Left Coast Sports Babe

The most American celebration, a Super Bowl parade, and the most American tragedy.

It’s the guns, stupid.

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KC Police Chief Stacey Graves: “This is not Kansas City.” Sorry, with the easy availability of guns, this IS Kansas City. And potentially anywhere else in the USA. Especially in states like Missouri with loose gun laws.

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Now up to 22 gunshot victims in Kansas City. Eight life-threatening. The fire chief said “they weren’t ready but they were prepared.”

Sadly in a country where we give guns more rights than women, we HAVE to be prepared.

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A regular season women’s basketball game. “Tickets as low as $234”

The Caitlin Clark effect is real. As is the record she will break.

Let’s hope it translates into higher salaries for the WNBA.

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SF 49ers fired their D-coordinator Steve Wilks after one season. This year the 49ers held Mahomes & Chiefs to 19 points in regulation. In 2020, KC scored 31 points against SF In 2023, KC scored 38 points against Philadelphia. Just saying.

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Former UK PM David Cameron has warned US Congress not to repeat mistakes of 1930s by blocking a multi-billion package for Ukraine & “show the weakness displayed against Hitler.” Marge Three Names responded “kiss my a–”. I miss the days when ugly Americans were just tourists.

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So have GOP blamed mental illness for today’s mass shooting yet – while simultaneously trying to cut mental health and other funding?

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Karen Carpenter was trending tonight on Twitter.

So can I ask again, why aren’t the Carpenters, who were so influential with so many top hits that have stood the test of time, in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame yet? There are plenty of pop acts in the hall!.

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Speaker Mike Johnson on the reported National Security Threat from Russia.

“We want to assure people that steady hands are at the wheel and we’re working on it.”

“”Steady hands?”  If true, does MAGA Mike mean the White House is making sure the House GOP is nowhere near the response?

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This aged well – fundaising email from Tuesday:

“My name is Mazi Pilip & I’m GOP nominee in NY-03 Special Election.  We now hold a slim majority in House of just 2 seats- losing this race would be greatest gift to Joe Biden since launch of CNN & MSNBC.” Thank you NY-03 voters.

For all people complain about sports fans calling in sick Monday after the game with “Super Bowl Flu,” do you really want hungover sports fans building important things or doing work that might seriously affect your life?

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Since people know I’m in SF Bay Area getting condolences on the 49ers. But, nah, I’m a Saints fan so didn’t really care.

This OTOH, is interesting. Klint Kubia, SF’s passing-game coordinator, has agreed to become offensive coordinator for New Orleans. No excuses now, Derek Carr.

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Mitt Romney and I disagree on most things. But he is on fire tonight. “If we fail to help Ukraine we will be known not as the “Greatest Generation” but the “Worst Generation. If your position is being cheered by Vladimir Putin, it’s time to reconsider your position”

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Its like explaining rules to a child who wants it all:

Sorry GOP you don’t get to vote not even to debate the bipartisan border bill crafted largely by REPUBLICAN Senator Lankford and then whine that foreign aid bill doesn’t have anything in it about securing the border.

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Kansas Senator Roger Marshall talking about “peace talks” in Ukraine. Uh, how do you have peace talks with a dictator who has invaded another country and has talked of invading more? What part of Kansas would he give up if his state was invaded?

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House GOP issued a statement “A man too incapable of being held accountable for mishandling classified information is certainly unfit for the Oval Office.” Who wants to tell them?

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As Trump pushes daughter-in-law Lara for RNC chair, some details on her background if you didn’t know: Before getting involved in Donald’s campaign, she worked as news producer, before that as personal trainer, & owned a cake business for a year. Clearly very qualified. #sarcasm

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The same GOP that idolizes a man who said “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall,” now genuflects before a man who encourages Putin to attack Europe. It’s. A. Cult.

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Adam Schiff tonight in California Senate debate ”

One of many reasons I support Adam Schiff. The man can get to the point. “Some people are unfit for office at any age. And I put Donald Trump in that category.”

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And wonder, except that Mahomes makes it easier, how many people can remember say, the last two or -three Super Bowl winners.

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Hard to believe that Sunday night we will finally be done with nonstop Super Bowl cover 24-7.

Monday morning, we start the Super Bowl 2025 pregame show.

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Amazon Prime Video apparently now will exclusively carry an NFL postseason game next season. Well, let’s hope it’s a big Cowboys playoff game, since those without the streaming service won’t have to worry about missing a game where they don’t know how it.

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CNN’s latest headine attempt to be Fox Light “Trump mocks Biden for mistakenly calling president of Egypt the president of Mexico.” As opposed to,, “Elderly man who confused Presidents of Hungary & Turkey for 2nd time this month tries to attack rival for verbal slip.”

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Senate votes 64-19 just before 8p Friday night o proceed to consideration of the foreign aid bill. Which means that the Senate can begin debate on the bill.

How many GOP cowards took off for the weekend already. Anyone seen Ted Cruz?

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After some GOP now demanded border legislation again along with foreign aid,… Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz “The Republicans wanted something and then decided that they didn’t want that thing. Now some of them want it again, and I think the adults are just moving on.”

Not that long ago it seemed like the economy was top story with national media. And why Biden hadn’t done enough to make things better.

Today the S&P closed above 5,000 for the first time. Anyone heard that touted nationally as “breaking news?” Me neither.

(And yes, I know. Or rather my late father used to say regularly, the stock market is not the economy. But media would be and has been, all over stock market fall.)

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President Biden stumbles over words and has made verbal gaffes since he was a young man. He knows who the President of Egypt is. Donald Trump honestly can’t seem to remember who is President of Hungary and who is the President of Turkey. There’s a difference.

NY Times headline “$7 Million for 30 Seconds? It’s Worth It at the Super Bowl.” Stormy Daniels is thinking “Darn, I could have charged him a LOT more” –

While we can bet on just about everything Super Bowl week is there a way to bet on the number of MLB free agent MLB stars who will still be unsigned when Spring Training starts?

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NBA players have been wearing sponsors’ patches for a while now. But NBA officials will begin donning shirts with Emirates Airlines patches during the All-Star Game on Feb. 18. And will continue with sponsorship patches during the rest of the NBA season.

Leaving aside the “bought and paid for jokes,” suppose it makes some sense, that the NBA has acknowledged with all the fouls and replays, referees get as much TV time as many if not most players.

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Good news for women’s basketball, Candace Parker who missed much of last year with injury, and will turn 38 in April, has re-signed with the Las Vegas Aces for 2024.

Did the Phoenix Mercury’s Diana Taurasi, 41, tell Parker ‘Welcome back, youngster?

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MAGA Mike Johnson is complaining that his impeachment stunt for Mayorkas didn’t pass because they have “a razor thin margin.” You know who had a razor thin majority and didn’t whine about it? Nancy Pelosi. And she could count too!

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First read the Bible as a child & hated story about God ordering Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac: Thought Abraham should have said “no.” Watching most GOP in Congress now & wondering – is there anything or anyone they wouldn’t sacrifice if Orange Jesus ordered them to do so?

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Watch lot of C-Span 2 while I work at home. Oklahoma’s James Lankford is one of the most conservative Senators:

But he nailed it Wednesday: “We have a divided congress. If we’re going to solve something we have to sit down together and solve it. That’s how you make law.”

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Senator Lisa Murkowski votes yes on border-foreign aid bill. Lisa is a grown-up. Wish she’d decide she’s a conservative independent. Thinking Schumer should and maybe would let her caucus with the Democats.

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SF Giants keep trending on social media, especially the platform formerly known as Twitter.

And like Charlie Brown with the football, we SF Giants fans keep hoping that eventually it will be because of a big star joining the team instead of Farhan picking up more no-name players and trading others.

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Not a joke. The Japanese Embassy in the USA actually put out this statement.

Lowest ticket prices dropping but still well over $10,000 a pair for the Super Bowl… and you don’t even get to see the commercials.

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And the award for pearl clutching today goes to Fox News with this headline: “Potty mouth POTUS. Biden allegedly assailed Trump using profanity behind closed doors.” Yeah, Donald himself is such a model of respectful Presidential language.

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WTF CNN? Figured the incredibly good jobs report would be their top website headline.

Nope. It’s “Why the strong economy isn’t helping Biden’s public image.”

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353,000 new jobs in January! And it all started with firing one man… and replacing him with Joe Biden.

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Listening to some GOP saying USA should’ve attacked Iran instead of Syria & Iraq after 3 Americans were killed. Don’t claim to know how military decided on strikes But how many of these chicken-hawks are volunteering themselves or their constituents if USA escalates into a war?

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Senator James Lankford is Republican leader of a really important bipartisan Ukraine aid/border bill.

If only there was a way for God to send a sign that we should ignore Trump and pay attention to the Senator from Oklahoma…. #earthquake

So the Super Bowl has ended up between 49ers from liberal San Francisco Bay Area and the Chiefs with Taylor Swift as one of the their biggest fans.

Does this mean MAGA Trump supporters will boycott the game?

In the first half of NFC Championship, sure looked like the Lions were ready for the biggest stage. In the second half it looks like Detroit’s first rodeo.

Small mercies:

Well, if Detroit Lions fans bought airline tickets to Las Vegas at halftime at least now all tickets can be canceled without penalty for 24 hours.

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Maybe the Detroit Lions will get a consoling phone call from the 2016-2017 Atlanta Falcons.

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Not a Swiftie. And not generally a Chiefs fan. But as a Democrat have to love how much Taylor Swift just by cheering for her boyfriends now triggers MAGAs

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The Baltimore Ravens have been so good in the regular season, and so mediocre in the postseason….maybe they and the Dallas Cowboys can meet in NFL version of the Toilet Bowl

Mitch Landrieu, co-chair of Biden’s reelection campaign, said today Trump, facing 91 felony counts & convicted of sexual assault, should not come within 100 miles of White House. Mitch has a good point,

As a college waitress, I had to go through a Secret Service background check two weeks in advance to serve the Secretary of Defense at a banquet.

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House GOP won’t spend any time or effort at all to negotiate a border deal with Democrats, but they WILL try to impeach DHS Secretary Mayorkas.. in between their efforts to go after Hunter Biden and trying to figure out a reason to impeach Joe Biden.

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Elon Musk is now going after Biden, saying he – Elon – knows how to fix the border. Like he “fixed” Twitter?

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Trump in Las Vegas ‘”As leader of our party, there is zero chance I will support this horrible open borders betrayal of America, Senators are blaming it on me. I say, ok. Please blame it on me. Please.”

Anyone think Velveeta Voldemort has even read about the proposed deal?

Looking at some GOP reactions to sad news of U.S. troops being killed today in Jordan/Syria, seems pretty clear that instead of coming together on a bipartisan basis after 9-11 they’d have blamed Democrats – except that George W. Bush was President.

Most people w/ Donald’s record would be denied even a White House tour.

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Either the San Francisco 49ers lucky escape comeback win against the Green Bay Packers means they are finally battle tested and gave them the experience they needed to compete in the Super Bowl.

Or the win, thanks in large part to Packers mistakes late, showed why the 49er were pretenders who really shouldn’t have been considered for the Super Bowl.

One of these two stories will be right Sunday night..

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If you look at the San Antonio Spurs record this year and don’t watch the games, or even the highlights, you may not get why Gregg Popovich is going to coach for a while. Or just how amazing Wemby may be.

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WWE’s Vince McMahon resigns after being accused of sex trafficking / assault in lawsuit. Now what? Vince lives in Connecticut, which rules out elective office there.

But he was born in North Carolina. So maybe he’ll move “home.”  In purple/red states, GOP thinks now rap sheet means you’re MORE qualified to run.

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Hillary Clinton WON popular vote in 2016. Pundits & many people including some Democrats told her to “go home & knit.”

Few wanted her to run again in 2020 or lead the party. Donald Trump lost popular vote AND electoral college in 2020. Media & most of GOP genuflecting before him.

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But make it makes sense:

Not only did Donald Trump lose the Presidential election, he almost certainly cost GOP one and maybe two Senate seats in Georgia. And he didn’t help them in 2022. Why are Republicans genuflecting before such a loser?

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Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, defending Abbott’s defying SCOTUS. “American public is so tired of politicians doing something for political gain.” So when is Stitt condemning Trump for trying to overthrowing bipartisan border deal his own GOP OK Sen. Lankford has negotiated????

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GOP: Texas has the right to ignore the Supreme Court on the border. Also GOP: States like California have no right to ignore the Supreme Court on issues like reproductive rights and gun control. Make it make sense.

You think you’re having a bad day at work? Imagine being a flight attendant on Donald Trump’s plane today as he was onboard when he found out about the E. Jean Carroll jury verdict.

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How can Trump’s lawyer claim he is not liable for trolls threatening E. Jean Carroll when he also attacks her non-stop on social media, constantly vows retribution on his enemies, AND claims January 6 insurrectionists who killed Brian Sicknick are Patriots?.

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Wrap your head around this one: Trump lawyer Alina Habba actually passed the bar.

Congrats to Joe Mauer, former Twins star catcher, for being inductied into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

While I still think it’s a travesty that Barry Bonds isn’t in, at least this means that SF Giants catcher Buster Posey should be a first ballot lock.

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Not a typo - Utah Jazz scored 124 tonight and New Orleans Pelicans beat them by 29. 153 to 124. 

NBA equivalent of arena football?

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ESPN reports the Milwaukee Bucks firing first year head coach Adrian Griffin. The Bucks are 30-13. There is literally one team in the NBA- Boston Celtics – with a better record. 

Unless there’s something they’re not telling us, overly high standards much?

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Media is so desperate to make this GOP primary a competitive horserace. They’d have watched the 1973 Belmont and made most of the coverage not about Secretariat but Sham.

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So how many more times does Trump have to insult Nikki Haley before she endorses him?

Joe Biden wasn’t even on primary ballot in New Hampshire & he beat Dean Phillips. In 2020, Biden wasn’t polling well & didnt campaign in Minnesota but when Amy Klobuchar endorsed him day before Joe won primary. Dems in NH & MN know good politicians. Phillips isn’t one of them.

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51 years after Roe V. Wade – Anti-choice bots & trolls on Twitte claim it’s about life. None of them want to help poor moms w/ welfare assistance, nor do they want to cover medical expenses for women w/ unviable fetuses or babies born w/ serious birth defects. Pro life my a**

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Hey media. Bridges matter. President Biden and Democrats got over $1 billion to help replace the Blatnik Bridge between Minnesota and Wisconsin. It’s a BFD. And even some Republicans who voted against the infrastructure bill are taking credit for it.

But MSM doesn’t make successes like this major headlines. They only care about bridges when they fall down.