Sports – Life on the Wicked Stage: Act 3

Chicago Bears Coach Rips His Shirt Off In Hot Dog Challenge After Bears Win

Free Hot Dogs!

Chicago is one crazy town. Especially when it comes to sports. Multiply that by a very large number when it comes to the Chicago Bears. After today’s win over last year’s Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles the crazy is out of this world.

So much so that new Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson, who has become famous for his post game chant of Good, Better, Best after the Bears have been on what once seemed like an improbable winning streak, took up a challenge today and ripped his shirt off in the locker room to lead his now famous chant.

The challenge came from another wonderfully crazy Chicago favorite, The Wieners Circle, famous not only for its Chicago hot dogs, but also it’s wonderfully witty and irreverent statements on its sign, challenged the coach to take off his shirt during one of his post-game rallying cries. And Coach Johnson did so today after a thrilling victory.

Johnson’s acceptance of the challenge means the Wieners Circle is serving up free hot dogs this week.

Meanwhile the Chicago Bears keep serving up wins to a hungry sports town heading into the stretch run before the playoffs. There’s no question Johnson has changed the culture of the Bears. It’s a far cry from a year ago on Black Friday when the Bears fired head coach Matt Eberflus the day after a huge Thanksgiving day loss at Detroit. Perhaps equally important, Johnson is also rallying the entire Chicago Metro area after all we’ve been through this late summer and fall.

Put it another way that Chicagoans understand. He’s on his way to owning this town and certainly giving new meaning to the slogan, Bear Down!

Edit: Added the photo below from The Wieners Circle later in the evening.

You can also find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above.

Shocked, Shocked To See A Gambling Scandal Involving Professional Sports

Big names, big money, big busts. No big surprise.

This week’s easily awarded Claude Rains Award goes to the federal government for busting up sports gambling in the NBA that’s intertwined with the Mafia.

In case you’re not up to snuff, Claude Rains played the character in the movie Casablanca who was “shocked” to discover gambling going on at that movie’s famous nightclub. If you’re not up on that film, then I guess you’d might be shocked that there is illegal gambling in sports involving players.

Several NBA big names are involved. According to news reports so far current Miami Heat player Terry Rozier apparently was involved in a what amounts to a points shaving scheme letting sources know that he would take himself out of a game early so bettors could bet the under on the points he would score. Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups is accused of being involved in rigged poker games, serving as a “celebrity” piece of bait to lure others to the underground games. Some of those games used some impressive technology, including an X-Ray table to cheat the suckers.

I’ve survived several vices in my life. Gambling was one I never got hooked on. Not because I’ve always known that illegal gambling was synonymous with most sports, but because I was never good at it. If I’m surprised by any of this it’s that there is actually a bust of such a wide ranging gambling operation in this current environment. Folks in the know, know. And they’ve known long before legalized sports gambling became as ubiquitous as hot dog and beer vendors at baseball games in stadiums that now house sports books on site.

As an example of that, take a look at Mike Florio’s book Big Shield, about sports gambling, mostly in the NFL, but also touching on the NBA. (FYI I don’t do affiliate links.) Parts of what we know about this current bust sounds like they are lifted right from the plot of the book.

It will be interesting to see how the NBA handles this because I’m betting the two names unveiled this morning aren’t the only athletes involved. It will also be interesting to see how the other pro and college leagues responds. There’s big money to be made on sports gambling, especially if you’re inside the scam.

We Have To Do Better. At What Exactly?

The time is out of joint

We’re burning up the words and phrases we use for comfort faster than out-of-control wildfires. We’re drowning meaning under flash floods of ravaging frequency. We’re dancing around sensitivities like so many angels on the head of a pin, ignoring that the pin has been smashed into smithereens by a sledge hammer. We keep looking for better angels of our nature to appear but they seem to have given up the ghost trying to reign things in. The time is out of joint.

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The meaningless phrase of the moment this morning that has gotten my goat is “we have to do better.”

What the hell does that even mean?

We pretend that everyone cares about the outrage of political violence. Not everyone does. There are those that care only enough to use it to their own advantage and want to see more of it. Yes, it’s about power. But it’s increasingly become about the money, because you can make boatloads of it preaching hate and division. You know, free speech and all of that.

We have to do better.

There’s no “better” to do when it comes to language, because language only expresses what is felt inside. About self. About others. About domination. About fear. And when the “better” is about better profits… well, that’s the world we live in and at the moment it’s what’s making the world spin faster.

Step away from politics for a second.

When a sports team loses and coaches and players say “we have to do better” or “we have to play better” it means nothing. Of course they do. They lost.

When a business doesn’t meet its sales targets, they always say “we have to do better.” Unless of course they’re spinning losses into wins hoping no one pays attention.

Shift back to political world.

The spinning happens there as well, with a speed that can burn through the surface it’s spinning on. Yet, it’s a bit late to want to do better after the bullet has struck a target so broadly painted.

We can no longer expect appeals to better angels or doing better to work. It’s a naive call to a different past that in many respects never existed, even though on the surface it seemed to. We should no longer be afraid of phrases like civil war, because in case you haven’t noticed, we’re in one. People are being killed in their homes, at rallies, in schools, just about in any place. Sad fact of history, what we want to believe is random violence by extremists always happens before someone declares that a war is on. But hey, we’ve got a deranged lunatic of a leader who wants to meme one into being, while we spend so much time trying to figure out what we know is the why of it.

You can argue that the extremists aren’t the ones with the guns, but the ones with the big mouths and the AI bots at their command. No one is going to clamp down on the rhetoric any more than they are going to clamp down on guns, and it has already bubbled over into a toxic stew. How are you going to “do better” when all sides claim their way is the better way? I don’t have an answer for that question, because I’m afraid I actually know the answer and there’s nothing “better” about it.

The only thing we have to “do better” at is recognizing the horrors of the moment we’re in and facing it for the reality that it is. You and I certainly don’t want to see and hear what we’re seeing and hearing. But we’re too far down that road to not acknowledge we’ve arrived at a terrible place.

Hamlet says:

‘The time is out of joint: O cursed spite,
That ever I was born to set it right!’

I feel like we’re all caught in Hamlet’s dilemma. Wanting to fix it, but afraid to the point of cursing what will eventually need to be done.

The Lack Of Intelligence In Adding AI To Pro Football And Other Sports Broadcasts

Not a smart move.

Joe Reddy for the Associated Press writes up a nice piece about Amazon’s AI on its Prime Video broadcasts of NFL Football games. While Reddy’s piece covers the what is, (that’s his job) it doesn’t talk about the what for.

Here’s the thing, the prevailing wisdom in sports coverage these days seems to be that the games themselves must not be enough to hold fans attentions long enough for them to watch the commercials, so we need to add distraction upon distraction before, during, and after the games to keep the fans interested. Certainly one can say that this season’s slate of NFL games wasn’t that terrific, at least the ones I watched. (I watched more than Chicago Bears games, because the Chicago Bears don’t play real football.)

Sports used to be a pastime. Watching a game was a luxury on TV or in person. And that was before the tremendous cost of attending a game in person went nuts. In many places, you could always catch the local games on TV, but that’s an age coming to an end sooner than we’d all like.

Certainly, these AI generated statistics do deliver an interesting factoid now and again. So this is not to say there’s not any value. It’s just not redeeming enough in my opinion.

Amazon isn’t alone, All of the networks are fumbling over each other to have the latest, greatest whiz bang graphics fill up our screens. They’re not mining data, they are mining dollars. The insertions of stat upon stat, mid-game interviews with coaches and players all come at a cost.

In my humble opinion it’s a cost that cheapens not enhances. But that’s the way we’re headed, because eventually we can tack even more sponsors and ad dollars on to each stat and distraction.I’m sure betting on what the AI will predict will soon follow.

You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above.

A Nice Thanksgiving Day Tonic for Football Fans: ‘It’s In The Game’ Madden NFL

Fun behind the scenes look at the creation if the popular Madden NFL video game.

Football is, for better or worse, a Thanksgiving Day ritual. There’s always a game playing from morning until night. Before, during, and after meals. Before, during, and after naps. Sometimes the stakes don’t matter. Sometimes they do. It’s may not be the main course, but it’s that side-dish that’s shows up every Thanksgiving-loved by some, despised by some, but always a tradition.

If you’re unlucky enough to follow some of the teams playing this year, (Chicago Bears, NY Giants, Dallas Cowboys) who have put up dismal records so far, and you still need a football fix, It’s In The Game, Madden NFL might be a satisfactory substitute instead of watching the games those teams are scheduled to play. I’m not saying those games will suck, but chances are they’ll be background noise even before the tryptophan, the booze, or the gummies start to kick in

It’s In The Game Madden NFL is currently streaming on Amazon Prime and the four episodes chronicle some of the victories and defeats behind the long running and popular Madden NFL video game franchise. If you’re a fan of the sport, the video game, or just a gamer in general, it’s fascinating backstage viewing, though not the best produced documentary I’ve seen. I haven’t played the game since the 90’s, but I’ve watched cousins, nephews, and a bevy of friends love it and play it far into adulthood.

So, if you’re a football fan looking for a tonic that’s not really a palette cleanser you might want to check it out. The trailer is linked below.

You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above.

Time for Relegation in American Sports

There’s never an end to winter for Chicago Sports fans.

Being a sports fan in Chicago can be as tough as enduring a Chicago winter. Sure, there are moments when you feel like your teams can compete with the rest of their respective leagues, but there are also times when Haley’s Comet comes around. Snow and ice eventually melt, but the cold, hard reality of lovably losing lingers on.

Caleb Williams sack Colts Getty.

Chicago fans are not alone. There are other franchises in most professional sports that have also adopted losing and poor competitiveness as a business model. “Wait ‘till next year” is a plea full of promise, but mostly without a pay off.

Unless you’re making bank by being in the game. Given the ever growing revenue these franchises make from media, gambling, and given the enormous salaries these players make it should be at the least embarrassing. Tack on the ever-increasing costs of tickets to an actual game, the obviously approaching move to stream every game for some sort payment, and the ridiculous extortion that rips off taxpayers when owners demand a new stadium, it’s not just embarrassing, it feels like a straight up fleecing of the flock. Al Capone had nothing on this crowd.

Let’s take the Chicago franchises as examples.

The Chicago Cubs keep looking like they might actually find a way to contend but don’t seem to know how to spend the money to compete effectively. Nor do they know how to manage and play the game of baseball when it comes to pitching and making out a lineup. If you add up the losses from the once revered World Series year hero Kyle Hendricks alone this year, the Cubs might actually still be in contention for a Wild Card spot. Yesterday’s heroes don’t win today’s games. Toss in the losses tacked on to their record from not actually having a real closer and you’re also talking a different story.

Here’s the thing, there’s not too many Chicago Cubs fans who didn’t see every one of those losses coming once the lineups were announced and Hendricks was the starter. Sure, he won a few games, but there are other bad baseball teams with anemic lineups too. Those same fans also knew mostly what was coming when Hector Neris was trotted out to save a game.

Then there are the Chicago White Sox, you know the team that’s about to set the Major League Baseball record for the most losses in a season. Ever. As I write this they’ve tied the record and have six chances to forever dwell in that infamy. I doubt any other team will ever live down to that record. The owner, Jerry Reinsdorf, wants a new stadium. I’ve got news. No new stadium is going to fix the roster, the management, or Jerry, who also owns the Chicago Bulls, another amateur outfit picking the pockets of customers pretending to be a pro team still trying to live off Michael Jordan’s legacy.

I don’t follow hockey enough to comment on the Chicago Blackhawks, but I do know things haven’t looked great on the ice for enough time to earn a recent first round draft choice that might offer some hope. If he can survive the hype.

Speaking of hype, there are the Chicago Bears. If ever there was an example of the dangers of overhyping this year and this team is it. You’d think the Bears were a new Crypto or AI scheme or a new iPhone. But they are just a bad meme stock. Sure, every team needs to give their fans hope, hoping to sell tickets. But this year’s overhype was overripe.

The Bears may have landed a couple of good players with all of the draft capital they banked after pretending to be a pro team for so long, but they sure haven’t figured out that in professional football you need an O-line to compete.

Like with the Cubs, every fan can see the faults on the field. It doesn’t do a team any good to spend money on great skill players if you don’t provide them the coaching and the offensive line to let them use those skills. Known as the graveyard of quarterbacks and receivers I’m surprised the owners don’t open their own grave digging business as anxious as they are to break ground on a new stadium. The Bears do have what looks like a stout defense this season, but you have to play both sides of the ball. Perhaps the Bears might do better not fielding an offense.

All is not lost for Chicago sports fans. Chicago’s women’s sports teams at least play like it matters, even if they don’t get the attention or the rewards they deserve.

But that’s the thing. The rewards in the male sports world in Chicago and elsewhere are reaching levels that are beyond the scope of most to comprehend. The salaries, the media revenues, the gambling gazillions, and all the concession and parking prices just continue to spiral even for a less than mediocre team.

Perhaps we should demand a relegation system in American sports. If a team and its ownership can’t cut it, then it gets demoted to an also-ran division and a smaller cut of the pie. Field a winning team and you can move back up to play with the big boys and feast at the adult table. The Open League model is a cruel business model, but it’s less cruel than continually playing a shell game on your paying customers.

You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above.

Sunday Morning Reading

There’s no crying in baseball or politics, but there’s always reading on a Sunday Morning.

Time for a little Sunday Morning Reading from a week that was wacky. Politics continues to resemble anything other than politics, new iPhones and Apple software were released, the Chicago Cubs finally quit teasing their fans and dropped out of contention for the playoffs, and everything we associate with this weird world just seems to keep getting weirder.

Things may be weird, and it may feel like It’s enough to make you wish for winter and to curl into a cocoon and isolate yourself. Instead check out Jessica Stillman’s piece This Is What 8 Hours of Social Isolation Does to Your Brain and Body (It’s Not Pretty.)

While we’re talking health, Dave Winer penned this piece, Health Is Nothing To Screw With. Damn straight.

David Todd McCarty looks at how the insignificant details of life can add up to big answers in All Things Great And Small.

Turning the page, (oh, how I want to turn so many pages) to politics check out Jay Willis on how Political Betting Could Soon Be Legal — and It’s the Last Thing This Election Needs. Bet on it.

If you’re like me you might believe that the only thing more troubling than our politics is how our media covers it, check out Jeff Jarvis on How They Have Failed Us.

One of this week’s horror stories in politics was the Mark Robinson story. No one should be surprised by his actions or the rush to resuscitate what should be a dead campaign. David French says MAGA Wants Transgression. Mark Robinson Is The Result.

95% of what this political moment is all about is race and racism. We’re never going to learn the right lessons in my lifetime. Dustin Arand in Ellemeno learned one. Read What Two Racist Jokes Taught Me About The Nature of Bigotry.

Bots are everywhere. Some are taking your reservation for dinner. As Dwight Silverman asks (he gets the h/t for this piece) what happens when a bot working for you gets a bot on the other end of the line? Check out When You Call A Restaurant, You Might Be Chatting with an AI Host by Flora Tsapovsky.

As has become predictable one of the best places to read about Apple’s new software each year is MacStories. Their reviews are excellent. Check out Federico Viticci’s iOS and iPadOS 18: The MacStories Review. Check out their other reviews as well.

Closing out with baseball, Paul Sullivan looks at the fitting end to the Chicago Cubs season. Why fitting? Because the Cubs started their hero of yesteryear who turned into essentially a guaranteed loss each time he took the mound this season. There’s no crying in baseball. There shouldn’t be this much sentimentality either. Check out A Day In The Life of Wrigley Field At The End Of A Lost Summer for the Chicago Cubs.

If you’re interested in just what the heck Sunday Morning Reading is all about you can read more about the origins of Sunday Morning Reading here. You can also find more of my writings on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. You can also find me on social networks under my own name.

Sunday Morning Reading

Summer begins to fade into fall with this week’s Sunday Morning Reading.

It’s Labor Day weekend here in the states, which means a three-day weekend, yielding more than a little extra time for some Sunday Morning Reading during the last lake visit of the season. Kick back and enjoy.

I’m a Shakespeare geek so my senses perked up when one of my favorite writers, Natasha MH. revealed her reasons for not appreciating the bard in Much Ado About Nothing, Something, and Everything. Excellent read and I know she’s not alone. But then lots of folks are wrong about lots of things.

Jeff Jarvis tells us How Murdoch Makes a Meme (and how the rest of the media helps it spread). No real secrets here. Jarvis is correct about Rupert Murdoch’s malign influence. The single most destructive human on the planet during his lifetime of muckracking.

Preetika Rana takes a look at how the political moment is ruffling the feathers in the halls and salons of big tech in Clash of the Tech Titans: Silicon Valley Fractures Over Harris vs. Trump.

Ted Chiang explores Why A.I. Isn’t Going To Make Art. I agree with the thesis, but I’ll add that it’s going to screw up a lot while trying.

Why are software glitches and problems called bugs? Check out Matthew Wills’ The Bug in the Computer Bug Story.

Private Equity continues to gobble up everything it can get its teeth into. Apparently Private Equity Is Coming for Youth Sports according to Ira Boudway.

And to close out this week as summer begins to fade into fall, Mike Tanier gives us The Amusement Park Falls Cold and Dark.

Sunday Morning Reading

Summer is inching its way to fall. So here’s some Sunday Morning Reading to share for a long sleepy Labor Day weekend here in the US. Grab some coffee.

Cup of coffee and newspaper

Speaking of sleepy, here’s A Look Into the REM Dreams of the Animal Kingdom from Carolyn Wilke at Ars Technica.

And following that theme, Amanda Gefter explores What Are Dreams For?

There’s lots of words being written about the shaky state of theatre in the US at the moment. (I expect I’ll spill out a few this week.) MIchael Paulson has a good take about the challenges of the subscription model and what that might mean for the industry in Hitting Theater Hard: The Loss of Subscribers Who Went To Everything.

David Todd McCarty takes a look at Why Sports Matter.

Proust. Yeah, that guy. There’s seemingly a Proust for everybody and Adam Gopnik takes a look into what might be the real one in What We Find When We Get Lost in Proust.

ProPublica has a an excellent piece from Cheryl Clark about the crazy challenge you might have if you have to appeal to your health insurance company for a denial of benefits in I Set Out To Create a Simple Map for How To Appeal Your Insurance Denial. Instead, I found a Mind-Boggling Labyrinth. Call it a horror story.

And since my wife and I are celebrating our 23rd Wedding Anniversary this weekend here are two pieces that caught my eye this week.

In The Day The Circus Came to Town Natasha MH isn’t clowning around as she takes along for a very personal story.

Max Meroni takes us on a bride’s One Way Ticket train ride into a voyage of self-discovery.

And if you’re enjoying a cup of coffee with your Sunday Morning Reading don’t toss out the coffee grounds when you’re done. Check out Scientists Discovered How To Make Concrete 30% Strong With Used Coffee Grounds by Joshua Hawkins.

If you’re interested in just what the heck Sunday Morning Reading is all about you can read more about the origins of Sunday Morning Reading here.