Month: October 2023

I’ve waited a bit to rethink the notion of Oklahoma City building a new arena for the oft tanking Thunder. Originally….I wrote on my little Thunder blog, which isn’t owned by the Thunder, as is a Thunder blog of which I was banned for life because I’m honest… that building the new arena should be a no-brainer…yes, vote.

Now that I’ve read the numbers OKC mayor David Holt revealed recently my vote has changed to NO.

I assumed Clay Bennett & Company were going to operate in legal good faith with the taxpayers of Oklahoma County. I appear to be wrong with that assumption.

The offer put forth to the city by way of Clay Bennett’s primary fidcuciary David Holt states…’The Thunder want to build this new arena at a proposed cost of $900 million with the Thunder making a contribution of $50 million which translates to a 5.5% contribution by Clay Bennett & Company.’

What a joke.

If you study the deals for new sports arenas and ballparks in major league cities since 2017 to the present…the standard deal is the city pays around 65% while the team ownership group pays around 30-35%.

Cost overruns which were substantial in the new arena were covered by Sacramento Kings’ ownership as were the appropriate investment ratios. Not the case on this deal with the Thunder unless I missed something in small print or the nuance of David Holt’s statement.

Let’s be blunt. Oklahoma City is not in fact a major league city. It doesn’t have a major league feel even though the MAPS projects are in my mind a tremendous success and first class. The Health Wellness Center I now work out at 3-4 times a week was funded by MAPS 3 money. It’s first class all the way.

The parks and outdoor improvements throughout the city…first class.

The river projects…first class.

The Bricktown Ball Park for the Triple AAA Dodgers…first class.

The museums and downtown theatre additions…first class.

The new stadium for the Women’s College World Serles…first class.

The Scizzortail Park…bravo.

So tell me…David Holt…the economic growth, GDP, popoulation growth and quality of life began this metamorphis in around 2000 or so and with the exception of the Bush 43 worldwide economic collapse…stayed on the exact upward trajectories to the present even when the Thunder were tanking.

Why should OKC pay 95% or in essence the classic OPM deal (Other People’s Money) when the orginal investment of the franchise has multiplied almost six-fold per Forbes valuation?

So…I wondering to myslf as an honors graduate from the Bob Jackson School of Law…are you acting as a fiduciary for Clay Bennett or for the good people of Oklahoma City?

Color MJ confused.

What does this tell me? It tells me the taxpayers of Oklahoma City don’t need this bullshit deal you are proposing at a 95% to 5% ratio. It indicates to me if the good people of Oklahoma City reinvest that same billion dollars towards more infrastructure, more beautification, and a better EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM the money would be better spent.

I mean…I’m appalled by the proposal. For god’s sake…the basketball on the court product has been so sketchy since the departure of Kevin Durant….I had to shift the focus of my little blog to the Golden State Warriors and other NBA teams.

What in fact this Thunder ownership group is asking you people to do is build a state of the art NBA arena at a disgusting city to team ownership investment ratio and primarily give the people of OKC a Triple AAA level minor league product.

I mean, yeah…I love the NBA and will continue to do so, but not to the point these guys can’t come forth with a legally good faith offer. With a plan which in no way inhibits further great things being done in OKC.

The NBA branding is cool, but most economists agree that ROIR…rate of investment return and GDP growth in Oklahoma County doesn’t have all that much to do with the Thunder.

In closing…this looks like a sucker deal to me. I would have to vote NO if David Holt can’t a broker fairer deal than this one.

Get a better deal or let’s go find a Triple AAA hockey team and have some Big 12 and SEC basketball events in downtown OKC.

Heading to the gym.

MJ

Gosh…you would have to be a nuclear physicist to have seen this one coming down the tracks.

That was was sarcasm if you’re reading this with your Little Donald Trump MAGA red ball cap on. I’m not sure how the blood is streaming to your brain these days….so let’s get that out of the way in paragraphs one and two.

There is a moral to this story, even though there’s not many, if any political morals left in America. Here’s the moral…if you openly lie to defend a human junk bond like Donald Trump long enough…. there eventually is a day of reckoning.

Yesterday was that day. You can call it karma. You can call it whatever you like. Ask Michael Cohen what we should call it. But if you lie long enough and big enough to cover all of Donald Trump’s lies…eventually it will go full boomerang and bite you in the ass.

Yesterday was that day for Kevin McCarthy. Another sad and tragic day for American democracy as we now have the House shut down without a majority leader of any sort.

You don’t have to be a current member of the House to be Speaker of the House. Hmmn.

Some suggest Donald Trump become that person. I’m laughing my ass off at that one. Not a chance. Donald Trump doesn’t know how to govern. It’s not in his DNA. Grifting, scamming, lying, and defrauding are in his DNA, but no governing genes exist.

Besides…he’s too busy appearing in multiple jurisdictions defending himself in his hundred or so criminal and civil acts he’s perpetrated to date.

Double besides…that would limit Donald Trump from touring the country doing his bullshit rallies and grifting additional millions from you ‘puzzling’ white people who continue to support him.

POTUS 45 has got Trump You Can Grab My Pussy T-shirts and Free Trump coffee mugs to sell. Governing….I don’t think so. There’s not enough time left in the day to actually do something which might help another human being.

So who’s fault was it for what happened yesterday?

It wasn’t the Dem’s fault. They just finally tired of Kevin McCarthy’s lies and sat to the side and allowed McCarthy’s own party to execute him. That’s precisely what happened yesterday.

What Kevin McCarthy said afterwards is total bullshit. He was never able to control Matt Gaetz and his six fellow Freedom Caucus followers.

The mysterious one in all of this is South Carolina’s Nancy Mace. She’s actually what I would describe as a semi-credible GOP member…almost a maverick of sorts. I’m keeping an eye on her. I’ve got her circled in red. She’s up to something.

So if it’s not the Dem’s fault, and it’s not the fault of the American Freedom Caucus crazies…who’s fault is it?

It’s you people out there…you know who you are. Hillary calls you deplorable, but like Dave Chappelle….I just think some of you white people out there are kind of dazed and confused by all of this.

We reap what we sow….and you people have turned the GOP into a five star dumpster fire shit show befitting an audience who needed something to replace the Gong Show, Jerry Springer Live, and the Tiger King.

If you people are going to make a mockery of American democracy…this is what you get.

This is ON YOU.

The end.

Hakeem Jeffries, by my count, would need our GOP crossover votes to become the Speaker of the House. FOUR VOTES. Are there four current Republicans with any soul whatsoever to do the right thing and end this bullshit? FOUR VOTES.

Are there FOUR moderate GOP congress members from New York and California willing to be an American first?

Just FOUR if I have my math right.

You Trump enablers are wearing me out. How many times do I have to use this video to inspire myself that just ONE time…..you might do the right thing. FOUR VOTES…ONE TIME…to do the right thing. I’m not holding my breath.

It’s my birthday and I no way wanted to be writing about the disgraceful piece of dogshit viral variant which has overtaken the party of Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt.

Honestly…I planned on blogiing about Jrue Holiday being traded to the Boston Celtics or maybe even about the redemption of Baker Mayfield as an NFL signal caller for the Tampa Bay Bucs.

But here I find myself utterly disgraced by a party of which I registered to join in 1976, but was at least smart enough to leave in 2000 and become an Independent.

Eighteen words of advice to Kevin McCarthy…Step up and follow the light of rightousness or go home.

Find your better angels in a hurry.

I’m going to work out and then go out to celebrate my birthday this evening with some friends…who read books.

Democracy is a beautiful thing. But it has to be fought for at times…even in your own country.

How sad I have to write this yet again on my blog.

Peace

MJ.

I was so busy this week-end… I didn’t have time to blog. On Friday night… I attended a party of older players from the Oklahoma Racquetball Association and had a ball. It was truly a blast and now they know….I’m alive and healthy. I had tears in my eyes at the end of the evening.

On Saturday evening we attended the Annual Johnny Bermuda North Edmond Big 12 Octoberfest and had a wonderful time as well. Probably 90% of this group were O Stater’s and emeshed in various conversations as to how they feel about one Michael Gundy. Very dark comments.

Given I’m a compassionate human…I ‘intially’ abstained from said conversations. But when Sooner DB Key Lawrence went whiff on an early game oskie attempt and an Iowa State touchdown ensued….a catcall was directed my way from an agitated O Stater to the effect, “Same old Sooner defense.”

I cooly replied, ” Don’t fret it. Key’s just amped for Dallas. We’ll be okay. He wanted a Pick Six to follow Billy Bowman’s. Don’t worry…this is the last year you have to get your ass beat in Bedlam and next season it’ll be Utah, BYU, Colorado Cincy, K State, Kansas, UCF, and whoever playing the part of Big Daddy. 92-19-7….get off the drugs and deal with it.”

And then on Sunday…I watched Baker and Jalen direct the Tampa Bay Bucs and Philadelphia Eagles to thrilling victories. I think everyone knew Philly would be a serious contender, but Baker’s 3-1 Bucs are one of the NFL surprise stories one-fourth of the way thru this season. I’m happy for Baker.

As far as the Sooners…they are now 5-0 and ranked No. 12 in this week’s rankings. I think that’s about right. I’m not in any way fretting OU’s ranking at all. If you’re good…you’re good, and the Sooners will have a chance to prove it starting Saturday.

OU is a five point Vegas dog here on Monday. It will be interesting to see how the spread moves during the week. I think OU is pretty good and clearly headed in the right direction. But I’m not sure yet if the Sooners have the interior toughness to beat Texas in this ‘first’ Red River Rivalry of the season.

For me the thing with OU…is get incrementally better every week and just get to Jerry’s World to play in the Dr. Pepper Big 12 Championship Game. Just do the little things as a team thoughout the season to get to Jerry’s World and the rankings will take care of themselves.

So far…both Dillion Gabriel and Danny Stutsman have been stellar leaders. This is what you need. Mature leadership from within the team to in essence coach the team from within. It can’t just be coaches screaming and yelling to play the ‘right way’. It has to be a roster filled with leadership from top to bottom. That’s what it takes to become a championship team.

Dillion Gabriel has a chance this week-end to propel himself into the Heisman conversation with a clean performance against Texas. This will the first game to date the Horns have played against a stellar QB this season given the rawness of Alabama’s Jalen Milroe in the early season.

In reality….we really don’t know all that much about the back seven of Texas because they haven’t to date played against an offense which can do the things the Sooners are capable of doing offensively.

I’m circling the health availability of Horns’ tight end Sanders as a big key to the game. He and Xavier Worthy scare me. Those two dudes are both the type of receivers the Green Bay Packers need to add to their team to help Jordan Love evolve as a significant NFL starting QB.

Up top is the video of the kid from Los Alamos, Calfornia the Sooners just signed. OU sorely needs to improve at the TE position heading into the much overhyped SEC.

I mean…other than Georgia at Athens, LSU at Baton Rouge, and Alabama at Tuscaloossa…I’m not seeing anything from the rest of the league that has me all that concerned as long as Coach Venables keeps the Sooners on their current rebuild track.

Wouldn’t it be awesome if OU ended up playing a third game at Jerry’s World this season vs. the defenseless USC Trojans?

Peace.

MJ