GoT Part 1
OK, we are going to start our Tuesdays around these parts with some Game of Thrones review and discourse.
If you are not a watcher or a fan, feel free to skip to the next segment.
OK, where do we start on arguably the most anticipated episode of TV since we were trying to learn who shot JR?
Let's go here:
> The episode was better than you think for a slew of reasons. First, the symbolism of all the main characters (who are still alive) reconvening in Winterfell is strong. Second, a lot of the 'slow' and 'rehash' criticism from the season premiere is because we know more than the characters know. Like who Jon actually is and the retelling of dated stories are things we as viewers already know, but they need to be shared with the primary characters.
> I hated, Hated, HATED the Sleepless-in-Seattle-meets-Dragon-riding-lovers scene. C'mon folks. You have been too good for too long to try to go there. We expect better and more importantly, the writers should know that.
> Arya Stark is going to be a bad mamma-jamma when it comes to almond-cutting time with the war against the dead. Her new weapons and her demeanor Cold-blooded.
> The visual exchange between Bran and the Kingslayer was right there with Sam's reaction to the news that Hot Momma of Dragons killed his dad and brother for the best scenes of the show. How can Jon or Sansa or Arya or any of the people of the North let Jamie live if Bran shares the details of the first episode?
In the end, I liked this episode way, Way, WAY more than most folks online.
But then again, I may have been still blurry-eyed from Tiger's win.
Tiger Woods reacts as he wins the Masters golf tournament Sunday, April 14, 2019, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)Golf glory
The stories still trickle in from Tiger's amazing weekend at Augusta.
Where do we start?
Donald Trump is pledging the Medal of Something or Other to Woods for the win. Here's his quote via the POTUS press agency known as Twitter: "Spoke to @TigerWoods to congratulate him on the great victory he had in yesterday's @TheMasters, & to inform him that because of his incredible Success & Comeback in Sports (Golf) and, more importantly, LIFE, I will be presenting him with the PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM!"
(Side question, and I wondered this on A2 this morning: Was (Golf) needed there? Seriously, is there anyone on the planet who does not know which sport Tiger Woods plays. In fact, of all the people on this planet, if we took a poll about who held what job, isn't "Tiger Woods - golfer" up there as the most easily recognizable?)
Beyond getting Trump and Obama to agree - each sent Tweets of kudos - Tiger's win leads us to the questions about what's next and how many can he win. It takes us to a place about is this a blip on the radar or the bang that causes us too readjust the expectations.
In a lot of ways even if he adds, say five more majors, there will not be an experience like Sunday among them.
He spoiled us for so long that we expected him to win. We were having conversations such as, "Who you got, Tiger or the field?" and you were foolish if took the latter.
Sunday had the anxiety of not knowing if he could do it or how it would play out. That made it even more thrilling.
And big picture, golf has the lightning rod again every sport craves. OK, Eldrick, you got the world's attention - again - where are we going from here.
Cashing in
We have long said that golf more than any other sport had the most to gain from legalized betting, especially online and in-action wagering.
And the stories of gambling success on Tiger's win will only help that. Sports books losing multiple millions, players cashing huge tickets on Woods to win.
Including Steve Adducci, who according to Golf Digest has an amazing Tiger tale and $1.19 million after Woods' win.
From the story: "Adduce, a 39-year-old self-employed daytrader, was a nervous wreck. He flew from Wisconsin to Las Vegas earlier in the week to place the wager, which he claims to be his first-ever bet on sports in his life. A man with a mortgage on his house, two student loans and two car loans decided he would take $85,000, which he said was "everything I had that I could afford to lose," and place it on Tiger. Why? "I just thought it was pre-destined for him to win," Adducci explained when reached on the phone on Monday afternoon.
"Adducci describes taking the $85,000 cash out of a bank in Las Vegas after ordering the cash a week beforehand out of a business account comprised of some failed stock money. He sat in a shared Lyft ride, "so he could save $2," with a mother and her child, who were talking about how they were struggling to find the money to pay rent. "That was an awful feeling," he said. But with a backpack he had just bought at the local Walmart to hold the cash, he went from casino to casino to see who would accept the wager. After being turned away by two casinos, Adducci arrived at the SLS Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, operated by William Hill, and after Director of Trading Nick Bogdanovich discussed with his boss, the sportsbook decided to accept the wager, which ended up being the largest individual payout on a futures bet in the sportsbook conglomerate's U.S. history."
And of course there's this paragraph on Adducci, again from Golf Digest: "Weeks before, he told his wife about wanting to place this wager, and though he faced a little opposition initially: "She said to me, 'I can't stop you from doing this, because if he wins, I'll never forgive myself.' She's a keeper."
You think so.
This and that
- Russell Wilson got PAY-ed. More than $100 million guaranteed and a $65 million signing bonus. Dude reset the market. In truth, Russell Wilson is on the short list of QBs I'd pay franchise money too honestly. If I had to rank the dudes I would cut the check on whatever they ask - non-young dude division because they are still on the affordable deals - Rodgers, Luck, Wilson and then Brady for career achievement. And that may be it.
- Seems Eli Manning also believes what every draft expert has said that the Giants are ready to draft his replacement.
- Sad stuff from Paris as Notre Dame suffered serious fire damage. Good news though, by all reports the hunchback got out unharmed.
- Boogie Cousins was lost for the season last night after tearing his quad in Golden State's come-from-ahead loss to the Clippers. How big was the blown lead? Try a NBA playoff record 31 points.
- Zion Williamson is entering the NBA. Raise your hand if you did not see that one coming.
Today's questions
True or false, Eli Manning is a first ballot Hall of Famer.
True or false, you were cheering for Tiger Woods.
True or false, Francesco Molinari's parents were cheering for Tiger Woods.
True or false, if your significant other wanted to bet $85,000 on just about anything, you would try to stop them.
April 16 is World Semicolon Day. Hey, celebration of punctuation is fine with me.
On this day in 1929, the Yankees became the first team to wear numbers. Those numbers were handed out to players in the normal order in which they batted, hence, Ruth got 3 and Gehrig got 4.
Wow, it's been 12 years since the Virginia Tech massacre.
Kareem is 72 today. Did you know his real name is Ferdinand?
Rushmore of turns of athletes playing themselves in movies, because Jabbar as Roger Murdock/Kareem Abdul Jabbar in Airplane is a strong contender.