Once again, we take you to the wonderful world of large lottery wins, even though I have no idea of what it’s like to hit the jackpot because I’m me.
A Missouri man won himself $77,777 on a scratch ticket earlier this month. That’s great for him … especially when you consider he bought the wrong one. The unidentified man told lottery officials in the state that he wasn’t paying attention when he bought the ticket and it was a fluke. He doesn’t know what he will do with the winnings and he’s still taking it all in. You suck, dude. Lotteries suck. And yes, I have a ticket for Tuesday’s Lotto Max drawing because lotteries suck and I’m a sucker for a dollar sign and a digit followed by a boatload of zeroes behind it.
Anyway:
Keep your racquet out of …
Rumour has it Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Academy Awards last month. I’ve seen a few photos of it but I’m still not sold.
There’s been another occurrence of a slap in plain sight and it comes from Accra, Ghana. It was the International Tennis Federation Juniors World Tour stop earlier this month and it came following the men’s singles contest between Michael Kouame of France and Raphael Nii Ankrah of Ghana. Ankrah defeated Kouame, the no. 1 seed for the tournament, and, as is customary following a match, both players came to the net for the post-match handshake/fist-bump/racquet tap/whatever.
They shook hands before Kouame stepped back and laid an open palm across Ankrah’s kisser. He didn’t exactly hide it, either, and it made quite the sound. Naturally, Ankrah and his fans didn’t take too kindly to it and a couple of people attempted to get at Kouame. For his part, Kouame, being the tough guy that he is, took off as fast as he could. Couldn’t expect anything less than that, eh?
Look, if you’re going to wallop someone, you’d better be ready for the response. It’s a shame no one was able to get at Kouame more than they did because you don’t pull that sort of stunt and not expect a response. Don’t you wish it happened in a hockey game? I kind of do and once you see the video, you will as well. Can’t wait to see what happens to Kouame in his next match.
That’s a pass for me
If you’ve ever eaten at a sporting event, you’ll know what I mean when I say that it’s probably more prudent to assuage your gastronomical compulsions before setting foot within the confines of the venue. Truist Park in Atlanta is a perfect example of that.
The home of your reigning World Series champion Atlanta Braves is offering up a burger for the economically-stunned price of $151. That’s not a typo. $151. So just what in the hell are you getting for the equivalent of an average trip to your local supermarket? A Wagyu beef patty topped with a fried egg (cage-free, of course), golf leaf-wrapped foie gras, grilled cold-water lobster tail, Tillamook cheddar cheese, heirloom tomato and a truffle aioli all on a toasted bun.
Can you imagine someone sitting in the $20 section of the park thinking to themselves ‘Gee, you know what I’m in the mood for? One of that there Ragu burgers. I just pawned the kid off for the day and got $175. Hey, ya gotta live, right?”
Of course, if you order a beer, that price will increase by 50 per cent because I’m certain the running price for a tall-boy has to be around $70 or so at that ballpark. Probably that much at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. I’ll stick with the hotdog and small Coke. That’s my $30 spent at the ballpark right there.
And finally …
Good Idea: Honouring the Humboldt Broncos bus tragedy.
Bad Idea: The sadness four years on that remains.
It was four years ago on April 6 that changed the city of Humboldt, Sask. That was the day 16 people were killed in that horrific bus crash involving the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team. They were on their way to a playoff game in Nipawin, Sask., a game they would never make.
It was a quiet day in Humboldt on April 6 as the city and team marked the fourth anniversary. Quiet because that’s how the families of those who perished wanted it to be. Michael Behiel, the city’s mayor, opened the arena for anyone who wanted to come in and just be with people; it was the first in-person memorial since the pandemic began. His worship said the community has been forever changed because of what’s happened. I can believe it. It will take a long time to get over the tragedy that occurred that afternoon.
At 4:50 p.m., a church bell rang 29 times in honour of those killed or injured. How haunting those gongs must have sounded. It’s obvious people are trying to turn this into a positive and I really hope they can. Out of something bad always come something good and you have to hope that something good will become great.
Until next time, folks … #HumboldtStrong