Well, look on the bright side. By this time next year, public sector unions will have been damaged beyond repair, and we’ll be accelerating toward adoption of a full-on caste system.

“Rules are rules” is an easy and frequent substitute for “think about what you’re doing,” to be sure.

A few years ago, I was at a White Sox game in July, and it was 99° at first pitch. When I went to buy a $4.50 bottle of water, I was given one that had been out in the heat all day, and not refrigerated. So I asked for a cup of ice. The cashier told me they would have to charge an extra $4.00 for the ice, because the…

So Abby’s just white privilege personified out of the gate, right? Can’t hold a job or manage to give a shit about school because she’s just so worldly, and all of this common shit is beneath her, oh, and also mumsy’s there with an envelope of cash any time she bombs out.

Careful, Lauren. Haisley’s gonna leave a roll of tinfoil in your bed if you keep up this sort of talk.

That line they’re feeding you about major concerts not coming to town because the arena’s too old is as much a steaming load as their claimed financial benefits. Chicago’s “old” arena, the Allstate Arena, built in 1980, still gets loads of top-tier concerts and every single WWE televised event that comes to town.

The problems are 1) the NHL probably views women’s pro hockey as competition, since both play during the same time of year, and 2) the NHL’s business model for the last quarter-century has been heavily dependent on crying poor every few years to justify lockouts and force concessions from the players.

The CWHL is allegedly paying its players starting this season, though I haven’t seen any specifics as to the pay scale. The league is adding two expansion teams in China, and kind of had its hand forced on the whole compensation issue once it came out that players signing in China weren’t getting salaries to play, but…

Thinking of sending audio to FS1Desk@fox.com of me screaming despairingly into the void.

“Ah, yes, European soccer. The sport as it should be, not like this shoddy American trash.”

The Omni was built without luxury boxes, the Flames’ owner (who helped develop The Omni, whoopsies, and also owned the Hawks) was trying to recover from some financial missteps, and two groups in Calgary had a bidding war for the franchise that ended with the Flames going for a then-NHL-record $16 million.