A Day at the Spa

The Yard just picked this one up of the airwaves.  What do you call a Blue Bentley in a Florida strip mall for 12 minutes on a Sunday?  A Kraft job!  I thought it was clever and lord knows we have been waiting for a long time to kick the Patriots while they are up.  They have not been down too much in this century.  To the outrage of many outside of New England, the Patriots have put together one of the most remarkable championship runs in professional sports history.  Sure, the Yankees have four times as many titles, but the Pats have done their damage in this time and space.  The Yanks won half their titles before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier.  The Yankees have won two WS this century.  New England is the leader in the clubhouse between the Red Sox and Patriots titles this century.

Which brings us right back to Mr. Kraft and his visit to the Orchids of Asia day spa in Jupiter, FL.  The Yard should state clearly that these are merely allegations and Bobby the dope has pleaded not guilty to these charges.  The facts are murky but the fact the Jupiter PD had video cameras in the facility documenting activities might give Kraft and his legal teams pause.  From reported accounts, the New England Patriots owner arrived at 11:00 AM in his chauffer driven $220,000 blue Bentley to the spa in question on Sunday January 20.  Kraft entered the spa and was back in the Bentley within 15 minutes and then straight to the airport.  He was whisked in his private jet to the AFC Championship game in KC where the Pats prevailed on their way to another Super Bowl victory.  Kraft knew the spa because he had been there the day before for a similar servicing chauffeured in the white Bentley.  It was a twofer weekend in Jupiter for the billionaire, allegedly.  The advertised services at the spa apparently are $79 and Kraft flipped the workers a Benjamin on top.  He may be stupid, but he is no cheap skate!  Bobby, Elliot Spitzer was on a NY Attorney General pay plan and he could afford the Four Seasons hotel room and the $2500 coed independent contractor doing it under her own free will, as misplaced as that sounds.  We do not think the Orchids of Asia provide the same freedom of choice to their workers or comp plan.

The Yard only has friends who have relayed stories of the activities at certain spas that provide enhanced services to their clientele.  If Mr. Kraft had a chance to re-think it, he might want to reconsider that the cops do have his Blue Bentley in the parking lot that morning and the white one the day before. Law enforcement had four cameras inside the spa as well.  Video has him walking into the spa on Saturday and Sunday.  He could have been getting a mani-pedi but these are not typical 15 minutes services.  If the allegations are true, it is an impressive performance by a 77-year-old juggling the pressure of getting a happy ending with a plane to catch!  In the end, the din of these transgressions will not subside in his lifetime.  These allegations will forever be on Kraft’s Wiki page.  Superbowl Titles and team success will always be in the forefront but the personal tab will always bear a footnote about Kraft’s Days at the Spa.

The lingering Bryce Harper free agent saga got settled suddenly last Thursday.  Sports media everywhere blew up with the historic signing by the Philadelphia Philles of Harper.  It was a ridiculous thirteen-year deal for Harper.  It will take Harper to his 39^th birthday.  The Phills are getting him on the cheap for an average salary of $25 million.  There are several players making more than $25 mil a season, but no one has it guaranteed until they are almost forty!  There is no opt-out clause and there is a no trade clause.  It almost sounds like Bryce has been sentenced to thirteen seasons in Philly at a prevailing wage.  God Bless him if he and Scott Boras can shake down that deal.  The Phillies are on the verge and Harper could be the guy to take them over the top or blow the top off the place.  Harper does not have a good understanding yet of Phillie fan expectations and the vitriol that comes when not met.  It is not always a fun place to be if you are the high paid performer who is not performing in the moment.  Ask Pablo Sandoval how his days in Boston were as the high paid bust.

The Yard was hoping that the San Francisco Giant’s blinked and pulled the trigger on Harper.  The Giants did not want the Dodgers getting him. The Dodgers were playing the same game with the Giants.  The Giants anxiety was displayed with their 10-year $310 million offer. With one of the highest payrolls in MLB, adding $30 million for an outfielder in a ballpark that does allow many home-runs seems foolish.  The Dodgers tried to flip the game board and offer the $45 million for 4 years.  Biggest annual contract ever but only taking young Harper to age 30 and not almost 40. The Giants attendance dipped last year to 2006 levels with average ticket prices up over 50% since 2006.  The product on the field has dipped to 1996 levels.  Harper might have provided a reason for another couple hundred thousand to pass through the turnstiles and keep the hope alive for a few years in the bay.  Well done, Zaidi, dodged the bullet that hit the Phillies square in the forehead like Jimmy Hoffa leaving the Red Fox restaurant in 1975.

Golden State is 14-7 since Boogie Cousins has started to play a significant role.  For his first ten games, the Warriors were 9-1 and rolling but 5-6 over the next few weeks.  The excitement of Boogie wears out early for most teams.  He is averaging 15.5 points and 8.1 rebounds for the team by the back bay.  He is also averaging 2.4 turnovers and 3.6 personal fouls.  He is a huge liability defensively in pick and roll plays and is not a good perimeter defender.  The Warriors are talking a good game that bringing back 34-year-old Andrew Bogut was part of the master plan.  Bogut last played for Lakers for 24 games in 2017.  Since then, he has been playing for the Sydney Kings in Australia. He has been performing well for Australia. Bogut is a superior defender to Cousins which is not saying much.  It speaks more to Golden States desperation as the final days of the dynasty may be looming. Clay Thompson is a free agent at the end of the season and Kevin Durant can opt out and sounds like he might.  Everyone is saying Boogie is happy about the move.  We will see how he manages his happiness when he sees his playing time diminish from 25 down into the teens.

UCLA women’s gymnastics is the most exciting program at the University right now. We hope football and basketball rebound in 2019-20 but the women’s gymnastics team is surging. After, winning the NCAA title in 2018, they are back in top form this year.  They did lose this past weekend at Oklahoma by 2 tenths of a point.  The match was nationally televised on ESPN.  The Sooners Men’s basketball team was playing West Virginia that same weekend in a big game.  The basketball game was attended by 6100 fans.  The women’s gymnastics had over 10,000 fans cheering the Sooners to victory. 

UCLA men’s gymnastics used to be the gold standard.  Tim Daggett, Mitch Gaylord and the legendary Peter Vidmar won Olympic gold.  Title IX lead to the closure of several non-revenue men’s sports in the 1990’s and men’s gymnastics was among the first.  The women’s team has carried the torch for the U winning seven titles since 1997.  These Bruins are not the Olympic waifs that have been on the Olympic podium and in the news the last 18 months.  These are strong collegiate women who have been rocking Pauley this year not the basketball team that got the place built.  The lady Bruins are outdrawing the Bruin hoopsters by nearly double although the matches are generally free of charge.  If you have not seen Katelyn Ohashi’s floor routine, you have not been on social media or watching television.  She has recorded four perfect 10.0 and is undefeated this year on the floor.  She is exciting and brings a spirit that is fun to watch.  You Tube her if you have been in a cave.