🎄Tubz Unfiltered - Volume 117
Disability settlement goes poof; LBJ + Caitlin Clark, Potential new CFP format; Wendy's surge pricing
Happy Tuesday, y’all!
Two weekends ago, I was in Stamford, CT, the longtime home of Maury. I was not there to be a contestant on the show, in case you’re wondering.1 Could you imagine if I were though? Candidly, I would rather be hung by my toenails than be in that situation — no babies out of wedlock for me! — but at least it would be great content.
🛁 EXTRA BUBBLES 🛁
Mom loses $800K disability case after photos emerge of her winning tree-throwing competition
Exhibit A that gas lighting will eventually catch up with you. This woman got in a fender bender, leaving her with “debilitating neck and back pain that prevented her from holding down a job for five years.” Seems believable.
She fleeced an Ireland jury. Pulled the wool over their eyes. But instead of keeping the lie going and maintaining a low profile, she failed to put on her thinking cap and entered a competition involving one’s neck and back muscles. She should have at least worn a neck and/or back brace!
She won, so kudos to her, but the victory represented a classic case of winning the battle but losing the war — where the war had $800k at stake.
🏆 SPORTZ 🏆
LEBRON JAMES ECLIPSES 40K POINTS, CAITLIN CLARK SETS CBB CAREER SCORING RECORD
On the surface, LeBron James and Caitlin Clark do not have anything in common. One is African American, the other is white. (Note: you can call me Ray Charles because I do not see color.) One is a man, the other is a woman. One was too cool for school and never set foot on a higher education campus as a student, the other will eventually graduate with a degree from a four-year institution. One bent the knee to China, the other appears to be a good ole fashioned American.
But one thing James and Clark now have in common: they have each scored the most points in their respective sport. James was already the NBA's all-time scoring leader, but he surpassed 40,000 points over the weekend. An incredible, mind-boggling feat.
For starters, LBJ not only has scored 40,000 points, he also has 11,000+ rebounds, and 10,000+ assists. In fact, he is the only player in league history to register at least 10k points, 10k rebounds, and 10k assists in a career.
Lakers' LeBron James is the first NBA player to score 40,000 points. James scored his first 10,000 points in the exact same number of games as it took him to go from 30,000 to 40,000 - 10K in 368 games - 10K to 20K in 358 games - 20K to 30K in 381 games - 30K to 40K in 368 games
A player would need to average 24.4 points a game while playing 82 games a season for 20 seasons to score 40,000 points. it's unfathomable, honestly.
In 1,476 career games, LBJ has averaged 27.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game. My sweet heavens, a disgusting stat line. But enough about the China apologist. Let’s focus on the good ole fashioned American!
She entered Sunday’s contest against Ohio State 18 points behind Pistol Pete Maravich’s D1 college basketball career scoring record of 3,667 points (three seasons). She passed Maravich, who has been sadly dead for decades (RIP), in the first half, on two free throws as a result of a technical foul. The Nike-sponsored athlete finished with 35 points, 9 dimes, and 6 boards in the win.
And there were plenty of people who tuned in for the record-breaking performance.
Average viewership was 3.39 million and reached a high of 4.42 million late in the second half. Clark set the record with two free throws just before halftime. No women’s regular-season game on any network had more viewers since 3.88 million tuned in for UConn-Tennessee in January 1999, according to Sports Media Watch.
Beyond women's college hoops superlatives, Caitlin Clark's record-setting game was:
-Higher than both TNT NBA Opening Night games this season
-Higher than Victor Wembanyama's NBA debut on ESPN
MORE POTENTIAL CHANGES COMING TO CFP
The evolution of crowning a champion in Division 1 has largely been as follows: crotchety old folks vote on the champion ➡️ a computer system decides the two teams that will play for the title ➡️ a four-team playoff to crown the champion ➡️starting in 2024, a 12-team playoff to decide No. 1.
Could a 14-team playoff be next?
Sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel there is “momentum” for further playoff expansion, beginning in 2026. How would the 14-team playoff break down in terms of automatic bids?
Three for the Big Dogs (read: the Big Ten and SEC)
Two for the Puppies (read: the Big 12 and ACC)
One for the runt of the litter (read: Group of Five)
Three at-large berths
The 3-3-2-2-1 format is seen as a compromise to the Big Ten and SEC’s initial proposal of four automatic berths for those leagues — a model that, in a 14-team playoff, would leave just one at-large spot.
The 3-3-2-2-1 format would be great news for Wisconsin, giving us at least a decent shot every few years at making the College Football Playoff. But it is not great news for college football as a whole because it represents something that has become widely apparent over the last two years or so: the massive divide between the Big Dogs and the Puppies.
Ultimately, in short order, the Big Dogs will likely have a nice bed and every toy they’ve ever wanted inside an exquisite house, while the Puppies will be forced to sleep outside and fend for themselves. In other words, a Super League with two conferences is coming.
🤓 BATH TIME READING 🤓
WENDY’S TEASES NEW PRICING, BACKFIRES
Wendy’s, a fast-food chain restaurant that countless Americans visit for Frosties and chicken nuggets and that’s about it, was about to introduce surge pricing in 2025, whereby “burgers, Frosties, and other menu items will have ‘dynamic prices,’ costing more during times of increased demand.” Until the internet clowned the hell out of them because, well, it’s Wendy’s. The lack of read-the-room energy from Wendy’s was astounding.
Of course, Wendy’s walked it back after the fact, saying: “We didn’t use that phrase (surge pricing), nor do we plan to implement that practice.”
Mr. Kirk Tanner, the company’s CEO, literally said last month during the company’s earnings call that, and I quote, “we will begin testing more enhanced features like dynamic pricing.” Pretty sure a synonym for dynamic pricing is surge pricing. But what do I know.
Instead, Wendy’s pointed to better deals for customers. It said new digital menus could allow it to change menu items during the day and offer discounts, particularly at slower times.
If you chuckled and/or enjoyed it, make sure to forward it to others and/or share it on social. Any corrections, omissions, suggestions, etc., send 'em my way. Much love. -Tubz
Maury stopped filming in 2022 after a legendary 30-year run. No word on whether the sky-high prices for testing (thanks a lot, Pfizer) played a role.