Sunday Morning Coffee — December 7, 2025 — Sunday Morning Scramble

By Roy Berger, Las Vegas, NV.

We took a bye last week and hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. Next to Audubon Day, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. By the way thanks for the great response to the November 23 SMC, our annual post about the JFK assassination. Many of you have told me you ordered Zero Fail by Carol Leonnig which we cited.(https://www.royberger.com/p/sunday-morning-coffee-november-23). Meanwhile with the week off the Scramble file has gotten full so let’s go:

Good thing this wasn’t legal when we were teens. The Wall Street Journal reports about a new Thanksgiving trend that’s sweeping the country. It’s called the “Cousin Walk.” According to the Journal, sometime before holiday dinner is served, young adults— siblings, cousins, friends—grab their coats and decide it’s time to walk the dog or pick up some ice or any simple explanation to get out of the house for a few minutes, even if there isn’t a dog. When they return everything becomes amusing. They can’t get enough mashed potatoes and some even come back inside jonesing for cranberry sauce. Smoking that Thanksgiving joint makes all the difference for a festive holiday table. In fact, the legal pot industry refers to the day before Thanksgiving as “Green Wednesday,” the second busiest sales day of the year right behind 420, April 20, the designated cannabis holiday when stoners everywhere light up right at 4:20 in the afternoon. One New York dispensary advertises Green Wednesday as a “mid-holiday break that takes the edge off listening to obnoxious relatives who won’t stop talking.” Everyone has one. My brothers and I still laugh about a great-uncle who unbeknownst to him was our Thanksgiving day amusement. I can’t imagine what it would have been like at our table, and how long we would have been grounded for, if we knew then about the “walk.” It’s probably good we didn’t.

Who knew you could do this? A couple of weeks ago prompted by a recommendation from Linda Phillips one of my morning workout peeps, Andi and I took a tour of our local Amazon fulfillment/distribution facility. It was incredibly enlightening. This particular center in North Las Vegas was massive—455,000 square feet— with 20 million items in stock, 2,400 employees, hundreds of robots moving around the building stocking and placing product on almost 30 miles of conveyers. Honestly, the 90 minute guided tour was overwhelming trying to digest the process. There are 27 facilities in 20 states that offer the free tour. To find one near you for a cold winter day go to Amazontours.com. I’d love to post a picture or two but Jeff Bezos, taking a page from Bruno Mars’ concert book, makes you leave your cell phone behind for fear some schlup on the tour might want to open his own facility.

Here’s a double bogey: The golf business founded by Jack Nicklaus has filed for bankruptcy protection. In 2007 Nicklaus sold a majority interest in his namesake to financier Howard Milstein which included not only the golf course design business but also all intellectual rights. Over the years the relationship between Nicklaus and Milstein soured leading Jack to step away totally in 2022. Earlier this year Nicklaus, 85 (his age; my handicap) sued his former company for defamation. He won a $50 million verdict. A week ago Friday, the Nicklaus Companies dunked one in the water and filed for bankruptcy.

Not even the most versed of music trivia buffs, not even legendary Stump Phil late of Seattle radio, are likely to know this. What rock ‘n roll single of the disc buying era of the 1950s and 60s took the longest and in turn was the most expensive to produce? That stumper belongs to The Beach Boys in 1966 with Good Vibrations. Production started in February and mercifully ended in September. There were a total of 20 recording sessions, in four major LA studios, that took some 90 hours to finish. Production cost was estimated to be $75,000 which adjusted today would be $700,000. The single finally became number one on December 10, 1966, but only stayed there for a week bumped by Winchester Cathedral. And if someone, somehow knew that then you might ask what was on the flip side of Good Vibrations? It was the instrumental Let’s Go Away for A While. It never charted.

I really don’t understand why anyone would feel pinched when they come to Vegas. A week ago we went to lunch at Caesars Palace. Parking for the 90 minutes was $25 or four dollars more than my entree. At the Venetian if you are out of money and use a non-network ATM, the fee to get more cash to donate back to the casino is only $45. And what my Mom would have described as the latest michegoss, Yiddish for craziness or madness, is now trending with popular Vegas restaurants—charging a premium for a table. A few weeks ago we mentioned the top grossing restaurant in town is the Top of the World Steakhouse at the Strat. It’s almost 900 feet above street level and a table on the window for the full panoramic view is only $27 extra per diner. Certainly a bargain when you consider it’s only two bucks more than parking at Caesars. Forty dollars a person gets you a window table at Eiffel Tower Restaurant in Paris Hotel and Casino overlooking the Strip. There’s good news is if you want a table at Prime in Bellagio, with a fountain and Strip view—there’s no need to pay a surcharge. All you have to do is spend a minimum on food and drink of $175, a black and three green chips. That’s per person by the way. I’m afraid the good ole days that my Dad used to brag about of slipping the maitre d’ a $5 bill for a coveted booth in the Sultan’s Table gourmet room has gone the way of the old Dunes Hotel.

Vintage Vegas kept alive at Neon Museum.

And speaking of the old days and the Sultan’s Table at the Dunes, we’ve lived in Las Vegas for just over seven years and never had been to the much acclaimed Neon Museum. We went the Friday night of Thanksgiving weekend. Honestly, we could have waited another seven years. Very disappointing. It’s the graveyard of old classic Las Vegas resort and casino neon signage. The museum is located on a dirt field, north of the Strip on Las Vegas Blvd. To say the area is seedy would be a compliment. It’s beyond that. The display area itself looks like a franchise of Sanford and Son Salvage. Behind the displays, piled high, is junk of remnant signage looking like a forgotten storage closet. Some of the lights worked, others didn’t. For a non-resident it was $35 to walk the grounds. In true Vegas fashion it was another $17 to see a half-hour video which I’m told is the best part of the exhibit. Time constraints prohibited us. The open-air two acre parcel is a non-profit venture between the city of Las Vegas and private donors. A few miles away in downtown Vegas stands the Mob Museum in a beautiful tourist friendly building exactly what the Neon Museum needs. There is so much potential for this attraction but not where it’s located today.

For your next cocktail party conversation lull: Which continent is the only one without traditional hotels?

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You won’t find any SpringHill Suites by Marriott or Hilton Garden Inns on Antarctica. The best you’ll do is pricey tourist camps, only open in their summer between November and February, costing upwards of $40,000 per stay. Waffle bar not included.

This coming Saturday, December 13 will be Dick Van Dyke’s 100th birthday DVD always made me smile Still does.

Not sure why anyone would have suspected this guy: last month in Summerlin, our away-from-the-Strip neck of the Vegas woods, a gentlemen entered the local Rampart Casino from the parking garage wearing a ballistic helmet, blue sunglasses, black face mask and a blue and yellow security jacket. Before anyone had a chance to wish him a happy belated Halloween he went to the cashiers cage, showing an AR-style rifle, demanded money, got it and then left on the same route through the casino back to the parking garage. He jumped on his bicycle and pedaled into the moonlight. He’s still at large but found this method of getting cash much more practical than a $45 ATM fee.

If you don’t follow J-L Cauvin on Facebook (J.L. Cauvin) or Instagram (@jlcauvin) do yourself a favor and jump aboard. His satirical impressions of Mr. Trump are far better than the President himself.

This one is hurts: through the first 12 games of the NFL season there is only one team, which must remain nameless, that doesn’t have an interception this season. That’s an NFL record for futility and still counting.

And speaking of the Jets not only don’t they have a pick this season they have only recovered two fumbles in a dozen games. Their last interception was in the finale last season when safety Ashtyn Davis picked off not one but two passes. Of course, that same Davis now plays for the Dolphins whom the Jets play this afternoon. But today is the day. I feel it. The Jets will get that pick. The New York lads also proved last Sunday you can lose for winning. Nick Folk’s wounded duck field goal at the buzzer gave the Jets a win beating Atlanta 27-24. That’s now three wins for the season moving further behind Tennessee, which with a single victory, is in line for the number one draft choice. The one bright spot this season has been kicker Folk who has made 22 of his 23 field goal tries. Which reminds us of the Jets fan from Long Island who every Sunday goes to a Jets-friendly bar to watch what all Jets fans presume will be the latest disaster. He is accompanied by his pet parrot perched on his right shoulder. After every Jets field goal, on cue, the parrot yelps, “Thank the Lord for our field goal kicker.” Finally the bartender asks him what happens when the Jets score a touchdown? Jets fan replies,” I don’t know, I’ve only had him for three years.”

And before we leave really bad football, we in Las Vegas are forced to watch the Raiders every week. This once proud franchise under the late Al Davis, has been reduced to a punchline by his son Mark, whose only qualification is being a card-carrying member of the lucky sperm club. Since the elder Mr. Davis died in 2011, the Raiders have been through eight head coaches; four in the last five years. Their cumulative record is 91-137; so far this season they are 2-10. It’s even worse when you consider not only do the Raiders have one win less than the Jets, but the season started with such promise and a win over the Patriots on the road. Since then New England has won 10 of their next 11 games while the Raiders have lost 10 of their next 11. It’s so bad, that two weeks ago as Cleveland was running out the clock and taking a knee, the Raiders were penalized for having too many men on the field. And then there’s the old story—this past Thursday I accidentally left two tickets for today’s game against Denver on my car dashboard. By the time I returned someone shattered the windshield and left two more.

The Broncos are one of the surprises of the NFL season with a 10-2 record. They have an interesting streak intact: in all 12 games, at some point during every game, Denver has trailed on the scoreboard. They will be hard pressed to keep that going today against the Raiders.

If you haven’t had enough televised football by now, the in-season Hard Knocks just returned on HBO Max for six weeks with new episodes streaming every Tuesday. The NFL East is the focus this time. Even the Giants get some airtime. It’s always good stuff.

And finally, as the 1973 hit by Stealers Wheel ‘Stuck In The Middle With You’ told us “I got the feeling something ain’t right.” I can’t get the lyrics out of my head because I worry about what’s coming today at noon Eastern/9 am Pacific. It’s an hour before the NFL games kickoff when attention will divert to college football and the announcement of the 12 teams participating in this year’s College Football Playoffs. First, kudos to the great story at Indiana becoming the number one seed. Personally, I have two dogs in the playoff fight — Alabama and Miami — but will try to look at this objectively. Alabama, after living in Birmingham for 20 years, is my adopted team. Andi tells me sometimes during the middle of the night I will yell ‘Roll Tide.’ Miami, from where I possess a diploma, is in my blood. Alabama got shellacked by Georgia yesterday in the SEC championship game prompting the debate should a three loss team advance to a spot in the coveted playoff bracket. My honest answer is no. Alabama had by Bama standards a so-so season, soiled by an early season loss to a bad Florida State team and Saturday’s beatdown by Georgia to finish at 10-3. Will the selection committee reward them for advancing to the SEC championship game and ignore Saturday’s loss? They shouldn’t. The entire process in itself is very imperfect. There’s no criteria boundary for an at-large selection; the rules are kind of made up as the committee subjectively proceeds. Bama with a season win percentage of .769 should stay home. If the Tide is out then Notre Dame and Miami should claim the final two at-large spots. But if the selection committee agrees that Bama is Bama and should be rewarded for making the conference final, no matter how soundly they got beat, then the final spot will come down to debate between Notre Dame and Miami. Each finished 10-2 for a .833 win percentage. Both teams deserve to go ahead of Alabama but there might only be room for one if the Tide is selected. Granted if Notre Dame and Miami played today on a neutral field the Irish would probably be a field goal favorite but that’s not the conversation. They already played. It was back on the last day of August in week one. The Canes won 27-24 as Notre Dame’s comeback ran out of time. In the NFL head to head competition is the first tiebreaker for playoff position no matter what point of the season the teams played. It’s the same in Little League and intramurals. Shouldn’t be any different here. If it does comes down to one of the two, Nick Saban, who knows more college football than even I do, lobbying for Miami on Saturday said, “Miami kicked Notre Dame’s ass. They deserve to go.” Well, they didn’t exactly kick Irish ass but did what needed to be done on the scoreboard. Additionally, the Canes and ND had four common opponents, both teams won them all, but on the scoreboard Miami was more convincing in three of the four. If it does come down to this Miami should be the choice, but a case will be made against them for their two bad mid-season losses as heavy favorites against Louisville and SMU. Win one of those two and there is no debate. I want to be wrong, but if Alabama stays in the field Miami will be left behind and sent to bowl game purgatory in San Antonio, Jacksonville, El Paso or some such place in front of 20,000 empty seats. It’s the brand that matters, the one that sells. Notre Dame is Notre Dame and Miami isn’t. We will find out in a few hours the answer but Bama should be on the outside with three losses and Miami and Notre Dame packing for a playoff game. In other words, “(I’m) trying to make some sense of it all but I can see it makes no sense at all.” Not yet, anyway.

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I’m proud that Medjet is sponsoring Sunday Morning Coffee. I spent 20 wonderful years with Medjet in Birmingham, Alabama, and can tell you unequivocally they are the standard-bearer for medical assistance membership programs. A talented staff, who cares about its members, is at the forefront of the company’s success. Whether you are traveling for business or pleasure, domestic or international, a Medjet membership should be an important part of your travel portfolio before you leave home. Check out the Medjet website at medjet.com or just tap on the Medjet logo and you’ll be able to get a look at Medjet’s services, rules and regulations, pricing, and an overview of the organization. And remember, any opinions expressed in Sunday Morning Coffee content or comments belong to the author and not the sponsor. Safe travels with your Medjet membership! — Roy Berger