WWE = NBA and Air Conditioning

You Certainly Are

I wrote earlier in this blog that I can no longer watch the NBA with any pleasure.  I glanced at some of a playoff game last night until it was obvious that the fix was in and the winner pre-determined.  The league has succumbed to the culture of celebrity that I abhor.  One of the most insidious factors in that culture is that self-perpetuating myth of talent.  Celebrities gain a following and then are given preferential treatment and status that is not necessarily warranted by their actual abilities.  The most startlingly clear example of this in today’s society are the Kardashians whom I cannot fathom why they are considered celebrities as they are so lacking in any intrinsic value that I can discern.  So it is with the NBA, which has crossed the line from the most competitive, highly entertaining premiere basketball league on the planet based on talent to a caricature of itself which more and more resembles the WWE professional wrestling league in terms of farcical relevance.  The league is so much more about highlighting its supposed stars than it is about honest competition.  I’m sure the power of sports betting interests are involved in a very subtle, easily denied, manner (always follow the money).  It started with Magic and Bird and really took off with Jordan but in those days the players still played an honest game and their success was based on talent and playing a team oriented style of play – which is when basketball is at its most attractive.  These were stars that elevated their games and earned their accolades.  The problem nowadays is that it seems the league wants its stars to succeed even if they don’t do the work.  Lebron James is the shining example of what is wrong with today’s game.  He gets foul calls and flops when barely touched but is heralded as the face of the NBA.  He folds when the pressure is on him and is exactly what the Kardashians are to society in general – a whining, self-entitled prima donna.  It’s a true shame too because he has the talent to be in the same class as Bird, Magic and Jordan.   

So we’ve had a couple of days with temperatures in the 80s and since my house sits on top of a hill with little in the way of shade our upstairs has been baking a little.  The nights are still cool enough to sleep comfortably – or so I thought.  You would think I would be the one who has trouble handling a little heat and not my Panamanian born wife.  I came home last night and the upstairs air conditioning was on and ramped up to almost frigid status.  I immediately had visions of an out of control electric bill and asked my wife about it.  Apparently she had been giving me pretty pointed hints over the last few days that I failed to heed so she took action on her own.  I would much rather sleep with windows open with the fresh air but then she brought up the whole issue of menopausal hot flashes.  She won the argument.  We actually had to sleep with a quilt last night – had the best night sleep I’ve had in a long time.  Damn it – I hate when they’re right.