A small but pointed question in re Ja Morant

For those of you who do not follow pro basketball... Ja Morant is the young star point guard for the Memphis Grizzlies. He's one of the 20 to 30 best basketball players on the planet (maybe), and fun as hell to watch due to astounding athleticism. 

He's also on personal leave in the aftermath of a leaked video from a strip club where he's seen handling a not terribly large gun. He might not play basketball again this year because of this, and seems to have accepted the idea that he needs therapy, and new ways to spend his time outside of sports. I suspect he's going to lose some endorsements, and Memphis, which had significant playoff hopes this year, may go down without their best player while this all gets sorted out.

Now, I don't particularly have an issue with this, though the unseemliness of media on What It All Means is a bit much. Long-time readers of the blog know my issues of Game and Not Game, as well as an earned suspicion of what Big Mouse sells as content. (Basically, it's got more than a little in common, in terms of reasons to doubt veracity, with Rupert Murdoch-owned properties. Moving on.)

But I do have one very large question...

Why isn't the NRA, and all of the other pro-2nd Amendment absolutists, telling everyone to leave Morant alone? Where are the protestors demanding to know why Morant doesn't have the right to constitutionally carry whatever makes him happy? 

Look at that photo on the right again. He's clearly happy.

(crickets)

Why, it's almost as if the 2nd Amendment is only a good and noble right that must be protected above and beyond all measures of sanity and common sense if the carrier of the weapon is... is... is...

Dammit, I forgot what Morant is. 

Besides a basketball player.

(crickets)

Justin Verlander? Aaron Rodgers? 

Mind taking a Colt 45 into a honkey tonk bar and giving us a data point or two?

Super Bowl: Game Notes

 > The NFL decided that the field at the Super Bowl should be painted and slippery as possible. Good move.

> First drive, like every other first drive in this playoff year. QB Jalen Hurts looking better than any other point, and WR Devonta Smith owning. I have no idea how you play defense against this team. It's wonderful.

> Kansas City's offense goes the length of the field, and QB Patrick Mahomes wasn't bothered during any of it. If you want to go back to trashing Jonathan Gannon and thinking the Eagle defense can't stop good QBs, yeah. Sheesh. Oh, and his ankle looks fine. Rut roh.

> A 10-yard penalty on a smoke screen, then a meh rushing play, weak sauce short pass and not enough pass protection. 3 and out against Mahomes is not advised.

> All day for Mahomes, TE Travis Kelce just absurdly open. KC fails on third and short, leading to K Harrison Butker smashing it off the upright from 42 yards. I'll take any stop I can get against this offense.

> Hurts hits WR AJ Brown for an absolute you aren't as good as us play, and it's Eagles 14, Chiefs 7. Wow.

> A three and out as CB James Bradberry cashes in his All-Pro card to get a call. PR Britain Covey isn't as fast as he thinks he is, so.

> Hurts thwarts a 3rd and 8 blitz and converts to WR Zach Pascal. Huge play, great play.

> So far, RB Kenneth Gainwell looks a lot better than nominal RB1 Miles Sanders.

> Eagles self-destruct on the sneak play with an Issac Seumalo, then Hurts fumbles on a bad keep idea for a return touchdown. That's the kind of mistakes that you just can't make against a good team in the playoffs. F***. Tie game.

> On 4th and 5, draw by Hurts, keeps his feet, huge play. Even bigger, drawing an offsides on 4th and 2. Just your standard 75-yard right down your throat drive after the mistake. Eagle Fan chants MVP. 21-14 Green.

> Mahomes can't convert on a scramble and aggravates the ankle injury. Covey with a big return and this game is in a lot of flux. Eagles with timeouts, field position, and the chance to make it a 2-score game.

> Deep ball to Smith, replays, fantastic effort... and ruled a drop after enough time to start a million conspiracy theories. Should not have been changed.

> Hurts runs throw traffic to convert yet another sneak, this one with more damage. Another great play by Brown gets them close, but Gainwell is tackled in bounds to burn the last timeout. K Jake Elliot converts, and it's 24-14 Green, with 22 minutes of time of possession. Eagle Fan has a lot more to like than Chief Fan so far, but we're a long way from done.

> 5-minute knife through butter drive for Kansas City, and if Butker had hit the field goal, this game would be tied despite all of that time of possession. GAHHH.

> Terrible smoke screen, fumble, touchdown. If that isn't overturned, it's the second awful replay call of the game for the Chiefs, and a complete disaster. Overturned. Phew. Huge conversion on 3rd and 6 to TE Dallas Goedert. WR Quez Watkins doesn't pull in a great deep ball. It leads to a delay of game, then on 3rd and 14, it's a sideline ball to Goedert and another moment of where snapping the ball before the other team can challenge is completely subverted. Loving the refs in this game so, so much. It's fun when you don't have to challenge plays; it lets Andy Reid be a much better coach. Ruling stands, improbably.

> A ton of long clock by the Eagles offense in this game; suspect it wasn't all intentional. The drive stalls, Elliot converts, and it's 27-21. Drama. Goddamned drama. This much time of possession, you'd think the running game would have been more effective by now...

> Third quarter ends with easy running plays for the Chiefs to move the ball into Eagles territory. Not loving the defense at all today; no sacks, no turnovers, not nearly enough disruptive plays. Might need some to close the deal... but, um, nope. Reid totally schools Gannon, Chiefs take their first lead of the game, 28-27. Arizona might want to rethink that job offer; just inexcusable that a defense with this much fresh bodies and talent just never makes the offense uncomfortable.

> A 3 and out, a bad punt by P Arron Siposs, a huge return by Chiefs WR Kadarius Toney, and this game is going away with a quickness. Full blitz, walk in touchdown to an uncovered receiver. Gannon is completely exposed; 3 straight effortless touchdowns. Butker converts. Chiefs 35, Eagles 27, and unless Hurts wants to do everything and then play defense, this one's over.

> 46-yard pass to Smith, sneak, then Hurts smashes his way in for a 2-point conversion. Good lord, what a player. Now if he could only play defense. 35-all.

> Mahomes with the ankle sprints for a huge play. Sure. Why not. I feel like my laundry's best chance is to allow the touchdown quickly, have Kansas City kick the extra point, and expect Hurts to lead the team to another touchdown and 2-point conversion. Hard to win a game without a defense, folks.

> 5-yard marginal flag on 3rd and 9 ends the season. I have no idea why I watch football. Eagle defense tries to give up, but Jerrick MacKinnon is too smart for it, so the game is over. The most talented Eagle team in history loses on refs, defensive coordinator incompetence, and if you wonder why you bother to watch football, I don't blame you at all. Good night.

> Game ends on a pointless incompletion, and that's that. Moving on.

Super Bowl: Not Game Notes

 > "Lift Every Voice And Sing" is a dramatically better national anthem. Just switch it.

> Watching Dak Prescott get booed while accepting the Walter Payton Man of the Year charity award? High comedy. I love Eagle Fan, who has clearly turned this into an Eagles home game.

> I also enjoyed Fox cutting to Prescott looking like a hamster in a headlight during Sheryl Lee Ralph singing. Good look, Dak.

> Massive booing of the Chiefs. Muted stupid racist chant.

> Why Fox needed DJ Khaled to do some weird stripper hype intro, we'll never know. America! Love it or be puzzled by it!

> I missed the memo on why we needed three different songs about the country before playing a football game... but once more, Ammerica! Love it or be puzzled by it!

> Eagles head coach Nick Siriani, just weeping like a faucet. Win the game and we'll think that's fine, Nick. Otherwise... SUSPECT.

> Women fly military jets, too! Yay, woke military industrial complex!

> Menopause ads. DAMN WOKE AMURIKA.

> Harold Carmichael, flapping his arms. Yes, it's a home game.

> Eating avocados makes you naked. Don't eat avocados.

> E-Trade wants babies to be promiscuous. That sound you just heard was QAnon rising as one.

> Remy Martin requires me to listen to a weird motivational speech before drinking it. OK.

> Paramount spent 30 seconds on Sylvester Stallone sneezing. Good use of resources.

> I am out of touch. But Rihanna looks like a chaos muppet in that outfit.

> Michelob Ultra wants everyone to remember "Caddyshack." Why?

> Fine concert. Too many people will just remember it for whether or not the black female singer is pregnant. You can see what this says about our priorities.

> Electrified Jeeps cause animals to adopt human dance. This is why you should buy one.

> The biggest and wealthiest scumbags in the world were at the game, and Fox decided we needed to see them. Great.

> I like Pop Corners. I like Breaking Bad. Not sure why this needed mixing. Whatever.

> If I buy an electric truck, my penis won't work. OK.

> People who care about dogs should be eaten by wolves, because beer.

Grease the poles: The Eagles are going to the Super Bowl

 So I haven't been filling the sports blog very often for personal reasons, but I have been watching every minute of 2022-2023 Eagles football, obviously. Observations!

> I don't know how to handle a football team that consistently delivers blowouts in playoff games. I'm not sure that anyone does. Usually when you get to this stage, you get a close game. Not so much this team. 

> The Eagles have 88 rushing attempts in two playoff games. Porn, people, porn. And in the last two games, why they won't re-sign Miles Sanders, despite him being a very good football player, because Kenneth Gainwell will give them 80% of Miles for 20% of the cost.

> Both games were over in the first half. Most of their wins this year have been like that. Again, just not used to rooting for teams that do this.

> Usually when a football team signs a free agent, it's disappointing. Careers are short, players often are washed when they get to later contracts, and adjusting to new systems often drains the value out of a player. And then there's Hassan Reddick, who is having a pass rushing year that hasn't been seen in this laundry since the days of Peak Reggie White, and you forget all of that.

> When a team just boat races other teams, it has a way of just diminishing the opponent and making things seem easy. You could tell a narrative that this Niners roster was a paper tiger, with the winning streak coming against a lot of ordinary opponents, and that the NFC Championship Game might have been different had Niner QB Brock Purdy not gotten hurt. Which diminishes the defense that, well, injured him with intense pressure. You could also tell a narrative that the Giants were nice enough but frauds, and only got to the second round because the Vikings were also frauds.

But, well, you can only beat the teams you play. The Eagles are 15-1 this year in games started by their QB, and the only game with him where they lost was a fluke turnover fest. They won the division with the best record in football this year. 

This isn't a good team in a bad league. This is a dominant team in a great league. And if they can do it one more time, you can put them in a short list for Best Team Ever, Single Season Edition.

> The Super Bowl will be a home game for the Eagles in Arizona. Eagle Nation travels, has more money than Chiefs Fan, and will genuinely terrify the good people of Arizona. Pray for them.

> This will be the deepest Eagle team you ever see, because the QB is an MVP candidate playing on a second round pick contract. Hurts is going to get paid, and there's likely a half dozen starters that won't be here next September. They get a high pick, keep the wideouts, and have the best GM in the game. But it's kind of amazing, and a little poignant, that a team that should be favored to win the Super Bowl by a touchdown is probably already on the downside, and that's without even taking into account the way the league will pillage this coaching staff.

> Having watched Jalen Hurts for the entire year, he's not close to his real self right now. It also hasn't even come close to mattering. And if the offensive and defensive lines do what they did in the last two games, it won't matter then, either. Or do a whole lot to limit his next contract, because when your QB is an MVP candidate, under 24, and has the best work ethic in club history, you sign him. For whatever.

Grease the poles!

Top 10 Ways Sixer Fan Should Mark Ben Simmons' Return

Ah Yep

10) In anticipation of the "Bricking For Chicken" missed free throw promotion, refrain from eating for the better part of a day, so you don't put on too much weight

9) Turn off all national media, which are going on full They Threw Snowballs At A Drunk In A Santa Suit A Half Century Ago Alert

8) Boo Simmons for the fractions of a second where he has the ball in his hands

7) Check Simmons' social media feeds in mid-game, since he'll likely be updating them then

6) Wear the Simmons gear you haven't burned (as if)

5) Wear the Carson Wentz gear you didn't get to wear last week (and burn that too)

4) Nervously pass up your once in a lifetime chance to boo a useless grifter into oblivion to someone who isn't very prepared, interested, or good at booing

3) React with absolute silence to the inevitable highlight reel that some poor media intern had to compile as a sign of good will, or something

2) Look at James Harden on the bench in street clothes and know that, in your heart, you won this trade even when the Beard is sitting on his ass

1) Hours of uninterrupted rhythmic sing-a-long profanity that stagger the human imagination with its creativity and persistence