Daily Dose
Daily Dose: 11/22/17
Trump claps back at LaVar Ball yet again
4:28 PMAll right, y’all, I’ve got some programming updates. If you’re looking for a way to avoid your family Thursday and Friday, you can tune in to me hosting The Dan Le Batard Show on ESPN Radio. I promise it’ll be a fun time.
This week is a good one to check on elderly and disabled loved ones and folks who you know might have the blues
— de bleck penta (@fivefifths) November 22, 2017
What, you thought we’d get to Turkey Day without an issue from the White House? Come on, now. You know better than that. Roy Moore, the man accused of molesting various girls over the course of his lifetime who is running for Senate in Alabama, is getting what we can only call support from President Donald Trump. It’s tough to frame it any other way because, in the name of partisan politics, Trump won’t denounce Moore’s actions, which is gross. Nonetheless, Moore’s camp is finding a way to raise money from POTUS’s actions, which is even more shocking.
Speaking of Trump, he’s now completely lost the psychological battle to LaVar Ball. He’s lobbing tweets his way and calling him ungrateful, which is code for uppity. And while the rest of the country feels like it’s burning down around us, the leader of the free world is in a war of words with a basketball dad. To make things even more bizarre, the president’s supporters seem to think that Ball is actually Levar Burton, of Reading Rainbow and Star Trek fame. What a world we live in.
And speaking of child molesters, we have another story from the sports world. Larry Nassar, the man who was once the doctor for USA Gymnastics, pleaded guilty to criminal sexual conduct in court, which brings an end to a chapter in American sports history that was downright shameful. The number of victims is listed as above 100, which is really scary when you think about it. Perhaps the name you’ll remember most from that list is Aly Raisman, who was a member of the Fierce Five who won gold in 2016. What a sad tale.
We’re about a month or so into the NBA season, which means injuries are starting to really hit. Sure, there were some big ones early, like the Celtics’ Gordon Hayward, but we’re at that point of the year where general dings start to add up and guys start to go down. For the Los Angeles Clippers, point guard Patrick Beverley is scheduled for knee surgery, which means the Clippers’ season is basically shot. And in Oakland, Kevin Durant is a little banged up with an ankle tweak, but he plans to play against his old team Oklahoma City on Wednesday night.
Free Food
Coffee Break: Ray Allen is in a very awkward situation. Apparently he got catfished something crazy, and after trying to pay the guy (who he thought was actually various women) off, he’s now the one in court being accused of stalking. Life comes at you super fast, fam.
Snack Time: Since food is on all of our brains, check out this story about how one kid was constantly mocked by his classmates for bringing “stinky” food to the lunchroom. Then, his family fought back.
Dessert: Print this story out. Take it to your families at Thanksgiving. Read it aloud. Trust me.
Daily Dose: 11/21/17
Joe Morgan is asking Santa to keep steroid users out of Cooperstown
3:07 PMWhat’s up, gang? We’re closing in on Turkey Day, but the news doesn’t stop, so let’s end the week strong. I’ll be on Outside the Lines at 1 p.m. Tuesday, then also doing Around the Horn at 5 p.m. on ESPN. Tune in!
Embiid is a legend 😂 pic.twitter.com/zLLSMf2unK
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 21, 2017
Charlie Rose is the latest man to have the curtain pulled back. The longtime PBS and now CBS announcer’s past was revealed with a Washington Post exposé in which various women accuse him of not only sexual misconduct but also more generally running the type of operation on his show that created a harmful environment for all women he employed. He’s since been fired by both networks, but his co-hosts on CBS are still very much reeling from the news.
The AT&T-Time Warner merger may never happen. The joining of the telecommunications giant and the media programming behemoth would create a huge company that could control quite a bit of television. Now, the Department of Justice is suing to make sure it doesn’t happen. DOJ claims that there’s no reason we should trust such a company to play fair with its counterparts. The two companies say that if you’re going to not let them join, we should consider breaking up Google and Facebook too.
I wear Vans every day. There are days when I wear other shoes as well, but for the most part, whether I’m in my house or at the office, or in these streets, I’ve got a pair of Vans on. I used to skate as a kid, but those days are over, so I’m still rocking them because I like the way they look. However, there was a time when they’d fallen out of favor with basically anyone who wasn’t on a board. Now, you see celebrities of all types with them on their feet, everywhere. Check out how they managed to make this turnaround a real thing.
Joe Morgan is a Hall of Fame baseball player. He is also 74 years old. Now, he’s taking a stance on steroid users and whether they belong in Cooperstown. He says no, and he penned his thoughts in a very long letter to the voters, which basically says that because we all want to put our heads in the sand about the so-called purity of baseball, some of the best players ever shouldn’t be recognized for their greatness. This is the most backward stance ever.
Free Food
Coffee Break: In case you don’t know, Living Single begat Friends. But now that the legendary Fox franchise is being rebooted, it’s got a great opportunity to tackle a pretty serious subject: gentrification. The land of urban living is just not the same anymore and is great show fodder. And necessary, too.
Snack Time: The situation with Tyrese has gotten very dark. After his beef with Dwayne Johnson, then whatever that was with Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, he’s now doing weird things with Michael Blackson. Yikes.
Dessert: Miguel’s latest track is extremely uplifting, y’all. His gospel future is set.
Daily Dose
Daily Dose: 11/20/17
Della Reese passes at 86
4:37 PMWhat’s up, gang? We’re on a short week because of Thanksgiving, but we’re going to power through anyways. By the way, I linked up with the 30 for 30 gang to talk about their first episode of season two. You can listen here!
can we talk about serena williams giving out replicas of her trophies out as party favors and naming the tables after her grand slam wins at her wedding? iconic, extremely me move
— #BrittanySpanos (@ohheybrittany) November 18, 2017
Della Reese has made the transition. While she was best known later in life for her role on the television program Touched By An Angel, she had quite the career in music before that. But her on-screen work was certainly her calling card, with several films and other television roles to her name. For me, Della Reese always sort of played Della Reese, which was always excellent. She was 86 years old and leaves behind her husband and three children.
Chance the Rapper hosted Saturday Night Live this past weekend. I imagine that many people in America aren’t necessarily that familiar with his work, so seeing him in this context was a treat. Considering it was his first time at the effort, it was particularly impressive. Here’s the other thing: When there’s a black host, all the black characters tend to get more airtime with the sketches. If you missed it, you can check out all the sketches here. The Family Feud scene is particularly worth your time.
You know what happens when you don’t respect your own diversity? You lose money. Take the example of CBS, which decided to jettison actor Daniel Dae Kim after a money dispute regarding Hawaii Five-0. Basically, they did not want to pay actors of color as much as their white counterparts. So Kim walked, and with him went his brainchild The Good Doctor, which he is executive producing. Now, that show is a huge hit for ABC. There’s clearly a lesson to be learned here.
When it comes to video games, I play sports ones. I’m mostly a FIFA guy, but I enjoy a reasonable variety of others too. But some folks take things a little more seriously than that. I feel like the most I’ve ever bet on a turn on the sticks was a case of beer in college, but then again, nobody was balling like that as far as wagers go. But for rap stars Lil Yachty and 21 Savage, the stakes are way higher. Apparently, these two dudes went at it on NBA 2K and Yachty lost $12K. Yeesh.
Free Food
Coffee Break: The American Music Awards were last night, and while the acts were one thing, Tracee Ellis Ross was the host. And to make things even better, her mom, Diana Ross, was getting a lifetime achievement award. Perhaps best of all, our favorite family dropped by to give her a message.
Snack Time: Terry Glenn was a heck of a football player for Ohio State and on into the NFL. He died in a car accident over the weekend.
Dessert: Serena Williams offers up a must-watch tribute for the holidays. Watch.
There are so many reasons to quit, but even more to keep playing. Even if you don’t go pro, sports can teach you so much. So keep playing. #sistersinsweat #gatoradepartner @gatorade pic.twitter.com/ejVzVjDvpR
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) November 20, 2017
Daily Dose: 11/17/18
Jesse Jackson reveals Parkinson’s diagnosis
4:08 PMHappy Friday, kiddos. Hope you’re ready for the weekend, folks, because it’s all downhill from here in terms of the holiday season. This is the last weekend you are reasonably allowed to ignore your relatives.
https://twitter.com/WeNotSocks/status/931281775258562560
Jesse Jackson is an American legend. He is not without his faults, obviously, but his run for president in 1988, on top of all his work as a civil rights activist, will go down in this nation’s history as transformational. A lot of people were prepared to vote for that black man, which is no small matter. He’s now disclosed that he’s been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, an unfortunate turn. I’ve met Jackson a couple of times, and each time it was an enlightening experience. We’re all wishing him well with his health.
Dave Chappelle’s last stand-up was pretty problematic. The comic legend who graced the world with his Comedy Central show came back to the small screen earlier this year, and it included a whole bunch of jokes that felt like he had maybe not really kept up with the times in terms of what we joke about in polite society. That aside, many people thought it was quite funny, and, if nothing else, it was good to see the familiar face back in his element. His newest Netflix special drops on New Year’s Eve, with him also doing a Stranger Things cameo.
Al Franken has admitted to inappropriate behavior. The Minnesota senator, a Democrat, was called out by radio personality Leeann Tweeden, who told her story about how the former Saturday Night Live writer and actor touched and kissed her inappropriately while the two were part of a USO tour years back. He apologized, and many people have been calling for him to resign as a result. In defense of him, the governor of Ohio came out and dropped a very weird letter about his sexual history because, well, dudes are the worst.
Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred is not here for your nonsense. One of the biggest knocks about the sport recently has been pace of play, and as a result the bigs have instituted all sorts of rules to try to speed things up. Clocks between innings, cutting down on nonsense before and after pitches, it’s all been very helpful. But now, Manfred just doesn’t care. He plans to consider a pitch clock as well as opening up the strike zone, and he might just implement it whether the players want it or not. Alrighty then.
Free Food
Coffee Break: I just want to give a shout-out to all my basics out there. You know who you are. Embrace it. I shop at the mall. I go to normal grocery stores. And when I’m on the road, I eat at pretty basic joints. Here’s a ranking of the top 25 restaurant chains in America, by sales.
Snack Time: If you have a problem with Lil Uzi Vert, that sucks for you. He might be weird, but his dance is awesome and his joints bang. Speaking of, here are four new songs of his.
Dessert: Look, do not have this at your family functions this holiday season. I will destroy the whole table.
NEW Cooler Ranch Doritos Turkey! pic.twitter.com/KHpD5sDQCV
— Kari Steele (@KariVanHorn) November 16, 2017