Pittsburgh "Stillers" head coach Mike Tomlin was spared the axe today and I was shocked these last two weeks to read that Mike is Teflon Tomlin at the confluence.

Tomlin has lost control of the team. Le'veon Bell, their star running back has sat out the entire season in a contract dispute. Receiver Antonio Brown, whose given name is Asshole, got into a violent verbal altercation with Ben Roethlisberger and threw a ball at him. Tomlin unconscionably covered up for Brown by lying to the media that Brown was nursing a sore knee when in fact Tomlin had benched him. Bryant missed the Cincinnati game. Narcissists are not one-hit wonders. They are repeat performers and Brown has had his share. Tomlin and owner Dan Rooney have so far excused, papered over, lied about, and ignored Brown’s acute episodes.

Rooney and Tomlin have got to get this franchise back. It is careening out of control. Tomlin seems cowed by his star players. Rooney is in no mood for a rebuild but Rooney should realize that this proud franchise, revered and iconic, built by generations of his family into one with an awe-inspiring reputation is in danger of becoming a punch line.

You Can't Spell SCUM Without UM

The University of Miami Gardens should make it official and rename itself Miami Gardens Correctional Institute. They are classless in two senses: they've players don't go to class and they are so sleazy you want to take a shower just driving past the campus.

Eighteen days ago defensive coordinator Manny Diaz left SCUM to take the head coaching job in Philadelphia at Temple. Eighteen days later SCUM head coach Mark Richt announced his resignation. Ten hours after that, SCUM announced that Diaz was their new head coach.

Miami tackle football has trended mostly unnoticeable for most of the millenium. I hope they trend into oblivion. They have an entire cell block reserved for SCUM football on death row. Make your reservations now SCALUMNI. You will be welcomed by Booty Bandits who will throw you gala blanket parties that will leave your assholes flapping in the wind. 

‘Tis the Season to be Fired

That didn’t take long.

One day after the NFL regular season ended six head coaches got the axe.

Adam Gase, Miami. FIRED!

Marvin Lewis, (who recommended Hue Jackson as his replacement), Cincinnati. FIRED! and run over with a truck for the thought.

Vance Joseph, who I never heard of, Denver. FIRED!

Steve Wilks, who ditto, Arizona. FIRED!

Todd Bowles, New York J-E-T-S, FIRED! FIRED! FIRED!

Dirk Koetter, Tampa Bay. FIRED!

Miami has played 35 games. They are 17-18, as close to .500 as you can get on an odd number. When does the "Heat" win and when do they lose? The key stat that answers that question is "effective field goal percentage," a weighted combo of two-point and three-point shots. When Miami wins they shoot at an eFG of 50.8%. When they lose, 49.8%. Not much of a difference there.

MIA EFF FG% MIA W'S 50.8
MIA EFF FG% MIA L'S 49.8

There is a much bigger difference in how the "Heat" play defense in their wins and losses. When the "Heat" wins their opponents effective field goal percentage is 46; in losses it is 54.

OPP EFF FG% MIA W'S 46
OPP EFF FG% MIA L'S 54*

EFG might as well stand for "effort field goal %" for that is all that defense is. Half of Miami's shots are going to go in no matter what. So ignore the offense, that is not where Miami is winning and losing. Instead look to defense to win games. If Miami had held each opponent this year to 49.7% or under shooting success they would have won every goddamn game. Ah, but defense requires l’effort and that is hard and inglorious. It's the difference between giving the other team 94 feet of hell or jogging 47.5 feet before chucking up a three. Miami is too lazy by half.

*NBA Stats. 

"Cute Aggression: Adorableness Can Lead To Violent Urges In Others"-NPR

Problem I've had my whole life.

FT MINN 113 MIA 104

I am in love with a .500 team. That’s what they were two years ago, that’s what they were last season, that is what they are tonight.

They don’t have the talent. .500 talent means they’re unpredictable. It is irresistible to see a team on a five game win streak to think that a corner has been turned. But I have to remember that this is a team of rejects and defects, the aged and the callow, of those unwanted elsewhere, of mediocre talent one through 15 on the roster. They will hover around .500 all year, home in on it when they stray too far, settle there at the end. That is just who they are. 

Justise Winslow Is Saving The Miami Heat's Season

(Deadspin)

Yeah? Minn 107 Mia 94, 3” 4Q, Justise: 10, 4/15.

Man Oh ManU. In the twelve days since sacking Jose Mourinho the "Buccaneers" have been sacking the league. Boom! 5-1 at Cardiff. Boom! 3-1 over Shuddersfield at RayJay. Boom! 4-1 over Bournemouth. No Murderers Row there but no Mou is meaning mou firepower for ol' Ole Gunnar Solskjær the nou skipper. I was wrong: it is clear now that the players were not the problem. They were on strike against Mourinho. 

Miami tipped off a minute or two ago against Minnehaha in the Magic City. “Heat Zones” are four point faves to get over .500 for the first time...maybe all season, if not, in a long spell. “Heat”: Don’t fuck this up, please.

“Stillers” needed to hit an improbable quinella today to make the National Concussion League playoffs and at halftime they’re out of the money. Cincinnati leads Pittsburgh 10-3, which was the gimme, and in Balteemore the Cleveland “Brown Turds” are getting flushed 20-7. Quoth the “Ravens” on Pit’s playoff chances, never more.

Mark Richt, the head tackle football coach at the University of Miami Gardens announced his retirement today. Richt, a UMG grad made his name as a coach as Bobby Bowden's brain on offense at Florida State. He got his first head coaching gig at Georgia where he stayed for 15 years before he was fired. He coached UMG for three years.

It’s the absence of Ferdandinho. Oh yeah! 

Manchester Ciry are in second place seven points behind ‘Pool after 20 games. Their next match is against the “Reds” January 3 at Etihad Stadium. Liverpool have not lost this season. With my iron grip on the obvious, Manchester City must needs win that match.

The undersigned has not read any of the reports on City’s three recent losses in league play as he is a little short on his Prozac. However he strongly suspects that infamous powers have unlocked the mystery of manager Pep Guardiola’s buckyball offense, which in the Catalan dialect is termed tiki-taka, to wit: press them high, for if one backpedals in soccer’s typical zone defense one is going to find buckyballs in the back of one’s goal.

If this mystery has been solved it was solved two years ago by an anonymous blogger who no one ever listens to about anything when he first witnessed tiki taka. When he first saw it.

City beat Southie 3-1.

Manchester City, losers of three of their last four and so much better than everyone else that they make the EPL boring, lead #17 Southie 1-0 on David Silva’s 10’ goal in case any body cares.

Man Trump your lips get really chapped sucking so much dick huh?

Mueller Has Got a Nude Selfie of Somebody

https://www.newsweek.com/muellers-investigation-data-includes-nude-selfie-russian-company-tells-court-1274448?amp=1

FT #1 Alabama 45 #4 Oklahoma 34

That is a score worthy of a national semi-final. Notre Dame, you're DONE! From now on there’s gonna be a sign on the committee’s door: “NO IRISH NEED APPLY”! Alabama-Clemson gonna be a goo ball game. Fourth straight kinda makes you want to shoot yourself in the head but should be a goo ball game.

Good fucking grief. Oklahoma has come back and made a game of it. 45-34, >4:30 left. Good grief.

If this game was 16 quarters long and if Oklahoma doesn’t play tradesies they might have a chance.

field goal.

GO FOR IT YOU FUCKING FUCKS! Oklahoma 4th and 6 at the Alabama 9, 6” into 3Q.

31-10 HT

Alabama took the kickoff and got down to the OU 15! A penalty pushed them back and then OU stiffened. So they traded field goals. Oklahoma: you're not going to push Alabama trading fucking field goals, you know that, right?

Fucking field goal. You fucking Pussy Sooners. 28-10, 7:30 2Q. They had Alabama a little bit on their back heels. They had gone for it on 4th down at least twice before, once on this drive from the Bama 31, once earlier in the game when they failed and Bama scored. They got two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties after their first TD, I didn't like that at the time, but when I saw how they shut down Bama on two successive possessions after that, I thought (don't know if I'm right) that OU was PISSED, that those two penalties unleashed an anger in them. That's how the game read to me. If by chance I am correct then they shouldn't have dry-humped a peepy field goal there. Keep 'em on their heels! I don't see anything that comes of 28-10. 28-14? That's a two-touchdown game and Alabama would be reeling? 28-10: "Whew! We dodged one there." Gave them a chance to regroup.

GO FOR IT! 4th and 5 at the Alabama 9. 28-7.

#1 Alabama 28 #4 Oklahoma 0, 12:51 2Q

Holy hell.

#1 Alabama 14 #4 Oklahoma 0, 5:54 1Q

Here comes another blow out, looks like.

Alabama took the opening kickoff, zip zip zip, 75 yards, 7 plays, TD. 7-0.

Oklahoma got the ball at their own 26, ran three plays for -6 yards, and punted.

Alabama went 55 yards in 8 plays, TD. 14-0.

Oklahoma just went 7 yards in three plays and punted again. Alabama has it back.

WEEEE!

#2 Clemson 30 #3 Notre Dame 3

What is to be done with Notre Dame in the future?

This is the second time they have gone undefeated recently, played for the national championship or, as here, made the College Football Playoff and both times they have gotten destroyed. They were deemed the best team in the country at the end of the 2012 season and played #2 Alabama. Got destroyed 42-14.  It was 28-0 at the half. Six years later they are voted #3, play #2 Clemson and get destroyed. They play, always, one of the toughest, most national schedules in the country. You go undefeated through one of their schedules, how can they be so uncompetitive in these championship games? Going undefeated with their schedule, how could the committee keep them out of the playoff? But on this evidence now of twice in six years, how could you vote them in a third time?

More...

December 27:

(8-5) Duke 56
(8-5) Temple 27

(8-5) Wisconsin 35
(7-6) Miami 3

They're not matching opponents well.

December 26:

(7-6) Minnesota 34
(7-6) Georgia Tech 10

December 28:

(8-5) Auburn 63
(6-7) Purdue 14

My goodness gracious. And that is just some. There were some close bowl games also. Other mis-matches that I ignored. 

More College Football Devastation

#10 Florida 41
#7 Michigan 15

College Football Playoff Semi-Final: Clemson 30 Notre Dame 3 FINAL

Boy oh boy. 

Justise Winslow...Justise Winslow had 24 points, third straight for J-low +20, 11 ‘bounds and 7 assists (PG in Dragic’s absence). Bam Adebayo had 18, 8/8, 9 and 5 and the Miami “Heat Zones” won a basketball game tonight 118-94. It was only over Cleveland.

“Zones” shot a boggling 52.7% (They were playing Cleveland.); in fact every “Zone” guy who played septin James Johnson (0/1) shot 50%+ because it was Cleveland but still it’s an impressive box score.

If they think this makes up for getting scalped by Tonto—who got BLOWN OUT by Borelando tonight—though, it don’t.

If You Are a Suspect: Do Not EVER Talk to the Cops

Here are nine reasons FROM THE FORMER FBI DIRECTOR HIMSELF NEVER to talk to the authorities if you are a suspect. First posted and commented upon here on October 1, 2017, this bears re-posting under the above lede. Make this a New Year's resolution.

1. "F.B.I. agents are experts at interviewing people."

2. "Agents have much better nonsense detectors than partisans, because they aren’t starting with a conclusion."

It is absolute bullshit that FBI agents, cops generally, "aren't starting with a conclusion," they absolutely are. 

3. "They will confront people with testimony and other accounts, testing them and pushing them in a professional way."

Compare to below.

4. "F.B.I. agents know time has very little to do with memory."

FBI AGENTS KNOW NO SUCH THING! TIME CAN PLAY TRICKS ON MEMORY!

5. They know every married person remembers the weather on their wedding day, no matter how long ago.

That is Comey's smug, cardinal example for "time has very little to do with memory." THAT IS BULLSHIT! I, Benjamin Harris, have some experience in the matter of wedding days and I can state, unequivocally and in all sincerity, that I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE WEATHER WAS ON EITHER OF MY WEDDING DAYS! 

This is the kind of nonsense that you're up against. These are the kind of "lie detector" tests these "experts" will use on you. 

6. They also know that little lies point to bigger lies. They know that obvious lies by the nominee about the meaning of words in a yearbook are a flashing signal to dig deeper.

BULLshit. BullSHIT. Did Bill Clinton lying about getting a little chupi from Monica Lewinsky "point to bigger lies"? Absolutely not! Why did he lie, then? SO HIS FUCKING WIFE WOULDN'T FIND OUT!

7. Once they start interviewing, every witness knows the consequences. 

"Consequences," refers to PERJURY. See, if you are asked, "Did you murder that guy?" and say "No" Pause:Why do you think they are asking you that question?  Do you think they go up to everybody on the streets and ask "Did you murder that guy?" They believe they have some basis to suspect you of murder. Unpause. If you say "No, I didn't murder that guy?" they will then follow up by asking you "What was the weather on your wedding day?" And if you tell them that you don't know and are then "confronted" with "relentless questions" ("in a professional way") that EVERYBODY remembers the weather on their wedding day, and you give in and guess, "Fine! It was...cloudy!" these mother-fuckers will check the weather on your wedding day and if it was sunny they will charge you with PERJURY. Even if you convince them that you didn't murder that guy they will charge you with perjury.

8. It is one thing to have your lawyer submit a statement on your behalf. It is a very different thing to sit across from two F.B.I. special agents and answer their relentless questions...[M]ost people will speak to them. Refusal to do so is its own kind of statement.

That's right. It is a very different thing to have your lawyer submit a statement on your behalf BECAUSE THEN THEY CAN'T CHARGE YOU WITH PERJURY (some exceptions). So if, like an idiot, you do agree to talk to the police say this and only this: "I WANT A LAWYER!" Better: Before you go in for questioning take a sharpie and write on your forehead "I WANT A LAWYER!" 

"Refusal...own kind of statement": WRONG! A refusal to make a statement is NOT A STATEMENT! Comey means they'll take a refusal or lawyering up as an implicit acknowledgment of your guilt in the crime you're being questioned about or in perjury or both. Let 'em. Let them think what they're going to think and know this: A refusal to speak is not evidence against you; a refusal cannot EVER be used in court against you. Cannot be used by the police/FBI to arrest you. IT IS NOT EVIDENCE! 

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/30/opinion/james-comey-fbi-kavanaugh-investigation.html

This is probably untrue

As others have noted, the McClatchy report has not been confirmed or even picked up by Big Media, NYT, WaPo, WSJ, etc. Given the feeding frenzy that in all other cases would attend a scoop like this it is probably untrue. McClatchy is respected but they have also pushed the Prague connection previously and they are not as respected as the Big Media.

Dec 27, 3:40 pm

Cell signal puts Cohen outside Prague around time of purported Russian meeting

https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/investigations/article219016820.html

Oh yeah! Remember that? The Steele Dossier claimed Cohen had gone to Prague to “collude” with Russia. Cohen said he had not and, of course, Trump has repeatedly dismissed the Steele Dossier as bs. Mueller now has Conehead’s phone at the time pinging off cell towers in Prague near where the meeting was taking place. Trumpie and Conehead. NOT good for you. How is this for stupid: the collusion meeting was so Cohen and Russia could coordinate their efforts to deny the collusion. You guys are geniuses.

Read more here: https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/investigations/article219016820.html#storylink=cpy

A still does not do that thing justice. You have to see it throb. A GIF gives you that.

There is NO WAY I would have seen that and thought, “Oh, it’s only a transformer explosion.” Are you kidding me, I would have been waiting to be irradiated and dissolved. That is terrifying.

A transformer explosion last night had New Yorkers thinking alien invasion event, thermonuclear attack event, Second Coming event. I can see why. That is the mother of all transformer explosion events.

Have You Taken Leave of Your Senses?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/opinions/2018/12/27/nbc-news-is-standing-by-misleading-story-trumps-visit-troops/

Did you seriously write 951 words on the definition of  “Christmastime” and whether Trump
visited Iraq during it, then instruct NBC to change their lede again or “stand legitimately accused of propogating fake news”?

Do you have any sense that you have embarrassed yourself? That you, professional pencils in general, have embarrassed yourselves generally with your coverage of this trip? You have been under constant attack by Trump and the stress cracked you today. I didn’t realize watching a person obsess and have a break down was so befuddling and funny.

You need to lie down and take a powder, all of you. You should go on vacation, give up the Trump beat for awhile. Have lots of drinks. Visit a whorehouse.

There are so many petty b.s. stories written by you—CNN, HuffPost, NBC—on this NON STORY.  Trump Obsession is GOOD! There is a lot to obsess on. Christmastime is not one of them.

Michael Cohen
Michael Cohen
@MichaelCohen212
I hear #Prague #CzechRepublic is beautiful in the summertime. I wouldn’t know as I have never been. #Mueller knows everything!
4:21 PM · Dec 27, 2018 from Manhattan, NY · Twitter for iPhone

That is a dangerously coquettish tweet by Cohen. What does he mean? He has always said he was never in Prague, he repeats that here, but then adds the “#Mueller knows everything” tag. If he ultimately told Mueller he had been in Prague, then Mueller is not going to be happy with that teasing denial, given away only by the tag. It seems to me more likely that Cohen means the denial, that he gave Mueller the denial, hence “#Mueller knows everything.”  But if that is true Mueller “knows” that Cohen’s cell phone was pinging off towers in Prague and Cohen offers nothing to explain how that could be so. Mueller would be furious if Cohen gave him that breezy denial.

We’re Not That Good

Boy oh boy. When Alen Malloy stepped out of his house in Sheffield, England yesterday "It was a lovely sunny morning. I looked up and as soon as I saw it I thought, 'that's shiny'. It was in a clear blue sky and perfectly lit."

Yep. Air Force One. With Trump on board during his “secret” trip to Iraq.

I’m Immortal

A tremendous scientific breakthrough.

Toronto 106 Miami 104

I don't understand why there has not been a rise in random violence in Miami in the last couple hours.

Ira Winderman's recap is in:

It was a good run while it lasted -- both the five-game winning streak the Miami Heat entered with and the aggressive start that had them up by 17 points at one stage Wednesday night.

Then the Toronto Raptors decided enough was enough.

Oh. They just decided enough was enough and that was it.

Ira's "view" is in:

-- Whether or not Heat are considered a good team, they are proving to be a competitive team.

Oh. Is that the new measuring stick, competitive?

-- It used to be the Heat needed shooting when Justise Winslow was in the lineup. Now he is the shooting.

Good.

-- Hassan Whiteside came out as engaged as he's been in any game this season.

Nice Ira we lost the goddamned game.
...
-- Easy to decipher Heat defensive intention if you focus on Erik Spoelstra: Holds up two fingers on one hand, three on other if zone; otherwise holds up five fingers on a single hand.

What does it mean when he holds up this many?

-- It later became a game of zones, with the Raptors turning to the alignment in the third quarter.

Did that have anything to do with turning the game, Ira? No, no, that is okay, don't analyze.
...
-- Dwyane Wade said that after the loss after Thanksgiving in Toronto, Spoelstra it was a good time to take stock before this post-Christmas matchup.

-- "Coach was very candid with us," Wade said, "that we had a lot of work to do and that we weren't as good as Toronto, that we had a lot of work to do before the next time we played them, to see where we're at the next time we played them, and it was a month away from that game, and to see from this next one how much better we can get."

-- Wade went in encouraged, "Guys are starting to play for each other, and that's all you can ask for from this young group."

How did D-Wade come out of the game feeling?

-- Without or without the trade of DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard, Wade said he was surprised the Raptors weren't part of Wednesday's featured NBA fare.
...
Enough. Ira, did you watch the fucking game? Miami blew a 17 point third period lead. They blew a six point lead with 2:27 left in the game. "It was a good run while it lasted": Hey! Don't get too upset about this, Ira!

Where's the analysis? What the FUCK went wrong? How about starting with the D? Tonto was on pace for 88 total points at half time. They scored 64 in the fucking second half. How about giving up 100+ for the first time in six games...which resulted in the first loss in six games? How did that happen, Ira?

Ira doesn’t tell us but he has a warm-and-fuzzy from D-Wade on Toronto not appearing on TV on Christmas. So, I'll tell you what happened even though I didn’t watch the game either (I was
analyzing it.). However many fingers Tonto's coach held up his switching to a zone in the
3Q, while Miami stayed in their zone, did effect the outcome. A zone defense collapses on the inside game. So, YoungWhiteside had 16, 11, and 3 at the half, on pace for a 32 point, 22 rebound, 6 block game. Which would have extracted sperm from my penis. Instead Hassan's final numbers were 16, 12, and 3. James Johnson: In his "coming out party" James had 12 points and 4 boards at the half. James finished with 12 points and 6 boards. The effect of Tonto's zone in the 3Q was to cause Miami's inside game to go MIA, see?

Since both teams were playing zone in the second half what does that do to the offenses of both teams c'mon, c'mon, c'mon. Right! It means offense has to come from the outside. Where does the "Heat" SUCK? Outside shooting. Treys. So, what do you think happened in the third quarter? Exclusive of free throws (which, preview, was the difference in the game) this was the scoring:

-Tonto two point shot
-Miami three point shot
-Richardson pushed the lead back to 17 with a two point shot at 8:16 3Q. After that, the deluge.
-"Fred" "VanFleet", remember the name, 3-pointer.
-Miami two-pointer.
-"Fred" "VanFleet" 3-pointer.
-Kawhi Leonard 3-pointer
-D-Wade 10 foot floater.
(Miami is trading twos for threes. Which is not a good trade.)
-Tonto layup
-Miami three-pointer.
-Tonto layup
-Tonto two-pointer
(Justise missed a three at 4:07. Miami was getting into a three-point shooting contest. Which is not a contest they can win.)
-Tonto 3-pointer off the Winslow missed three
-Miami two-pointer
-"FVF" three. And just like that the game is tied. Miami's 17 point lead POOF! gone in 6 minutes.
-Tonto two-point shot.
-Miami three-pointer
-D-Wade misses a three
-Tonto three off the D-Wade miss

End 3. Toronto 81 YOUR Miami Heat 79. Outscored 37-21. Erik the Great should have done this here

after FVF's second three of the quarter or after Kawhi's first. Miami was "playing at pace" agin, runnin' and gunnin' and not havin' no funnin'.

That is how the lead was lost BUT. This is a very weird box score. "Heat" actually runned and gunned good over the course of the whole game. They shot 51.8%. Which is fucking unbelievable. Tonto shot 46.8%, which is not Miami defense. Miami D is holding the other guys to like 41%. Miami also shot 41.4% from range, Tonto 43.3%. Tonto shot better but the difference was three points--enough to win the game!--BUT. But the real cause of this loss was free throws. Miami tried 12 and made 6. Which is JUST pathetic. But even if they had made all twelve, Tonto got to the line 23 times. 23 to 12. And Tonto made 19 of them, 82.6%. Kawhi Leonard his own self got to the line almost as many times, 11, as the entire "Heat" team! And of course, since Kawhi is Kawhi and he has no weaknesses in his game, he made 10 of his. The lead was lost in Tonto's 37 point 3Q explosion when Miami stayed zone instead of matching up man-to-man, trying to play at pace and shoot from range and they shot themselves in their own feets. The game was lost in the barrage of fouls called on Miami throughout and proximately by a final Tonto three, what else, with 22.7" left.

This was a crushingly dispiriting loss, a “same old ‘Heat’” loss, a civic unrest loss. Miami could have, hell, should have kept their “nice little run” going with a sixth straight win. Instead of 17-16 they’re 16-17.

You’re welcome, Ira.

FT Toronto 106 Miami 104

YouTuber lawyer discusses Epic Games emote lawsuits

(Fortniteintel)

Ditto and I never heard of Fortniteintel and don’t know what that could mean.

‘Doomba’ turns your Roomba’s cleaning maps into Doom levels

(The Verge)

I don’t understand.

Troops bringing Trump hats to sign may violate military rule

(CNN)

Noodles, shut the fuck up.

It's 63-46 now, but I digress. This is James Johnson's coming out party: 12 pts, 5/7, 2/3, 4 'bounds, by far his best half since he returned from injury.

And YoungWhiteside. My goodness. 16, 11, 3 blocks. 

Goddamned “Heat” lead first place, 25-10 Toronto by two TD’s at the half. Fucking Fucks.

I think this is real. 

YEAH! I was an Academic All-American football player in college.

Duh, I mean a GTE District VII academic All-American.

Well...Same diff, girly man. Swine.

Trump's Acting Attorney General, Matthew Whitaker, pumped up his resume a little, the Wall Street Journal has found. He can make up for it by ending the Mueller investigations of his boss. 

The College Football Playoffs matches the top four teams in the land. Just four. Expect good games, no? Tight. Expect the lines to reflect that closeness in excellence with only four teams out of 120 or something, right? Well the lines are not. The lines are more in line with a good Power Five conference team playing at home against a good team from the Gang of Six or whatever it's called.

#1 Alabama plays #4 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens, a neutral field. Bama is a 14 point fave :o. Really didn't expect that. Woulda guessed like 7.

#2 Clemson plays #3 Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl at Jerry's World. #2 and #3. Can't slide a playing card between #2 and #3, right? Clemson is a 12.5 point pick.

Bettors are usually right. The lines established by the houses divide bettors 50-50 so there's an even split right now between bettors who think Alabama is going to clobber Oklahoma like 28-14, 35-21 and bettors who think OU is going to lose 28-21 or 17-14. But lose, OU will.

Similarly, bettors are split 50-50 on Clemson beating ND 31-18 and those who put their money on the "Irish" keeping it closer, 24-17, etc. But lose, see above.

The bettors do not give either Oklahoma or Notre Dame much of a chance. Which begs the question: Did the committee choose the right four schools? I think they did. I cannot imagine their being much debate in the committee about these four. But would the line have been as prohibitive if Bama were matched with #5 Georgia (11-2)? No, I don't think so. Or against #6 Ohio State (12-1)? I really don't think so. Alabama-Ohio State, geez I think Bama by 3? Similar with Clemson-Ohio State.

So...Yeah, yeah, I know, it does follow then that, according to the bettors (or what I think the houses would have done), the committee did not choose the four best teams. That does follow. That follows inescapably. So then is the committee made up of idiot bloggers, Trump voters? No, the committee's subjective choice of the four best teams is based upon objective performance, wins and losses (if any) against highest quality opponents. If the committee had chosen #6 Ohio State they would have had to have ignored this here: Purdue 49 Ohio State 20. Purdue, who lost six games. Purdue, who lost to Eastern Michigan.

Having unfettered choice, the committee had no choice, if they were to base their subjective selections on objective performance.

This then speaks to two possible solutions. Expand the playoffs to, say, eight schools, or limit them to two teams and just match Alabama and Clemson every year.

Trump Makes Surprise Visit to Iraq

That is very nice, just very nice.

Mush.

“Misser prezdent I am 7 year old Romanian immigrant child and I wan wish you Merry Chrismas in Romanian: Footis gura mudda sa food asha meena.”

“Are you still a believer in Santa? Because at 7, it's marginal, right?"

I still cannot believe Bob Dylan won a Nobel literature prize.

EECK! Trumpie, not THERE! Go #2 in the PORCELAIN throne! #AlertTheHousekeepingStaff

Donald J. Trump
Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump
I am all alone (poor me) in the White House waiting for the Democrats to come back and make a deal on desperately needed Border Security. At some point the Democrats not wanting to make a deal will cost our Country more money than the Border Wall we are all talking about. Crazy!
12:32 PM · Dec 24, 2018 · Twitter for iPhone

What are you doing in there, Trumpie? #AlertTheMentalHealthStaff

Tinker, shminker. Know what? It don’t matter who Erik the Great throws out there. If mother-fuckers hold the other guys to under 100 points "Heat" win. Period. Look it up: 10-1 playing defense, 6-15 when not. How hard was that to figure out? Tough, nasty D has been the "Heat's" identity since 1995. They have always been the most hated, most physical, most exasperating team to play in the league.

So what was that bullshit before Erik re-invented the wheel, that “play at place” runnin’ and gunnin’, if-it-ain't-a-three-it-ain't-basketball bullshit? “Heat” don’t have Splash Brothers, they got Clank Cousins. Play at “Heat” pace, a simmer, not a boil. Let Riley’s de rigueur Big slow it down for you. Let him eat the offensive glass and give the gang that can’t shoot straight second shots.

First, second, and last, play defense like the existence of the franchise depends on it. ‘Cause it do.

‘Tis the Dangerous Season

It has finally gotten through my thick skull that DefSec Mattis’ resignation, and today firing, is not just “Another One Bites the Dust,” that rather, with the departure of the last of the three adults who tried to act as counterweights to the “juvenile” in the White House, and before them with Gary Cohn and others I may be forgetting, The End is Near. The end of everything, the nation, whatever this nation now is, the government, democracy, the rule of law, the nation’s physical existence, for never have we been more susceptible to, because so completely ill-equipped to defend against, an existential attack. Not the end of the Trump presidency, the End of Everything. For with Mattis now gone Trump can be Trump and God help the rest of us. Below are excerpts from most of the recent writings and sayings of others that have penetrated my gray matter and effected one incremental turn of the kaleidoscope producing this new ominous scene. Senator Schumer’s speech in particular was powerful on me tonight.


“to go to work for a man who is pretty undisciplined, doesn’t like to read, doesn’t read briefing reports, doesn’t like to get into the details of a lot of things, but rather just kind of says, ‘This is what I believe.’ ” (Former StateSec Rex Tillerson)

"Great men, great nations, have not been boasters and buffoons, but perceivers of the terror of life, and have manned themselves to face it."-Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Always impulsive, the president increasingly believes he does not need advisers, according to people close to him.

At the midpoint of his term, Mr. Trump has grown more sure of his own judgment and more cut off from anyone else’s than at any point since taking office. He spends ever more time in front of a television, often retreating to his residence out of concern that he is being watched too closely. (Baker and Haberman, NYT)

“The president is making decisions without counsel, without preparation, and even without communication between relevant departments and relevant agencies." (Sen. Schumer)

“This is a made-up fight so the president can look like he’s fighting.” (Sen. Corker)

When we talk about the “wall” as if it’s real, we’re reifying a dark fantasy, a vague, though powerful, signal of anti-immigrant sentiments, not an actual, physical thing. (Washington Post columnist)

Miami 115 Orlando 91

Who do you think won the game for Miami? I don't know, Wade again, you really suck when you're best player is 87 years old. Wrong. D-Wade was 4/12. Whiteside? Whadda he have 30 and 30? Wrong. 14 and 6. J-Rich have like 50? 15. WELL THEN WHO? High scorer for the Miami "Heat" was Tyler Johnson. 25, 9/15, 6/9. Watafa man? Second high scorer was Justise Winslow with 22, 9/12, 3/4. Justise? Justise NoWinsNow shot 9/12, 3/4? Man, I don't understand this fucking team.

Break up the "Heat."

Dearie me. Miami went cross state to Orlando and blew the "Magicians" out 115-91. MIA now 16-16, 9-3 recently, and on a win streak of five straight. I don't understand this team.

Jeremy Fowler
Verified account
@JFowlerESPN

Steelers produced one of the most inspired, desperate performances of the year but needed near-perfection. Two turnovers/botched fake punt won’t get it done. This game was true to Pittsburgh’s identity - they can play with anyone - but curious previous games created this

5:14 PM - 23 Dec 2018

Saints 31 Steelers 28

Mike Tomlin lost that football game for Pittsburgh. The "Steelers" players were heroic, heroic, for the second game in a row and then...That was Fourth-And-Five Franklin dumb. On the road, needing a win, fourth and five at their own 42, over four minutes left to play. The "Steelers" defense played so heroically, they would have stopped New Orleans on a long field. You punt the ball, even if it goes into the end zone, the "Saints" have to go eighty yards. Plenty of time to do that but against this defense, today? Nah-ah. And with some likelihood Pittsburgh would have downed the ball inside the 10. Say, 95 yards to go. And it would have been 80 or 90 or 95 yards that they would have had to go: they had to score a touchdown. But Nooo! Take-a-Hike Mike calls a fake. The fullback is stopped one yard short. Now New Orleans has to go 46 yards in four minutes. That's an age of time; that's a terribly short field, and New Orleans is a damn good team. Not the "Aints," not the "Browns," a 12-2 team. The Pittsburgh defense was stout on that last drive. They made NO fight and bleed for every damn yard, but come on man, you give a good team a short field with plenty of time to win the ball game, that's what they're gonna do. New Orleans won the game but Mike Tomlin lost it for Pittsburgh.

FT New Orleans 31 Pittsburgh 28

FIRE MIKE TOMLIN!

Oh my God, Pittsburgh has got that terrible kicker...

Holy shit. "Steelers" down to the NO 20. :32 left.

FIRE MIKE TOMLIN!

What’s this.

4th & 5 at PIT 42
(4:11 - 4th) (Punt formation) R.Nix left guard to PIT 46 for 4 yards (C.Robertson, C.Banjo).

Is that true? They faked a punt from their own 42 with over 4 mins left? and had a big fat offensive guard try to run five yards?  (R. Nix is a full back, not an OG.) Mike Tomlin: THAT is the kind of play call that will get a coach’s ass fired, sir.

“Stillers” beatin’ the “Aints” 28-24 in Nawlins. “Aints” ain’t suck no mo. 12-2. “Stillers” forced a punt after taking the lead and got down to the NO 34 and then NO!, a fumble. Now Nawlins have it at the Pit...THEY BLOCKED THE FG! “STILLERS” BLOCKED THE KICK! They take over on their own 32 with 6:13 left in the game.

Baker Mayfield pleads ignorance after appearing to stare down Hue Jackson

(ESPN)

You win Baker. You know more football than Jackson does. Leave it go. The first time, ok. Spontaneity. But again today. Classless.

More Corker

“I think this next three months could well determine whether he decides to run again or not...Again, only he knows what he’s going to do, but we’ll see.”

I have read a couple of similar things. I can only figure that Corker is thinking of the investigations. BoMu's report will be out in three months, I think. Other than that, I don't know where this idea comes from. Trump HAS to run for re-election, that is the only way he can equal Barack Obama, the Black Man: his and every cuckolded white male's deepest anxiety.

Senator Bob Corker
Verified account
@SenBobCorker

Yes, just like Mexico is paying for the wall... #AlertTheDaycareStaff
12:19 PM - 23 Dec 2018

Donald J. Trump
Verified account
@realDonaldTrump

Senator Bob Corker just stated that, “I’m so priveledged [sic] to serve in the Senate for twelve years, and that’s what I told the people of our state that’s what I’d do, serve for two terms.” But that is Not True - wanted to run but poll numbers TANKED when I wouldn’t endorse him.....
11:56 AM - 23 Dec 2018

Sen. Bob Corker, "State of the Union," CNN:

"This is a made-up fight, so the president can look like he's fighting. But, even if he wins, our borders are going to be insecure…So, this is something that is unnecessary. It's a spectacle. And, candidly, it's juvenile. The whole thing is juvenile." (emphasis added)

Trump is the first post-literate president and the first virtual president. Corker is dead on here. It's about "looking like" he's fighting. Remember Marco Rubio's laser shot at Trump over the faux threat to punch somebody in the face: "Donald Trump has never punched anybody in the face in his whole life. He's not a tough guy. He's not!" That was about Trump "looking like he's fighting," also rather than doing the real thing.

Man, I used to dream of this: of taunting Trump to a real fist fight. "Come on, Trump I'll give you the first punch!" And when he wouldn't, painting him into a corner: "I'm giving you the first shot Trump. If you don't take it in five seconds I will. One, Two, Three, Four..." He would then throw a half-hearted sissy's punch--because he would be afraid, as all bullies secretly are--that, of course, I would be totally prepared for, would slip it and then counter punch and knock him on his ass.

Ah! but for the Secret Service...How about if I just taunted him? What would be the crime in that? 

Trump, Pissed, Fires Mattis

Mattis made the decision to resign effective February 28. Trump, who’s reading comprehension score on the SAT was in the remedial range, “did not understand” Mattis’ letter of resignation and was bewildered by the outcry over the resignation. As aides explained the letter to him, Trump got increasingly pissed and decided resignation was too good for Mattis so today he fired him effective no later than January 1.

"Great men, great nations, have not been boasters and buffoons, but perceivers of the terror of life, and have manned themselves to face it."-Ralph Waldo Emerson.

A piquant dedication in Robert Kennedy And His Times for Donald Trump and his times.

Oh my God, another tsunami struck Indonesia over night. 222 killed so far.

The Trump Christmas Shutdown

'Tis the Trump Christmas shutdown
And all through the White House
Not a creature is stirring
Not even the Orange Louse.
“I am proud to shut down!” he said ten days ago,
“I will take the mantle!” with faux bravado.
Melania's stockings on that mantle now hang,
Are strewn on the carpet and draped on a chair.
But no bimbo to bang!
No, she is not there;
Down in Mar a Lago in a shirt, “I really don’t care,” 
While the coward, the louse, 
Alone in the house,
Hides in a corner like a mouse,
With a scare.
Oh dash her! That Dancer! that Prancer!
That plagiarizing Vixen! 
That Cupid so stupid,
Off with that cuckoo Wolf Blitzen.
As Moscow Times wretches nestle snug in their beds,
Their puppet Trump dances to any tune in their heads.
“I will be the one to shut it down!”
And indeed you are now,
The Trump Christmas shutdown belongs to you, Clown.

My goodness gracious, the Miami “Heat.” Playing one of the very best teams in all the NBA tonight, that is Saturday, the Milwaukee “Bucks”, 22-9 coming into American Airlines where the “Heat” have aborted takeoffs with regularly. Jumped in the “Bucks” Schlitz in the 1Q, 21-8. Got buck-fucked by them 30-16 in the second and then blitzed the Schlitz out of ‘em agin, 35-20, in the third. Held on with a convincing 94-87 scoreline at the end.

Can you feel the heat rising? For the heat has been turned up, that’s four in a row, eight in 11, 15-16 on the year, 8th place, a game out of ninth, a game out of sixth. Good teams too they have beaten: MIL, HOU before, the “Grizz” before that, and a respectable flock of “Pelicans” was shot down to start the streak.

Team Inconsistency is shedding the label. The “Heat” is ON as they have not been all year.

Army...Fuck, Army beat the University of Houston today in a college tackle bowl game 70-14. 70. Houston was 8-4 going into the game. 70-14. Fuck.

Often retreating to his residence out of concern that he is being watched too closely.

How could Baker and Haberman fairly bury that? Did it not hit them like a two-by-four in the head? 

He spends ever more time in front of a television, often retreating to his residence out of concern that he is being watched too closely.

Baker and Haberman write that their article is based on interviews with more than 30 people.

"Ever more time."
"Often."
"Retreating"
"Concern." I.e. fear.
"Being watched too closely."

#AlertThePsychiatricStaff.

He spends ever more time in front of a television, often retreating to his residence out of concern that he is being watched too closely.

My goodness.

Peter Baker and Maggie Haberman have an article in today’s Times, “For Trump, a War every Day,” Waged Increasingly Alone.” The lede is descriptive of the content but this one sentence should not have been obscured between two other sentences in the fourth paragraph:

He spends ever more time in front of a television, often retreating to his residence out of concern that he is being watched too closely.

That is descriptive of paranoia. That is a dangerous mental disorder.

Disaster

Palace scored again, on a PK, in the 51' to extend their lead to 3-1. They are now in the 85'. Fifteenth place Crystal Palace. Manchester City are going to lose to fifteenth place Crystal Palace 3-1 at Etihad Stadium. This is the worst loss of Pep Guardiola's tenure. City will fall four points behind Liverpool. A shocking disaster.

Oh, tarts of the flowering farkleberry bush, Child Porn lead City 2-1 HT at Etihad. WTF Angels?!

Merry Christmas, Russia!

This guy is a columnist for the MOSCOW Times:

“Trump is God’s gift that keeps on giving. Trump implements Russia’s negative agenda by default, undermining the U.S.–led world order, U.S. alliances, U.S. credibility as a partner and an ally. All of this on his own. Russia can just relax and watch and root for Trump, which Putin does at every TV appearance.”

Vladimir Frolov
Vladimir Frolov
@vfroloff

We trust Donald Trump to do the right thing
6:55 AM • December 21, 2018 • Twitter for iPhone

What a wonderful man. https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/18/us/george-hw-bush-sponsored-filipino-child-trnd/index.html

Today is the official start of Winter and also the shortest day of the year. So...yeah.

A Big One Bites the Dust

DefSec Jim Mattis announced his exit from TrumpWorld last night. Disagreement with the Bumbler over the Syria withdrawal was the last of many straws.

Mattis was also the last holdout of the generals, McMaster and Kelly, brought in with the hope of stabilizing the ship of state before it went under.

They failed.

A Good Night Double Entendre

Tis five days till Christmas and all through my house not a rocket was shooting and the "Privateers" were drowning.

The "Heat" are waffle-waffle...stabilizing. 13-16 going into tonight's game they held on to beat 16-14 Houston at AAA, where Miami generally SUCKS. That's three in a rowski for the "Heat" and 7 of their last ten. They are tied in wins and losses with Borelando for the 8th and final playoff spot. Miami is creeping toward .500 now at 14-16.

In Pittsburgh my beloved "Dribbling Panthers" took no prisoners after sinking Nawlins' pirate ship 'neath the waves of the confluence. Pitt massacred 'em 99-57. The "Mountain Cats" now stand at 9-3 on the (effectively pre-) season, 7-1 at the Pete. They have one more powder puff game on December 29 against Colgate Palmolive before entering conference play for the duration starting when the #9 North Carolina "Black Feet" invade the Nawth on 1/5/19. Powder puffs though they have played Pitt lost to some of that rouge refuse last year at this time and went 0-fer in conference play. They won't beat UNC but they aren't going to go winless in the ACC this year. There has been drastic improvement and head man Jeff Capel is proving himself a nascent coaching star. So H2P tonight. And MIA, keep showing up. The season is young. 

82 Days

Fifty years ago Robert Kennedy ran for president. The campaign lasted eleven weeks from announcement to assassination.

In those 82 days Robert Kennedy touched more people more deeply than any presidential candidate before him and like only one, Barack Obama, since him.

And people wanted to touch him. People wanted to make physical contact with Robert Kennedy in a way I don't think even Obama matched. They reached to him, grabbed him, pulled him. I don't think there has ever been anything like it.

Children, children, would chase after his car.

All kids. No voters! Black people and children of all races had a sixth sense for him. Kids just KNEW. It is extraordinary.

                 He had an intuitive bond with children. I do also. The difference is I don't like grown ups.

Here making physical contact with a little black girl. That entire crowd is black. No white presidential candidate ever had this visceral bond with black people.

People pulled at him, tugged on him, to the point where a guy had to keep an arm around his waist to keep him from getting pulled away!

All black kids. If kids had had the right to vote, Bobby Kennedy would have been elected by acclamation!

Look at him with that little girl. And look at the other little girl under his butt. And look at the arm of the Bobby Restrainer reaching out to make sure his man isn't carried off to Lilliput! 

In both of these pictures, that is love being communicated between man and child, love.

Ivan Drago keeping a hold of him.

It's like the Michelangelo painting on the Sistine Chapel of God reaching out to touch Man.

"He ain't heavy." The mother-fucker is CARRYINNGG him!

A laying on of hands.

Parting the Red Sea (of hands).

“Reach out, reach out and touch [The] One.”

Look at the face of the lady at lower right.

She has seen the face of Jesus. And like Jesus, Robert Kennedy was murdered by a non-believing Palestinian born in Jerusalem.

Baby Trump really gets his pampers in a wad on the subject of his Wall. When he said he would not shut down the government tomorrow for lack of wall funding Ann Coulter said she didn't like him anymore. Baby Trump said "FINE! ANN I'll un-like you on Twitter." Other of his friends at Red Fox got really mad at Baby Trump too, called him things like "weak" which is very much like "pussy."  Baby Trump wants friends! So today, Baby Trump said he WOULD shut down the government tomorrow if he didn't get his Wall. Baby Trump, call Andres in Mexico City and ask him for a $5 billion loan!

December 19, 9:56 pm

Trump, are you sad that you’re such a pussy that your Wall is never going to be built? 

Never saw a guy run faster on the streets. Started to do the “After you Alphonse, after you Gaston” dance and then stood still to prevent getting bowled over. “Like he’s being chased,” to self but there was no one chasing him. Turned the corner and crossed the street to enter the courthouse. “White guy run past here?,” black couple. “YEAH! And FAST!”  “He just escaped.” “Ah.” “That explains it” to self.

RICO USC

18 U.S. Code § 1961 - Definitions

As used in this chapter—
(1) “racketeering activity” means...(B) any act which is indictable under any of the following provisions of title 18, United States Code:..section 1341 (relating to mail fraud), section 1343 (relating to wire fraud), section 1344 (relating to financial institution fraud)...section 1503 (relating to obstruction of justice), section 1510 (relating to obstruction of criminal investigations), section 1511 (relating to the obstruction of State or local law enforcement), section 1512 (relating to tampering with a witness, victim, or an informant), section 1513 (relating to retaliating against a witness, victim, or an informant)...section 1960 (relating to illegal money transmitters)...

Make RICO Great Again!

This is from way back in May.https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/05/why-mueller-isnt-taking-rudys-bait

The former F.B.I. senior official recognizes something more substantive going on with his old boss as well. “This investigation is classic Mueller: he is doing a classic, organized crime case. This is RICO 101, working your way up and sideways. You pop a few guys for gambling, and no one is going to do a million years for gambling, but you’re gonna get their scratch pads, then you move on to their associates. You flip one guy who you arrest with no fanfare. It’s exactly what Mueller has been doing his whole goddamn life. It’s just that this time the boss of the family happens to be the leader of the free world. Mueller doesn’t care if he gets Trump. He doesn’t care if he doesn’t get Trump. He has no political agenda. He is digging through the layers and bringing back the truth, and the truth is going to be whatever it is going to be.”

"Federal Investigations"

That was the supra lede on the front page of NYT today. So many investigations, so little space.

Director Comey wrote in A Higher Loyalty that dealing with Trump reminded him of meeting gangsters of Murder, Inc. in his early days as a prosecutor.

It was an analogy pregnant with suggestion for the way to bring down a racketeering organization is...RICO, the racketeer influenced and corrupt organization act.

RICO is the criminal law weaponized. It was used to bankrupt the Klan (I don't think my brother was an officer I said I don't think). With all of those "Federal Investigations," with a Special Counsel involved, with the Southern District of New York involved, with the New York Attorney General's office involved (Oh...the Trump Foundation today was shuttered by NYAG for "rampant illegality"), with Mueller unable to indict Trump personally, a RICO indictment of all of Trump, Inc. would bankrupt all of the cells Trump, Inc. and Trump personally. It was to bring complex litigation against all of the parts of a sprawling criminal enterprise into one shootin' match that was the raison d'etre of the first RICO statutes. RICO has got Trump's name written all over it.

MAKE RICO GREAT AGAIN!

Flim Flam Flynn

Judge Emmet Sullivan got a piece of Flim Flam's peepy today. Berated Flim Flam, told him his crimes "disgusted" him. "I'm not bound by the sentencing recommendation!" (of no jail time by Mueller's team.) Suggested that it would be a GOOD idea for Team Flim Flam to do penance before Mueller before sentencing. So sentencing was postponed. There was a brown stain on the back of Flynn's pants as he left court.

United Untied

Since Sir Alex Ferguson retired at the end of the 2013 season United have:

-“Chosen” David Moyes
-Unchosen Moyes after less than 10 months for Louis van Gaal who lasted two seasons.

-Replaced the successor to the “Chosen One” with the “special one."
-Fired Mou after 2 1/2 unspecial seasons.

-For the second time in that spell will appoint a temporary replacement to see off the season and then hire a permanent in the summer.

United have hired well but not gotten results. That gestures strongly toward the players.

MANCHESTER UNITED FIRE JOSE MOURINHO

The Great Bill Fralic: No Coffin Is Big Enough

Oh, my heart aches tonight.

A legendary alumnus of my alma mater, the incomparable Bill Fralic, passed away from cancer last last Thursday at the too, too young age of 56.

Pitt head coach Jackie Sherrill first saw Fralic at a golf club. Bug-eyed and mouth agape at this 6’3 and 1/2” 235 lb incredible hulk Jackie made a bee line for Fralic and asked him where he went to college. Bill was a ninth grader at the time.

This physical freak did not need to use steroids but he did.

 And god damn those things I’m sure they contributed to his early killer cancer.

The stat “pancake block” was minted for specific application to Bill for he did not move defensive
lineman out of the way for his running backs, Bill “followed through” on his blocks and planted them in the turf. Barry Switzer, the great Oklahoma coach, describe Fralic in 1984:

“He is so dominant that if he knows he’s got a mismatch and most of them are mismatches he will use one hand to push the defender away and keep the other hand free to help the guard out. So, instead of using two hands to push ’em up the field like most people have to do, he one-arms a lot of ’em.”

This was Gil Brandt, the Dallas Cowboys director of player personnel on Fralic:

“[He] knocks those guys about six or seven yards downfield and then falls on top of them.” 

Navy coach Gary Tranquill:

“[In one game the previous season, he] knocked over the linebacker, then knocked over the free safety, and then was standing up looking for someone else to knock down. When he pass blocks, nobody moves. He just stands there and knocks down anybody who comes near him.”

Fralic’s personality was every bit as outsized as his physique. 

There will always be a large measure of #79 in every Pitt player and fan for Bill Fralic lived. My how he did live.