RB’s Monday Morning Hot Cakes
Hot cakes are delicious. Radio hosts taking hot takes are annoying. Let's find a delicious, decent compromise to start off the week.
The weekends always hold a plethora of sporting story lines. It simply depends on how far out of proportion you want to blow them. What we'll do here, weekly, is try to make sense of the lot of it. Breakfast was made for digesting the day and setting the table. Let's melt some butter over some sports and enjoy some delicious hot cakes...because we're better than hot takes.
Our breakfast/brunch special today comes from the French Quarter, where they know how to please the mind and the stomach. Flock up, anyone?
The First Bite: #Flock Up
The Pelicans might not be a fresh beignet and a cup of coffee, but they're giving the city of New Orleans a fresh look.
Anthony Davis is more than just a unibrow. He's a bonafide star, and the league and collective fan base are starting to see the greatness. "The Brow" put up 35 points in the Game 1 loss to the #1 seeded Warriors, but that wasn't exactly enough for him to catch a good night's sleep. Davis wants more than stats and accolades, and it showed in his first taste of postseason action.
The Pelicans sent the messge: they're not content with patting themselves on the back for simply reaching the playoffs. Playing a road game in Oracle Arena is like walking into the belly of the beast and expecting not to get eaten. They tried to pull a tooth on their way down the hatch, at least.
Bringing Home The Bacon: #FightLikeMike
Last Monday, Michael Lotief told the media he knew he might not wake up from esophageal surgery. Family, friends, community, fans and people all across the country jumped on the hashtag #FightLikeMike and sent support all the way up to and through his surgery, which concluded in an approximately an hour over the weekend. I want to make this as clear as possible: please don't stop.
Lotief's fight isn't over. No matter the recovery time, his family and team can still use the support.
Yes, he is home in Lafayette after surgery. His team is still playing and missing their coach. The community yearns for his vibrant presence. The Ragin' Cajun Softball team plays on, no matter the surroundings, which is a testament to their mindset...but teams play like their coaches. No surprise there is no quit.
#FightLikeMike
Eggs 'N Beggin: PLEASE WATCH THE NHL PLAYOFFS
Is that desperate enough? The excitement and stress levels that go along with the NHL playoffs demand your attention, but why am I kidding myself?
You're not going to watch. Not even if Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin played face-to-face (by the way, their teams are the 2 & 4 seeds in the Eastern Conference) for an entire televised series.
I'm not blaming you. America does a terrible job of promoting hockey, so let me try: it's the most blue collar sport known to man. Look at how often guys lose teeth or get gashed in the course of play. Their solution: "Get me back on the ice as soon as possible, so I can get payback and a pay check." Still not interested?
Fighting is allowed. You won't see much of it in the playoffs because the penalty is too steep, but just think about it when you're seeing men get hip-checked over the boards.
Just Be Happy We're Not Stuck With The MLB
The summertime is coming. Game of Thrones fans understand the dire need to adjust to the harsh changes of the seasons, as do sports fans.
Hang on to this final stretch of sports for all you have. NBA Playoffs, collegiate baseball and softball ramping up to the postseason...just wait. Pretty soon it will just be Astros fans angry with Evan Gattis' disappointing start with his new franchise.
Think of this last portion of #MondayMorningHotCakes as the orange juice after you ate the syrup. I'm sorry you had to ingest it like this, but at least you got your Vitamin C.