The Daily Dose/December 21, 2018
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy
Leading Off
Congress is at it again, attempting to butt in where it has neither the moral nor practical authority to do so. Two US Senators Charles Schumer and Orrin Hatch, have introduced legislation that would give the federal government control of sports betting in America. Recall the Supreme Court recently ruled that states can offer it to residents.
This quote is from Schumer:
I knew that Congress had an obligation to ensure that the integrity of the games we love was never compromised…
Oh, please. The states are, as Nevada has shown since 1949, capable of doing this on their own. Congress is trying to solve problems that don’t exist because nobody wants an uncompromised game more than a sports book. Besides, people bet on sports all the time, most of it illegally through their neighborhood bookie and game-fixing is not a problem now. If it’s not a problem with the mob in charge, you can bet, so to speak, it won’t be a problem when legal sports books start taking most of the action.
There is no role for federal government regulating sports books that are sanctioned by one of the several states. None whatsoever. The federal government should have nothing to do with it. Yes, professional leagues are on board with this, but that’s only because they have the prospect of making money off it, which they are calling integrity fees. Watch out for this. Once a league starts making money of a sports book that gives them a vested interest in how much is wagered and, ultimately, in who wins and loses their games, the antithesis of what legalized sports wagering is about.
Nevada has long shown that state regulation is sufficient to ensure both a competitive marketplace for casinos and a square deal for gamblers. Sportsbooks are also amongst the first know when a game is fixed because they can immediately see betting patterns shift.
Congress must butt out of this. They will only screw it up.
Today At The Site
The Diary of a Nobody: Sparrow and The Wife enjoy their annual Winter Solstice BBQ even though the solstice isn’t until Friday. Plus, new trash cans are delivered because their small town has changed trash companies. Their new service begins on January 1.
…I did some research and ended up telling The Wife the winter solstice was when Mr Sun reached its lowest point in the sky and began working its way back up, when it will be directly overhead by summer…To accent this I made some hand motions that were supposed to indicate a moving sun, but which probably only served to further confuse the issue.
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On This Date
In 1968 – Apollo 8, manned by Frank Borman, James Lovell and William Anders, lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Two-and-a-half hours later they became the first humans to leave lower-Earth orbit and would become the first humans to visit another celestial body when they begin orbiting the moon on December 24. In an interesting anomaly, the crew did not actually see the moon until they were in orbit on the far side. Apollo 8 returned to Earth on December 27.
In 1981 – Cincinnati defeats Bradley 75-73 in seven overtimes, establishing a new NCAA Division I record for the longest game. The game was tied 61-61 at the end of regulation and the shot clock had not been adopted yet and neither team shot much. In fact, neither team scored in the third overtime and only a last-second jump shot in the seventh overtime prevented another scoreless period. Seven appears to be the maximum number of overtimes college teams are willing to play as it is also the NCAA Division II and III record, and the all-time NAIA record as well.
In 1974 – Cat’s in the Cradle by Harry Chapin is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for its only week. Despite strong album sales and critical acclaim, Chapin had indifferent success on the singles chart. Cat’s in the Cradle was his only Top 10 hit and one of only four songs to make the Top 40. Chapin died in 1981 in a car crash on a freeway on Long Island, New York at the age of 38.
Quotebook
The American dream is not about money. It is about using your abilities and being the best you can be.
J.C. Watts, United States Congressman
Republican National Convention
8/13/96
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
I’ll Hold You in My Heart (Until I Can Hold You in My Arms) record of 21 weeks at #1 on Billboard’s country chart was matched in 1950 (I’m Moving On by Hank Snow) and 1955 (In The Jailhouse Now by Webb Pierce) and broken in 2012-13 by Florida Georgia Line, who spent 24 weeks at #1 with Cruise. Regular readers of this feature know the record is now 50 weeks, held by Meant to Be by Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line, the longest any one song has spent on top of any Billboard chart.
Today’s Stumper
Of the three Apollo 8 astronauts, how many would later walk on the moon? –Answer next time!
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