WCS 13 Blowin' trees @ The Big Game halftime

And may The Pause be extended through infinity

“The OSU V Michigan over/under is 46.5. If I were a betting man I’d take the over”

I said in a social media post. The Ohio State-Michigan rivalry still matters to me, the Lake Erie kid who spent an impactful sixth grade in Ann Arbor. Sure, I smirk when the hometown folks’ social media feeds collectively find the “I” in team, like their asses ever suited up.

But I do rearrange my life so that I can keep tabs. Especially in a season that had the two programs undefeated and ranked second and third in America.

That’s how my forthcoming and delightful smoking-on-camera episode with world-class cannabis journalist Jackie Bryant came to be recorded late in the second quarter of the Buckeyes visit to Ann Arbor. I could not move the game and would have to use halftime.

Ohio State had scored that touchdown, but not missed its field goal when the San Diego-based Bryant got onto our Zoom.

Among the many reasons I enjoy Jackie is that she loves cannabis even more than me. Not many out there who can say that who haven’t enshrined their affinity in religion. So, we smoked out on the Zoom, new mom Ms. Bryant hitting a giant bong and me with my infused flower pre-roll. All of the talk of my old LA apartment and pregnancy and motherhood and the state of the legal weed industry turned out to be such good podcast fodder that I realized after we left the call:

We have to call the December Last-Minute Gift Guide Constructively Stoned, because that’s what this is. How we were. It’s the condition that keeps on giving.

Look for the WCS LMGG in your mailbox on December 14. My podcast ep with Jackie and her epic bong will fall right around then. Not sure on the date yet. But I’m getting interesting gift guide coverage candidates. If you’d like to submit, email donnellellisalexander@gmail.com.

College football fans know that Michigan won the contest, in a win that proves nothing about who’s best—only how they play before a partisan crowd. After the game, my terpene-enhanced, diamond-frosted lil joint that was chockful of THCA put me down for a four-and-a-half hour nap that was unlike anything I’ve experienced since having a colonoscopy in Portland a few years ago.

I’ve got no joke for the image above, so on to the news!

10 See Sanders the Virtuoso
in the doc Bye Bye Barry

So that you can know that what I’m about to say is not hyperbole, click on the above and witness this athlete with your own eyes. Even if you think you remember how Barry Sanders ran, have a quick refresher. I’ll wait.

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Bye Bye Barry happened to pop in front of my eyes on Thanksgiving morning. The brand new doc inspired me so that I went into that morning’s Lions-Packers game all amped to root for Jared Goff, and… of course Detroit shat the bed. Since 1957, the Lions have only disappointed their fans.

The team’s greatest disappoint will always be its front-office ineptitude in handling Barry Sanders, almost from the start: Fresh from holding out of training camp, the Oklahoma State draft pick was dressed for the season opener, displayed on the sidelines. When Detroit’s offense stalled through the first half and the inevitable “Bar-ry, Bar-ry!” chants began, the Lions threw him in. Fortunately, Sanders made magic. Again and again and again. Yet the Detroit Lions underperformed. The story of how that happened is as important to know as the rough ballet Sanders performed on the field.
Amazon

• Jeff Daniels, Eminem, and most of Sanders’ notable teammates make impactful appearances. Noticeably absent are Chris Spielman, Bobby Ross, and Scott Mitchell.

Lil Hit

• Am I alone in attributing Dame Dolla’s struggles in Milwaukee as much to his ongoing divorce as the process of blending into a new Milwaukee Bucks offense?
  Sports Illustrated Fan Zone/Oregon Live

9 Now for Space Jam: The Lit Version

👆🏿 shows exactly how mainstream The Lettuce Formerly Known As Devil’s has come to be. MVP-candidate Anthony Davis and the Space Jam star made the blunt-rolling ritual a sports celebration.
Threads

• Mary Jane has come so far since Ricky Williams got busted giving Lenny Kravitz the toke-up sign from the Dolphins’ sideline.

• Follow @donnyshell on Threads.

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A Significant Change in Content

Grammy-nominated artist Kevin Powell is set to be the second Sojourn Conversation podcast guest, on Wednesday.

That Zoom sesh will also usher in a change in this Substack’s content routine, with Wednesday’s podcast for paid subscribers becoming Thursday’s free and slightly-edited print Q&A.

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8 Giddey up way too late @ night

By now, we’re familiar with the sound of celebrity collapsing into infamy, online. This time, the fallen star was boy band-handsome Thunder small forward Josh Giddey. On Wednesday night, damning images such as this one began drenching NBA Twitter.

The court of public opinion did not wait to hear both sides of this Newport Beach episode before calling the Australian, 21, a pedo.
Bleacher Report

• After Friday's practice, both Giddey and Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said they would not comment on the matter.

• Giddey, a rising star with the cool kids’ team, the OKC Thunder, is averaging 12.1 points per game, with just under 6 rebounds and 5 assists per outing.