USA. A Mexican restaurant. We had not yet ordered anything, and the food was already arriving.
Chips. Salsa. Unrequested. Free.
I stopped the waiter. "We have not earned these."
"They just come with the table, man."
They come with the TABLE. In my land, hospitality is a debt. Every gift creates an obligation, weighed carefully, returned in the proper season with interest of feeling. Here, the gift arrives before you have even proven you can pay for dinner.
This is not an appetizer. This is a declaration: we trust you. Eat.
I ate with the gravity the moment deserved. And then โ I must report this calmly โ the basket emptied, and a new one appeared.
"Did weโฆ?"
"Refill," the waiter said. "It's bottomless."
Bottomless. They have wells of salsa. The supply lines of this nation are beyond anything my ancestors imagined.
My friend warned me. "Don't fill up on chips, dude."
Too late. I had accepted three baskets. Honor demanded each one be finished โ an unfinished gift is an insult. By the time my actual food arrived, I was a ruined man.
I was not hungry. I was not comfortable. I had been defeated by a courtesy.
Generosity that arrives before the request cannot be repaid. It can only be survived.
I know the rule now. I have made my peace with the basket. One basket. Two at the most.
Who am I deceiving. There is no number of baskets I would refuse. The trust of a nation is in that salsa, and I intend to honor all of it.
I was in San Diego playing lacrosse with the Czech National team back in 2023.
We went to a sports bar for dinner and they had this game replaying on NFL Network on a TV right next to our table.
I bet a kid from the Czech Republic $50 that the Vikings were gonna come back and win.
He gladly took it. Free winner. Watching him experience this in real time was unbelievable. He couldnโt believe it. Ended up telling him after the game was over that it was a replay and didnโt take his money.
Also had to remind him that it was July and the NFL wasnโt on. It was also a Wednesday. I love the Europeans.
The Sacramento Kings are signing guard Killian Hayes to a two-year deal, agent Yann Balikouzou of LIFT Sports Management tells ESPN. The former No. 7 pick played in 10 games for the Kings over two 10-day contracts and now lands a full deal.
Breakdown of the Black Friday data tells us:
-Consumer is weakening.
-95% of sales volume was financed.
-67% of that intends not to pay off within 30 days.
-Roughly $1B was spent using BNPL models which are the worst debt.
This points to a *really* unhealthy economy.
Iโm old enough to remember being able to turn on the TV and just watch sports without needing 4000 different apps to do so. Just like make it stop. I want to click the on button and just bam, sports right there. Is that too much to ask for? Isnโt technology supposed to make life simpler?
LeBron James records entering Year 23:
1st in PTS
1st in MP
1st in All-Star selections
1st in All-NBA selections
1st in First-Team All-NBA selections
1st in seasons played (soon)
1st in 30-point games
1st in 20-point games
1st in 10-point games
1st in playoff PTS
1st in playoff W
1st in playoff MP
1st in playoff GP
1st in playoff FGM
1st in playoff STL
1st in playoff FTM
1st in playoff DREB
1st in Finals triple-doubles
Only player with 50K combined PTS
Only player with 40K PTS
Only player with 10K REB & 10K AST
Only player with 8K playoff PTS
Only player with 7K playoff PTS
Only player with 6K playoff PTS
Only player with 25 PPG in 20 seasons
Only player with a 40-PT game vs. every team
Only player to win FMVP with 3 franchises
Only player to avg. a triple-double in Finals
Only player to lead both teams in PTS, REB, AST, STL, BLK in a playoff series
Youngest No. 1 overall pick
Youngest to win ROY
Youngest to score 40 PTS in a game
Youngest to score 30 PTS in a game
Youngest to average 30 PPG
Youngest to average 25 PPG
Youngest to average 20 PPG
Youngest to earn All-NBA
Youngest to earn All-NBA First Team
Youngest to hit every milestone 1K-40K PTS
Oldest to average 30 PPG
Oldest to average 25 PPG
Oldest to average 20 PPG
Oldest to score 40 PTS in a game
Oldest to record a 30-point triple-double
Oldest to earn All-NBA