Sunday Morning Coffee — February 12, 2023 — Super Sunday Morning Scramble

We saw Adele at Caesars Palace on Friday night.  A tough ticket to find makes it a very expensive ticket. Fortunately, for the retirement bankroll, we were the guests of ‘Bama friends Kathy and Mat Whatley. I’m an Adele novice but that lady can sing and the show was very enjoyable.  Making it a great night was the pre-show dinner at Joe’s Stone Crab, which never disappoints.

Firestone and I pay homage to The U; remembering Ibis in Birmingham.

Last weekend was special.  Saturday night we hosted our temple fundraiser featuring the One Man Show of Roy Firestone, the seven time Emmy Award winning interviewer of Up Close on ESPN. Roy has gone on to a show business career: singing, storytelling, impressions, comedy. He’s really talented. Back in the day, we went to the University of Miami together and hosted a Sunday night radio talk show in 1973-74 cleverly called The Roy and Roy Show. I’m pretty sure I was the top billed Roy.  At least that is what I tell myself. The night was a big success for Temple Sinai.  Also on Saturday, the Greater Birmingham Humane Society (GBHS) held their annual charity event called the Jazz Cat Ball in Alabama.  We lived in Birmingham for 20 years before coming to Vegas. Not only did my company and SMC sponsor Medjet (medjet.com) participate, but Andi and I also sponsored part of the gala with a tribute to Ibis, whom we lost in July.  We adopted Ibis from GBHS in 2009 and he literally changed our lives.  I am a former GBHS Board Member; Andi was a key cog in the ladies fundraising auxiliary of the chapter.  Giving back is not only satisfying but fun.

And speaking of the U, one of our alumnus, Greg Olsen, will be the color commentator today on the FOX broadcast of the Super Bowl.

Here’s a travel tip: if you are thinking of coming to Vegas in December or January for the weather, don’t.

I haven’t said it yet, but it’s only a matter of time.  When a server highlights the menu or gives the specials and says, “Personally that’s my favorite,” one of these days, probably sooner than later, I will ask ‘Who gives a shit.’

I have no desire to visit Chad, can’t assume you do either.

Is it just me or as we are getting older is dialogue on television programs harder to understand?

I’m sure you already knew this, but Le Freak by Chic was the first recording in the rock era to become a Billboard number one three different times.  It happened in 1978.

Are postage stamps really 63 cents?

Happy 76th birthday to Dan Quayle.  The oft-maligned former vice president of George H.W. Bush from 1989-1993 is reportedly miffed that nobody ever gave him classified documents to take home.  In fact, nobody ever gave him classified documents in the office, either.

As long as we have the birthday candles lit, Gene Hackman celebrates his 93rd and Tina Louise, Gilligan’s Ginger and the last surviving member of the cast, turned 89 yesterday.

As an enticement to beat high costs, some restaurants are now letting diners finance their meals over four interest free months.  No kidding. Tip not included.

Little Darlings gentleman’s club here in Vegas changed their marquee to read, “Lap Dances, Cheaper Than Eggs.”  That sounds like a hard boiled treat.

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin got married for the fourth time last month at age 93.  His wife is 30 years his junior.  It brings a whole new meaning to the question, ‘Ready for lift-off, Buzz?’

Just so I understand: Scott Rolen was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame and Don Mattingly wasn’t?

The last minute and a half of college basketball games has become excruciating to watch.  Endless time outs and video reviews take almost half an hour.

Remember how excited as kids we were when our Silly Putty, sold in egg shaped capsules, duplicated an image right off the newspaper?  Who would have thought 65 years later, Silly Putty would still be around and newspapers all but extinct?

Congratulations to Donald Trump, a self-proclaimed magnificent golfer, who says he won his Mar-a-Lago club championship despite having been seen at a funeral in North Carolina on the first day of the event.

Good television are a couple of British police mysteries, a genre I really enjoy. Bodyguard on Netflix and Conspiracy on Apple TV are certainly worth a watch.

The National Hockey League was really excited this year moving its television contract from cable’s little-watched NBC Sports to mainstream outlets like ESPN and TNT.  And now they are totally at a loss on why ratings are down 22%.

I grew up a hockey kid.  Dad first introduced me to the game circa 1962 at a Long Island Ducks minor league game.  They played in the old Eastern Hockey League, which was the catalyst for the movie Slapshot.  The hijinks that took place in the film were just a small part of the real story of that league.   Shortly afterwards I started following the New York Rangers.  In my 60 years or so of watching the sport, there have been three generational, game changing players: Bobby Hull, Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky.  Orr became the first real offensive defenseman with his ice-long rushes; now it’s commonplace. Gretzky the most prolific and innovative scorer in history whether or not Alex Ovechkin or anyone else ultimately breaks his career mark for goals scored.  Gretzky is Babe Ruth to whomever becomes Roger Maris. Bobby Hull was the first of the three to pass away on January 30 at age 84.  Hull may have been a crumb off the ice with accusations of wife beating and Nazi sympathizing, but his devastating slap shot was the forerunner of today’s offense now commonly known as ‘one-timers.’  As kids we used to go to Madison Square Garden and sit in what was called the 2nd Promenade, just above the glass on either end of the building. We were too naive to think a puck could do any real damage but when Hull shot, you ducked.  He and teammate Stan Mikita were the first to use curved blades on their sticks which made the puck’s trajectory unpredictable. Goalies didn’t wear masks, but Hull eventually moved them in that direction. Reality hit in 2002 when Brittanie Cecil, 13, was at a Columbus Blue Jackets game with her dad, and a deflected slap shot sailed over the glass partition striking and killing the young lady two days before her 14th birthday.  Since that night, all NHL arenas have protective screens above the glass.  Hull started blasting his missiles in 1959 and soon others followed. It’s a miracle that life threatening injuries didn’t happen sooner.

I was just as much an Andy Griffith Show fan as the next kid. However, I never noticed or realized that early in the series, which debuted in 1961, Howard McNear, Floyd the Barber, was always filmed on his feet and cutting hair.  In 1963 he suffered a stroke that rendered most of the left side of his body paralyzed.  Griffith talked him back on the show; McNear was unable to walk or stand, and in almost every scene going forward, Floyd was seated on a bench in front of his shop.  He retired in 1967,  a year before the final episode, and died in 1969.

My NBA and NHL win total wagers are hanging in.  In the NBA, Herbie Shainker the over/under guru, recommended Charlotte under 36.5 wins for the season.  His impressive multi-sport winning streak continues.  With 24 games left the Hornets are 15-43 needing only to lose four more.  One thing Charlotte is really good at is losing, so that one is in the barn.  My larger NBA play, thanks to the tip from my NBA-watching son Jason, was Orlando over 27 wins.  They have 23, with 25 games to go.  Not a certainty yet but I like my position even though they will be underdogs in almost every game the rest of the way. And who cares if I can’t name three of their players nor their coach?  In the NHL, I homered it and played Vegas over 96.5 season points.  After winning 13 of their first 15 games this bet was never in doubt.  Then seemingly everyone from their best player, Mark Stone, to the Zamboni driver have visited the infirmary and missed games and the team entered a long swoon.  After the All Star break, they have found their mojo winning two straight but their all-star goaltender went down last week and is gone indefinitely. Now they sit with 66 points.  There are 29 games and 58 points still up for grabs. I have a puncher’s chance.

For those looking to play opposite and win today, I have Kansas City plus two and a larger play on the Chiefs to score more than 24 points. However, no matter what happens, all  is right with the world because spring training camps open this week.

Enjoy Rihanna. She’s no Adele but for halftime she’ll do.