Left Coast Sports Babe

Lakers announced they will put LeBron James on a minutes restriction and have him sit one of back-to-backs. They didn’t say if they will also be giving out commemorative tanks.

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Steve Kerr says that with only 9 home games left in regular season at Oracle Arena, he hopes team can play better for fans than they have lately. Though actually with prices Warriors are charging at new Chase Arena,  wonder if THOSE are the fans likely to turn into serious boo-birds with efforts like the team’s against Celtics?

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About 100 of 450 NBA players are foreign born. Including Bucks star and probable MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. Guessing whatever team wins this year, they’re not going to the White House.

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FBI apparently has LSU basketball coach Will Wade recorded allegedly talking about a “hell of an offer” to a top recruit.
Tigers are ranked #10 in country. So how badly will NCAA slap Wade’s hand?

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Tom Seaver, 74, has dementia and will retire from public life. 2019 so far kind of sucks. #MiracleMets

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As we get closer to Easter, is it time to pull the Marshmallow Peeps out of storage?

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All the headlines saying “Manafort sentenced to nearly four years in prison in bank fraud case.’ Let me fix it ‘Manafort sentenced to 15 years LESS than the sentencing guidelines were for his bank fraud conviction.”

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Sherrod Brown is not running for President. Sad in many ways as I think he’s very electable. But as a good friend points out…. there might not be anyone else in Ohio who could keep his Senate seat blue.

Red Sox pitcher Steven Wright suspended 80 games for PED’s. Wright is a knuckleballer. So did he take PEDs to increase his pitch speed from 60 to 70 mph?

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Any given weekday?  Less than 24 hours after beating the Golden State Warriors on their home court at Oracle by 33, the Boston Celtics needed a bucket by Gordon Hayward with 2 seconds left to beat the Sacramento Kings?

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After the Bears were knocked out of playoffs by a missed kick that did a double doink off the uprights and crossbars,  Chicago has signed a potential new placekicker.- His name? Chris Blewitt.

Some items don’t even need a punch line.

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As a San Antonio Spurs fan glad they won tonight to help keep their currently 21 year  playoff streak potentially alive. But “beloved” referee Scott Foster, former friend of Tim Donaghy, threw Atlanta Hawks Taurean Prince late out in 3rd with 2 straight technicals – the first for saying something & the 2nd for saying something else in response to the technical fouls. Because of course everyone tunes in to NBA games to watch refs?

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There are people alive with gray hair who don’t remember Jeopardy before Alex Trebek.

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A Stanford admissions officer is in jail accused of attempted murder for allegedly stabbing his girlfriend while on LSD. Wonder how many parents are calling the university, worried this might affect THEIR child’s application.

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What’s worse, that Trump threatened an academy about releasing his high school grades? Or that Trump is small enough to think anyone CARES about high school grades? #PresidentSnowflake

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GM closing Lordstown plant today, the 1st of 4 US plants they will close, with 1435 hourly workers laid off and only 417 able to transfer. I missed the Trump tweet taking credit.

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At White House today Trump called Tim Cook “Tim Apple.” Personally, I don’t care if he wrongly calls someone by a fake name. I care when he wrongly calls the border situation a fake “National Emergency.”

Bryce Harper is lobbying publicly for Mike Trout to join him in Philly.   Because in the first days of a honeymoon everyone KNOWS their best friends should marry into their new family?

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First Larry Baer incident, now SF Giants OF Cameron Maybin apparently was arrested early last Friday am in Scottsdale for alleged DUI.
Maybe Giants are trying just a BIT too hard to compete with the 49ers?

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Brad Stevens still looks like he’s 12 years old. #Celtics

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Mets have hired Jessica Mendoza as a front office advisor.  Mendoza, a former Stanford star softball player, will continue her Sunday Night Baseball duties.  How often do I say this “Well-played Mets!”?

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Kylie Jenner, 21, was just declared the youngest self-made billionaire, beating out Mark Zuckerberg.
Amazing job of overcoming hardships. So I guess she’s ahead of Prince William and Harry too?

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Judge Amy Berman Jackson is upset with Roger Stone over his new book etc and has set “a strict deadline” for him to explain how he hasn’t again violated her gag order. So is this part of the court’s “7 strikes and you’re out” policy?

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Happy Fat Tuesday.
Hmm… would be inappropriate for this to remind me that Donald Trump really seems to want a holiday named after him.

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As GOP and Trump scream harassment and waste with Mueller investigation your reminder that Ken Starr spent six years and $70 million to discover Bill Clinton was lying about a blowjob.

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Now former White House lawyer Ty Cobb, who resigned last May, says “Bob Mueller is an American hero,” and “I don’t think it’s a witch hunt.”
So how long until Trump claims he fired Cobb too?

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Just as a challenge for fans of @realDonaldTrump, is there anyone who has ever worked for him and criticized him afterwards that he doesn’t trash?
#PresidentSnowflake

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As Trump tweets PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT! let me fix it for him.
Drop the H,A,R,M,E,N,T of the second word.

Mark Cuban, owner of Dallas Mavericks and known for “Shark Tank”, says again he might run for President but “It really would take the exact right set of circumstances”
Another billionaire reality-star? How about the circumstances being “hell freezes over.”

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On opening day SF Giants will pay tribute to former CEO Peter Magowan, who passed away earlier this year. But in his honor did current CEO Larry Baer have to try to commit career suicide? #BusToHell

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Forget making the playoffs, at this point  LeBron James and Lakers may have to struggle to finish ahead of the …. Pelicans?!!!.

(Almost as if Los Angeles is getting some karmic payback from New Orleans.)

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At the White House Trump Monday served North Dakota State FCS football champion team Big Macs from McDonald’s and Chick-fil-A. So is this really a ploy for him to stockpile a secret supply of fast-food?

But seriously, has anyone told Donald that teams full of players who eat nothing but cheap fast food aren’t the teams who’ll be bringing championship trophies to the White House?

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Former acting AG Matthew Whitaker abruptly left Justice Department this weekend. So was there a bullet he wouldn’t take for Trump. Or has he been offered a job at Fox News?

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Since Trump is ordering an “A+” response from FEMA for Alabama, would he care to tell us what grade response he ordered for Puerto Rico and California?

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So has Trump announced when he is heading down to Alabama to throw beautiful paper towels?

Today’s Trump fundraising email.  (somehow I got added to the list with my work email…)
“My team handed me a list of all patriots who entered to have breakfast with me and I noticed your name was MISSING.
With my extremely busy schedule, I normally don’t even have time for breakfast. But, when my team told me that one lucky American Patriot would be there, I knew I had to make the time.”

Okay, forget lies about money and Russia and porn stars, does anyone seriously believe Trump has missed a meal in his life?

Lebron James went to  Los Angeles Lakers in part to jump-start his career in Hollywood. Well, in 2019 looks like he’ll be free to work on movies starting in April.

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Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck said Boston just finished the “worst February” he can remember as the team went 5-6.
And Knicks fans are thinking “For 5-6 we’d throw a parade.”

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With more than a month left in NBA season, Phoenix Suns have officially been eliminated from playoffs. What’s more shocking? The Knicks haven’t.

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Who says I never praise Republicans? Louisiana Sen Kennedy at Gridiron dinner -“Crime’s so bad we had a Super Bowl stolen from us.” And about Super Bowl – “If I’d wanted to watch guys failing to score for 4 hrs, I’d have taken Ted Cruz & Bernie Sanders to a singles bar.

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Nice line from Amy Klobuchar at the same dinner saying she has an advantage as a Minnesotan running for president: “The Russians won’t try to meet with me because Minneapolis is even too cold for them.”

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Jim Jordan referred Michael Cohen to the Justice Department for alleged perjury.
I have an idea. How about “Gym” Jordan and Cohen both take a polygraph test with questions about things they saw and heard in their past employments?

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If someone asked Trump today about Selma he’d probably answer “Don’t remember the woman. She’s lying. And she wouldn’t have been my first choice.”

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Trump spent most of the evening ranting on twitter while many Americans died in Alabama and Georgia.   He finally did acknowledge the disaster….maybe he’d have done it sooner if someone told him tornadoes could be stopped by a wall..?

Trump said he walked away from the North Korea summit in Vietnam because Kim Jong Un wanted complete sanctions relief. Tonight he blamed Democrats and claimed Cohen hearings “may have contributed to the ‘walk.”
What, did hearing his ex-lawyer cause a flare-up of Donald’s bone spurs?

Yeah, in slight sour grapes mode, but this from Bryce Harper is well-played indeed. Explaining why he is going to wear No 3. with Phillies – “I wore No. 34. But I thought Roy Halladay should be the last to wear it.”

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Then in Harper’s first press conference he said he wanted to “bring a title back to DC.”    As my friend Alex Kaseberg said “When asked about the location mistake, Harper said, “Geometry was never my strong suit.”

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Lebron James is one of GOATs. But about now he might be thinking instead of his one-person Lakers team-building dream, he’d be happier and better off with GOAT coach he respects in San Antonio, Gregg Popovich?

Geir Helgemo, ranked as #1 bridge player in the world, was just stripped of his titles, points and medals from the 2018 World Bridge Series after testing positive for clomifene, a female fertility drug and synthetic testosterone. It’s enough to make you long for the purity of pro wrestling.

Howard Schultz’s platform basically seems to be maligning both Democrats and Republicans. As a Democrat, I acknowledge our party isn’t perfect. But being President is a constant series of hard choices. How can you make those choices when you can’t even pick a side?

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Michelle Malkin at CPAC, attacking “the ghost of John McCain,” over immigration. If any ghosts are listening, some serious haunted dreams are in order.

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Trump today “Our laws are so crazy. But one by one we’re finding ways. You know they call them loopholes, a lot of our laws are loopholes. Well, I’m trying to get loopholes to get around the loopholes…”
In other words “Technically I AM a crook, but I’m proud of it.”

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Mick Mulvaney Saturday at CPAC: “The president really is a master negotiator.”
Oops, instead of “negotiator” I think Mick meant “bater.”

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Some conservatives point to a strict reading of the Constitution as defense of gun rights. So why aren’t they concerned with the Emoluments Clause, which isn’t even an amendment? #TrumpScotland #TrumpGolfCourse

“Trump at CPAC on Gavin Newson “he called me up the other day, let’s say 4 weeks ago or so…said “I just want to tell you, you’re a great president and you’re one of the smartest people I’ve ever met.”

Uh, would Gavin like to tell us what he REALLY said?”

Okay, it’s Spring Training. But Jon Miller and Mike Krukow called a televised Giants game. SF won, Madbum pitched well, Chris Shaw hit a monster home run, and Joey Bart got a chance to catch. All is better with the world.

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But  what a difference a day makes. Guessing about now SF Giants would prefer reporters only ask them about not signing Bryce Harper. #LarryBaer

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Though yeah,  I’m on the bus to hell for this. But yesterday SF Giants were afraid their number one problem in 2019 would be not enough hitting.

Anyone besides me thinking these days of their favorite athletes but also thinking “Dear Gawd I hope I never hear about them involved in anything close to sexual assault of domestic violence?

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Apparently a private message leaked publicly on Instagram has Bryce Harper trying to recruit Le’Veon Bell to play for the Eagles in Philadelphia, the “greatest city in the world”
Uh, if it’s the greatest city in the world, why did it take Harper so long to make up his mind?

Chicago Bulls – Atlanta Hawks final score tonight  168-161 – Guess at least tired announcers didn’t have to pick a “defensive player of the game.”

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Not that I care about any of them but I do miss the days when the biggest uproar on social media would have involved Tristian Thompson cheating on Khloe Kardashian with Jordyn Woods.

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In the last 48 hours, retailers have announced plans to close 300 mall stores.
Millennials are going “What’s a mall store?”

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How many people applauding Mike Pence this week talking about “freedom over socialism” at CPAC receive Social Security or Medicare?

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Does anyone think Trump wouldn’t have fired Kushner by now if he weren’t Ivanka’s husband?
Does anyone think Trump would have hired him in the first place if he weren’t Ivanka’s husband?

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Trump called Kim Jong Un “mercurial.”. Two questions. Who taught Donald that word? And does anyone think he has any idea what it means?

In the “how low can you go department,” this is Trump after being criticized for saying he believed Kim Jong Un about Otto Warmbier
‘Remember, I got Otto out along with three others. The previous Administration did nothing, and he was taken on their watch.’

So Bryce Harper got $330 million for 13 years from Phillies, after turning down $300 million for 10 years from Nationals. Not sure what his favorite subject in school was but guessing it wasn’t math.

(Btw, April 2, first week of the season, Phillies play the Nationals in DC.  Could be entertaining…)

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At 13 years for Bryce Harper contract,  there are kids not even born in Philly who will be booing him someday.

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Over-under on how long until Bryce Harper says “It wasn’t about the money?”

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But ok, SF Giants fans, Bryce Harper’s $330 million contract with the Phillies is only $27 million less than the $357 million it cost to BUILD PAC BELL PARK! No joke.

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Robert Kraft pleaded not guilty to solicitation charges despite videotapes showing him receiving oral sex at Orchids of Asia Day Spa before the AFC/NFC championship games. Maybe he’s hoping prosecutors are as blind as refs during Rams-Saints game.

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Jason Witten is leaving MNF, ending his retirement and returning to NFL. Fans of both good broadcasting and good football hope this doesn’t give Tony Romo any ideas.

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Lamar Alexander reportedly urging Trump to withdraw his declaration of a national emergency or face a revolt from his own party.

Actually, I would argue that Republicans already ARE revolting.

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USA-North Korea talks broke off suddenly before planned Trump-Kim lunch of snow fish and apple foie gras jelly. Maybe because they wouldn’t serve Donald his hamberders?

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Trump last night on abruptly leaving the summit with Kim Jong Un – “Sometimes you have to walk….” And how brave of him to walk with those bone spurs.

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Has anyone thought that maybe Trump loves Putin & Kim Jong Un not just because they are dictators, but also because they’re short enough to make him really feel 6’3″?

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How long until Trump says Allen Weisselberg was just his covfefe accountant?

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Mark Meadows, after 2012 video of his birther accusations against Obama surfaced stated “There’s not a racist bone in my body.”  He’s right, there are 206 of them.

As everyone insists the SF Giants are rebuilding this year with or without Bryce Harper, your reminder that the 2018 Atlanta Braves were projected to win 75 games. (they won 90)

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Would like to thank San Antonio tonight breaking their losing streak and allowing Gregg Popovich to focus his disgust on Donald Trump instead of their team play again.

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Johnny Manziel released by Montreal Alouettes who said he “contravened the agreement which made him eligible to play” in CFL. How bad do you have to be to seriously p*ss off Canadians?

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Dwayne Wade hit a prayer of a 3 point buzzer-beater to beat the Warriors 126-125 and said after the game.”It’s  special for me.”

Well yeah, with the Heat at 27-33 they’re only half a game out of a playoff spot in the NBA East.  (Or should we call in the NBA Least?)

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Mark Meadows, who insisted because Michael Cohen had lied in past that he couldn’t be trusted now, last year had to correct his educational history which claimed a Bachelor’s Degree from Univ. of South Florida.
Meadows has only an Associate (2 year) degree.

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Actually would ANY of Republican members of Congress like to state under oath that they have never lied for their bosses? Or for that matter asked their employees to lie for them?

So Trump abandons Iranian nuclear deal Iran his defense department AND Europe says Iran is complying with. But will put North Korea on the honor system? Those commemorative coins may glow in the dark.

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If John McCain weren’t dead, this week with GOP behavior at Cohen hearings and Trump in Hanoi would have killed him.

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Question to GOP members of Congress attacking Michael Cohen as a low-life form today – What do you think of a President who would keep him for 10 years as his personal lawyer? Asking for a country.

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What’s next, – breaking news – GOP issues statement “Nixon was not a crook.”

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Donald Trump throws everyone under the bus. GOP defending him today remind me of Kim Jong Un’s bodyguards frantically running alongside his limo – sooner or later you’re going to fall under the wheels.

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What were people saying about Jussie Smollett last week? That you had to be a world-class idiot to commit a crime and implicate yourself by writing a check?

Just read all 20 pages of Michael Cohen opening statement. Two thoughts: 1. Holy Sh*t! 2. I hope he and his family have really good security.

So after Cohen testimony will Trump ask Kim Jong Un for asylum? Or for the phone number of “Assassins R Us?”

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SF Giants  fans if Bryce Harper signs with Giants. “Awesome, we’ll all show up to see him, one of the most exciting players in the game. SF fans if Harper signs with Dodgers “Over-priced arrogant head case. Another reason to Beat La!”

If Bryce Harper is waiting for slow news day so he can dominate headlines with his contract he might have to wait until MLB All-Star break.

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In two days, NFL competition committee apparently has not reached consensus over changing replay review. Guessing if Patriots had been kept out of Super Bowl by a bad call, they’d have figured it out in 30 minutes.

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Trump tweeting that “Vietnam is thriving like few places on earth.” Such a good thing his bone spurs cleared up in time for him to finally make it there.

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Your reminder that to believe Trump, all you have to do is believe that EVERY former employee and staffer, not to mention women who have accused him of sexual assault, is lying about him.

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Ivanka Trump is not just a “let them eat cake” princess;  she’s a “They should buy my overpriced lousy cake made by bakers I underpay” princess.

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I suppose it would be too much to ask that Florida congressman Matt Gaetz, who openly threatened Michael Cohen on Twitter,, was also a client of Orchids of Asia Spa?  But we can dream.

This btw, is the Gaetz tweet, now deleted ” Hey @MichaelCohen212 – Do your wife & father-in-law know about your girlfriends? Maybe tonight would be a good time for that chat. I wonder if she’ll remain faithful when you’re in prison. She’s about to learn a lot…
3:27 PM – 26 Feb 2019″

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Police report on charging Robert Kraft indicates he visited prostitute the morning of Jan 20, before the NFC/AFC championship games. So I guess that day it wasn’t just the Saints who got screwed.

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At this point it’s too soon to tell if the women who are  Orchids of Asia spa workers are legal immigrants or not. But two questions.  If they’re legal, will Trump’s DOJ try to have them deported for criminal behavior? And if they’re illegal, doesn’t that mean they couldn’t have complained about working conditions because they could have been deported?

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Wherever Bryce Harper signs perhaps he can do it on the day Trump meets with Kim Jong Un and overshadow Donald’s reality show summit?

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Not that Warriors are particular fans of Lakers. But Lebron James’ experience in trying to turn bad team around by himself in Los Angeles probably can’t hurt in their efforts to keep Kevin Durant from attempting the same with NY Knicks?

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Now a $3,500 check has appeared that Jussie Smollett allegedly wrote to one of the brothers who claim they helped stage the attack.
Besides all the other charges for falisfying a hate crime, , can we add “felony stupidity?

Pat Robertson, 88, was trending tonight. Is it wrong to be really disappointed that it’s only about another stupid homophobic thing he said?

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Paul Manafort is begging to avoid a lengthy prison term that would “likely amount to a life sentence.”
Thoughts and prayers.

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In Britain, the Labour party has announced they will back a second referendum on Brexit. Sometimes I really wish the US had a parliamentary system where we could call for do-overs.

As a white woman, perhaps I am not the best judge of Green Book. But if it was good enough for John Lewis…

(and to get Octavia Spencer as a producer…)

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While we’re going after perfect historical accuracy, can I remind everyone that Von Trapp family left Austria by train to Italy?   Not Switzerland. And no climbing mountains was involved.

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Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper tonight at the Oscars had more chemistry than we’ve seen live since Trump and Putin in Helsinki.

Meanwhile, Knicks beat the Spurs tonight in Madison Square Garden and avoided tying the record – 19 games – for consecutive home losses.   So was San Antonio trying to win an award for best portrayal of a lottery team?

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At the beginning of the Oscars “Who is Kris Allen?”  The answer to the Jeopardy trivia answer on everyone’s mind “He actually beat Adam Lambert on American Idol.”

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Oscars prove once again that no matter how much money you have or how much is spent on you, it is still possible to get dressed without looking in a mirror.

While the ticket was sold in a small town in South Carolina, no one has yet claimed the $1.5 Mega Millions jackpot from last October. And you feel bad about what you accidentally washed in your pockets …

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From AL.com “An off-duty Hoover police officer is under investigation after a dispute with his wife early Saturday resulted in a handgun being discharged, according to state authorities.”
Fixed it for them. “A cop shot his wife.”

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So Amy Klobuchar might be a mean boss on occasion, and we probably don’t know yet how often that is.  But meanwhile Donald Trump demeans people in public, fires them by tweet, and claims that they’re all stupid liars afterwards. And SHE’s the one questioned about being Presidential?

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How do you parody a parody?

“HOLD THE DATE! We will be having one of the biggest gatherings in the history of Washington, D.C., on July 4th. It will be called “A Salute To America” and will be held at the Lincoln Memorial. Major fireworks display, entertainment and an address by your favorite President, me!”

Next up, Trump might even try to declare the Fourth of July a holiday!

Not so Starry Night? So Rockets beat Warriors without Harden, Pelicans beat Lakers without Davis, and Duke beat Syracuse without Zion.

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TC does suggest “Tickets to the Duke vs North Carolina game went for around $2500 ea, with one fan paying $10,000 on a re-ticketing website. You’d think one of these big spenders would have thrown Duke star Zion Williamson a couple of hundred bucks to buy a decent pair of basketball shoes.”

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Heretical view in SF Bay Area, but one reason I don’t love watching Warriors games is that it sometimes feels like with so many stars they lollygag early in games then simply turn it on in time to win.   (Though perhaps 15-0 to start was a bit much?)

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Well, Kylie Murray is leaving baseball for football.  If this lack of contract keeps up maybe Bryce Harper can join him?

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Mardi Gras Float. #Neverforget #WhoDat

Florida police have surveillance video for months of customers of that sex trafficking spa. So how many other powerful men besides Robert Kraft are having a rather stressful weekend?

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We all know the REAL reason Trump likes to meet with Kim Jong Un – Donald just loves to stand next to someone who makes him feel like he actually is 6’3″

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So how long until Donald Trump tweets that he really COULD have won an Oscar if he only went into movies?

if it takes 800 pages for your sentencing memo it does seem likely you have done more than one or two bad things.

Guess I was wrong, thought if you were a billionaire you could have prostitutes delivered.

Billionaires don’t just stumble into random massage parlors in Florida looking for prostitutes. Who told Robert Kraft about this place?

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Wonder if Robert Kraft was kneeling when he got serviced?

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But hey, Robert Kraft is a big Trump donor and gave $1 MILLION to his inaugural committee. So we already knew he liked to pay to screw people

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But seriously ,according to police, most prostitutes at spa Robert Kraft frequented were women in their 20s and 30s who didn’t speak English.  And the good friend of the man who’s built his Presidency on hatred of undocumented immigrants didn’t see a potential problem in that?

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NBA thinking about lowering league minimum draft age to 18, meaning many top prospects won’t have to consider college. But what a shame. those young men could miss out on some of best months of their lives.

If Bryce Harper had intended to sign today and be top story on ESPN guessing he’s put that off a couple days.

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Meanwhile, many sports fans HAD woken up Friday morning thinking the biggest sports story of the day was whether or not referee Scott Foster (or the NBA itself)  is actively working against the Rockets, or simply for the Lakers and Lebrong making the playoffs.

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Well, at least Donald Trump doesn’t have to worry that a story will emerge about him eating salad with a comb. No one would ever believe he eats salad.

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Asked today if he bears any personal responsibility because of his rhetoric for Coast Guard wannabe terrorist-mass murderer Trump said no “I think my language is very nice.” Some statements sadly don’t even need a punchline.

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So after a week of “mea culpas,” a whole lot of people who screamed about jumping to conclusions without all the facts on Jussie Smollett tonight made the same instant leaps with a doctored video and Dianne Feinstein.

Glad Duke star Zion Williamson has only a mild knee sprain after his Nike shoe fell apart, but can we have a moment for all us women who love wearing heels and get chided that they’re dangerous to walk in?

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Wonder if any newspaper headlined Zion Williamson’s injury “If the shoe splits?”

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The longer Bryce Harper remains unsigned, the more he misses of Spring Training.
Wonder how many players already tired of drills wish they’d thought of that.

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Lebron James  said that after All-Star Break the Lakers will start their “playoff intensity.”  That must make fans who’ve purchased full priced tickets for pre-break games already played feel so happy.

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Sad about Peter Tork dying, though I wasn’t a Monkees fan.  But how the heck was he 77 years old already?

A federal judge actually ruled Alex Acosta, Trump’s Secretary of Labor “broke the law” in hiding sexual abuse plea agreement from more than 30 of  Jeffrey Epstein’s underage victims. And these days it’s not even a headline story.  Are we great yet?

North Carolina election board has called for a new election in contested House race after GOP candidate Mark Harris said he was mistaken in his testimony, and blamed it on a sepsis infection that had affected his memory.

Imagine Trump and GOP tweets if DEMOCRATS had to redo an election over voter fraud, and if a candidate said he was “mistaken” in his first testimony.

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Also, just for heck of it, imagine if white MAGA Trump sympathizer had falsely alleged liberals had attacked him in a hate crime & a black gay man had planned terrorism event involving mass murder?

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Jussie Smollett faked an attack, which wasted police resources and has damaged credibility of real victims. Donald Trump fakes a national emergency, which wastes billions of dollars and has damaged credibility of the USA. Who should be in prison longer?

Fans paid upwards of $2,500 for tickets to UNC Duke game and Blue Devils star Zion Williamson got injured 36 seconds into game when his shoe broke apart. Sad, but at those prices this might be definition of First World Problem.

So after a shoe malfunction knocked Duke star Zion Williamson out of at least tonight’s game against UNC, will Nike change its motto from “Just Do it” to “Wanna Get Away?”

Right about now Nike has to be looking back nostalgically to days when it was Tiger Woods self-destructing instead of their shoes.

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Happy Birthday, Sidney Poiter, 92. But shouldn’t there be a way for someone to trend without scaring us?

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You know who’s not saying the  Mueller Report is almost finalized? Robert Mueller.

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Though Mueller only has about a week to get his report done by the end of February. Which makes some sense “March Madness is already taken.”

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Trump potentially nominating Iraq war veteran & former Michigan GOP Senate candidate John James for UN Ambassador. James indicates he would accept, and says he is “someone who understands the growing spheres of communism around the world.”
Building that bridge to the 1960s?

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So Trump tells California he wants the billions of dollars back for the bullet train. How about a deal, we give the money back, Donald gives the election back?

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Wonder if Trump would start believing in climate change if one of these storms grounds Air Force One from him flying to Mar-A-Lago?

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So Jussie Smollett, while living a relatively comfortably lifestyle, apparently faked a racist homophobic attack. And if convicted he’ll be living somewhere where he’s a lot more likely to be attacked. #Karma

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Meanwhile, while Fox News is all over the Smollett story, it’s crickets about the active-duty far-right Coast Guard white guy arrested with an arsenal and apparently plans to go after a number of Democratic leaders and kill as many people as possible.  I’m SURE it’s just a coincidence.

Wow, cheapest ticket to see Zion Williamson in UNC-Duke game now $2,500. What’s the point? Next year fans can probably see him cheap with the Suns or Knicks.

Well, at least when SF Giants take over Petco Park for Giants-Padres games they’ll be able to boo ex-Dodger Manny Machado.

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MLB Baseball Players Association head Tony Clark wants DH to expand to NL. If it’s just about keeping lousy fielders who can hit employed, let NL teams have one additional non-pitcher on their team. Problem solved. You’re welcome.

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Look, I get with sports it’s about ego. But when you can sign for more money than you can possibly spend in your entire life, wouldn’t you pick a place you actually want to live?

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Antonio Brown met with Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II and tweeted that both sides “agreed that it is time to move on.”
So the NFL version of a “conscious uncoupling?”

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Taneytown, Maryland is considering a new Civil War memorial with equal-sized pictures of Lincoln AND John Wilkes Booth. “Many fine people on both sides”?

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NY Times reports Vatican has a secret set of rules for clerics who fathered children. Uh, if priests have children, what makes the church think they care about rules?

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NY TImes also reports Trump asked then-acting AG Whitaker if he could appoint an attorney who had already recused himself to oversee an investigation. So wonder what Donald’s already asked Barr?

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Clarence Thomas wants to overturn Times v. Sullivan ruling, which protects news organizations from most libel suits when they write about public figures. So what is Thomas afraid the media will be writing about him?

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Reportedly Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson are breaking up. Damn, I miss the days when we gossiped about reality stars instead of electing them.

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Have to wonder, why hasn’t DonaldTrump attacked Rachel Maddow yet? Is her show on during his “Executive Time?” Or is it just that really strong women scare him?

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In retrospect perhaps Justin’s Smollett’s story from the start was as improbable as Trump’s claim his campaign never colluded with Russia.

More bad limerick time.

About Mueller Trump does like to bitch
But his tweets now are causing a hitch.
Those self-pitying cries
And obvious lies
Are proving that Trump IS a witch.

Boston has highest payroll in MLB. Red Sox owner John Henry today when asked about spending and winning “I’m sure there is a correlation, but it’s not as perfect…. Spending more money helps.”
What was his first clue?

Winner of yesterday’s crash-plagued Indy 500 – Denny Hamlin.    Runners-up?  All  NASCAR body shops.

Meanwhile, speaking of payrolls, the Red Sox won in 2018 with baseball’s highest payroll, despite paying Pablo Sandoval $18 million to play for SF Giants.  Which they are paying him again in 2019.  #PandaPower

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Bruce Bochy has announced he will retire after the end of SF Giants 2019 season. Which Giants fans hope will be late October.

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Heard a great idea today. Instead of President’s Day, because really, who needs another mattress sale, let’s make ELECTION DAY a national holiday.

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Would everyone who ever drank underage please STFU about Malia Obama.
Thank you.

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Maybe what really upsets conservatives about Malia’s underage drinking is they worry it means she aspires to be a Supreme Court judge?

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Fox News gleefully attacking Democratic politicians for condemning the alleged attack on Jussie Smollett.
Somehow I missed their same outrage over Trump and the Central Park Five.

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The West Virginia woman who was fired from her non-profit job for calling Michelle Obama an “ape in heels” today pleaded guilty to embezzling $18,000 from FEMA. Who knew such a classy woman might be a crook too?

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Wouldn’t NBA All-Star games with the captains picking their best teams be more compelling if fans weren’t watching the same thing playing out during the regular season?

What’s next for the league to attract interest? The Warriors playing the All-Star champions?

So for those unfamiliar with NASCAR, no Sunday’s Daytona 500, was not normally like “The Bachelorette”  – where last guy standing is the winner.

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But yeah, when did the Daytona 500 turn into demolition derby?

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NBA commissioner Adam Silver  is not  happy with the Knicks tanking “.. you understand why there’s relegation in European soccer.”

Hmm, if they relegate Knicks for tanking, who does the NBA bring up? Duke?

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So isn’t it likely that Bryce Harper has made up his mind and is just sitting back enjoying the attention and the lack of the boring first weeks of spring training?

A woman gave birth on a JetBlue flight. Good thing she wasn’t on Spirit Airlines. They’d have charged her for an extra carry-on.

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UN Ambassador nominee Heather Nauert  has withdrawn her nomination. So the question of the night – what’s in HER yearbook?

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Trump fundraising email of the day “Last week, more than 95% of the Patriots I polled demanded a wall.” Say what? Does he mean 95% of the voices in his head.

(or does he mean Brady and Belichick?)

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Dana Carvey mocked George H.W. Bush and Bush invited him to the White House. Alec Baldwin mocks Donald Trump and he angrily tweets calling for retribution. What a sad, pathetic little POTUS.

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Never thought I’d be tweeting in praise of Sarah Palin.  But she had the good nature and wit to appreciate Tina Fey’s amazing portrayal of her…even appearing on the show.  Take note, POTUS.

So just wondering, after Donald Trump’s meltdown over SNL.  Are “The Daily Show” “Full Frontal with Samantha B” and  “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”  just on so late at night during the week he hasn’t seen them?

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Anyone ever thought Donald Trump has decided he likes Kim Jong Un because standing next to North Korean leader makes Donald feel as if he really IS 6’3″?

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To be fair, has any President before Trump so unified most of Europe?   Against the US.

How childish is it that #MarALardass is trending? Really doesn’t show much respect to Donald Trump at all. Womp womp

Craziness in SF Bay Area, from sun to pouring rain to hail (or even some snow) then back to sun within a few minutes. Almost a shame SFGiants are after Bryce Harper instead of weather chaser Mike Trout.

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So let’s get to to the real crisis in baseball – wherever he ends up no team will possibly have time this year to come up with a Bryce Harper bobblehead.

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Meanwhile, baseball being baseball, pretty sure 2019 MVP races in both leagues will include someone we’re not even talking about now.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver debuted a new “smart jersey of the future.” for fans, where you can use a phone app to change number and name on the back. So maybe nobody warned Silver about this thing called a “washing machine? #notsosmartjersey?

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Payless ShoeSource said it will close and liquidate their 2,300 U.S. stores, resulting in tens of thousands of job losses. Are we tired of winning yet?

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Today’s mass shooter was an American citizen. So assume GOP are fine with next President, whoever she or he may be, declaring a gun violence National Emergency on day one?

CDC reports 63 more people have gotten sick with salmonella from raw turkey products. But hey MAGAers – this is science. So own the libs – buy more recalled ground turkey.

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As Ann Coulter goes off on Trump, calling him an idiot and then some,  talk about some serious conflict in my reaction – glee at watching conservatives take on Democrats in the “circular firing squad” department – or horror in agreeing with Ann Coulter,