Still at the lake; still trying to extend that ‘Co-Cola’ shortage from the World Cup to my Solo cup.
Good times.
Happy Birthday, ‘Merica. Hope you have a blast.
With that, we’ll move quickly this morning. We wrap up tomorrow and will be back in Chattanooga in time for a Press Row return, so pull up a chair.
Let’s roll with four for the 4th and a quick question. Deal? Deal.
Four-sure fun
Is anyone else intrigued by the cast of character the Lakers are placing around LeBron James. Doesn’t he hate Lance Stephenson? Ramon Rondo is hardly a 3-point shooter. JaVale McGee?
This will be must-watch TV friends, and here’s betting half the country will be overwhelmed with the LeBron stories by Christmas that it borders on a Tiger-level of overkill.
Still, for those of fascinated with James, who is right there with Bo and Deion as the greatest pure athletes of our lifetime, how he handles this and moves the pieces in his biggest underdog year in a decade will be fun.
And that’s not even mentioning the entire LaVar Ball ordeal that is coming, because we all know it’s coming. (LaVar has already guaranteed a title and said that his boy Lonzo will be the primary ball-handler.)
Giddy-up.
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Four some good clean (and explosive) fun
Loved TFP ace sports columnist Mark Widener’s springboard into a truth we have believed for years: There is no place in our country that offers more equality and universal bonds than sports.
If you can play, you can play, whether you are black, white, brown or purple polka-dotted.
If you are a fan of a team, you have a connection to those have the same rooting interest.
How many random high-5s have you swapped with strangers in the stands after a big home run or a key third-down stop? How many have you swapped with strangers on the street?
My point exactly. And Weeds’, too.
And you know what, in these times and on Merica’s B-Day, here’s hoping that while we all shake our heads at the lunatics who riot in the streets after a championship and the crazy folks that act even crazier after an emotional loss, we never forget the societal connection that comes from our games.
And our passion.
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Four-by-Four
We spoke of numbers Tuesday, and 4 is a sneaky all-time good one with Gehrig, Favre, Orr and of course Jeff Burroughs.
If we trotted out an all-time “Four” Rushmore that was not about jersey numbers, we’d start here:
Four score and seven years ago. (Likely far left.)
Foursquare. (Madly underrated, and if you do not like foursquare that’s a you problem.)
Four-Wheelin’, and you can read the above explanation and say ditto.
The Four Horsemen. Giddy-up. Again. WOOOOOO!
Who has a nomination?
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The months ‘Four’ smack talk
We are officially in July, which means a few things. It’s hot. Dang hot.
There will be a lot of folks consuming tens of thousands of calories today in the hot dog eating contest. (Side note: Now that it’s legal to bet in New Jersey, there’s already been more than $1 million wagered on today’s hot dog fiasco. Joey Chestnutt is a minus-700 favorite.)
Did we mention it’s hot? Check.
It also is the time when college football folks start getting antsy. Fans, coaches, you name it.
We are less than two weeks from SEC media days, and let’s just say that the first shots have been fired.
From Norman, Okla., Lincoln Riley delivers this zinger on ESPNU on SiriusXM: “If you throw Georgia in the Big 12 every year there is no way they are a Top 5 defense in the country.”
Here’s betting that will be a topic of discussion at the SEC event in the ATL later this month.
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Four questions
Do you agree with Riley that if Georgia was in the Big 12 it would not be a top-five defense?
True or false, growing up you did stupid stuff with fireworks. (Here’s a Darwinistic video of some knuckleheads doing firework craziness.) Side note: We played war with Roman candles and shot them at each other. Same with bottle rockets. I know we giggle at the “protected” state of kids today, but man I look back at some of the stupid stuff I did as a kid and think “Man, I’m lucky to be 47.”
True or false, T.O. deciding to have his Hall of Fame ceremony at McKenzie is completely cool and makes up for the head-scratching decision not to go to the official ceremony at Canton.
Did you know these strange Fourth of July twists, including that George Washington ordered a double batch of rum for his troops on July 4, 1778? Man, ol’ GW was a good dude. Maybe his photo should be on a mountain or something.