The Weekend Mauling: 7.22.2023

The Rock Chalkboard

Four stray observations from Big 12 Media Days - KU Sports
After most of them spent about eight or nine minutes each with local KU reporters in the early afternoon, they returned later on for breakout sessions that lasted about as long as any writers from the 14 different Big 12 markets wanted to talk. In and around those two windows, they had sessions with local radio, ESPN, Fox, BYUtv, SiriusXM, the Longhorn Network and, for good measure, “Kid Reporters” from St. Philip’s School and Community Center in Dallas.

KU men’s basketball could go several directions in addressing deficient depth - KU Sports
No need to panic — the Jayhawks’ remaining group of scholarship players still has a case to be the best in the country — but 10 scholarship athletes don’t provide much protection against a possible injury, especially when one, Zach Clemence, is seemingly guaranteed to redshirt, and another could potentially do so as well, as coach Bill Self suggested Monday.

Mass Street will need to step it up against Mizzou alumni squad - KU Sports
The sheer offensive firepower of Show Me, which had Neal, recent MU product and fellow guard Isiaih Mosley, and center Jontay Porter all over 20 points, will be tough for Mass Street to contend with. The KU alumni gave up plenty of open looks beyond the perimeter to D3 Wednesday night, particularly in transition, and will now face a team that just went 15-for-33 from beyond the arc.

Booth Breakdown: A far-out look at the Oklahoma State Cowboys - KU Sports
While Oklahoma and Oklahoma State fans alike will cherish what’s seemingly the final football edition of the Bedlam series this fall, Kansas will have the Cowboys circled on their calendar for another reason.

Eraser Dust

Alabama GOP governor approves congressional map with just one majority-Black district despite court order | CNN Politics
Alabama GOP Gov. Kay Ivey on Friday approved a new congressional map with just one majority-Black district, despite a court order calling for the redrawn lines to create two majority-Black districts or “something quite close to it.

YouTuber Who Staged Himself Sleeping Through WNBA Game May Now Be Banned from All NBA Events
YouTuber JiDion (né Jidon Adams) has reportedly been banned from “all NBA-related events” following a series of remarkably dull, sexist pranks he pulled while sitting courtside at WNBA games. Attending a Los Angeles Sparks game this week, Adams, dressed head-to-toe in pajamas, occupied several courtside seats and pretended to sleep. His YouTube video shared on Thursday shows that when he’s first given a warning by security, he lies that he has a medical condition that requires him to sleep—an attempt at comedy akin to something a teenager might do.

Jerry Seinfeld Dines Out with Larry David and Amy Schumer in Italy
This might be the funniest dinner table ever -- Jerry Seinfeld breaking Italian bread with some insanely successful actors, writers, producers and an entertainment mogul thrown in for good measure.

4 Worst Cuts of Steak for Grilling, According to Pitmasters
Commanding the grill is a big responsibility—whether you're working at a five-star steakhouse or cooking for your family in your own backyard. If people are splurging and paying top dollar for a steak dinner, they expect something perfectly cooked and juicy to land on their plate every time.

Montana property value assessments, county-by-county | KECI
It’s no secret that prices in Montana’s real estate market have risen dramatically in recent years, but the state’s breakneck appreciation was driven home for many residents in June when the Montana Department of Revenue sent out its every-other-year reappraisal notices, informing property owners about updates to the value estimates used to calculate property taxes. The increases — commonly 40%, 50%, 60% — or even higher, left many homeowners with their jaws on the floor.

Jason Isbell Challenges Jason Aldean to Write His Own Music: “That’s What We Try in My Small Town”
“Dare Aldean to write his next single himself. That’s what we try in my small town,” Isbell wrote on Twitter on July 19th. The following day, the Southern rock artist doubled down, tagging Aldean in a follow-up tweet and saying, “I’m challenging you to write a song yourself. All alone. If you’re a recording artist, make some art. I want to hear it.”

Donald Trump to face racketeering charge in Georgia for attempting to overturn 2020 election results: report
Atlanta’s top prosecutor is preparing to charge former President Donald Trump with racketeering for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.

Every Christopher Nolan movie, ranked
This year marks a quarter century since Christopher Nolan’s feature directorial debut, Following, first played in front of an audience. In the years since, Nolan has risen from indie darling to blockbuster sorcerer, one of those rare modern filmmakers who’s captured the attention of both mainstream audiences and die-hard cinephiles, and one of the few directors working today who seems to have carte blanche to follow his imagination wherever it takes him.

She’s on a Mission From God: Suing Big Oil for Climate Damages - The New York Times
A lawyer started small with a creative tactic. It grew into an effort that could force fossil fuel companies to pay hundreds of billions in damages.

Federal judge orders troopers to stop the ‘Kansas Two-Step’ | KSNT 27 News
In May of 2023, a lawsuit against the Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) started after troopers stopped motorists without reasonable suspicion, known as the Kansas Two-Step, according to a press release from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Kansas. On Friday, a federal judge ruled in favor of motorists and ordered the KHP to stop this practice.