Dispatches from District 48
Posts tagged ‘MVP’
In retrospect, this is a pretty amazing cover from 2014. They even had the MVP right.
I will admit to some bias, having grown up in Houston, but I have always loved that striped Astros uniform.
Game 5 was the most entertaining baseball game I ever saw, but probably not the best. The best probably would have to have things like pitching and defense too. The best game I ever saw was probably game 7 between the Yankees and the Diamondbacks back in 2001.
I am simply amazed at this level of cronyism enjoyed by the sugar industry -- import restrictions on cheaper world sugar, price supports, and government loans that can be paid back with excess product rather than cash.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is likely to buy sugar in the domestic market this year in order to drive prices up and prevent defaults on loans made to sugar processors, according to a USDA economist.
The USDA estimates it would need to buy 400,000 tons of sugar to boost prices to an “acceptable level,” said Barbara Fecso, an economist at the department. A purchase of 400,000 tons would amount to about 4.4% of projected U.S. sugar production in the marketing year that ends Sept. 30.
Domestic sugar prices have been trading at about 20 cents a pound, their lowest level in nearly four years, putting companies that make sugar from cane or beets at risk of defaulting on loans they received from the USDA when prices were higher.
People talk about these supposed government subsidies for oil companies, but every time I see a list of them they are dominated by things like depletion allowances, FIFO accounting, and investment tax credits, which are either standard accounting rules that apply to all industries or tax credits that apply to all manufacturers. But Big Sugar gets real heavy-duty subsidies no one, except maybe ethanol companies and other farmers, get.
I am all for full legalization of gambling, but, at the risk of preaching at you, if you are betting one of the following Superbowl prop bets with any kind of cash, you might have a gambling problem. Here are several examples from Sports Book Review:
What song will Tom Petty open with?
Petty is this year's halftime entertainment in
Glendale; FOX advertised this fact during previous NFL games using
"Runnin' Down a Dream" off the 1989 album Full Moon Fever. That's a
strong indicator the song will at least be part of what will be a short
set, although a medley like the one Prince performed last year is
certainly possible."Runnin' Down a Dream" is the favorite at +110, followed by the 1977 classic "American Girl" at +175.
Color of liquid winning head coach is doused in?
Football lore has it that Bill Parcells got the first Gatorade shower
in 1985, courtesy of Jim Burt and Harry Carson, when the Giants beat
the Washington Redskins
17-3 during a midseason game. The Gatorade was orange (+200), as it was
when Parcells took a bath after winning Super Bowl XXI. But Bill
Belichick was doused in a clear liquid (+300) after winning Super Bowl
XXXIX over the Eagles.Halftime commercial to have highest rating
Budweiser is the big favorite at "“180, followed by godaddy.com at +275.
Last year's winner was a commercial by Hewlett-Packard; the Bud Light
ads didn't even crack the Top 3. So Anheuser-Busch has reportedly taken
out nine (!) Super Bowl ads this year; Bud should be the value pick
here by sheer volume alone.Length of National Anthem
American Idol winner Jordin Sparks will sing the
Star-Spangled Banner at Super Bowl XLII, presumably because FOX is the
television host for both programs. The over/under for this prop is
103.5 seconds. Sparks took about 102 seconds to complete the anthem at
Game 1 of the 2007 NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Here are a few others I found at this site, with all the prop bets you could ever wish for:
2008 Super Bowl XLII Props - First offensive lineman called for a holding penalty. Chris Snee (NYG)
David Diehl (NYG) Grey Ruegamer (NYG) Kareem McKenzie (NYG) Shaun O'Hara (NYG) Dan Koppen (NE) Logan Mankins (NE) Matt Light (NE) Nick Kaczur (NE) Rich Seubert (NE) Stephen Neal (NE) Field (Any Other Player)
Who will the MVP of the Game thank first? Teammates
God Family Coach Doesn't thank anyone
We must be a secular society - God's fallen to third. I always wanted to see someone from the losing side get interviewed right after the winner thanked God for their win. Wouldn't you just love the losing player to say "Well, you heard it. God was against us. What chance did we have?"
