s (29.3 RPG), most all-time…that’s 50 MORE rebounds than his rival Wilt Chamberlain, who played in only 1 less Game 7. https://t.co/E8SSCNwuCe” / Twitter

Barstool Sports on Twitter: “6 years ago today, Max Kellerman declared that Tom Brady was going to fall off a CLIFF. Tom Brady has won 3 Super Bowls since. Might win a 4th. https://t.co/6WrxZcWEgN” / Twitter

Barstool Sports on Twitter: “The Patrick Mahomes of construction workers https://t.co/Coc6cM9kva” / Twitter

Barstool Sports on Twitter: “CJ Uzomah early candidate for teammate of the year https://t.co/CsxOCHcwCV” / Twitter

The theme?  I went with JJ Walker.  Nothing else really jumped off the page, unless I did Bill Russell or Vin Scully.  But, I try and not have sports themes.

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.