Spin. That. Wheel.

WNBA second half, StudBudz, Pat McAfee, new gig, more

I want to bring you into my creative process for a minute, if that's OK with you. For these newsletters, there is usually an interview planned weeks in advance or there's a topic that I have in mind that I want to write about.

But occasionally, the news cycle is such that there is almost too much to talk about, and I have no idea what to make the main focus.

And for this, it's not even about him (allegedly for legal reasons) being on the Epstein List.

But it's all sports-related news that has built up since last weekend. The Breanna Stewart and Harry Potter collaboration was too big to condense it down with other material, so I allowed it to stand on its own.

But while that was future Mike's problem then, it's current Mike's issue now.

What the hell do I write about with so much going on?

I decided to trust the great and powerful wheel of topics.

I created a wheel that has 8 topics on it, and I'm going to spin the wheel in real time (just trust me, OK) and write about that topic for a bit or for a lot and then we'll (or wheel, heh) decide what is next.

Let's take a look at the wheel of destiny:

OK, so we have:

• StudBudz
• Hulk Hogan
• Pay Us What You Owe Us
• Nike's Kicks
• Writing Gig
• Blue Jays*
• Wall Street Journal
• WNBA Second Half

*I changed my mind midway through

OK, it's time to SPIN. THAT. WHEEL.

OK, so the WNBA second half. This was going to be a standalone topic, so maybe the wheel really does know best.

I was going to write about the key players from each team for the second half, so let's boil that down.

Minnesota Lynx: Alanna Smith, for my money, has been the second-best player on the Lynx this year. Her rim protection continuing at the rate it's at is key to allow Napheesa Collier to play at the defense level that she is again.

New York Liberty: Jonquel Jones came back on July 22, and she didn't look like she missed a step. The Liberty are finally fully healthy, and with Emma Meesseman on the way, the rich just keep getting richer.

Phoenix Mercury: Sami Whitcomb has been a sniper from deep this year, and having her continue to offer that deep threat will keep defenses on their toes when Alyssa Thomas orchestrates the offense.

Seattle Storm: Erica Wheeler had a fantastic first half of the year for Seattle. Can she maintain it going forward even with Tiffany Mitchell competing for minutes?

Atlanta Dream: Jordin Canada is able to pace the Dream's offense exactly how Karl Smesko envisions it. She's been injured a lot in her two years in Atlanta, so keeping her healthy going forward when Rhyne Howard returns is critical for Atlanta's success.

Indiana Fever: It's Caitlin Clark. It's that simple.

Golden State Valkyries: Iliana Rupert is joining the team for the second half of the season. Having her add to the front-court depth should only improve the Valkyries' already good defense.

Washington Mystics: I want to know what Aaliyah Edwards did to coach Sydney Johnson to play the few minutes that she's playing. Let her live.

Las Vegas Aces: Getting Jewell Loyd going is the key for the Aces to have a shot to may a playoff run. A'ja Wilson needs help.

Dallas Wings: Arike Ogunbowale came out of the All-Star break dropping 20 points, which was huge for her and the Wings. The demise, I'm afraid, has been over exaggerated.

Los Angeles Sparks: We all want to see Cameron Brink out there, right? Let's see her get eased in so that she can play a full year next season. That rim protecting is elite.

Chicago Sky: There's chatter that the Chicago Sky have a tough decision to make with Hailey Van Lith. I don't think cutting her makes a shred of sense, as there were always questions about her game translating to the W and needing to allow her to develop. If the Sky were a contending team, I get it. But with where they are in the standings, Van Lith needs all of the run she can get.

Connecticut Sun: Let Aneesah Morrow cook! She's been a per-minute beast for the Sun, and while it'll take minutes away from Tina Charles, the OG is going to be more than fine with mentoring the rookie.

SPIN. THAT. WHEEL.

In a time where so many media organizations are bending at the knee, we need to salute the work that the Wall Street Journal is doing.

Not only did they report on Donald Trump sending Jeffrey Epstein a "bawdy" letter for his 50th birthday, leading Trump to allegedly calling the WSJ to prevent the story from coming out, but they also reported that Trump was told by the DoJ in May that his name was in the Epstein Files.

I wasn't at all expecting Rupert Murdoch and company to be leading the charge here, but good on them for doing real reporting about the, umm, person in charge of the country.

Keep. It. Going.

And I think that the great Mina Kimes said it best:

Before I SPIN. THAT. WHEEL., I want to note that I swapped out the Blue Jays for Girl Dad because I forgot that I wanted to talk about that more.

OK, SPIN. THAT. WHEEL.

Phew, OK. Hulk Hogan time.

Well let me tell you something, brother. The legacy that Hulk Hogan leaves behind isn't complicated after he passed away Thursday at the age of 71. Yes he was the biggest start in wrestling. Yes he made the sport what it is today. And yes he was a pop culture icon.

But truly, none of that matters.

Because Terry Bollea was not a good person. Terry Bollea was a racist person, who sued Gawker out of existence, which led to right-wing powerful people threatening the media for what they write.

Terry Bollea was on record saying racist remarks about Kamala Harris and on video saying the N-word about her daughter, saying: “I mean, I’d rather if she was going to f–k some n—-r, I’d rather have her marry an 8-foot-tall n—-r worth a hundred million dollars! Like a basketball player…I guess we’re all a little racist. F–king n—-r.”

Terry Bollea was in full support of Donald Trump, even wearing a shirt that said MAGA Powers, a play off his MEGA Powers storyline.

It turns out, Terry, you aren't the Immortal Hulk Hogan.

Let us not forget his last appearance on WWE TV, when he had the shit booed out of him in Los Angeles at the WWE RAW on Netflix premiere.

Ah, that felt good to watch.

Fuck your Real American Beer. Fuck your new freestyle wrestling promotion. Just fuck all the way off, Hulk.

I'll leave you with this. I was working on a book about wrestling in 2019. I got about 50,000 words in, but the publisher wanted it to go in a different direction, so I stopped working on it.

I had a chapter on Hulk Hogan.

Here was the entire chapter.

SPIN. THAT. WHEEL.

Nike is on a heater right now with its basketball shoes.

The new Sabrina 3s just dropped on Thursday, and A'ja Wilson continues to put out fire.

Ja Morant finally has a shoe that lives up to the hype coming out soon, too. Let's take a quick look at them.

And here are Sabrina and Ja together doing a shoe swap.

SPIN. THAT. WHEEL.

So, I took on a new writing gig this week. As many of you know, I have a long background in writing about baseball. From beat writing, to fantasy baseball, to columns, I've covered the gamut.

I'm excited to get the chance to continue my baseball writing at one of the best outlets around - Baseball Prospectus.

For me, it's Baseball Prospectus, Baseball America, FanGraphs, and The Athletic as the leaders in the space. I've had a chance to write about baseball for The Athletic since 2019, but since my main editor left last year, the work on that end has dried up.

But we ride on!

My first piece looking at Pete Crow-Armstrong is live on Baseball Prospectus now.

So, what does that mean for my other writing?

Well, my work at Winsidr is going to continue. That's my priority. Always. Women's sports isn't something you cover when it's convenient. You give it your all. And I will continue to do so.

Now, about the newsletter.

Well, some bad news there.

I'm afraid you all are stuck with me every Monday and Friday.

OK, we have three topics left:

• StudBudz
• Pay Us What You Owe Us
• Girl Dad

I'm going to try to cover each in 100 words or less so that we can get out of here.

Let's go.

StudBudz
Ugh, you had it all going. A perfect All-Star weekend. Putting yourself and the WNBA in the limelight. Cathy dancing. Being able to be yourself in a world that is trying to stop queer people from doing just that.

And then just like that, all of the good will is undone by saying that you want to have a conservation with Dave Portnoy on your stream. I know they've done things their way, but you're actively showing your fans that you don't care about them when you have someone like Portnoy on. Now is not the time to "hear people out" when people like Portnoy–and people he keeps company with–try to bring harm upon the queer community daily.

I know that Courtney and Natisha are standing firm that they want to have a convo to move things forward, but I really hope that they understand exactly what’s happening with Dave and his cult.

Pay Us What You Owe Us
Ah, the shirt heard round the world. The WNBA players wore the shirt ahead of the All-Star Game.

It's notable since there are ongoing CBA negotiations taking place, including an in-person meeting in Indianapolis.

I reached out directly to BreakingT, who is selling the shirt, along with a "Pay Them What You Owe Them" version, and they told me that the shirt is a hit.

Of course, this brought out all of the financial experts who are arguing that the players checks notes shouldn't be paid more.

OK!

Never mind the $200 million per year TV deal that starts next year. Or the hundreds of millions of dollars that NBA owners are investing in team bids. Or the team valuations, including the Golden State Valkyries coming in at $500 million despite a $50 bid to get a franchise.

It's funny how people care about women (and women athletes) until it comes to equity.

MAKES YOU THINK.

Girl Dad
Welp, I'm over the 300 words I wanted for these last three bullets, so we'll wrap it up here with the Girl Dad post.

Pat McAfee, a true, caring father and husband (trust him, he really wants you to know this!) offered an apology Wednesday on his TV show (it was serious because he had sleeves on his shirt for this episode) to the father of Mary Kate Cornett, months after he added fuel to the fire of a false rumor about her on his show that, essentially, ruined her life.

McAfee took so long that Barstool and ESPN beat him to an apology months ago.

What's worse, McAfee said, "As a girl dad, I also was very thankful for the opportunity to let Mr. Cornett know that I was wildly regretful for the part that our show, our program, played in his daughter Mary Kate's pain."

Everything this dude says just makes me dislike him more and more. So, being a "girl dad" and touting it is one of the biggest red flags that someone can have.

Why, exactly? Well, I'm hoping that the people who read my work already know this, but it's because you're saying that this issue is now important to you because you can relate. Because you have a daughter.

Not because you see this person as a person, but because you can relate to it.

And because he is the father of a daughter (he will remind us a lot more going forward, I promise), he is now a noble and honorable person.

Thanks, Pat!

Until Next Time

Have a great weekend everyone. Stay safe, and while I still love you awesome nerds, I'll leave you with a different image for this edition because it made me giggle.