If “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” were a real word, it would be the longest word in the world, longer even than “antidisestablishmentarianism” by a full six letters, and a lot more fun, because as every child knows, “anti” is a negative prefix that means against, and “super” is a positive adjective that means marvelous — an encomium that aptly describes the magical world of England’s most celebrated nanny. This elongated, run-on word was concocted by the songwriting Sherman brothers, Richard and Robert, for the merry 1964 Disney movie Mary Poppins, and it is a highlight of the popular musical stage adaptation that is currently on view at the Muny.

When, late in Act One, the unruffled Ms. Poppins and her lithe pal, Bert sing “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” the Muny stage must be the happiest place on earth. It’s a welcome feat considering that happiness is in short supply in Mary Poppins.

The plot, which draws on the mysterious character introduced by Australian author P.L. Travers in 1934, concerns a high-flying nanny who heals a dysfunctional earthbound family in Edwardian London. In the stuffy Banks home, there’s little communication among parents and children or even between husband and wife. Enter Mary Poppins. Between her somewhat abrupt arrivals and departures, Mary instructs her charges, Michael and Jane (Aidan Gemme and Elizabeth Teeter, who has acquired considerable stage poise since her last Muny appearance two summers ago), in important life lessons. “Don’t interrupt when someone’s barking” is the sort of supremely sane truism from which we all can benefit.

All summer long the starlit sky of the open-air Muny has enriched the theater’s offerings of Spamalot, Shrek, South Pacific and Les Miz. But with its reliance on special effects, Mary Poppins is one show that might work better indoors. Nevertheless, director Gary Griffin and choreographer Alex Sanchez have mounted a buoyant evening that moves from sprightly moment to moment. In the title role, Jenny Powers is a crowd pleaser. If a porcelain dinner plate could smile — and in Mary Poppins’ fantastic world, anything is possible — that porcelain would smile the smile of Jenny Powers.

As the repressed Banks family patriarch, Stephen Buntrock portrays a stuffed shirt without being stuffy. Last summer when Buntrock played a similar role in his Muny debut in Thoroughly Modern Millie, he innately understood how to project voice and personality without calling undue attention to himself. Here, again, he is as if to the Muny manner born. In the opening scene when Mr. Banks learns that yet another (pre-Poppins) nanny has quit because of his difficult kids, Buntrock’s bellicose “Nonsense!” can be heard as far away as Art Hill. This production officially kicks in with the delivery of that word.

But the most triumphant performance of all — and the one that makes this Mary Poppins memorable — is Rob McClure’s exuberant Bert. “When you walk with Mary Poppins,” this chimney sweep (cum street entertainer cum painter) advises Michael and Jane, “you go places you never dreamed of.” But McClure doesn’t walk anywhere if he can stroll, skip or glide. The dexterous actor is not notably tall, but he has figured out that an extended arm will add another couple feet. As he leaps about the stage, Bert is all extensions — the theater equivalent of a whirling dervish. Regardless of whether he is balancing on one foot atop a rooftop chimney or entering the Banks home through the fireplace, McClure is clearly having a blast. And when at the end of “Supercali…” (you know the rest) he slides across the Muny proscenium as if he’s stealing second base, McClure is not merely skidding across the stage; he’s skidding into our hearts. The effect is euphoric.

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I had just turned 20. I didn’t care about a career. Nor did I care about health care (every job provided that then). It was the $16-an-hour thing. That’s what I cared about. That and proving to my father I could be worth something in the world. All I had to do was show up every day and work really hard, and then maybe I’d get into the union. And then, after four years of apprenticeship, I’d get the big dollars, make my father proud, and buy whatever the hell I wanted. Like a new thing I’d read about called a CD player.

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I had tried the college route. For a year and a half. But I didn’t want to be behind a desk, as I had been for the previous 13 years. I wanted to be outside. Move. Drive around. Actually do things. So I took the job with the HVAC shop in Newton, and my career as a refrigeration mechanic began.

One of the dispatchers handed me a beeper. And when it beeped, I’d drive around till I found a payphone without the handset ripped off, scrounge a quarter from my coffee holder, and dial the office.

The author repairs an exhaust fan on the roof of the Iowa River Power Restaurant in Coralville, Iowa.Danforth Johnson

As a changer of air filters, I was always on the move, picking up my order at Filter Sales in Charlestown and then driving to the first businesses on my list so I could set up my ladder. I wore out more than one Arrow Street Atlas trying to find my way around eastern Massachusetts. Charlestown to Jamaica Plain to Allston to Somerville to South Boston. Not only did I not know where I was going, I had no idea what I was doing. I’d never even handled a pipe wrench before. I remember one journeyman, laughing at me when, on a snowy rooftop somewhere in Brighton, I tried to loosen a ¾-inch union by pushing a pipe wrench in the wrong direction. “You know,” he said, “those things only go one way. See the teeth on it? You gotta pull ‘em. See?”

I attended union school a few nights a week in Dorchester and worked in the trade in the daylight hours. After four years of apprenticeship, I was making the big money. I distinctly recall feeling rich and accomplished one warm spring day in Boston when I walked out of a mechanical room beneath a parking ramp near Storrow Drive and across the parking lot to Strawberry Records and Tapes, where I purchased my first CD, “September of my Years,” by Frank Sinatra. And I didn’t even fret about the cost. Because I was now a journeyman.

I got used to spending most of my time in the company of machines. About half the machines were located on rooftops, so I learned to enjoy being outside in all weather. First, I’d determine what the machine wasn’t doing that it was intended to do, in what ways it deviated from the spirit of its original design. And then I’d align it with that spirit. It was a fine life.

It gave me a boost to repair a broken thing. It made me feel sort of like a miniature god. And the math worked. After I fixed a machine, I got paid. After I fixed two machines, I got paid twice. It was a good, simple, miniature-god-like life.

After nine years in the trade, I gave college another go. I paid my way by doing jobs under the table for a union outfit on the North Shore. I fell in love with a girl during a literature class, eloped with her to Niagara, and soon thereafter left Boston for Iowa, where I found work at yet another union shop in Cedar Rapids. I’ve been running my own one-man shop for the past 20 years.

When COVID hit, my phone stopped ringing. It might sound like I’m being dramatic, but even after working in the trade for four decades, it took only a week of inactivity to convince myself that I was unable to fix anything. All the years of experience boiled down to nothing at all. What is the worth in the world of a mechanic who sits on the couch and watches “Gunsmoke” all day? The answer to that math problem is zero. Zero worth.

The stream of cash that once flowed into our reservoir slowed considerably. We ceased going to restaurants and shows. We didn’t fly anywhere. Didn’t rent any hotel rooms. Didn’t remodel the downstairs bathroom the way we’d planned. Didn’t buy the new work truck I thought I needed.

My wife and I took walks. I read more. Listened to more music. I set aside the calculus of productivity and worth. I slowed down. Allowed myself to be happy. And lazy. I decided that 40 years was a long enough stretch of being responsible for all that equipment. All those people. I was tired of working. I didn’t want to work anymore. Even though my longtime customers were still closed for business, I informed them that I intended to continue with my sabbatical for an entire year.

My year, however, lasted only eight months. That’s when the cash ran out. I took my first call on a hot day in early June. Old Chicago, a large restaurant I’d serviced for a number of years, had no air conditioning. “Joe, you gotta help me,” said Bill, the owner. “They shut me down.”

“Who shut you down?”

“Well,” he said, “I called some big outfit from Cedar Rapids about the AC, and they said it couldn’t be fixed. They shut it all down and said it needed to be replaced. But the thing is, they can’t get the new equipment shipped till October.”

When I showed up on the job, I found the kitchen eerily still and quiet. Bill, a man I’d guess to be somewhere in his early 80s, was waiting for me at the bar. The air temperature inside the empty restaurant was over 90 degrees. “I sent everyone home a week ago,” he said.

Six rooftop HVAC units served the kitchen and dining area. One unit had a bad supply fan motor, so I replaced it. Two had refrigerant leaks. I repaired them. One needed a new expansion valve, and one needed a new thermostat. I replaced them.

I had felt a little guilty about leaving my customers hanging, given the shortage of service technicians available. Besides, I realized that I missed working. I missed the rooftops. Being so close to all that weather. I missed the humming mechanical rooms. The customers I’d come to know. That fleeting jolt of joy that comes when the broken piece of equipment whirrs to life. I’d missed the easy reassurance of my worth that taking walks doesn’t provide.

Bill reopened Old Chicago the following day. As I was handing him the work order, I noticed that the conveyor on the large pizza oven in the kitchen wasn’t turning.

“Oh,” he said, “That thing hasn’t worked for eight months. The guy said it needed a part, and it’s been on order.”

“For eight months?” I said.

“Yeah.”

I ordered the part online and replaced it two days after that. Then I quickly went through the rest of the equipment. The ice machine was operational. The coolers. Freezers. Air conditioners. Coffee machines. Infrared cheese melters. Ovens. Grills. Exhaust fans. I changed a few fan belts and gas valves, and then everything was perfect. I believed I’d done a good thing.

Two months later, however, Bill told me he’d had enough. He was closing the place for good.

“I can’t keep it going,” he said. “I can’t hire anyone! Nobody wants to work anymore!”

Joe Blair is an author and refrigeration mechanic in Iowa.

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When Good Karma Brands reached an agreement with The Walt Disney Company to acquire and operate three ESPN-affiliated radio stations on the AM band in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, it represented the expansion of the relationship between the two parties. Good Karma Brands had purchased ESPN Milwaukee from The E.W. Scripps Company in a separate transaction in 2018, and it had also worked with Disney under a digital sales agreement. This past July, the enterprise reached a deal to manage the sales operations for ESPN Radio and its podcasts, affirming the trust and reputation that had been built between the two companies over the years.

ESPN affirms that audio remains critical within its sports media portfolio, and while it still has control over the content, distribution and marketing aspects of the business, there are many new sectors in the purview of Good Karma Brands. As a result, Steve Politziner, president of Good Karma Brands, worked with his organizational development team to implement a new training mechanism to ensure widespread proficiency.

The company distributes a daily quiz, usually consisting of five to six questions, that incorporates information from ESPN hosts, programs, product offerings and best practices. A wide swath of the 300-plus employees who work for the brand are required to complete the exam by the close of business, granting leadership an opportunity to measure awareness and expertise.

“It’s basically, ‘Hey, every day, you have an open book test,’ and it forces people to go in,” Politziner said. “If they don’t know the answers, talk to a teammate; research them on Google. We don’t mind if they do that – we just want to make sure they’re putting a commitment into being an expert in understanding what they’re representing and understanding the company.”

Politziner, along with company founder and chief executive officer Craig Karmazin, have worked to institute a professional culture at the entity. The business partners were childhood friends and classmates, both of whom were infatuated by sports and surrounding media coverage. Moreover, they both had early exposure to the business world – Politziner’s father, Phil, started an accounting firm; while Karmazin’s father, Mel, managed several national broadcast entities – and possessed legitimate interest in progress and innovation.

After working as a financial analyst for nearly a year following graduation from Lehigh University, Politziner was approached by Karmazin to form a business partnership. Karmazin had recently purchased three radio stations in the Madison, Wisc. metropolitan area, and he needed assistance in managing the day-to-day operations and growing the brand. Upon their agreement, Politziner became the company’s vice president and assumed day-to-day business responsibilities while hosting a three-hour radio show with Karmazin in the afternoons.

“It put us on the road, attending some of the biggest national events, whether it was through covering the [Wisconsin] Badgers or taking the show on the road to Radio Row and Final Fours and so many sporting events,” Politziner explained. “[That] is where we forged a lot of early relationships with people in the industry, ESPN and the like.”

A few years after launching the Wisconsin stations, Good Karma Brands began a lease of 760 AM in West Palm Beach, Fla., which it converted to an ESPN Radio affiliate. Employees continued to execute multiple roles, with Politziner and Karmazin moving their radio program to the outlet to aid in creating a compelling and entertaining on-air product.

“Being on the air gave [us] a great chance to have kind of a never-ending focus group about what really motivates fans – what motivates them to patronize an advertising partner; what motivates them to call or engage or champion you in the community,” Politziner said. “It’s sort of never-ending case studies that went on in those years in Madison and West Palm.”

Through interactions with businesspeople and consumers, Politziner was able to gain a more comprehensive understanding about what appealed to those within each marketplace. Rather than conflating distinct marketplaces to fit one programming approach, the company created and polished different ways of doing business in each locale. When he joined the brand, Politziner knew that he could trust Karmazin, who he affirms has always retained advanced intellect and shrewd foresight.

 “If he were an attorney, he would be the attorney I would want to hire,” Politziner said of Karmazin. “….If he were a promotions director at a radio station, he would be the promotions director I would want. He has a real combination of a strategic mind, a creative mind and a business mind.”

The localization of the company in Madison and West Palm Beach granted Politziner invaluable chances to build his network of contacts and assume accountability. It also provided him an opportunity to sharpen his skills as a leader and media executive.

Politziner recently divulged his process when Sam Pines, senior vice president and partner at the company, requested him to release a guest piece for his newsletter, “Time to Win.” Known as “The Politziner P’s,” the principles are intended to provide a roadmap for employees to master the craft of networking in a public forum.

“Effectively, these are just the behaviors that I have practiced and exercised for years and years when I’ve been out and about,” Politziner said. “At the end of the day, all we have is our time, so I’m truly about, ‘What is the best way to maximize it?’”

In reviewing the roots of Good Karma Brands, terrestrial radio has been critical in growth and acquisitions. The company remains bullish on the future of the medium; however, the path forward in New York City will look and sound different in 2024, and produce ample amounts of chatter across the market and the broadcasting industry.

According to Good Karma’s internal data, 60% of ESPN New York’s listenership takes place outside of terrestrial radio. That was a key factor in the company’s recent decision to forsake the existing 98.7 WEPN-FM signal. The change will become official at the end of August 2024, positioning the New York metropolitan area as a metropolis with only one sports talk radio station on the FM dial.

The ESPN affiliate first took the air on the signal when The Walt Disney Company and Emmis Communications agreed to terms on a 12-year deal to lease 98.7 FM, initially worth about $8.5 million annually with a 3.5% rate appreciation. Good Karma Brands, which assumed control of station operations in 2021 through a local marketing agreement (LMA), believes it can continue to maintain its signature programming and brand affinity within the marketplace despite the impending absence of ESPN New York content on the FM dial.

“We’re distributed through so many different vehicles, most notably the successful growth of our ESPN [New York] app and the ability to stream so [much] of our programming and our play-by-play via that mechanism,” Politziner said. “We really feel that in today’s world – doing anything that might create financial challenges where we feel so good about the way that we’re distributing ourselves and that audiences are finding [us] – we just felt that was the most fiscally responsible decision to our markets and to our team.”

Although the lease has yet to expire, Good Karma Brands is standing firm on its decision and made the announcement to give proper notice to all parties impacted. ESPN New York is the radio broadcast home of the New York Jets and airs New York Islanders games, most of which are moved to the AM signal when there are other broadcasting conflicts.

“We know that our advertising partners are going into annual commitments or annual investment [and] our play-by-play partners are making their plans,” Politziner said. “We just feel like in the spirit of transparency, we wanted to make sure that that was out there.”

The outlet also produces and disseminates the MSG Radio Network, which consists of the New York Knicks and New York Rangers. Both teams will remain on ESPN New York without the FM signal and affirmed they are “all in,” a sentiment Politziner feels is a validation of the decision. Moreover, Good Karma Brands has received various inquiries from other professional sports teams over the last several weeks, which could presumably lead to the expansion of its broadcast offerings.

“The distribution mechanisms have evolved,” Politziner explained, “and what might have been crucial as far as a particular medium some years ago is no longer the case with the advent of digital streaming and other options.”

Good Karma Brands is investing in a promotional campaign with the intent to direct listeners to the ESPN New York app and 1050 AM, some of which will likely occur by presence of live game broadcasts. Fans of the local teams are accustomed to listening to the game on different platforms, but a challenge lies in bringing users to the weekday programming lineup, which was recently revamped at the local and national levels. Evidently so, ESPN New York exists beyond terrestrial radio, and its digital expansion is a particular point of emphasis as this future approaches closer to fruition.

“ESPN recognizes that Good Karma has been a best-in-class operator and affiliate at the local level, and our nimbleness allows us to do a really good job on their behalf,” Politziner said. “The other thing I’ll say is that radio is so meaningful to the way people feel about ESPN [through] that emotional connection, as well as an awesome promotional vehicle for all other things ESPN that can drive back to ESPN.com [and] drive back to the TV network.”

ESPN New York has a lineup of experienced and adept personalities throughout the lineup, including The Michael Kay Show, Rick DiPietro and Dave Rothenberg, and Bart Scott and Alan Hahn. These dayparts provide consumers with conversations about pertinent sports topics, and their exclusivity, allure and stability adds value amid a seismic change.

“You can’t get them anywhere else outside of ESPN New York doing their talk shows,” Politziner said. “They’re going to find us, so I think people really know that we have the pulse of the fans in New York. Our team does an excellent job, and play-by-play partners know that’s a great alignment.”

No matter how listeners might access the content, authenticity and connectivity remain at the core of sports media. The industry ultimately serves as a conduit between fans and the players, teams and leagues they have come to love, with commentators and insiders precipitating understanding and encouraging friendly conjecture through reporting and opinions.

Radio has always provided listeners with genuine, real-time reactions and the ability to add to the conversation. There are advantages and disadvantages to every medium, and the nuanced permutations accentuate the distinct qualities that make them appealing. Politziner and Good Karma Brands seek to position themselves to be able to over-deliver and prove they are worth doing business with day in and day out.

“There’s no cookie-cutter formula, but what’s most important is a relatability for your audience and an appreciation that, every day, people have a choice to make on where they spend their time,” Politziner said. “If you always keep in the back of your mind that every single day, you are re-earning your audience and re-earning your fans, having that mentality, I think, goes a long way towards success.”

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by: Nicea DeGering

Posted: Aug 18, 2023 / 01:22 PM MDT

Updated: Aug 18, 2023 / 01:22 PM MDT

• On Good Things Utah this morning – Our hosts are definitely tired today after performing last night in downtown Salt Lake City to raise money for the American Cancer Society. It was the first annual Cancer is a Drag event and Nicea, Deena and Surae dressed up like Barbies to Dance the Night Away on stage along with a host of other performers including our show creator George Severson and Utah musician Kurt Bestor. Tune in for fun pictures of the event.
• Also on the show, if you’ve recently considered moving to an entirely new city, you’re not alone. Ever since the pandemic, many of us have had more flexibility when it comes to where we work and, as a result, where we live. That’s caused millions of people to rethink where they call home, whether they’re looking for the best place to retire or just generally searching for the nicest places in America to settle down, with lower living costs, better job opportunities and higher quality of life. So, just where are people looking? According to a new study by real-estate site Redfin, one of the most popular places homebuyers are perusing also happens to be one of America’s most popular vacation destinations.
  • To pinpoint which cities were getting the most attention from potential homebuyers, Redfin’s analysts sifted through 2 million web searches between April 2023 and June 2023. The company homed in on members who viewed at least 10 for-sale houses, including at least one outside their current metropolitan area. In other words, it tried to focus on people who seemed to show serious interest in relocating to an entirely new place. One caveat: The study didn’t track actual home purchases or moves after people showed online interest. And while those potential homebuyers might not actually pack up and head to another city, they are definitely moving-curious and likely to do so.
  • The city that came out on top in Redfin’s study is … Las Vegas. Yes, that Vegas—home to the world’s most famous stretch of casinos, resorts, thrill shows, tourist attractions and debauchery. It was the first time Las Vegas ever topped this particular list for Redfin. Now, there’s a good chance Sin City has never crossed your mind as a place to live and that you’ve instead considered it as a fun weekend getaway. But for a lot of folks, that’s changing. Tourists know Las Vegas for its bright lights, gaming and star-studded shows. But like a lot of cities, the experience for the locals is far different. “There’s a lot more to Las Vegas than just the Strip,” says realtor Michael Bondi, who’s lived in the area for almost 20 years. “The only time I go down to the Strip as a local is if there’s a concert, a sporting event or a restaurant I want to go to.”
    • Here are some of the top reasons people love Sin City:
  • Affordability
• One of the biggest reasons to consider Las Vegas, especially for those in large metropolitan areas: cost of living. Someone who lives in San Francisco and makes $115,000 would need to earn just $62,683 to maintain their standard of living in Las Vegas, we found using a cost-of-living calculator from NerdWallet. Plus, the home prices here are far more affordable than some of the big West Coast cities where, Redfin found, a lot of the people eyeing Vegas homes currently live. Redfin reports a typical home in the Vegas area costs around $412,000. Compare that with around $975,000 in the Los Angeles area, about $1.4 million in San Francisco and around $826,000 in Seattle. Also appealing? Nevada doesn’t have state income tax.
• Nevada ranks as one of the nation’s fastest-growing states. Interestingly, at some points this year, the state reported higher unemployment rates than the country as a whole, but there are still a lot of job opportunities in the area. Just think about all the touristy businesses downtown! The opportunities are only growing too, Bondi points out. Las Vegas recently added a few new professional sports franchises, and it may soon be home to a couple major motion picture studios … which will translate to thousands of new jobs. “We’ve got so many projects coming here that are going to transform Las Vegas,” Bondi says.
• Ultimately, it’s not the Bellagio or the Venetian that Bondi likes having close to his home in the Vegas suburbs. It’s the two Home Depot stores within a five-minute drive, along with the calm traffic. It’s that type of convenient suburban environment that many of his clients from big cities have been searching for. “It takes me 20 minutes to go from one side of town to the other,” he says. “We have traffic, but it’s manageable.” We hope you tune into this Hot Topic and so much more this morning on a Friday edition of GTU!

Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Thomas Edison’s pioneering incandescent light bulb, which cast illumination by heating a filament until it glowed, is fading into history. New federal rules governing the energy efficiency of lighting systems went into full effect Tuesday, effectively ending the sale and manufacture of bulbs that trace their origin to an 1880 Edison patent. The big winners are likely to be more efficient and longer-lasting LED bulbs. The rules have been whipsawed by politics for years, and as a result may not result in sweeping change simply because businesses and consumers have already begun to embrace more efficient lighting on their own.

FILE – Manager Nick Reynoza holds a 100-watt incandescent light bulb at Royal Lighting in Los Angeles, Jan. 21, 2011. New federal rules governing the energy efficiency of lighting systems went into full effect Tuesday, effectively ending the sale and manufacture of bulbs that trace their origin to an 1880 Thomas Edison patent. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

FULL STORY

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Get ready to say goodbye to the once ubiquitous incandescent light bulb, pioneered by Thomas Edison more than a century ago. You can thank — or blame — new federal energy efficiency regulations that went into full effect Tuesday. Quite possibly without you even noticing.

The Energy Department rules, which date back to the Obama administration, have been whipsawed in the political process for years. Some conservatives and Republican lawmakers long denounced them for interfering with consumer choice and placing undue burdens on business. Under former President Donald Trump, the Energy Department scrapped them in 2019; the Biden administration subsequently revived them.

Yet by the time Aug. 1 rolled around, the critics had gone quiet, possibly because companies and consumers have already started voting for better lighting efficiency with their wallets.

Here’s what you need to know.

WHAT CHANGES UNDER THE NEW RULES?

The rules establish strict new efficiency standards for bulbs used in homes and businesses and bans the manufacture and sale of those that don’t meet those requirements. Practical incandescent bulbs, which trace their origin to an 1880 Edison patent, can’t meet those standards. Neither can halogen bulbs. The rules also ban imports of less efficient bulbs.

But those requirements carry a bit less heft than they would have several years back, largely because advances in LED technology and manufacturing have dramatically lowered prices and improved quality. LED stands for “light emitting diode,” a semiconductor device that converts electricity directly into light.

Between 2015 and 2020, for instance, the percentage of American households that reported using LED bulbs for most or all of their lighting jumped more than tenfold — from 4% to 47%, according to the Energy Information Administration, an independent federal statistics agency.

SO DO I HAVE TO THROW AWAY MY OLD INCANDESCENTS?

Fortunately not. The rules don’t affect bulbs that you already own; they also exempt special purpose incandescents such as those used inside ovens.

But suppose you discard — or give away — your halogen and incandescent bulbs. Odds are good that replacing them with LED bulbs could save you a fair amount of money.

As the rules reinforce existing market changes, the Energy Department believes that U.S. consumers can save almost $3 billion annually on their utility bills. Similarly, it projects that the rules could cut carbon emissions by 222 million metric tons over the next 30 years.

WHY DO LED BULBS SAVE ENERGY AND MONEY?

Incandescent bulbs create illumination by running an electric current through a filament that heats it until it glows. Edison’s first practical light bulb used a carbonized cotton thread for that purpose; modern bulbs use tungsten filaments in an inert gas.

But incandescents are not very efficient. Only roughly 5% of the energy used by an incandescent bulb produces light; the remaining 95% or so is lost as heat. This is why you let an incandescent bulb cool off before unscrewing it.

They also burn out frequently, requiring replacement roughly every year.

The light-emitting components in LED bulbs, by contrast, are manufactured via the same process used to make computer chips, which makes them extremely efficient. They generate almost no heat and use up to 90% less energy than incandescent bulbs while lasting up to 25 times longer, according to the Energy Department.

For more news across the U.S., click here.

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SEATTLE — Mariners legend Ken Griffey Jr. is recognized as the man who perhaps more than anyone else has helped make the Home Run Derby a top event. Not only does he hold the records for most appearances (8) and most wins (3), but he also provided the folklore moment that made the derby a must-see spectacle when he scored from the warehouse Camden Yards beat behind right field in 1993.

But when it comes to mythical presences in the home run derby, the all-time champion could be another former Mariner founder — one who’s hit a total of 117 home runs over his 19-year career and, well, never actually competed in the derby .

I’m referring to Ichiro, the sultan of the slap, who mesmerized teammates and opponents alike with his daily display of strength in slap training. He hit home runs after home runs into right field pitches, a practice he says helped build his momentum for the night’s game. Throughout his career, baseball people swore that if Ichiro ever competed in the home run derby, this little one-hitter would dominate the giants.

“I would bet my entire year’s pay on him to win,” Mariners relief player JJ Putz told me during the 2007 All-Star game in San Francisco when Ichiro hit the only inside-the-park home run in the All-Star game. Story scored was named the game’s MVP. “You saw him hit 12 straight shots in batting practice. And not just when he scratched the wall, but seven or eight times in a row when he banged the hit It Here Café out of the windows. But he says he doesn’t want to disrespect the big power hitters.”

These big power hitters – with Julio Rodriguez as an encore – will converge on T-Mobile Park in less than two weeks for the 39th Home Run Derby, which has become as hyped as the All-Star Game itself – maybe even more more so.

“The Home Run Derby has in some ways perhaps taken on greater importance than the game itself,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said Friday. “The level of competition, there’s a certain strategy behind it, the biggest stars are out there. … Certainly they’ve been doing this for so many years, there’s a lot of history involved.”

And the Mariners have made their distinct mark on the Derby over the years, from Griffey’s escapades to Rodriguez’s breakthrough performance last year, who hit 81 total home runs at Dodger Stadium in an amazing display of strength. He didn’t win—Juan Soto beat Rodriguez in the final—but J-Rod became a household name among baseball fans

Looking back, back, back, back (to steal Chris Berman’s trademark at the derby), it wasn’t all glory for the Seattle thugs. In his very first Derby appearance in 1990, Griffey laid a goose egg at Wrigley Field: zero home runs, as hard as it is to imagine.

“The wind was pretty good (from right to left field),” Griffey, who was leading the competition, later told reporters. “I was a little nervous.”

Back then, players were given 10 “outs” — every swing that didn’t result in a home run. Once you reached 10, you were eliminated. That (and the fierce Wrigley Wind) explains why Ryne Sandberg won the 1990 Derby with just three homers. That’s a little taste of today’s world, where the shift to timed appearances instead of outs (and, some suspect, improved baseballs) saw home runs increase in 2015.

Bret Boone also scored a big fat zero in the 2003 derby in the White Sox’s US Cellular Field, much to his chagrin. He hit 35 home runs for the Mariners that year, but after teammate Ichiro ceremonially handed his bat with a bow, Boone failed to hit a single ten swing from his BP pitcher, former Marine player Dave Valle. In fact, Boone suffered utterly on his third cut.

“People look at you, you look at them. You have to go over to do an interview and you feel so stupid,” Boone said in retrospect this week 20 years later. “I can’t replace how it feels to be the player who actually shot to a clean sheet. I’ve only heard about every city I’ve been to in the second half of the season. I got annoyed by my teammates.”

Valle was popular as a derby pitcher – with left-handers, including this year’s winner Garret Anderson, who used Valle. So did Jason Giambi when he put on a spectacular show in 2001, the last time the game was played in Seattle. Right-hander Boone wanted to bring Mariners coach John McLaren to Chicago to pitch him, but McLaren had already booked a vacation. So Boone Valle alone asked about his reputation without ever getting along with him.

“Val threw a cutter, which comes into play for lefties. But the editor goes away for me,” Boone said. “So I made every pitch. I hit the doubles on the left field line. I think this is not the right game. It’s not a doubles derby. It’s definitely not a swing and miss derby.”

Boone, who two years earlier had put on a solid derby show with three home runs including an upper deck shot after receiving a standing ovation from the Safeco Field crowd, had a reciprocation ready for those who were grieving him.

“I said, ‘Listen, get invited to one before you have an opinion.'”

Ichiro was invited year after year, but he never accepted – except once. It was 2008 when the game was played at Yankee Stadium with its inviting right porch.

“That was the first time I was actually there,” Ichiro said through interpreter Allen Turner last week. “But before that, I kicked home plate in Oakland and hurt my finger. That’s why I didn’t take part in the end.”

When Ichiro’s near-derby moment was passed on to Boone, he immediately said, “I think he would have won it. He would have put on a show. We saw it every day in batting practice. If you had a pitcher who could put it.” Where he wanted, he was like a robot. He could meet her at will. So yeah, if Ichiro were there I’d definitely call him a favorite.”

I finally got the chance to ask Ichiro this question: Does he think he would have won?

“If it had been the rules from back then, I would have had a chance. But under today’s new rules, where you have to hit over 450 feet to get 30 seconds more, I wouldn’t have been good at it.”

Ichiro then casually mentioned that he once competed in a home run derby at the Peoria Sports Complex in 2002.

“Mike Cameron took me aside one day and said, ‘You have to come with me.’ Then he put me on a golf cart and we went to the field.”

As Ichiro recalled, he feuded with Padres catcher Wiki Gonzalez and hitter Pete Incaviglia, who was at the San Diego camp that spring as a non-squad player. A small article in the San Diego Union-Tribune I found online confirmed his memory – except that a third Padres player, Xavier Nady, also attended. The article also confirmed Ichiro’s proud statement that he won the derby.

“I still have a small trophy I won from that,” Ichiro said.

Just another artifact from the Mariners’ Home Run Derby pantheon.

(c) 2023 The Seattle Times

Visit the Seattle Times at www.seattletimes.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

The post Larry Stone: Mariners have left their mark on Dwelling Run Derby — good and unhealthy | Baseball appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

The Mercury offers news and fun every day – but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, without you we are not here. Thank you for your support!

Good morning Portland! Hellooooooooo, SUMMER! It’s the first day of the most beautiful season of the year (fight with me) and the clouds will be gathering soon, the sun will be shining and you can expect a mild high of 78 degrees today (and 85 tomorrow) ! Now get ready for something NEWS.

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• In a story that shouldn’t surprise you—but if it does, please read the Mercury more often—the company Rapid Response Bio Clean, which the city uses to conduct homeless evacuation, was instructed to pay a homeless person for their personal belongings who do this company carelessly discarded during a 2020 search. Don’t be shocked if this is just the first of many lawsuits of this nature that have been sparked by these cruel and patently inhumane raids. Our Courtney Vaughn has the story.

• After most of Oregon’s Republicans decided to go back to doing what taxpayers paid them to do, lawmakers are rapidly passing new bills — including one that would tighten annual increases in rent and bills by landlords The would add a ton of money to the coffers for various needs such as disaster preparedness and response, food and child welfare, pay increases for government employees and special education teachers, funding for gun inspections, community violence prevention programs, and MUCH more. (Oh, and let’s not forget the $1 billion I-5 bridge replacement that critics are raving about.)

A last-minute proposal to allocate $1 billion in Oregon bonds for a new — and larger — I-5 bridge between Portland and Vancouver has project critics alarmed. https://t.co/IsocwUyQlY

— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury) June 20, 2023

• In other MONEY NEWS: The Portland City Council is considering a significant pay rise for… the councilman — but that wouldn’t begin until 2025, when a new 12-member council takes office. The intention is to pay city leaders a living wage so we have a more diverse group of people at the helm and not just wealthy folks just catering to the needs of their wealthy fellows. (And good morning, Commissioner Gonzalez!)

• If you’re a fan of the very entertaining farming simulation video game Stardew Valley, don’t miss this interview with the creator, which among other things proves that the game is set right here in the Pacific Northwest.

• Oh… and did I mention it’s official now SUMMERTo the right?

Time to look SEXY (and represent your city)! Get your new Say Nice Things About Portland tank top or t-shirt NOW! https://t.co/q6ZSTIK7wo

— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury) June 16, 2023

IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:

• As the search continues for the five people missing from a submersible traveling on the sunken Titanic, a Canadian military plane detected underwater noise that may have come from the lost ship – although authorities are right to advise everyone to be prepared for their expectations , as there less than a day of oxygen remains on the submersible, which may be too deep to reach.

• And oh… then there’s this…

My God – Oceangate, the operator of the missing submarine that explored the Titanic wreck, had a viewing port (window) certified only to 1300 meters, the whistleblower complained in a lawsuit, but was fired. How deep is the wreck of the Titanic? 4000 meters. https://t.co/PcW2YfgM8u pic.twitter.com/hIisIjRQwV

— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) June 20, 2023

• GREAT NEWS: A federal judge has finally shelved Arkansas’ cruel statute that bans gender-based childcare in that state. The judge rightly says it violates several sections of the US Constitution, which will make it very difficult for assholes in other states to attempt the same nonsense.

• For the first time for the company, the Federal Trade Commission has sued Amazon for alleged efforts to enroll customers in its Prime program without consent and then making it nearly impossible for them to cancel.

• Does this video remind you of a certain Betsy Johnson you may know?

The homicide rate in Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville is TWICE that in San Francisco. Miami’s homicide rate is THREE times that of San Francisco. https://t.co/0BE1SryrdI

— David Menschel (@davidminpdx) June 21, 2023

• In the corrupt Supreme Court news: Judge Samuel Alito was caught accepting a luxury trip from a hedge fund billionaire and failed to report it. Oh, and Alito also refused to back down from a case when that same hedge fund billionaire appeared before him in court.

• Headline of the day: “Trump calls for death penalty for drug dealers; a Fox News reporter notes that it also applies to the woman he is campaigning for.”

• And finally, for those in the back… DID I MENTION? IT IS SUMMER??

pic.twitter.com/dkSGs88JQP

— Dogs Out of Context (@contextdogs) June 20, 2023

The post Good Morning, Information: Homeless Particular person Efficiently Sues Sweep Firm, State Lawmakers on Their Invoice-Passing Grind, and Joyful First Day of Summer season! ☀️😎💪👙🌴 appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Pedestrians walk past the headquarters of First Republic Bank, which was seized by regulators and sold to JPMorgan Chase Bank, becoming the latest San Francisco company to go bust. (Godofredo A Vasquez / Associated Press)

Downtown San Francisco is in distress. Indicators of well-being in the city are pointing in the wrong direction: office occupancy, BART drivers and retail foot traffic have all declined, as has the city’s population. There’s news of another high-profile departure every week: Recent closures include a flagship Whole Foods and Nordstrom store that announced the end of its 35th year on Market Street due to changes in downtown “dynamics.” First Republic Bank, another San Francisco success story, went under after failing to retain its wealthy customers and was sold to JPMorgan Chase. The future of its branches, the well-known green and gold downtown presence, is uncertain.

Hardly a day now goes by without the San Francisco Chronicle or some other publication pointing out a “snake of misfortune” in the city. There is plenty of blame, but no consensus on how to solve real problems, including a deepening homelessness crisis, unsustainable living costs, or a property crime rate that’s consistently higher than similar metropolitan areas. If you see people smiling downtown, they’re probably tourists on double-decker buses — and even that could be deceptive. Hotel occupancy remains well below pre-pandemic levels.

Like most people who have had a good run for too long, San Francisco didn’t expect it. i understand why When I moved here from Boston in 2003, I fell unconditionally in love with this glowing city that looked like a cross between JRR Tolkien’s Gondor and America’s proverbial city on the hill: an immigrant’s dream. Even then, San Francisco wasn’t exactly affordable. We ended up buying a house in the East Bay and it still cost twice what we would have paid back in the East. But that was the Bay Area, our real estate agent explained, “It’s all uphill here.”

It made sense. San Francisco was the closest metro area to a gold rush in the early 2000s – Silicon Valley – and the job market felt solid even during the recession (I got a job within four months while caring for a newborn cared for), with industries with high salaries and the seemingly endless upside potential that stock options offer. Google had just gone public, as had Salesforce and many others. The city was teeming with white collar workers who bought millions of dollars in condos near the ballpark, joining the country’s “one percent.”

The story goes on

Tech fortunes grew exponentially, with IPOs from Facebook, Twitter, and Uber raising billions of dollars. With that wealth came Michelin-star restaurants and upscale malls where young tech entrepreneurs cavorted in their perpetual white soles. To accommodate this generation of millennials, First Republic Bank, whose “privilege” was to serve the city’s elite, hired me as a contract clerk in 2018. Unlike older customers, young tech millionaires preferred to do their banking online and their seven-figure scales electronically. I wrote the words that helped them.

In the 18 months that I worked at One Front, as we called the bank’s headquarters, downtown San Francisco felt like the ultimate metropolis. European and domestic coffee shops competed with juice parlors, which unobtrusively charged more than $10 a glass and still drew long lines. The wine bars and dockside cafes in the Ferry Building were packed at lunchtime, although employers often offered quality free or subsidized food. Inside, you could get lavender chocolate and Argentinian empanadas, Spanish ham and cheese from the local famed Cowgirl Creamery. Sometimes, after work, I’d pluck a fresh loaf of sourdough before squeezing onto the escalator at the Embarcadero BART station, whose entrance had to be regularly closed to accommodate the rush of passengers.

Another time, I didn’t rush home and waited for the madness to subside in the light-filled atrium of the nearby Palace Hotel, another San Francisco landmark. I met my husband there and we went to the San Francisco Ballet. The four blocks between Twitter HQ on 5th Street and the War Memorial Opera House were delicate, requiring a quick walk. But once there, one could only see the genius of the city’s artists, many of them transplants, like Shanghai-born San Francisco legend Yuan Yuan Tan. During breaks we gazed out on the mezzanine balcony and shivered in the wind, gazed at the magnificent neoclassical town hall lit up for the evening and blessed the good fortune that had brought us here to the final stop of the Go West dream train.

My last memory of downtown before the pandemic was as dreamy as it gets: Keanu Reeves filming the new “Matrix” movie at the One Front. I still have his picture on my iPhone walking through the bank’s lobby. Four weeks later, on March 7, 2020, First Republic sent us home with our laptops and a few remaining bottles of hand sanitizer for shelter. After a month of remote work, I was fired along with other contractors. During the pandemic, I often thought of “Firbie” as my paradise lost. When it’s over, I hoped that maybe I could find my way back.

But the bank that seemed as impenetrable as their city no longer exists. The technology that propelled San Francisco to the top also carried the seeds of its downfall. At the start of the pandemic, tech stocks were boosted by remote work tools. But when the shutdowns finally ended, they weakened and undid everything else—just as the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank helped start the death spiral that shook trust in First Republic and eventually led to the First Republic’s demise.

As the seemingly never-ending IPO money tsunami subsided, it revealed the city’s less visible realities that had accumulated during the tech boom: homelessness, addiction, deficient public services. Office workers who provided the city with financial resources moved to the suburbs – or they were laid off. Once bustling downtown San Francisco is now a graveyard, where abandoned skyscrapers face lifeless streets, boarded up storefronts and “for rent” signs.

Meanwhile, buses continue to travel in and out of the city’s grandiose Salesforce Transit Center, which has cost the city $2.2 billion and is routinely empty. It seems that San Francisco danced on its “fat years” and failed to develop a lasting attachment to its “sea of ​​talent,” many of whom have migrated to other cities for affordability and quality of life reasons.

San Francisco officials brush aside the bad news and say the city will recover. But no one seems to know what that looks like or what the future path looks like. Concerns about the “scare loop” do not affect all San Francisco residents equally. While it noticeably hurts downtown, things are looking up in the affluent residential neighborhoods of Sea Cliff and Russian Hill. The rich have been pulled out of their banking woes and no longer have to worry about job cuts, work visa cancellations, or shopping mall closures. Despite its progressive tendencies, San Francisco has the third-highest income inequality gap in the country.

The pandemic didn’t help. But it didn’t cause the city’s current misery – it just accelerated the existing problems. Now that the tech bubble has burst, we all have to bear the cost.

Anastasia Edel is a writer from the San Francisco Bay Area. @AEdelWriter

This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.

The post Downtown San Francisco had a superb run. Can it get well? appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

It is said that art cannot exist without a reaction from the viewer. Today Good price or no dice The Corolla Wagon carries an artistic mural that is sure to evoke some reaction from viewers. Let’s see if the price will be the same.

Racing Tech 5 | Nascar garage 56

Do you have a special talent, something you can do better than anything else? This outstanding talent has long been building the 911 for German automaker Porsche. Other models come and go, but the 911 is so well planned it’s here to stay.

The 2002 Porsche 911 Carrera We saw each other on Friday and appeared to be a loyal member of this long-standing family. It had many kilometers under its belt and a sheet of vinyl covered most of its body. Both elements factored into the seller’s asking price of $15,000. Both also factored in the extraordinarily narrow 52 percent Nice Price win the car received in our vote. By the way, making smart decisions about the cars we’re considering is a talent and I think you all own it.

Speaking of talent, Toyota has done a damn good job as an automaker over the past few years. The company is vying with Volkswagen for the title as the leader in car production while delivering some wild (Corolla GR) and odd (not-so-royal Crown) products.

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Of course, Toyota did not build its reputation on its products themselves, but on the quality of those products, which was unmatched for a long time. The Corolla line has long been a good example of this. The small sedans, coupes and station wagons, generally not overly exciting or innovative, became the backbone of the Toyota lineup because of their relentless value and reliability.

Today 1993 Toyota Corolla Wagon tries to add some whimsy to this mix and maybe put a smile on the faces of all who see it.

According to the ad, the seller bought this car for his new sister. However, this sister’s reaction after giving birth was to get herself a brand new SUV. I don’t know about you, but if I were a brand new baby I’d rather be driving around in this fancy and expressive art car than a boring old SUV.

The seller doesn’t say who decided to use this Corolla as a canvas, but the multicolored mural looks both eye-catching and professionally done. The artist’s name is on the rear fender, but it’s just not legible in the ad. Hopefully the next owner doesn’t mind the ad.

The next owner will apparently be the third of the car. The first of them has credited the car with over 227,000 miles, while the seller, who is the second owner, claims to have added only about 1,200 of the car’s current 229,234 miles. Complete maintenance records of mileage are included with the car.

Apart from the unique paintwork that you never lose in the parking lot, the car is also well equipped. It’s rare to find a gear stick in a small station wagon, but that’s exactly what this car has. This five-speed manual gearbox is mated to a 1.8-liter 7A-FE SOHC in-line four. Installed transversely and with drive on the front wheels, this results in 115 hp and just as much torque.

As you’d expect from a ’90s Toyota, the seller says this car “never causes problems.” However, they note that they have “updated and pre-fixed things” to keep it that way.

As well as the promised mechanical condition, the interior appears to be in fantastic condition for its age and mileage. The cloth upholstery looks clean and apart from some obvious wear and tear on the steering wheel and gear knob everything else seems to be fine. The only major gripe here is the Toyota designers’ odd decision to have the engine temperature and fuel gauges read with the same swing, rather than the more aesthetically pleasing counter-sweep. Wow, this is going to annoy me all day.

Honestly, that’s pretty much the only annoying part of this whole car. The great paintwork and bodywork underneath appear to be in good condition and it should show that there are still plenty of kilometers to go despite the hard wear the odometer has already put through. A clean title and the seller’s kind hope that we all have a nice day are just extra smiles this car brings. Let’s see if the $3,799 price tag does the same.

What do you say, is this Corolla art car worth what it looks like? Or is that too much money for something that stands out from the crowd?

You decide!

San Francisco Bay Area, California, Craigslistor go Here when the display disappears.

Help me with NPOND. Call me remslie@kinja.com and send me a fixed price tip. Remember to include your Kinja grip.

The post At $3,799, Is This 1993 Toyota Corolla ‘Artwork Automobile’ a Good Deal? appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Friday was a day to digest the NFL schedule and analyze the weekly fixtures and calendar dates from every possible angle. Cowboys fans had plenty to munch on with the numerous prime-time appearances and big duels that will make up the 2023 season. We have the full coverage of Cowboys Wire, from key takeaways to point spreads to TV ratings predictions. We also look back at the schedule release videos – that of the Cowboys and their opponents – to see how the other clubs announced their participation in America’s Team (and sometimes started their trash-talk a little earlier).

Meanwhile, the front office had a busy day of paperwork with all eight draft picks. We have news on the training program that has helped the Cowboys find three of this year’s most athletic youngsters, Luke Schoonmaker goes straight to the top for advice on how to be a tight end in Dallas, and Deuce Vaughn sits down that draft day by his father’s offer. All that plus an undrafted free agent to get to know now and why the first month of the season will be crucial in keeping headquarters in Big D a little less hot. Next up are news and notes…

Subscribe to the Austin American-Statesman for the best in Austin local news, sports, entertainment and culture coverage.

Final Score Prediction for every Cowboys Game in 2023 :: Cowboys Wire

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Bookmark now; The Cowboys end the season 14-3. Along the way there will be a surprisingly clean victory over the NFC East, five Fortyburger games, an overtime thriller and the exorcism of at least one longtime green jersey demon.

The 10 Best Insights From The Cowboys 2023 Schedule, Plus Preseason Matches :: Cowboys Wire

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The good news: No triple road trips and there are plenty of lower level attacks for Dan Quinn’s group to take on. The bad news: There are very few enemy defenses that can move around with ease, and a lot of late nights for those tracking and covering the team. In the preseason, the Cowboys host Jacksonville, travel to Seattle, and welcome the Raiders to town.

Cowboys open -2.5 at Giants in Week 1, 12-game favorite in 2023 :: Cowboys Wire

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It’s early days, but Dallas starts as an underdog in just five competitions: San Francisco, Chargers, Philadelphia, Buffalo and Miami. The widest spread is +4 for the week 15 game against the Bills in mid-December in upstate New York.

Must-See TV: The 5 Biggest Games on the Cowboys Schedule of 2023 :: Cowboys Wire

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America’s team always turns heads. But this year, the encounters with the 49ers, Eagles, Bills, Seahawks and (check again) the Lions could be the biggest games of the season.

Cowboys 2023 schedule: FOX desperately wanted the Cowboys’ game in Buffalo for massive ratings :: Blogging the Boys

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The network had the Cowboys’ visit to Buffalo — a scenario guaranteed to only happen once every eight years — higher on its wish list than the Cowboys-Eagles. It’s one of eight Dallas games in 2023 to air on Fox.

The Bengals have campaigned with the NFL to host a Black Friday game every year :: ESPN

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NFL manager Mike North said the Bengals have volunteered to not only host the league’s first Black Friday football game, but also serve as a permanent venue for the game, much like Detroit and Dallas have traditionally Home teams are on Thanksgiving. Amazon, which airs the game on the busiest shopping day of the year, suggested to the league that launching the game in the country’s largest retail market would be a “fun way” to showcase the concept.

WATCH: Cowboys Auditions for “Yellowstone” Scheduled for 2023 Release Video :: Cowboys Wire

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For this year’s production, the team received Hollywood help from Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan. And they let cowboys past and present, from the Triplets to Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Trevon Diggs, try out their acting and even singing skills.

Chew toys, rap, and that anime bus: How Cowboys opponents revealed the Dallas 2023 matches :: Cowboys Wire

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Some teams kept their videos simple (look at cards). Some chose sweet (Philadelphia). Some tried to capitalize on the latest trends like TikTok and AI. And some went straight for the jugular, impaling every opponent as hard as they could; The Chargers remain the trolling kings with their Easter egg-filled anime video that holds no fire.

NFL Betting 2023: Exploring Which Coach Could Be Fired First :: The 33rd Team

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The first four games of the season will set the tone for any coach… and could be the beginning of the end for someone. The Cowboys appear to have a 3-1 start within reach (and maybe even 4-0). But if they come out with just .500 in week 4, you should be on your guard. The next two games will be tough; Going into a bye with a 2-4 mark could cause panic and result in Mike McCarthy being substituted on the week off.

Deuce actually went to work with his father :: The Mothership

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This line from Cowboys scout Chris Vaughn to his newly drafted son wasn’t just for dramatic effect. The two actually drove to The Star together on Thursday to begin minicamp activities. “We had our conversations like we always do,” Deuce said. “I’m just talking about what exactly it takes to make it at this level.”

Dallas Cowboys second-round pick Luke Schoonmaker wants to speak to Jason Witten :: Fort Worth Star-Telegram

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The rookie tight end grew up with Rob Gronkowski but wants to learn what he can from the greatest cowboy to ever play the position. “I’ve been looking at Witten lately,” Schoonmaker said. “As a player he is of course spectacular. He will be a Hall of Famer. He as a person, as a teammate. He’s such a leader.” He’s already reached out to Big Witt for advice.

How pre-draft practice gives a glimpse into the physical and mental state of the Cowboys’ rookie trio :: Dallas Morning News

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44 NFL contenders trained at the EXOS facility in Phoenix this year. That group included seven players drafted in the first round…and three of the Cowboys’ eight picks. Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown scored best in lower body explosiveness while nose tackle Smith took second place. On the sixth lap, Eric Scott Jr. finished fourth overall.

All Cowboys draft picks officially signed; Contract Details :: Cowboys Wire

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The team signed all eight draft picks Thursday, just ahead of this weekend’s rookie minicamp. Mazi Smith, who was selected in the first round, leads the way with a four-year contract worth $13.27 million that is fully guaranteed. The last pick that year, Jalen Brooks, signed a contract worth $3.92 million.

Sources: Agent Allegedly Offered Gifts to Encourage Players to Draft :: ESPN

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Agent David Canter is under investigation for allegedly offering the teams bribes — such as the use of vacation properties — in exchange for brokering his clients. Canter’s veteran clients include DeMarcus Lawrence, the defensive end of the Cowboys. Attempting to incentivize a team to recruit a player is not specifically prohibited by the NFLPA; Canter’s attorney says the agent did not commit any wrongdoing.

The NFL’s Best UDFA Matches 2023: An Undrafted Contender to Watch on Any Roster :: The Athletic

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The Cowboys always find highlights in the UDFA league, but Kansas offensive player Earl Bostick could be the one to watch this year. A characterful ex-tight end with 34 1/8-inch arms, he’s athletic enough to stand a chance.

NFL QB Index: Who tops a way-early list of MVP candidates in the middle? Check out my top 10! :: NFL.com

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2023 could not only be a rebound year for the Cowboys starting quarterback, but his best year ever. Marc Sessler picks Prescott as one of his top ten candidates for MVP. Brandin Cooks and the team’s new tight end could improve Prescott’s numbers. But “durability concerns – he’s missed 17 games in the last three seasons – and problematic plays are part of the mix.”

Dak and Emmitt open Academy of Country Music Awards at The Star :: Bri Amaranthus (Twitter)

The story originally appeared on Cowboys Wire

The post Cowboys high wishlist for Fox, Deuce Vaughn makes good on promise, Dak for MVP in ’23? appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.