A Major League City with a Small Town Newspaper & etc.

 The fifth game of the 2021 World Serie was played yesterday. The Atlanta Braves were leading  the Houston Astros 3-1 and could have won the title with a win. Instead, the Astros won. It is not unusual in sports for teams to rally during championships and extend the series. What is unusual and shameful is that the Sacramento Bee, the newspaper that services a major league sports city (home to the NBA's Kings)  with a metropolitan area population of over two million people, did not carry a word about the game in its morning newspaper. THE WORLD SERIES????? For the last four years the Sacramento Bee does not bring its readership any news that developed after - I'm guessing - 2 p.m. It is disgusting. My wife and I agree we continue our subscription only because we don't want to see another newspaper fold and its assets broken down and sold separately to make money for the greedy hedge fund sharks that gobbled up the paper and promised to make it a gold standard newspaper again. There's not enough gold in their standard to fill a cavity. 

Let's hear it for Alana Beard, the retired WNBA All-Star and now business woman in her quest to bring a WNBA team to Oakland, CA. The Warriors and Raiders have left. The A's are threating to leave to Las Vegas, where else? I'm betting the Oakland fans will embrace the new team. And if she can't get Oakland to back her, why wouldn't the Warriors be willing to have WNBA team in Chase Arena? 

Let's not get overly enthusiastic over Jimmy G's impressive performance against the Chicago Bears, a team missing its best passer rusher. On the other hand, it is enough reason to stick with him at QB. As I stated in a previous blog, Lance needs to watch and learn. I don't know what goes on in NFL practices, but it seems as if, given their commitment to him, Lance should get lots of reps with the starters in practice and at least a few chances at specific times during games. And not simply for running plays. Mentor teachers know a young teacher needs time by him/herself to run a class. They hand over the reins and let the run. Football in no different. Finally, I must say I was impressed with Garappolo and wish that this his states against the Bears become his stats for the rest of the season. If that happens, holy-think-thank, what do the 49ers do then? 

A quick observation: OKC has found its point guard of the future in 6'8" barely 19 year old Australian Josh Giddy. The kid has all the right instincts.  And just a baby. 

Franz Wagner is making heads turn in the NBA in his rookie season. And some teams that passed on him, might be having regrets. I'm thinking of my Warriors who took Jonothan Kuminga ahead of Wagner. The question in this case is - and will only be played out in time - has Wagner reached his potential, given a certain amount of improvement due to experience? As for Kuminga, he is 19 years old and has clearly not reached the skills set his awesome physical talent portends. I'm betting on Kuminga in the long run.    

I'm happy to see that the average NBA dance team member makes around $500 per game with a bonus of approx $1,500.00. This is a part time job, but not an easy one to handle ie: juggling practice sessions,  if they have a fulltime employment, which I dare say all the women (and now some men) must have to support themselves.  The Warriors according to the internet pay $600 per game. I've never been a fan of most of the grind and hump dance routines, but there is no doubt these dancers work their butts of, and lately I've been noticing more creative routines with more narrative for the discerning fans. I'd bump the salary per game to $800. As an incentive to attract the very best dancers. Fans are paying big bucks to go to games; they deserve the best entertainment. My wife says lower the price of hotdogs. Food might be classified as entertainment, no? 

By the way, an NBA mop boy can make up to $90,000 per year with benefit. One can start a family on that salary and with a second income for spouse live a pretty decent life. Some teachers don't make $90, 000 per year. (In California, a teacher with 10 years experience makes $72,937 per year). I note the disparity not because mop boys should get less, but for God's sake, teacher should get more. 

So wishing only the best for mop boys, let's consider changing their title to something like Custodial Assistant. Just in case, later in life a mop boy's son asks his dad what he did for a living. Mop boy at forty years old doesn't sound too dignified. 

Sometimes less is more as in these three lines by William Shakespeare in honor of the World Series:

"What work's, my countrymen, in hand?
               Where go you
With bats and clubs?