Winnie and Angie

 Winnie the Pooh turns 100 this month.  Pooh was a fictional, lovable teddy bear created by A.A. Milne. His books Winnie the Pooh (1926) and The House on Pooh corner (1928) begat the icon. In 1961, Disney licensed the rights from the Milne estate and spawned animated movies, books, theme parks and merch.  Pooh remains a billion dollar a year industry for Disney. Christopher Robin Milne detested the exploitation and accepted a meager $352 million lump sum payment in 2001 and waived all future royalties.  Angie Dickinson turned 95 this week and she was always our Policewoman. Edgy and sexy, she defined Charlie’s Angels before we knew there were any.  The love of her life was Frank Sinatra.  She was a poster on his wall and his lover for decades.  She refused to marry him because she liked his ex-wife.  Dickinson was not a cuddly teddy bear; she was an empowered woman before there were many. Happy 95^th, Angie.

 MLB has geofenced the Las Vegas market like the US Navy has blocked Iranian ports. Regular season MLB games are routinely blacked out in the Las Vegas market.  Games that are displayed on the TV channel guide get a restricted access skull and crossbones when selected on my LV channel guide.  It is an infuriating tease.  We were pleasantly surprised when Comcast Bay Area Sports showed the Dodgers Giants game being available this past weekend.  Interns felt it was another ruse but with our LG smart remote, it was determined live game content was on the air.  We did have to listen to the SF Giants broadcast team of Kruk and Kuip. Vin and Jerry, they are not but serviceable and deadly quiet during Dodger highlights.  There were many Dodger highlights during the three-game season ending sweep. It was Mike Krukow’s final telecast, and we wish him well in his health journey.

Giant manager Tony Vitelli had seen enough by the 3^rd inning of game 162.  Mookie Betts swing was ruled a check and Vitelli stormed the field.  He would not be denied, and he took on two different umpires in his futile agitation. He shouted and gesticulated and got tossed. Mookie would strike out on the very next pitch after the tirade. This would be Vitelli’s league leading 7^th ejection in his first season.  He was trying to beat the traffic just like a Dodger fan.  Tony V is hoping for a second bite of the apple in 2027.  The Giants have not been playing many October games this past decade.  The Giants are fighting to stay out of last place not competing for first.

Major League Baseball playoffs began in earnest this weekend. Saturday’s opener started with Skubal who was as scorching as the sun. Both registered 100+ on their respective scales. The Braves got knocked down in the heat but got up for the split on Sunday night. Dodger anxiety is at gurgling level 2 with the next two games being played in the Atlanta suburbs.  Down south, San Diego Padre fans must be in denial.  Leading the first two games on the road against the top dog and losing both is Dodger fan kind of pain. Sunday, Mason Miller, their hard throwing Witch needed to get six out to get the split in beer town. He only got five. His veil might be pierced. After winning 20 of 23 down the stretch, no one wanted to play the Padres in the playoffs. Now, maybe only the Brewers will. Winning three straight in the playoffs to clinch a series has happened.  Losing three straight and starting your winter season prematurely happens more often. Manny might have a new team next year with the change in ownership. We will miss nada about Merchado.

In the clubhouse: Who is Jackson Koivun? The President’s Cup this year was particularly exciting.  The President's Cup has been played second banana to the Ryder Cup for relevance, but this year’s event was compelling.  The US had to come from three points down to win on Sunday with 21-year-old Koivun in command.  He finished the weekend 2-0-1 in his matches. He was the only undefeated American. His final drive on 18 revealed his powers. It has gone viral. He crushed the drive and immediately followed it down the fairway with the confidence of a 23-year-old.  Si Woo Kim didn’t know what hit him as his two-hole lead melted into the Medinah fescue.

Just saying: Dolly Parton rest her soul. She was honored with a Rock and Roll HOF induction in 2022. Dolly deserves all her accolades, but the Rock Hall was a bit of stretch, even she thought so at the time. The Yard has questioned why the legendary rock band Jethro Tull has never been elected to the Rock hall.  Locomotive Breath, The Teacher, Aqualung are seminal rock songs that play on classic rock stations daily.  Jann Wenner and other Hall voters have dismissed Tull as an act not a band. Peter Gabriel and Genesis were very theatrical as was Yes.  They are all in the HOF. Tull frontman Ian Anderson is a cynic about the Hall and not shilling for votes. If you are uncertain in the upcoming midterms, cast your vote to JT into the Hall.  It might be a Write-In vote depending on your state.

Southside Leo and the Sox: The ethereal power of the Papacy continues to propel the Chicago White Sox toward a title.  Unfathomable after losing 100+ in three straight seasons, they are now five wins away from the World Series.  There is tall timber still cloaking their destiny, but legions of southside demons have been exorcised. 

The World Cup Issue

The Odyssey from Christopher Nolan arrived in theaters this weekend. Matt Damon and the superstar cast is making the rounds promoting the nearly 3-hour saga.  Stuart of Denver alerted Yard staff that USC Trojans have jumped on the promotional bandwagon.  The USC Athletic Department proudly proclaiming that the Trojans football odyssey begins on August 29 against San Jose State. The Trojans lineage is linked to Troy. The funny costumes the band wears and the horse harken back to ancient times.  The Trojans marketing department must not have read Homer’s 3000-year-old tome.  Odysseus was not a Trojan.  He was on the other team.  His team brought in the Trojan horse and sacked the city of Troy and stole Helen. It was a stunning home loss for Troy.  It would have gotten any Trojan head coach sacked on Monday. The Yard hopes Trojan football is on a ten-year Odyssey at sea.

The Yard has never been a soccer pundit.  AYSO was founded in 1964 in a garage in Torrance, CA.  The founder's expansion did not make it to Glendale, CA until the 1970’s.  By that era, the Yard was involved in many other recreational activities that did not include soccer.  The Yard progenies thought they wanted to play soccer for a hot minute. And it was hot that fall in Pasadena.  The Rose Bowl fields offered little shade protection and our middling enthusiasm for the sport set with the November sun.

The World Cup is the largest worldwide sporting event held every four years.  The US men get the spotlight this year to highlight their potential.  The US Women will compete for the title next year like they have every four years since 1991. It is something the men have not done since the 1930’s.  The greatest male athletes around the world either play basketball if they are tall or play soccer if they are like 5’7” Lionel Messi. The greatest athletes in the US could play soccer but probably pursue other sports if qualified.

The drama of the World Cup in the United States is beguiling. The US has not seen this many foreigners seamlessly entering our borders in years.  Even the Iranian soccer team cleared customs.  There were stories of Vikings storming grocery stores in search of Ranch Dressing. The Scots in kilts slamming down all the Sam Adams in a tri-state area.  The teams stayed in villages all over the country and meshed their cultures. Who even knew Canada and Mexico were co-hosts?

The storylines for this final are fantastic.  Argentina had to slay the British monarchy and did so with a dash of sudden.  David and Victoria Beckham were high fiving with Mick Jagger before Messi did what he does in an Argentine victory.  Beckham is part owner of the inter-Miami FC that Messi plays for. Star player gives former star player the shiv in the end. Argentina has been doing that to Britain since the 60’s.  Britain still has the Falklands.

Argentina and Spain have interesting narratives.  Lionel Messi was born in Argentina, but his legend sprang from Barcelona FC in Spain.  Messi led Barcelona and their fanatical followers to several European championships. He is their all-time leading scorer. He famously took a photo holding Spanish teen superstar Lamine Yamal in his arms.  The legend is real, but that photo is kind of creepy.  Messi rocking a Javier Bardem No Country for Old Men pageboy awkwardly holding the future of Spain. It was a publicity stunt for the FC.  Who is the genius in that marketing department?

No more Kings!

Doc Holliday had a huckleberry in Tombstone and so do the Dodgers, the San Diego Padres.  There was constant chatter out of San Diego in 2024. Manny the Mouth and Fernando the Juiced were tearing up the league and the Dodgers demise was forecasted.  The Dodgers overcame the 2-1 Series deficit and went on to win the 2024 WS and then again in 2025. San Diego has not recovered, and the Chargers are not coming back to heal that winter pain. Thursday July 2, the Pads hit three homeruns in the first two innings taking a 6-0 lead in Los Angeles. They ended up getting pummeled 12-7. Friday night, they took a 3-0 lead into the 8^th before Teoscar hit the game winning Grand Slam. Saturday night Yamamoto struck out 10 in seven innings in a 3-0 defeat. For a modest $21 million, Machado has hit 18 home runs, played a solid 3^rd base while batting .188. Tatis hitting .290 with 5 HR’s for his $20million. The All-Star break is approaching, and the Friars $213 million payroll is 14 games out and fading.  Machado is 34 and never happy. Tatis is 27 and steroids tainted.  Neither are clubhouse leaders just the highest paid. The Giants were our nemesis. They are barely ahead of the Rockies and well past their expiration date. Arizona was all the rage when they went to the 2023 WS. They have not made the playoffs since.  Now they are just another middling team in Arizona. The Padres had offered promise to their title starved ciudad. They were false prophets.

The King James era began its decay on February 2, 2025, when the Lakers traded for Luka Doncic. The Yard wrote one of our best pieces going deep undercover on Google revealing details of this historic transaction. One key detail was that Lebron was not consulted regarding the trade. James had exerted his influence over the organization since the 2020 title.  The King came and he delivered the Laker nation their 17^th title.  He broke the NBA all-time scoring record as a Laker surpassing Laker Kareem.  Kareem has a statue in front of the Lakers home court, whatever it is now called.  Lebron never will. He was an interloper in Laker history, not a legend in Laker lore.

The news was national headlines that Lebron was leaving Los Angeles.  James announced he was not coming back, and pundits bemoaned the Lakers’ loss.  The Lakers had no intention of re-signing him for another year.  He had worn out his welcome with the Buss family and Rob Pelinka.  When the Lakers were trying to find their next superstar, it was Lebron.  After the 2020 title, James inserted himself in personnel decisions and Jeanie and Rob let him.  He advocated for Russell Westbrook as the missing piece to another title.  Laker fans know how that went and there has not been another title since 2020.  The Lakers had to draft Bronny James because Lebron wanted to play with his son. The Lakers traded for Luka to replace the King as the face of the franchise. There was a science project this past year to see if maybe they could share the ball. Luka got the three-year $165 million deal, and James was exit stage left.