uneducated guesses

We don't know much about a lot.

fake gambling, vol. 4 — May 15, 2019

fake gambling, vol. 4

Things are not going my way. I went 0-3 last night, moving my uneducated guesses record to 4-5. Need some winners tonight. Let’s see what’s on the docket.

MIL @ PHI (-110) O/U 9 7:05 pm on NBC Sports Philly

  • Gio Gonzalez vs Jake Arrieta. Classic matchup of guys about two years removed from their prime.
  • Phils played like dog-shit last night, but I’m hoping they get their shit back together today.
  • Pick: Under 9.

SJ @ STL (-140) O/U 5.5 8:00 pm on NBC Sports Network

  • Series is tied at one game apiece heading back to America’s promised land, the Great Midwest.
  • I don’t know much about either team but I’m gonna root for the over.
  • Pick: Over 5.5

TOR @ MIL (-6.5) O/U 217.5 8:30 pm on TNT

  • Game one of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Giannis vs Kawhi. Let’s go.
  • Pick: Bucks (-6.5)

Not a whole lot to say, all of these series’s are young. Hopefully we get back on the winning track together.

-tomfoolery was here

“No Regerts:” The story of the Phillies front office —

“No Regerts:” The story of the Phillies front office

This offseason, the Philadelphia Phillies did their best Free Willy impression with the huge splash signing of free agent Bryce Harper. The move served as a bat signal of sorts to the fair weather fans that it was time to jump back on the bandwagon. The rebuild was over. “The process” (Phillies edition, sorry sixers, congrats on another eastern conference semifinal appearance though) was complete. The Phillies brain trust inked the 26 year old aspiring hair model to a 13 year $330 million contract. Now I know what you’re thinking, “what’s a Mormon in Philadelphia gonna do with $330 million worth of mousse and styling gel?” Well, rest assured, that lettuce is gonna be perfectly quaffed each and every time he takes his helmet off after he strikes out (54 times in 177 plate appearances in 2019, but who’s counting).

Yeah, I’m sure the phils coughed up 25 mil a year for a .222 batting average and 7 dingers through 40 games. They’re not even beginning to regret anything. That said, if the Phillies front office members are in fact waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat and taking a hard look at themselves in the proverbial mirror, I think its only natural to ask yourself if you spent that money the right way. Well, I’m here to play ghost of Christmas could have been and list 3 far more sensible ways the Phillies organization could have spent that $330 million.

  1. 57 million double quarter pounder with cheese sandwiches. The DQP, as the kids call it, is the unquestioned tastiest item on the McDonald’s menu. 2 quarter pound 100% Canadian beef patties cooked to perfection? Sign me up. Now the Phillies owners would need to get back in the fans good graces after not signing Bryce Harper, and fast food is the quickest way into any true Americans heart. The ownership group could do quite a few seasons worth of DQP giveaway nights to fans in an attempt to boost attendance. We all know the MLBs struggle with attendance the last few years, what better way to get asses into seats than to giveaway a couple hour old fast food cheeseburgers with a ticket purchase to the game. Nothing says America quite like fast food and clogged arteries.
  2. Speaking of UNclogging, how about 13.2 million squatty potties. Is it a stupid sounding name? Of course. Does it revolutionize the way Americans take care of business? You bet your sweet ass it does. An investment like this would show the fans how much you care. Not about winnning out on the field, but winning battles in the restroom. Millions of Americans struggle with constipation and other bathroom related issues. Go to bat for the fans and give em the extra nudge they need to shit comfortably in the piss and puke infested Citizens Bank Park restrooms.
  3. A little outlandish here for number 3, but 1.65 million pairs of AirPods. You know how cool people think they are with 1 pair of AirPods? Imagine having 1.65 million of those suckers. You’d be fighting off chicks with a baseball bat. And probably taking better swings than Bryce Harper has so far this season.

-Danny Phantom

my first time drinking — May 14, 2019

my first time drinking

To be fair, I had drank alcohol once or twice before this story happened, but this was the first time I got drunk. Like twisted. On an official visit to a state school (no big deal, I was being recruited HARD as a college athlete), I had about four cups of beer from the keg. Such a weird environment. It was one of those townhouses where they had the keg in the shower and there were about 20 more people than should have been in the house. But I did not actually get drunk.

Anyway, the first time I actually got drunk was on Senior Week. I wasn’t allowed to go to the actual Senior Week, which is when everyone goes to Ocean City and gets shit-faced and sunburnt for seven days. I was able to convince my mom to let me go with my best friend for two days to Rehobeth (I’ve been told this is the gay beach, I cannot confirm nor deny). Another fun twist was that we were actually staying in my buddy’s family friend’s place (70-year-old lady, who was in fact home at the time) about 45 minutes from the beach. Not the most ideal scenario.

The night before we departed, I had no booze and was on the prowl for the elixir of life. I was hanging out with a bunch of friends who were juniors and I jokingly mentioned, “hey, I’m going to senior week tomorrow if anyone has any booze!” One of the guys said he had some rum. I asked how much for it, and I ended up paying $10 for a water bottle of Admiral Nelson rum.

It literally smelled like gasoline and was a dark brown color. My heart was racing as I hid the bottle in my underwear drawer until the next day. Mom didn’t find out and the time came to go to the beach.

After spending most of the day on the beach, we visited our other friends that were in town at a town house a few blocks away. I lost multiple games of KanJam and ended up running into my arch enemy from high school. I lost to this kid at least seven times in my wrestling career and he was staying in the same goddamn house that I was getting drunk at. He was dating a girl that was best friends with the people we were visiting. Confusing, I know, but stay with me.

It’s about 7 pm and I am chomping at the bit like a hungry shark. I decide to be the first person to start drinking. The weirdest part was that a table full of girls were watching me consume my first mixed drinks ever. I pour the lighter fluid into a red solo cup and pour a little bit of Coke in as a mixer. Why didn’t any of the experienced drinkers tell me how to make an actual mixed drink? The world may never know. I also mixed Orange Crush with this rum. Verdict: not great.

I drank about half the water bottle and I was off my rocker. I was twisted and causing a ruckus. There were glowsticks all around and a few of them ended up around my neck. I called my soon-to-be girlfriend several times. I hid in the blinds. I hid in someone’s room upstairs. They took my water bottle away and also tried to take my phone away. They thought I was going to call my mom. C’mon, I’m not that much of an idiot.

My best friend, who took the water bottle away from me, decided to drink it himself, getting very drunk and causing mayhem himself. Luckily, we had another person in our crew who decided to stay responsible. I fell asleep on the 45-minute car ride back to our lodging but I had to be on my best behavior because the fucking 70-year-old lady was somehow still up when we got back. She suspected nothing and I slept like a log that night.

And that’s the story of my first time drinking.

-tomfoolery was here

fake gambling, vol. 3 —

fake gambling, vol. 3

I’m a sharp, I’m hot, I cannot miss right now. After a miraculous comeback from the Phillies and a goal in the last five minutes by the Blues, I’m now 4-2. Today is a monumental day, lots of big games on the docket. Let’s talk sportz.

Image result for we like sportz gif

MIL @ PHI (+1.5) O/U 8.5 7:05 pm on NBC Sports Philly

  • The Brew Crew is brewing up some mediocre beer lately as they have lost three straight games. (I’m sorry, I’m still finding my voice on the blog, that was a bad joke, I’ll improve soon).
  • Meanwhile, the Phillies have won three straight games. Not sure why the Brewers are favorites today.
  • Pitching matchup: Brandon Woodruff (MIL, 5-1, 4.25 ERA) vs. Jerad Eickhoff (PHI, 2-1, 1.50 ERA). Not a sabermetrics guy but come on, that’s a slap in young JErad’s face to be the underdog.
  • PICK: Phillies (+1.5)

BOS @ CAR (-1.5) O/U 5.5 8:00 pm on NBC Sports Network

  • Bruins are up 2-0 as they’ve been cycling the fuck out of some pucks and have outscored the Canes 11-4 in two games.
  • As a hockey novice, I don’t know what will actually happen in this game. I think Carolina might have some jump so it might actually be a close game, but Boston looks like a wagon.
  • PICK: Can never go wrong by picking the over. Plus the average goals scored in the first two games has been 7.5 and that’s called a trend.

POR @ GS (-7.5) O/U 220.5 9:00 pm on ESPN

  • The Warriors didn’t beat the Rockets last round by more than six points in any of their wins.
  • I just like the Blazers. McCollum and Lillard are an awesome young backcourt to watch so I’ll be rooting for them. They played the Warriors tough a few years ago in the playoffs.
  • PICK: Blazers (+7.5). I feel like they’ll never really have a chance to win this game, but I think they’ll keep it within 10 for most of the game and make a couple buckets late to cover.

-tomfoolery was here

in defense of 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner —

in defense of 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner

Look. There are a ton of problems in this world. Crocs, Toe Shoes, and un-ironic cowboy hats are the main ones that come to my mind. But the one thing that the Northeast Elitists seem to oppose the most is the combo 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner. And I simply refuse to allow this slander to continue.

In the same vein as khaki shorts (which are simply the most logical trouser when the weather gets warmer, people forget about how useful the pockets actually are), 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner seems to be universally hated by women. But there are many reasons why this hatred is unwarranted.

  1. Cost – merely the most cost-efficient and effective hair product. 2 for the price of 1, and the family size bottle that my mom bought me yesterday will last about two months and only cost $3. More money for me to buy the special at the local dive bar for my Tinder date.
  2. Color/Smell – It’s blue, which happens to be my favorite color. It also smells like the ocean, which is a nice touch.
  3. Purpose – The percentage of young men in the age 18-34 demographic that actually care about their hair is not high enough to warrant any hair product other than the esteemed 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner

This wasn’t a blog. This was an ad for Suave Men 2-in-1 Ocean Charge Shampoo/Conditioner. Sponsor the blog, pls.

-tomfoolery was here

Bye-bye Beilein: how to move on after losing the savior of a program — May 13, 2019

Bye-bye Beilein: how to move on after losing the savior of a program

7 hours. That’s how long it’s been since the news of John Beilein leaving the University of Michigan basketball program rocked the basketball world. And when I say basketball world I obviously just mean my world. Text messages left and right (okay you caught me, 2 people texted me) asking if I saw the news, and what it meant for the Michigan basketball program. Truth be told I was shocked. John Beilein was my guy. The perfect college coach to lead a clean program while the rest of college basketball was finding slick new ways to pay high school players and their uncle’s neighbor’s 3rd cousin to get them to go to school A over school B. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think Beilein would retire a Michigan Wolverine, ideally after finally raising that elusive NCAA championship banner. Now that dream is dead. And we, as a collective community have to find a way to pick ourselves up by our Jordan branded bootstraps and move on.

Before we move on, let’s take a quick trip down Michigan basketball memory lane. This is important for some of you Youngblood’s out here thinking the Beilein years are how it’s always been. Over the last 12 years, John Beilein took a program from death’s door and delivered it to the gates of the promised land. 278 wins, 2 Big Ten regular season titles to go along with 2 Big Ten tournament titles, 9 trips to the big dance culminating in 2 NCAA title game appearances. That’s all well and good, but I think we can admit we’ve been spoiled. Before Beilein, Michigan basketball was in shambles. Anyone remember the Tommy Amaker era? 5 of his 6 years were spent on probation as part of the fallout from the Ed Martin scandal (i.e. that joke about paying players from last paragraph), highlighted by the NIT championship in 2004 (who could ever forget that “championship”). Do I even need to go into the Brian Ellerbe years? Or did we all agree to bury that deep and neverrrrrr bring it up again.

Glad we’re in agreement. I wont mention Brian Ellerbe’s 4 years as Michigan’s head coach if you won’t.

The point of all this is that John Beilein WAS Michigan basketball. He was more than the greatest coach in Michigan history, he was unequivocally the basketball program’s savior. Whoever gets hired to replace him will have big shoes to fill, there’s no doubt about that, but they’re also inheriting the program he built. Michigan is now a name brand in the basketball world. So let’s all take a minute to appreciate what the great John Beilein did for Michigan, pour ourselves another stiff drink, and trust that AD Warde Manuel can find a worthwhile replacement.

So my advice to all my fellow Michigan fans out there struggling to know which way is up right now is simple, let’s trust that the athletic department won’t rush into a dumb hire, and believe in the program Johnny boy built. We had a good run, but it can’t just be over. Right?

-Danny Phantom

fake gambling, vol. 2 —

fake gambling, vol. 2

So I went 2-2 yesterday, betting spreads and totals. I think the rest of the playoffs I’m just going to do one bet per game to keep it simpler for myself.

No NBA tonight, which is not ideal. Milwaukee at Philadelphia for Monday Night Baseball, so that’s how I’ll be spending most of my Monday night.

MIL @ PHI (-1.5) O/U 8.5

  • Brewers are 24-18 while Phillies are 23-16. Battle of the big dogs in Philly.
  • Nola is pitching for the Phils, while some scrub named Freddy Peralta is pitching for the brewers.
  • PICK: I’m a homer so I’d obviously hammer the Phils -1.5.
  • BOLD PREDICTION: Nola goes 8 innings, two runs, seven K’s. Harper and Rhys hit back-to-back jacks in the 5th inning to give Philly some breathing room.

STL @ SJ (-1.5) O/U 5.5

  • Game two of the Western Conference Finals after the Sharks smacked the Blues 6-3 on Saturday.
  • As a Missouri transplant, I have a soft spot for the Blues, but I feel like they can’t turn it around on such short notice.
  • PICK: over 5.5. Can’t commit one way or another and don’t want my rooting interests to be in jeopardy.
  • DISCLAIMER: I’ve watched no playoff hockey since the Caps lost in round one, so I don’t think my opinion has much validity.

-tomfoolery was here

oh, sunday night —

oh, sunday night

So I went 2-2 on my first Uneducated Guesses in the gambling world. I knew the Blazers were going to win, but I thought the Raptors were going to dominate the Sixers and they needed a miracle from Kawhi to move onto the Eastern Conference Finals. The under hit in both games, I should’ve known that things were going to tighten up in a Game 7. Oh well. We’ll get them next time.

This is the worst time of the night for me. I don’t have to wake up early tomorrow morning, but I cannot go to sleep yet. I’m just killing time until I’m ready to sleep. It’s a weird spot to be in. This is where I don’t know how to be an adult.

I want to read books. I feel like reading a book is a great way to exercise the mind. Right now, I just listen to podcasts and scroll my phone all day. Pretty sure my brain is mush. I read about eight chapters of a book in the fall and I haven’t opened it since. It’s such a weird concept to re-adjust to, this idea of reading for pleasure. I’ve spent the first 23 years of my life reading for a grade. I think I still need to take notes though because otherwise I would never retain any of the information.

Tomorrow begins my real summer. I’ve dubbed it the summer of Tommy. I’m going to read, write, walk, generally make myself a better person. Let’s go.

-tomfoolery was here.

What a time to be alive — May 12, 2019

What a time to be alive

It is the now the year of our lord, 2019, and thanks to the big whigs over in Silicon Valley billions of people across the world have access to the inter webs with a click of their sweaty, Cheeto dust crusted finger. Thanks to them, as well as generation X parents doing a questionable job rearing children for the last 30 years or so, every person now has a voice that they feel needs to be heard.

Self gratification is the name of the game, and for those who aren’t able to find it within themselves (thanks mom and dad) it’s quite convenient to search for it from strangers behind a screen all across the world. Do I know what I’m doing with my life? Of course not. Do I know the first thing about writing a blog? Sure don’t. Is that the perfect recipe for some uneducated guesses? You bet it is.

So here we go, welcome to the fucking jungle. We’re gonna be learning as we go, so bear with me through the trials and tribulations of finding the ole blog voice. But if ya decide to stick around, I promise it’ll be worth your while. As a wise man once said, “They laughed at Louis Armstrong when he said he was gonna go to the moon. Now he’s up there, laughing at them.”

-Danny Phantom

the social contract of going out to eat —

the social contract of going out to eat

This should be a universally-accepted concept, but the olds have unfortunately ruined something else. Are we surprised?

When you go out to eat, you enter into an unspoken agreement as the customer. They’ll probably fuck up your order, or it won’t be the right temperature, or something else will go wrong. As a customer, your unspoken agreement and unwritten social contract states that you can’t take your food back because that’s just the way it goes.

As a piece of shit who has chosen not to cook or eat at home, you simply must be okay with your food being exactly the way you want it only about 68% of the time. The remaining percentage is your tax for not being willing to cook your own dinner.

I was raised in a house hold where my mom always sent shit back and I always just tucked my tail and said my food was fine every single time. When the waiter asks how everything is, if you say anything besides “fine” or “good,” you’re just being a pompous asshole. By not sending food back, you become more satisfied when the food actually comes out right. It’s important to have gratitude every now and then.

The same rules go for tipping. There’s pretty much no reason to not give a 15-20% tip because I feel like most of the time when shit goes wrong, it’s the kitchen’s fault.

-tomfoolery was here

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