I’m still a bit confused as to what happened, but my Twitter feed was rather crowded last night with news of an incident between comedian Chris Rock and actor Will Smith.
At the Oscars.
And my first thought was, The Oscars were tonight?
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Today’s episode of Math and Musings features some hot takes on this year’s NCAA Tournament.
I recorded it several days ago, of course, and half the teams I mention today have since been knocked out.
That’s March Madness for ya.
Spring has sprung, and baseball has begun.
That means we begin again…
the Jacob deGrom watch.
Yesterday’s spring training outing? Two innings, one hit, five strikeouts. Wow.
Alas, oh for oh at the plate.
Calling it now: deGrom DHs for self at some point in 2022.
Make that six nights in a row of keeping me up, but no complaints here.
One item to note…
Has anyone ever pointed out the irony in the term “sleeper” when used to describe an upstart NCAA tournament team?
Sleeper does not describe anyone who pays attention to this tournament.
Move over, Mr. November. The new greatest holiday sports moment is Notre Dame’s midnight miracle of St. Patrick’s Day 2022. Damn that was nice.
Keeping me up three nights in a row is the tourney that never sleeps…
and never disappoints.
I used to think the “First Four” contests were fake games designed only to bring in more money for TV and/or the NCAA.
I still do. But damned if they don’t have me hooked from tip to midnight.
I knew the moment I posted about a “baseball-less spring” the labor dispute would be settled and we’d be back in business. Even the loss of my beloved pitchers batting in the NL couldn’t ruin this feeling.
I didn’t watch all 22 hours of Ken Burns’s Baseball over the weekend but I was damn close.
And with the NCAA Tournament starting tomorrow I now place the NBA–so admired in Friday’s post–at number three on my list of sports to watch in the next few weeks.
Love the embarrassment of riches.
This was supposed to be the post that said the Sixers were now the team to beat in the NBA, following their win over the Nets.
So… not quite.
I still think Wednesday’s Phoenix-Miami game was between two teams that won’t be in the Finals.
But Brooklyn and Philly?
One of them will be traveling west this June.
And likely coming away with a championship.
Will Rogers once said, “I don’t make jokes–I just watch the government and report the facts.”
Yup.
My local government passed this one in January. I’m reporting it with as much urgency as they seem to have in administering it.
The Loudoun County (Virginia) Board of Supervisors has approved a disposable plastic bag tax of five cents per plastic bag, set to go into effect July 1.
“The new tax will be collected on purchases made at grocery stores, convenience stores and drugstores countywide, including those within the county’s incorporated towns,” according to county officials.
The tax does not apply to restaurants, food banks, farmers markets or clothing stores. (Remind me to rename my grocery store a “food bank.”) It also does not apply to the following:
- Durable plastic bags that are specifically designed and manufactured for multiple reuse.
- Plastic bags that are solely used to wrap, contain, or package ice cream, meat, fish, poultry, produce, unwrapped bulk food items, or perishable food items in order to avoid damage or contamination.
- Plastic bags used to carry dry cleaning or prescription drugs.
- Multiple plastic bags sold in packages and intended for use as garbage, pet waste or leaf removal bags.
Yeah, I sat there and couldn’t think of any other way you could possibly use a plastic bag either.
“Recent updates to the Code of Virginia gave localities the ability to enact a tax to address the community and environmental issues associated with disposable plastic bags, including litter, pollution and landfill and recycling center problems,” a January 19 county press release states. Also, “lightweight plastic bags are commonly found in waterways as litter and remain as a pollutant. Unlike natural materials, plastic never completely degrades. It breaks down over time into tiny pieces called microplastics that can end up in food and water and can harm wildlife.”
This just in… water is wet, fire is hot, and, according to a recent discovery, the earth revolves around the sun.
Also from said release…
“Revenues generated by the tax can only be spent on programs that address litter and pollution or help low-income residents obtain durable reusable shopping bags free of charge.”
(I was hoping we could pile more government programs on top of this one.)
“In addition to supporting the purchase of reusable bags for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Women, Infants, and Children Program recipients, the Loudoun County program may be used to expand existing environmental programs, including:
- Enhanced litter reduction initiatives.
- Enhanced education and outreach programs on waste reduction and recycling.
- Expansion of the county’s household hazardous waste and electronics recycling programs.”
I would say this is pretty ambitious for nickels that don’t even seem like they’ll actually be collected.
But don’t worry, county officials “will reach out to local retailers to explain the scope of the disposable plastic bag tax.”
I have an alternative suggestion…
Bag it.
I had high hopes for HBO’s new series, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. Based on the book by Jeff Pearlman (who’d crushed it with The Bad Guys Won), I was hoping it would be another Once Upon a Time in Queens. It was not. It was more like someone had watched that special, then tried to make the Saturday Night Live version of it. Actually no, more like the Saturday Night Live version of the Saturday Night Live version of it.
Seriously, are these jokers trying to make a terrible show?
First, I’m not sure exactly sure whether I’m watching a comedy, a drama, or something in between. I think it’s supposed to be funny, but every single joke is just low-hanging fruit. Cheap and easy. A sarcastic “clever” was what I uttered more than actual laughter.
Generally I like John C. Reilly as an actor, but his caricature of Jerry Buss here is just ridiculous. I’m usually pleased when A-list actors appear in something like this and don’t try too hard (that is, not trying to win an Oscar), but you’ve got to put forth something I think. The person I feel bad for is Quincy Isaiah, who plays a young Magic Johnson. He’s not A-list yet, and his is one of the few performances worth seeing, though it’s going to be sullied by what is overall an awful product.
The show works best as a period piece. Much of last night’s episode takes place in 1979, and HBO spared nothing on costumes and set design. The music is cool too, and that’s about the only thing that makes the show worth watching.
Directed by Adam McKay, he of Anchorman, Talladega Nights, The Other Guys, etc., one wonders why the McKay magic (pun intended) isn’t there. This guy has shown he can make something funny out of something stupid. And where’s his frequent collaborator, Will Ferrell? Did Ferrell realize how dumb this show was going to be and pass? Or was the offer really not made? Apparently there’s some high school-type drama between those two now. One hopes they can rebound. (Okay, I’ll stop with the basketball metaphors now.)
And hopefully McKay’s parade of guest stars can lend an assist next week.