The Daily Dose/August 4, 2023
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around our human experience.
HUT, HUT, HIKE II: Details of the media deal secured by the Pac-12 have emerged: roughly $20 million a year for a streaming deal for the nine remaining universities and you don’t have to be Nick Saban to know this will mean a mass exodus for every school able to secure a better deal with another conference.
Crystal Ball Me: Maybe Stanford and Cal will say no to the madness. That is not the morning line favorite, of course, but they may decide that multiple trips across multiple time zones for every sport is not in their player’s best interest.
Dry, Technical Matter: If they do stay, the Pac-12 has a fighting chance. They’d join Oregon State and Washington State, whom nobody wants anyway, and you throw in San Diego State, UNLV, Colorado State, Air Force, SMU, and one or two others and there is a viable conference there.
Ladies And Gentlemen Of The Jury: We’re hardly media insiders here, but we can’t help feeling that if the TV networks had wanted the Pac-12 around, there would’ve been a deal a while ago. With the Pac-12 gone, though, there is less competition for viewers for their SEC and Big Ten games.
The Bottom Line: Goodbye Pac-12. You gave it a good, honorable run for over a century but times change and you were either unwilling and/or unable to change with them and these are the consequences for that. Every remaining school that wants to will flee for the best deal they can get as soon as they can get it.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow, again, manages not to do the lawn. Today’s Diary.
Now, regular readers of this crap know we’ve used a forecast calling for scattered showers as an excuse to put off doing the lawn, but this morning it was legitimate…
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On This Date
Extra, extra, read all about it.
In 1977 – The Department of Energy is formed, following an energy crisis in 1973. It was formed with the goal of energy conservation and forming alternate energy sources and today manages the research and development of US nuclear power and overseas 17 national laboratories. The department would begin operation on Oct 1 and the first Secretary of Energy was James Schlesinger, who had previously been Secretary of Defense and director of the CIA.
In 1984 – Mary Lou Retton becomes the first American to win the Olympic all-around gymnastics gold medal at the Los Angeles Summer Games. It was the only Olympic appearance for Retton, who also won silver medals in the all-around team and vault competitions, and bronze medals in the uneven bars and floor exercises. American women have won the last five individual all-around gymnastic gold medals.
In 2018 – Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line establish a Billboard country chart record for most weeks at #1 when Meant to Be is at the top for the 35th consecutive week. The song broke the record of 34 weeks established in 2017 by Sam Brown with Body Like a Back Road. Meant to Be would eventually spend a total of 50 consecutive weeks at #1, a record for a major Billboard singles chart that still stands. The song also peaked at #2 on Billboard’s Hot 100.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
There is nothing that so much seduces reason from vigilance as the thought of passing life with an amiable woman.
Samuel Johnson
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
Besides Teofilo Stevenson, the other two boxers to win Olympic three Olympic boxing gold medals were Felix Savon (Cuba) and Laszlo Papp (Hungary). Seven others have won three total boxing medals.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
Before the Department of Energy, what was the last cabinet-level department formed? – Answer next time!
