Boom! He's on his back!

When Bokolis followed gridiron football, one of the things that made it worthwhile was listening to John Madden blather on about something that was apparent to a fan capable of critical thought, though maybe not to the larger nation of mongoloids, in such an endearing way that excused him telling us stuff we should already know.

Bokolis was too young to have experienced Madden the coach, and too old to give a fuck about the video game. So, my impression of him will remain as the broadcaster from the 80s and 90s- with a beer commercial thrown in- who knew and cared just a little bit more than the rest. Bokolis brings this up because, watching a college basketball game today, I saw some kid, after his team battled all game to whittle a 10-point deficit and finally tied it in the final minute, settle for shooting from Curry land, down two with 20 seconds left. A friend of mine, when I relayed this to him, lamented that everyone thinks they can shoot 3's. It reminded Bokolis of an old Madden line, one where he explained that two things everyone thinks they can do, but can't, are kick field goals and play tennis. It was one of the many times Madden stumbled on to genius. Bokolis would like to think that, if Madden had stayed in the public eye long enough to experience the current NBA, he would have added shooting 3-pointers to that. Suave, homes. You blazed quite a trail.

Feudalism by any other name...

So, it seems the bloodsuckers at UEFA/FIFA have met their match in this soulless cunt, who is looking to blow up football as we know it by bringing to existence the long-threatened European superleague to finally run the European Cup competition, currently doing business as the misnomered Champions League*, out of business once and for all.

Feudalism by any other name...despite the stated nationality of the bloke at the head of the table, Bokolis' inner circle of friends considers him a middleman/facilitator, and puts the blame for this squarely on the shoulders of the American ownership regimes of EPL teams.

As it is, with the proposed league saying that the squad can't play domestically and its players could be precluded from playing int'l, this has the potential to bite them in their ass.

Most of the relevant players would have no problem choosing riches of the superleague over country, but what happens when they are no longer good enough to play for the new G-20 and the lord kicks them off the land? Like a deposed nobleman, they'll be thrown in with riff raff, and still(?) banned from playing int'l.

The fans might be the bigger issue. We've hung in with the CL through all perversions because we still manage to hold some silly romantic connection to the European Cup. This new league would be like rewriting the Constitution, to which we have no allegiance, and not (self-)required to support. For Bokolis' part, I have been slowly extracting myself from football these past few years. My head is still lodged up its ass, but the rest of me is out.

The P in EPL has always, to some degree, stood for Plastic. The chief purpose of rebranding was to capture the national/int'l TV market- the so-called 'plastic fans' who who don't live near the grounds and don't go to the matches. Of course, television now makes up the bulk of the big clubs' revenue; spectators are just there to help with the TV ambience.

Similarly, the TV revenue in play here renders those local fans to being a bunch of local peasants, like someone living in a bungalow next to a high-rise who won't sell to the developers.

Surely, the new bloodsuckers would buy off UEFA/FIFA for its blessing. The EPL and the FAs are not Bokolis' hero- just a more tolerable lot of bastards. They are all cut from the same cloth.

The fans' only recourse is to disavow the clubs. Only the English fans are capable of this. Bokolis would count Gary Neville among them. While G.Neville the filthy manc cunt is to be reviled, I very much like the way G.Neville the analyst shakes. He is just about as quick to slam his own club for its misdeeds as he is any other, and praise a club he dreads just as quickly as he would his own, which are about the best things you can say about an analyst. He rightfully shreds MUFC and LFC in the same breath.

Have you ever noticed the difference between who gets the championship trophy in football (the captain) and who gets it in American sports (the owner)? As part of the greater culture, as Bokolis pointed out to his circle, you see a big difference right there between Britain, hardly as left-leaning as much of western Europe, and America. In America, where corporations seemingly have more rights than humans, and the free speech granted to a corporation and its money extends to the right to tell you to STFU- with the threat, implicit or explicit, to throw you off its land- when your view clashes with its own, a man with an opinion like this wouldn't even get three minutes to voice it on corporate media, let alone an uninterrupted three minutes.

Bokolis remembers reading- maybe 10-15 years ago, an article about the growing American ownership of clubs in the EPL and how they were already lobbying to scrap relegation. Someone was cited as saying it will never happen because they need 2/3 of the votes, and then the league has to also agree, which it would never do. I thought, just you wait, pal.

It's this kind of nonsense that America is seeking to bring to old world Europe, only it has stormed the beaches of England this time.

Rugby for fairies LIV at Miami

Bokolis split the conference championships- the Packers were run over, a bad bet, and the Chiefs blasted their way out of adversity.  This leaves it at 5-5 for the playoffs, with it coming down to the final game.

Chiefs (-1.5) over 49ers - Bokolis is taking somewhat of a chance posting the evening before the match.  I am leaving myself open to the dead-hooker story.  In reality, I was in at -1 a long time ago, so any dead hookers will have to say missing until Monday.

Lay people are all over the Chiefs, while players seem to be favoring the 49ers.  Anyone taking the 49ers has to be putting tremendous stock in their defense and running game.  They might also be banking on Andy Reid mucking up the playcalling like he used to, on Kyle Shanahan winning that battle.

Bokolis will be banking on that 49ers running game not being nearly as good as you think it is, on the Chiefs daring Jimmy G to beat them, and, even if everything goes wrong, on Mahomes and that offense being able to blast their way out of it.  I see this as the Chiefs having a 75% chance of winning, which should translate to more than a two-point victory- more like two touchdowns.

When I cook beef...

When Bokolis found out about Kobe Bryant's number being up- via a Yo! Did you hear what happened to Kobe? text from one of my homeboys- my response was that I feel about how Tony felt about Omar- an eerie parallel, don't you think?

All Bokolis saw was a link to the TMZ story, which, at that point, was four minutes old.  Of course, I don't believe in push notifications; my friends take care of that shit for me.  While keying in k-o-b-e, I didn't consider or speculate what it could be.

Bokolis didn't click through to the story.  I presumed he was on there with his secretary/mistress 'on business' and that it was a case of statistics catching up with him.

See, Bokolis has never thought much of Kobe.  Leaving aside his forcing a trade before he had ever played a game, I had him lined up as a cocky fuck needing to get the shit slapped out of him, and the only reason that wasn't happening is because Shaq was around.  While I'm not knocking his hustle, I can't have respect for someone who can't clear his own orbit, yet portraying the big willy.  I had even less respect when he later effectively whacked the guy under whose flag he flew (pun unintentional).  I guess Shaq could've kept himself in better shape.

Bokolis' opinion was crystallized when Kobe bought and/or was bailed out of a murky rape situation, where some bird went to the room not realizing what happens when you go to the room, and, this time, Kobe wound up having to take the pussy (and/or ass, apparently).  Moreover, I was already pretty well detached from the NBA.

So, while Kobe might have spent the rest of his days- when he wasn't yelling puši kurac in between free throws- rehabbing his image, I'd never have known.  If he turned into a genuinely good person, it's news to me.  In fact, Bokolis considered his later self-applying the nickname black mamba was his way of trolling for having gotten away with it.

So, right after the whoa!, and saying that I felt about how Tony felt about Omar, Bokolis keyed out, the black mamba is in the black land.  I somehow refrained from keying in Kobe cooked.

Of course, soon enough, the news comes out that one of his daughters was on board*.  Well, fuck, that changes things.  Then it was five people.  Damn, the devil him him hard.  Then it was nine people.  Jesus, this is a fucking mess.

*   Aside- it may have said that in the TMZ article, but Bokolis didn't open it, and was not aware until it was more widely reported.

You can look up the details of the doomed flight.  Whether you believe that the pilot was trying to please his boss, or that Kobe demanded to plow ahead is up to you.  Bokolis does not have that answer.  I do know that this guy was taking a chopper to a girls basketball game because he couldn't be bothered with sitting in LA traffic.

You may also see him as #girldad, as if trending hashtags count in the final judgement.  Bokolis would hate to think that this was karma catching up to him (or the devil coming to collect) but, if I were his accuser/victim, I would definitely be thinking that.

The sadness comes from realizing that there are grieving people left behind, and is for the people roped in with this muthafucka.  The tributes are heinous.  It is sad how we try to make kings or deities out of people.  When you're gone, goodbye, so long, farewell.  False idols, muthafuckas, false idols...this guy was just another cunt.

Suave, homes, ya dun well.

Rugby for Fairies 2019-20 Conference Championships

Bokolis, 4-4, is looking to make hay this week so as to not have it come down to the pro-wrestling clown show in two weeks.

CHIEFS (-7) over Titans - Yes, this would bust Bokolis' long-held prediction of the Chiefs not getting to the bowl, but this is not a hedge.  History has repeatedly told us that teams like the Titans- run heavy, pass light, rely on no mistakes- almost never turn this trick three weeks in a row.  Derrick Henry is a special player and could pull this off in the cold and, even if not, the Titans can still cover.  However, it was only the Chiefs' momentary offensive jitters that put them in a 24-0 hole last week.  This is something I don't expect to recur.  The Titans will have to do a lot to keep up.

Packers (+8) over 49ERS - Bokolis doesn't promise that the Packers will win this game.  But, given that I don't think enough of Garoppolo to believe that he can beat the Packers by this much without help from his defense.  I'm going to take Rodgers and his back of tricks to keep it close.

Another divisional beatdown

So, about when the Texans made it 21-0, Bokolis was thinking about the beating I was taking this week and thinking that the silver lining was that my long-held prediction that the Chiefs and the Jets would not be back to another super bowl until all the rest of the teams made it first would still hold.  To boot, the potential was there for the Texans to come off the list,which also includes the Lions, Browns and Jaguars.

Aside - since the Cleveland Browns were paused/didn't exist when Bokolis first made the statement, and the Jaguars and Texans were, respectively, a recent addition and non-existent, I would claim victory if the Lions somehow made a super bowl.

Bokolis didn't watch the Saturday games and didn't start tracking the Vikings-49ers until some point in the second quarter.  But, I knew the Vikings were sunk when, after intercepting late in the second quarter and already in field goal range, they went 3-and-out.  I also had the sense that only one of the Saturday road teams would cover, so I was resigned to 0-2 right there.  Ultimately, my hasty picks disregarded my acquired perceptions: the Titans had a proper running back and the Vikings couldn't run between the tackles.

As if Bokolis didn't already know, after the Ravens were stuffed on the first 4th and short, it confirmed what the early part of the game had made apparent:  the Ravens and their QB weren't ready for the playoffs.

That's how it goes.  Bokolis didn't feel bad because I was lukewarm on those games.  Of course, back in the old days, I would have been backing up the truck on the Chiefs, as I had the most conviction on that game.

Imagine, then, how Bokolis felt when I turned on the game- I thought it started at 3:30- and saw 14-0.  That truck was hijacked.

When the Texans botched their plan to go for it on 4th and short while leading 21-0, ultimately standing down and taking a field goal, Bokolis didn't disagree.  Piling up points as a bunker seemed the correct thing, because 21 was never going to be enough- and it's not the hindsight talking.  However, and, that's an all-caps and huge font however, taking the field goal there, only to try a fake punt- and botching that planning as well- in their own territory made no sense.  I knew they would not make it to the end right then and there, but I still wasn't sure that KC would cover the 10 (the line nudged back up to 10 by game time).  The Chiefs, who scored their first TD on a short field, were handed another short field for their second TD, which sped up the comeback.

They brought the truck back, with a little extra in it, no questions asked.

Actually, there was a red flag the whole time, as Deshaun Watson spent way too much time after plays (seemingly) schmoozing with officials and players, things that should not be on his radar.  He is not a winner.

Aaron Rodgers is a winner.  This is being keyed in on either side of halftime of the Seahawks-Packers.  Not having to worry about a running game, the Packers seem to be getting pressure the same way the Chiefs did, and Bokolis sees Russell Wilson staring at the defensive end the same way Deshaun Watson was.  So, the Seahawks are suffering much the same way.  Of course, Russell Wilson is about the only QB who can get away with this, but not without a running game.  To boot, Aaron Rodgers isn't making mistakes, making the Seahawks secondary look foolish, and the Packers are cutting through the Seahawks.

As it is, at 28-10 Packers, halfway through the third quarter, Bokolis is waiting for the Seahawks to bog down on their current drive before hitting publish, so I can get to bed.  At 28-17, I'm aggravated that I've got to hang with this, that, even if the Seahawks manage to hold the Packers AND score another touchdown, covering would come down to a 2-point conversion. The perils of results over process.

Actually, the Seahawks scored early enough that there was a little more to it than that.

The lack of a running game might seem glaring, but Russell Wilson is a running game.  What they won't tell you is that the Seahawks were done in by a lacking secondary, especially #21 and #28...and probably some dodgy replay angles.  Jimmy Graham did not get the first down at the end.  Thirty Forty years later, rulings are as dodgy as they ever were.

1-3 for this round, 4-4 for the playoffs, down the vigs.

Rugby for fairies 2019-20 Divisional Round

So, after a 3-1 wild card week, Bokolis is confronted with a couple of lukewarm Saturday matches. Then again, there is little that is more lukewarm than last Saturday's curtain jerker.

Vikings (+7) over 49ERS - Bokolis doesn't really think the Vikings will win, but I do think some combination of they have enough to keep with or cockblock the 49ers/the 49ers don't have enough to dominate the Vikings and/or the slower track will help converge performances.

RAVENS (-9.5) over Titans - Bokolis has to believe that the Titans have shot their wad.  The Titans are more equipped to hang than the Vikings, but the Ravens are better equipped to dominate.

CHIEFS (-9.5) over Texans - This is supposed to be game where the side barely squeaking by in the last round goes to the top seed and gets duly hammered.

Seahawks (+4.5) over PACKERS - From what Bokolis is told, the Packers are a soft 13-3- it allegedly includes a couple of ass-kickings- and Aaron Rodgers is making mistakes that he wasn't making in prior years. There's also something about the Seahawks road record- huh?!?  I'm not buying that the Seahawks will win, but I do believe that the Packers are not equipped to pull away.