Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Insurance, UConn, rants

What to do? One insurance company has a lizard as a spokesperson. Another has a duck. Still another boasts an upside down whale in mid-flip. Finally, another has long wanted to sell us a piece of some rock. Hey, I don't want a rock. Many would say I've already got enough of those bouncing around between my ears like lottery balls. I want good coverage at affordable prices. Seems simple enough.

And what happens if one has to make a -- gasp -- claim for a loss or damages? Do we have to attempt to communicate with a lizard, duck, or whale? And BTW, just where are these companies located? I haven't seen an office for any of them in my town. Might they be in Syria? Tibet? Do we have to parachute into a war zone or climb a mountain to collect a check?

UConn's lady hoopsters continue to amaze. They've now won 91 in a row, an all time record in any sport, and there's little to suggest they'll get defeated any time soon. By the time they host #5 South Carolina in a few weeks, Geno's Bambinos will be gunning for #100. And this comes on the heels of a 90 game winning streak that ended just a couple years ago. Let's toss in the last four national championships, with a fifth this year quite likely. This is incredible stuff, the likes of which we will likely never see again.

Thing is, it wasn't supposed to be like this. After last season, UConn graduated its three best players. Not surprisingly, they were taken first, second, and third in the WNBA draft. Coming into this year, they weren't ranked #1. It was said by some that their front line was too small. They didn't have enough depth, and were without a premier point guard. In other words -- vulnerable. Other teams wanted a crack at them in their non-conference schedules. Payback time. But it quickly became apparent any weakness was a mirage. The beast was indeed back and ferocious as ever.

Poor South Florida. They were ranked #20 and supposedly a very good team. Then they went into Storrs, home of the Huskies, and were mauled to the tune of 102-37. A 65 point beatdown? Has that ever even happened before in basketball? For that matter, in their last five games, they've outscored the competition 462-236, almost double. This is an average of about 45 points a game. And you can bet the UConn starters aren't seeing many minutes in the second half of those games. The "bench" gets to play more, hence they get more experience, and better. An ominous sign down the road for any opponents.

Here's a question. Assuming UConn -- like most other college basketball teams -- has an incoming freshmen class of three or four players, and further assuming the five star prep recruits are standing in line for a chance to play there, just how good are the girls that become Geno's chosen few?

Answer. Unbelievably good. Top of the line talent that possesses good character as well, or they wouldn't get picked.

As long as the upperclassers keep taking the newbies under their wings and Geno Auriemma's still there drilling his system into their pretty heads, this thing could keep going on for a long time. How scary is that to the competition?

Uh oh. There's a new "most interesting man in the world". Evidently, the slobber-lipped guy that liked to hang out with flat chested girls that kept mouthing words but never actually speaking, has retired. Or maybe, considering it's a beer commercial, he's on a serious drunk and the ad folks can't find him. If so, that ought to be one dandy hangover if he ever sobers up and resurfaces.

Nevertheless, the new guy is up to similar antics. He's kicking some sort of hard hairy fruit between the long necks of giraffes -- like football field goals going through the goalposts. This is quite the party trick if one happens to live in, say, Congo or Ethiopia. But I'm not at all sure what relevance, if any, it has in the so-called civilized world. You know, where the political leaders are always respectful of one another. Hmm. On second thought..... nevermind.

Football fans know that Pittsburgh Steeler wide receiver Antonio Brown is in hot water. After the team defeated Kansas City in a playoff game, Brown made the mistake of filming head coach Mike Tomlin's (and QB Ben Roethlisberger) post-game speech/rant. This was bad enough in the sacred realm of the locker room. What was much worse is he put it out there on social media for all to see. Though he took it down later, it was too late. It had been captured and has been replayed many times, much to the chagrin of especially Tomlin. He was hot and made no bones about it.

To the press, Tomlin called Brown selfish, inconsiderate, and disrespectful. All true. Further, Tomlin said Brown would be disciplined internally. Fair enough.

But perhaps what he should have said could have gone something like this --- "He's not only disrespectful, etc., etc., he's an idiot. What kind of fool pulls a stunt like that? The Patriots are going to be tough enough to beat at their place, and this lamebrain gives them bulletin board fodder showing me calling them a bunch of a-holes? Tell ya what. While the other players get a day off to rest, Brown's going to be running laps, and more laps. Until he drops. And then some more laps when he finally gets up. I'm going to do my best to sweat that stupid thing right out of him. And if that doesn't work -- he's gone. I have enough problems to deal with and sure don't need a bonehead on the team undercutting what we're trying to accomplish".

Bet that would have got some serious attention.

Yet here's the part nobody seems to mention. When Brown was actually in the process of recording, between players, coaches, and staff there were probably at least 70 people in the room. And not even one of them noticed this?

Maybe it's just yours truly, but that seems a little strange......






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