Sunday Morning Coffee — February 23, 2025 — Sunday Morning Scramble

By Roy Berger, Las Vegas, Nevada

Good morning and thanks to the one reader who noticed we didn’t publish last week. It’s flattering to have such a loyal following. Today we’ll Scramble with a bunch of items that have accumulated. We’ll write about good friends; remembering Ginger on her birthday; why Giants football fans should feel a little bit better; what really was the biggest trade in NBA history; the world’s worst gambler; the jury still out on a hockey experiment and how good it was to travel again. That and much more, so let’s get to it:

Any stand-up comedian will tell you if you have to explain a joke, it didn’t land. If you have to explain a halftime show, it didn’t work. Andi had to tutor me on Kendrick Lamar.

What are friends for? Part 1. In December Melania Trump was shopping for a buyer to air her upcoming documentary about the transition back to First Lady. According to The Wall Street Journal, Netflix and Apple TV had no interest. Paramount made a $4 million dollar offer; Disney upped it to $14 million for its ABC/Hulu platforms. Then Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos came to dinner at Mar-A-Lago. He was trying to reinvigorate his off-again/on-again relationship with Melania’s husband. The dinner turned into a documentary pitch. By the time the crème brûlée arrived Amazon, which according to WSJ is noted for frugality and sharp negotiating skills, agreed to pay $40 million to license the project. That’s a good friend.

Years ago, in the 70s and 80s, Boomers quit smoking when cancer warnings became a staple on cigarette packaging. Then we all took safe refuge in alcohol. Now 40-50 years later the FDA is considering putting that same cancer warning on alcohol products. As a result many drinkers are leaving booze, or cutting down on consumption, moving towards the relatively safe haven of cannabis. And now the big buzzkill. According to AARP the easing of marijuana laws in half our states (not yet including Canada) is also having a negative health impact. It seems munchies have become a widespread health and weight problem. Across those decriminalized pot jurisdictions spending on candy has risen by 8.5%, snack foods 13% and cookies 17.5%. I’ll have another Oreo please.

What are friends for? Part II. Elon Musk, the Kato Kaelin of the White House, contributed $250 million to the campaign to elect Donald J. Trump. He was rewarded with a key role in the administration. You’d think that would be enough between friends. Not so fast. In 2021 Musk’s social-media platform, then called Twitter, deplatformed Trump over his alleged role in the January 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol. Trump then sued. In November 2022 Musk reinstated Trump to Twitter, X today. That was followed by $250 million in campaign contributions. You’d think between friends that might be more than enough and the lawsuit would fizzle out. Not so fast on that one either. Two weeks ago it was settled for $10 million.

And speaking of the aforementioned Mr. Musk, one need not be a government efficiency czar to realize this no longer makes cents. In 2024 there were nearly 3.2 billion pennies produced by the U.S. Mint at a cost of almost four pennies per. Net loss was $85.3 million. That’s a lot of pesky copper.

Happy birthday to Gilligan’s Ginger. Tina Louise then and a few years ago.

Happy 91st birthday to Tina Louise, Ginger Grant, the last surviving cast member of Gilligan’s Island. Ms. Louise, who lives in New York City, played every teen boy’s crush from 1964-67. When the series ended she walked away and didn’t participate in any of the show sequels. She was concerned the Ginger role typecast her and ruined any post-Gilligan movie career. She was right.

I’m not sure this will make New York Giants fans feel any better but let’s give it a shot. Even though they lost their standout running back Saquon Barkley to the Eagles in free agency this past season, Barkley was not the reason Philadelphia won the Super Bowl. In fact, statistically, you can make a case he had no bearing at all. In 2023 when Barkley was still a Giant the Eagles, 11-6, finished 15th overall in NFL team rushing with D’Andre Swift as the featured running back. This year with Barkley, the Eagles went 14-3 but once again finished 15th in team rushing yards. The difference was the defense. If defense wins championships the Eagles have become the standard bearer. In 2023 Philly was 30th in team defense out of 32 teams. This past regular season the Eagles were first. It showed against the very confused Chiefs.

And we’ll put the Super Bowl to rest with one final thought. The NFL spends a lot of money on logistics and marketing to take their brand overseas. Last year there were four regular season games played in Europe- three in London and one in Munich. In 2025 the number goes up to six- three London and one each in Berlin, Madrid and Dublin. NFL fever is rampant in Europe. I went to the Jets-Vikings game in London last season, and it was over the top with enthusiasm. However, all but a very few on the continent missed the league’s showcase game. Two weeks ago the Super Bowl kicked-off at 6:30 pm Eastern which was 11:30 pm in the UK and 12:30 am in Germany and Spain. The league has to find a way to do better with exposure of their marquis product to a budding and hungry fan base. The good news is all of Europe slept through halftime.

Tucupita Marcanto was not only a bad Major League Baseball player but a worse gambler. The former Padres and Pirates infielder has been suspended for life by MLB for betting on baseball. In 2023 while with Pittsburgh, investigators determined that Marcanto made 387 baseball bets for about $150,000. This was a guy making $654,000 in salary. He won 4.3% of his wagers. That’s 16 winners. To be that bad is virtually impossible. Even I’m better. Marcanto bet on the Pirates both to win and lose. He bet total runs scored. No doubt exotic multi-team parlays, too. By no means was his action confined just to Pittsburgh. He bet across the league. Probability says you’ll lose more than you win but 16 winners? His wagering winning percentage was .043. His lifetime batting average was .217. Compared to his gambling, this guy was a Hall of Fame hitter.

Three decades later American Manhunt-O.J. Simpson is worth the Netflix watch. While the saga has been overplayed through the years, this account is actually interesting. After watching it if you still want more of defense lawyer Carl Douglas, let’s talk.

Good television news is White Lotus has returned for season three on HBO. Life just got better. Conversely, some sad memories: 59 years ago this week in 1966, Mr. Ed was sent to the glue factory as CBS canceled the show. Wilbrrr!

I’m not a day in/day out NBA fan other than keeping tabs on my season over/under play, which this year seems relatively safe with Oklahoma City over 57 wins. However, I do take exception to the NBA pundits trying to convince me the February 1 trade between the Lakers and Dallas of Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic is the biggest in league history. It’s not. That happened on December 19, 1968, when the Knicks sent Walt Bellamy and Butch Komives to the Pistons for Dave DeBusschere. The impact of DeBusschere joining the Knicks line-up of Willis Reed, Bill Bradley, Dick Barnett and Walt Frazier led to NBA championships for the Knicks in 1970 and 1973. They haven’t won since.

Growing up on Long Island in the ‘60s St. John’s was metro-New York’s college basketball team. I must have a little bit of Johnnies still in me as I’m really enjoying their resurgence under Rick Pitino.

Hesitant stick-taps to National Hockey League brass for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. It concluded Thursday as a mid-season replacement for the All-Star game and a precursor to next February’s Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. The hockey was fantastic, the intensity among the players from the U.S., Canada, Finland and Sweden and their respective fans was off the charts. And this was only a made-for-television exhibition that worked with a record setting 16 million viewers throughout North America. However, short-term, that same intensity is probably counter-productive to the NHL teams that had players in the tournament and are now jockeying for playoff positions. No team improved their playoff chances during the 10-day event, but how much damage was done? Any lingering animosity, especially between the champion Canadian and runner-up U.S. teams, needs to be healed in the locker room. Short-term exhaustion will be a factor among the participants. The majority of the league had almost two weeks off and will need to get their stakes back under them again. There were a handful of injuries that won’t help playoff seeding either most notably Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk, Boston’s Charlie McAvoy and Vegas’ Shea Theodore, their best two-way defenseman, who broke his wrist in the first game of the tournament and is out for at least a month probably longer. There’s no argument the event was great but at what cost?

Finally, I don’t travel as much as I used to. For 30 years I was on the road regularly for business, two or three weeks a month. After retiring in 2018 it’s every now and again I head to the airport. I really don’t miss it. Or I didn’t think I did. That changed a week ago on a flight from Las Vegas to Birmingham, Alabama. When I fly Southwest I am in an aisle seat and if the flight is full, I try and recruit my soon-to-be middle seat partner. Ideal top draft choice is a slight female. I’ll dip into the male pool as long as they look under 160 pounds or thereabouts. Anything I can do to avoid the 250 pound linebacker. Once the boarding starts for the C-group, I get aggressive in my recruitment knowing seats are now at a minimum. On this full flight a perfect candidate heads down the aisle. She eyes the empty middle seat and then me. I respond with the universal head-nod that says this seat is for you. Then the chit-chat starts. She lives in Vegas but is going to Birmingham for a concert — Lee Brice. Whomever.

Yes Theresa, that middle seat is just for you.

My new friend Theresa is also an entrepreneur. She tells me she has a Vegas based business called Daddy’s Caddies. Business is so good, they recently expanded to Scottsdale, Arizona. The company offers a wonderful service for golfers. No longer, when in Vegas for a trade show, conference or just a boys trip, do guys have to play lonely, boring rounds of golf. Daddy’s Caddies mantra is “Birdies Expected; Woodies Guaranteed.” Great branding. Right on point. All the lonesome golfer has to do is go to the Daddy’s Caddies website, select whom you’d like your five-hour golf course companion to be and pay a very reasonable booking fee of $100. She’ll meet you at the course. You’ll then pay about $25 in the pro shop for a second rider in your cart. There’s a list of recommended public golf courses to play. Private courses tend to frown upon this. They are so stodgy and dull. Then another $200 to your caddy for her course insight. None of this includes tipping for the many services they offer. According to the website, that includes: tending the pin; reading greens; buying drinks from the beverage cart for both of you with your money; distracting your playing partners when they stand over a crucial putt; keeping your shaft aligned; making sure of a smooth, firm stroke and of course keeping your clubs and especially your balls clean. Who knows what else? I kept thinking three things: I need to fly more often; I need to play a lot more public golf and why was this flight to Birmingham only three hours? Okay fellow golfers, if you haven’t already, take a peek at daddyscaddies.com. Bring plenty of cash.

---

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 above 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 or readers and not the sponsor. Safe travels with your Medjet membership! — Roy Berger